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I think the title of this novel is appropriate.Because Dawan sings a song about her home, her village at the end of the novel. I think that Dawan missed her home because she get a scholarship and went further schooling and leave her home.

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I observed gender inequality in this novel when I read that Dawan’s father disapproved her to go to further schooling as she is a girl.Her parents also found it foolish and wasteful to send girls to school.However, in my opinion, I think that Dawan get good marks and if I were Dawan’s parents, I would sent Dawan to further schooling.

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I think Dawan is a good role model for us for us to learn. Because Dawan managed to get a scholarship despite the frustrations, hardships and political injustices of every day life. In addition, her father disapproved Dawan Togo further schooling because she is a girl.I think we should learn from her as she never gave up when facing difficulties.

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I believe the title is appropriate for the book as...

1. Dawan, the protagonist, has a beautiful voice and loves to sing. Singing becomes a symbol of her aspirations and hopes for a brighter future. Dawan's singing talent plays a significant role.

2. Dawn signifies new beginnings: The dawn represents the start of a new day, symbolizing fresh opportunities and a chance for change. In the book, Dawan's journey is about breaking free from societal expectations and forging her path in a conservative village. The title hints at her desire to embrace a new dawn, where she can pursue her dreams and be true to herself.

3. The title captures Dawan's resilience: Despite facing numerous obstacles, Dawan remains determined and steadfast in pursuing her passion for singing. She refuses to give up, reminding us that she continues to "sing" even in the face of adversity. Thus, the title "Sing To The Dawn" reflects Dawan's resilience and unwavering spirit, highlighting her inspiring character and journey.

Overall, I think the title "Sing To The Dawn" is indeed fitting and appropriate for the book.

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Dawan's father shows sense of integrity and character as he consistently supports Dawan's aspirations and encourages her to follow her passion for education. Despite facing criticism and ridicule from their neighbors and even his own family members, Dawan's father maintains his conviction that she deserves equal opportunities.

Dawan's father's unwavering belief in her potential demonstrates his integrity and character. He refuses to conform to societal norms and stands up for what he believes is right, even in the face of adversity. His actions exemplify a deep sense of fairness and an understanding that everyone, regardless of gender, should be afforded equal opportunities to pursue their dreams.

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I sympathize with Dawan as she faces numerous challenges and discrimination as she strives to pursue her dreams and break gender stereotypes in her community. Throughout the story, Dawan's struggles to be accepted in a world that limits girls' opportunities resonate with readers who may have faced similar challenges or who empathize with her longing for equality and personal growth.

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The novel "Sing to the Dawn" by Minfong Ho was likely written to highlight and challenge social inequality, particularly regarding gender biases and societal expectations. The author's motivation was to inspire readers to question and overcome these inequalities, advocating for greater equality, empowerment, and the removal of barriers that hinder personal growth and fulfillment.

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If I was given the opportunity to change a part of the novel, I would alter the ending of it. While the story beautifully depicts Dawan's journey of self-discovery and her triumph over societal expectations, the ending could be further developed to provide more closure and resolution to the various subplots. By providing additional details about the characters' futures and their continued growth, the revised ending would offer readers a more satisfying and complete conclusion to the narrative, leaving them with a stronger sense of fulfillment and emotional closure.

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The title is appropriate for the novel. The title encapsulates the core theme of the story, which revolves around the protagonist, Dawan, and her journey of self-discovery, courage, and resilience. "Sing to the Dawn" symbolizes Dawan's pursuit of her dreams and her refusal to be silenced or constrained by societal expectations. Through her talent and determination, Dawan's singing becomes a metaphor for her voice, her individuality, and her desire to be heard. The title effectively captures the essence of the novel, highlighting the protagonist's unwavering spirit and her unwavering commitment to pursuing her aspirations despite the challenges she faces.

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The novel underscores the idea that individuals are the architects of their own lives. Through the character of Dawan, the protagonist, the story demonstrates the power of personal agency and the ability to shape one's own destiny. Despite societal expectations and obstacles, Dawan actively pursues her dreams, defying gender biases and making choices that reflect her own desires. Her journey of self-discovery and personal growth highlights the transformative potential of individual actions and decisions. While acknowledging the presence of external constraints, the novel emphasizes the significance of personal agency in shaping one's own life and achieving personal fulfillment.

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I observed several forms of social inequality such as gender bias, sexism and gender inequality.The primary form is gender inequality, where women face restrictive expectations and limited opportunities compared to men. The society depicted in the novel assigns traditional gender roles, with girls expected to focus on domestic duties while boys are given more opportunities for education and personal growth. This gender bias results in the undervaluing of women's talents and aspirations. Additionally, there is a social inequality based on academic achievement, as individuals who excel academically are highly regarded and given more opportunities, while those who struggle academically are marginalized and face discrimination. The novel also touches upon socioeconomic inequality, with the poorer villagers facing greater challenges and fewer resources compared to the more affluent members of the community. These various forms of social inequality highlight the disparities and limitations that individuals face based on their gender, academic performance,

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I think Dawan is a good role model for teenagers because her chance to go to the big city was almost taken away from her because of her father and her brother .Dawan is a good role model also because she studied hard to get the chance to go to the city and fought to persuade her father to let her go to the city.Dawan was determined to convince her father to let her go to the city and she went to many people for guidance if she should go to the city or let her brother go for example, Dawan went to see the head monk because her father has great respect for him.

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The characters face the social issue of gender bias and sexism in their village. Dawan, the protagonist, challenges this issue by participating in a singing contest to pursue her dreams, defying the expectations placed on girls. Her courage inspires a shift in the community's perception, as they begin to question and challenge their own biases. While the issue is not completely resolved, the story emphasizes the importance of individual actions in confronting gender bias and sexism, offering hope for a more equal future.

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Dawan has a remarkable sense of integrity and character. She consistently displays moral values and steadfastness, especially when she stands up for her younger brother, Dawan, against unfair treatment. Despite facing criticism and opposition, Dawan remains true to herself and demonstrates unwavering support for her brother's dreams. Her courage, resilience, and empathy in the face of adversity further exemplify her strong moral compass and commitment to doing what is right. Dawan's actions throughout the story showcase her integrity and serve as an inspiring example of someone who remains true to their principles, even in challenging circumstances.

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In "Sing to the Dawn" by Minfong Ho, Dawan's decision to participate in the singing contest, despite her parents' objections, resonates with me. I agree with her choice because it showcases her unwavering determination to pursue her passion, challenges societal norms, and leads to significant personal growth and empowerment. By defying the expectations imposed upon her and daring to follow her own aspirations, Dawan becomes an inspirational figure, encouraging others to break free from societal limitations, embrace their unique talents, and embark on their own journeys of self-discovery. Her decision serves as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of one's dreams requires courage, resilience, and the willingness to defy conventions in order to create a path towards personal fulfillment and genuine happiness.

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I will suggest Dawan as a good role model for teenagers because even though she lives in a society where boys are more favoured than girls and her family liking and supporting her brother more than her, she still did not stop and give up pursuing her education. Another example is when the monk also did not help give any support, encouragement or advice, Dawan still kept going and trying to pursue her education despite very little people actually supporting her.

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I think that the title is appropriate for the novel. Dawan and Kwai both sang a song, which was related to singing to the dawn. This song represented the connection between the two of them. They were siblings. At the end of the story, Dawan was leaving for the City to further her studies. She then remembered this song. She was a little unwilling to leave Kwai and her family behind, and this song really represented them as a family. They had come up with this song together, so whenever Dawan thinks about the song, she could link it to her family. The song represented the way of life at the village, which Dawan will sorely miss when she leaves for the City. This song will always be significant to Dawan. Therefore, the title will be what it is.

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I sympathise with Dawan because even though she got the scholarship, most people would be proud but her family instead wanted her brother to get the scholarship instead of her and they were also very unhappy she got the scholarship instead of her brother.

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A social inequality I observe in the novel is sexism.
Given in the story, Dawan had a disadvantage in going to the City school because most of the people in the village believe that girls should grow up to be housewives, helping out with chores, and therefore should not do much studying. Whereas boys would work for money, bring food to the table, and therefore, study more to have more knowledge in order to have a wide variety of job choices, not that there are many choices in the village.
I also observe ageism. The monk that Dawan sought help from thinks that what he says is correct merely because he was older and had more experience. When Dawan said something about the traditions, the monk, warned Dawan to mind her words because she might not know what she is talking about. However, this is taking away a chance for Dawan to express her opinions. The monk eventually does not agree to help Dawan.

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I sympathize with Dawan. Although I am a boy, I still can understand the hardships that Dawan went through. As a girl, she faces many difficulties and disadvantages just because of her gender. History has made people believe which gender suits a particular skill/thing more. For example, boys should be soldiers, girls should like the colour pink. Father had always wanted Kwai, Dawan's brother, to go to the City for further studies because he believed that girls were not suitable to go to the city alone. When Dawan had rightfully earned the scholarship, Father insisted that she should not go. It was unfair as she had worked hard for that particular scholarship, and instead, her efforts were futile, and instead given to someone else.

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I think that the title is appropriate for the novel as when Dawan woke up, she sang a long that she came up with before going to school and when she was getting the scholarship results. When Dawan is unsure or scared, she would sing her song to calm herself down.At the end of the book, when she was leaving the village to study in the city, her brother Kwai, sang her song. She then joined in.

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I think that in the novel, the social inequality shown is gender inequality/sexism. At first, Dawan's father did not allow her o=to go to school, it was only after her brother,Kwai pursued their father to let her go to school. When Dawan was first in the exam, Her father did not allow her to go and wanted her brother, who was second place in the exam to go to the city to study. Their father thinks that girls should be in the kitchen, cooking, while boys work. I think that girls should be able to do whatever they want.

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I sympathise Dawan as I i think that it is unfair for her that her father does not allow her to go to school. She always does well in her studies, and has an opportunity to study in the city. Noi told Dawan that the city was a dangerous place for girls and her father even restricted her from going just because she is a girl. However, her father's restriction and what Noi said did not stop her from going to the city to pursue her dreams to change the unfairness in the village.

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I think her intention was to show and spread awarness that females are not only to do chores and can be amazing people if given the chance and to not be gender bias. Her motivation was to have equality in the world.

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A social issue in the story is that the people in the story belive boys should go to school and not girls like Dawan as they find that girls should only be doing housework and that they are not smart enough to study. The issue was solved when Dawan won the scholarship and after some events, proved to her father she could go to the city and not do housework all day

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i think Dawan is a good role model for teenagers as even though her brother and others kept on discouraging her, she pushed on to achieve her goals and dreams.

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I think the author wrote this novel to show that sexism is a big problem and that people do not realise that this problem is getting bigger by time. I think the author motivation for this is that she sees this problem but she does not know how to make more people understand so she decided to make this book to reach out to more people and it did as it reached to us.

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I think I would changed the ending as I would have also added a part where Dawan returns to the village during the school holiday and shares what has happened and what her progress in changing the world is. Also, I would include a scene in the added part where Kwai confesses that he has been thinking about it and now understands and believes in Dawan as that part was not shown very evidently in the original ending ( At least for me ) I would also like to show that the two siblings would play together as normal and it would seem as nothing has changed. Also right before Dawan goes back to the city, the siblings would sing Dawan’s song together showing a resemblance to the original ending, once again showing that nothing has changed and adding that Dawan is still the same person as before. That be the part that I would add on top of the old ending.

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There were 2 forms of social inequality.
1. Gender inequality. The main characters that experienced this were Dawan and Bao. Dawan was told that since she was a girl, she had no need for more schooling and that even if she did get the schooling, she would not be able to change any inequalities in the world as she was a girl and was soft-spoken even though she clearly was not. Also, many people did not encourage her to get schooling ie the monk, the father, etc as she was a girl. For Bao, she was not as lucky to get schooling as Dawan, instead she had to work. As she refused to do household chores, she was sent out to earn some money. If she even dared to release a sparrow that she was supposed to sell or refuse potential earnings, she would get struck by her brother for it. I think that Bao’s brother thought that girls were supposed be soft and was not supposed to defy men and so he thought the correct punishment was to strike her. Plus, barely anyone knew she existed as her brother was probably too ashamed of his sister to mention her. They all in all faced many stereotypes of how girls should behave and act.
2. Class inequality. Noi and Ghan faced a lot challenges in the city as they were from the lower class and considered as “ the poor”. As a result they were forced to do many grueling tasks. They had to toil under the sweltering hot sun, building roads so that the rich could drive their expensive and air- conditioned cars. Also, they had to produce many thing for the rich to enjoy, not even being able to afford their own fruits of labour. Also, there was a huge amount of child labour in the city, the children trying to earn enough to eat while the rich ADULTS were lounging away.

I think that these two social equalities are disgusting behaviour and are out-right bad. It’s not fair that certain people have it easier and some people have it easier just because of their gender or the amount of money they own. In my opinion, success should be determined by the hard work you put in not the gender that you have or the own of money you own. The poor should be able to get the same schooling as the rich and a girl should be able to get the same amount as a boy.

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I observe that sexism is the big part of the problem in the story. In the story, when people found out that Dawan was the one who got the scholarship to go to the city, they said that Dawan should not go as she is a girl and she is not capable to be in a big city by herself and that her brother should go instead. Dawan,however,believes that she should go as she was the one who won the scholarship not her brother so she is trying to overcome this problem throughout the whole story.

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I think that Dawan is a good role model to teenagers as she resembles like a teenager like figure to me. She shows the resilience as she won the scholarship fair and square but her father does not agree that she should have it because she is a girl and instead she should give to her brother,Kwai. Dawan would rebel against her father and try to convince him that she should go to the city instead of Kwai.

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I think a good role model would be the mother of Dawan because in my opinion, the writer showed that the mother wanted to support Dawan but someone who was “superior” to her was blocking her from evidently showing her support for Dawan. I think that the mother was actually very proud of Dawan but was scared to out-right support Dawan as she was scared that her husband, Dawan’s father, may hurt or do something to her for showing her support. Instead of keeping silent because of her fear, she finds an excuse to try to help Dawn. This was shown when the mother was telling the grandmother that she could replace the grandmother in bringing Dawan to go see Noi as “she was scared that the baby would get hurt by the chickens” or “ the grandmother was far too old and frail to walk such a long distance to Noi’s house”. That is why I think the mother is one of the best role models for teenager as when someone was blocking her way, she found a way to show support to Dawan without getting ur for it. I think a lot of teenagers could learn from her ways as they may be scared to do something because someone may hurt them because of it and so, by learning the mother’s ways, I think that they would be able to show passion and support for something that they wouldn’t be able to do openly.

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I think this novel was written to address gender inequality. I think so as she wrote about how Dawan's father did not think she was worthy enough to go to the City as she was a girl and wanted Kwai to go instead as he was a boy.

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I think that Dawan faced gender inequality. Although she did better than Kwai in the test and received the scholarship, her father believed that she was not worthy because she was a girl and wanted to let Kwai go instead.

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I think that Dawan is a good role model for teenagers as even though her father thought that she should not go to the City, she was determind to convince her father. When the monk refused to help her, she still persisted and finally convinced her father to let her go.

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I think this novel is written for people to understand more about how gender inequality affects women. I think the writer wanted to bring awareness to gender inequality around the world because a lot of people are affected by it. I think she wants people to understand how it affects women and doesn’t allow them to achieve their dreams. Gender inequality prevents women from having a proper education and it is clearly shown in the book.

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I observe forms of gender and class inequality. Gender inequality can be observed because it is the main problem in the book. Dawan wants to go to the city to study further, but her father does not want her to go. He believes that girls should only cook and clean. Dawan asks the village monk to help her, but even he refuses to do so. Dawan gets turned down by multiple people when asked and her mother wants her to go, but is too scared to help her. Gender inequality affect lots of people and prevents girls from being educated. This novel helps people to understand the gender inequality that lots of women face and it has a very nice message.
I also observe some forms of class inequality when Dawan’s teacher discusses it during class. The landlord takes rice from families for rent and sells them to the city. He earns money without having to work for it and gets away with it because he is powerful and rich. He doesn’t care about the lower class people breaking their backs to plant and grow their crops. The landlord doesn’t have to lift a finger to make money while the lower class farmers have to put hard work and dedication into growing their crops. The landlord doesn’t have to do anything and I think that this is a form of class inequality.

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I think Dawan is a good role model for teenagers because she is hardworking and never gives up. Even if almost everyone in her life discouraged her from going to the city, she was still determined to go. She was persistent and tried everything she could to try to convince her father to allow her to go to the city. Dawan is kind and understands how other people feel. She cares for her family and shows this by giving her only umbrella to her younger brother kwai. She is independent and can care for herself. I think that she could influence others to be independent, empathetic, hardworking and resilient. That is why I think that she is a good role model for teenagers.

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I think the novel was written to raise awareness on gender inequality and the social injustices faced by people living in poverty in South-East Asia. This can be inferred from the story plot in which Dawan gets first place in a competition which allows her to study at the city school for free but her brother gets second place meaning he can only go if Dawan does not. Dawan wants to go but her father believes that she will not be able to do anything with the knowledge she will learn and thinks it would be of more use if her brother goes instead. There is also social injustice which is a separate story which underlies the main story. Such as the military officer who charged Noi's family expensive fees to prevent him from recruiting her sibling to the army and the landlord who owns the land the village is on probably due to the corruption of the government and the fact that Thailand was a newly turned communist nation in the height of the cold war in the 1970s which was when the book was published which could have made the government give land to communists who charges the villagers to stay on the land. The author, Mingfong Ho, also mainly writes about the social injustices faced by people in South-East Asia such as the student protest massacre in Thailand which for some context, was about a student movement about changing the current government due to corruption but it was turned into a massacre when the police opened fire under the excuse that the protesters were communist due to the cold war having recently ended and was never officially investigated which was written about in Rice without rain and the Cambodia refugee problem which from unverified sources (wikipedia) was about the refugee camps in Thailand or on the border during the war between Cambodia and the Vietnamese which was written about in The Clay Marble. I think those books were written in hopes that events such as those mentioned do not happen again and people from first-world countries will help end poverty and social injustice.(I spent way too long on this)

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I think this novel was written as an encouragement for everyone, not just females. To me, this book reminds me of a quote, “You can do anything you put your mind to”, and I truly believe it. To achieve something, it takes perseverance, facing your fears and even getting out of your comfort zone. I also think this book is raising awareness about the social inequalities in the world. I think that it is not only reminding us about these inequalities but also reminding us that nothing is going to change unless we act on it. Just like Dawan and Kwai, we need to change the minds of the people who are contributing to the inequalities in the world. Everyone has a part to play in achieving a world with lesser inequalities. In a nutshell, I think this novel is trying to say, “nothing worth having comes easy in life.”

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Gender inequality and/or gender discrimination. The reason why I say this is because in the novel, the villagers favour males over females. The females are stereotyped that they are only good for housework and education is unnecessary for them. If I must go into detail, Dawan’s father. Dawan’s father is one clear example of this. He is gender biased and believes that all girls do not need to be educated. He also believes that only boys deserve to be well-educated. He also accuses Dawan of stealing Kwai’s chance and questions her intentions of studying and taking the scholarship. Another example is the monk. He was not supportive to Dawan and, in fact discouraged her. With these characters and more, the novel has something to do with gender biasness and gender inequality.

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Based on the novel Sing To The Dawn which I have studied, I think that the characters in the book are facing gender inequality. This can be shown prominently throughout the story which I think was written to raise awareness about . In the story, Dawan gets first place in a competition which allows her to study at the city school for free but her brother gets second place meaning he can only go if Dawan does not. Dawan wants to go but her father believes that she will not be able to do anything with the knowledge she will learn and thinks it would be of more use if her brother goes instead. This is the main story plot and it is based on the gender inequality faced by most girls in rural areas of South-East Asia which is not only unfair but also means that there are a lot of missed opportunities in which girls who may be smarter than boys do not get to study and instead do mundane tasks instead of working to pull the county out  of the slums which causes the cycle to repeat. From then on, Dawan tries to convince her father to let her go with the help of other people but fails until she convinces her brother which helps her convince her father, In real life though, this problem continues to remain unsolved. I think the solution to solving this is to not only raise awareness about it, but for those same girls who are being affected to rise up and convince people that they can make a change for the better if they go to school like in the story.

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I believe Kwai is a good role model for teenagers. In the story Kwai does not tell their father about being in second place to protect Dawan’s chance. He also helped Dawan to convince their father to let her take the scholarship. After their father learnt that Kwai came in second, he was furious. They argued, but Kwai stood up and confidently told their father that he will not steal Dawan’s chance and will refuse the scholarship even if Dawan was forced to turn it down. This made their father allow Dawan to take the scholarship. I personally think that Kwai’s kindness and empathy is remarkable. Kwai could have convinced his sister to not take the scholarship and could have taken he place and made their father happy but instead he understood whatever she was feeling and helped her prove their father wrong, which eventually helped. Hence, I choose Kwai.

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Q11/ Cayden (8)

I think that the author wrote this book to emphasise how people genuinely think about genders and their “roles”. The purpose was probably to showcase these social inequalities and discourage them, while also displaying the values or determination and resilience to readers. The displaying of these values probably aims to encourage readers (not just children) to be more resilient and let their determination pave their “story”. I think the author may have experienced such instances in real life before, and despised it, which is why she wanted to write this book- to discourage what she had experienced before, and to also prove to readers that determination and resilience is key to success. Perhaps, maybe it was because of her determination and resilience to write this book, that she did write the book!

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I believe that the social inequality of sexism/gender biasness is shown throughout this whole story. In the book, Dawan received the scholarship and was planning to go to the city to study. However, her father did not approve and instead wanted Kwa, her brother, to study in the city, solely due to the fact that Dawan is a girl and Kwai is a boy. Another instance of sexism/gender biasness is when the mindset that females must stay at home and be a housewife.

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I think that Dawan is a good role model to everyone. Even though her father did not want her to go to the city to study, Dawan wanted to, and she let her opinion be heard. She begged with her father to let her go to the city and after getting grandmother involved, father finally relented to letting Dawan study in the city. Dawan’s resilience and determination is why I think that she is a good role model, because she was determined to go to the city, and never gave up on the fact that she could study in the city, pleading with her father and eventually getting permission to study there.

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I think the writer wrote this book to show that we can do anything if we put our mind to it. Dawan could have given up and just stayed at home, but she chose to keep going until she got what she wanted. I think the writer also wrote this book to express the issues people face such as gender bias when on their way to their dreams. In a nutshell, "Mind over matter".

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I think Dawan's grandmother is a good role model for teenagers for the following reasons:
1.She stands up against society's oppressive unwritten rules.
2.She knows that any reasons for  Dawan not to go the the city is not the best
3.She helped Dawan realize her rights and was one of the reasons Dawan went to the city
4.Though Dawan did all the arguing with her father, the grandmother was like 'Behind-the-scenes-director'.

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I think the statement, "We are the architect of our own lives" is pretty true in the novel Sing to the dawn. Firstly, Dawan did not sit back and let her life be orchestrated by society's norms and biases. She took control of her own life and got what she wanted. Dawan carved out her own future.

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If i was given a chance to change something in the novel, i would change the fact that the mother had almost no say in whether or not dawan was allowed to go to the city or not. She just stood idly by while Dawan's father was the one making all the decescions.

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I can see that Dawan was shown gender biasness in the form of, "boys can go to school but girls cant". The characters who showed this trait are her dad and the monk as the monk did not even make an attempt to persuade her father to let her go, and her father was not willing to let her go in the first place

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I do think Dawan is a good role model as despite the many stereotypes and challenges she faced, she still persevered and due to her determination, her father finally let her go.she portrays a message to all teens out there to pursue their passion and not to let anyone stop them.Whichever gender you are, always fulfil your dreams and stand up for gender equalization.

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I think that I would add some part about what dawan did in the city and how she was able to help the village. I hink that it is important to let the readers know about it and how the landlord should be punished and how the people were brought back to justice. I think that I would have ended it in such a way that kwai also goes to the city and they both together bring justice to the villgaers

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We are the people who decide what we do and become in life. Our decisions and actions affect where we land. Based on the story, we can see that Dawan went against all odds to achieve what she wanted which was going to the city. She wanted to help fight the injustice that was happening in the village so she argued for her right and managed to go to the city.She did not believe that just because she was a girl, she could not do what boys did. Hence, it shows that we should be in control of our lives and not let others shape it.

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If I had a chance to change a part of the novel, it would be the results they received. I would say that they actually got the same marks. Kwai asked the teacher beforehand what the results was and knew that they had the same results all along. However, he felt that Dawan should get the chance of going to the city so he asked the teacher to announce the results as Dawan was first and him as second. He also told his father to let Dawan go as he wanted her to have the chance. He ended up telling Dawan the truth and Dawan felt really thankful for what he had done just for her to get better education.

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I think Dawan faced sexism and gender bias. When Dawan got the scholarship, their father was unhappy that Dawan got it and not Kwai. He thinks that sending a girl to the city and letting her experience city school education is a waste of time and thinks that sending Kwai is a better choice. Their father thinks that sending a girl to the city school is a lot worse than sending a boy to city school. It is very unfair as Dawan got the scholarship fair and square but the father disagrees and the mother could not do anything about it.

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I think that the character that I sympathize with the most is Bao.

The reason is because her brother forced her to sell things and make money in the wet market. When Bao set one of the sparrows free to show Dawan, her brother got mad at her and did not let her explain her reason why she did that and chose violence to set things right. I think that it is unfair as Bao just wanted to show Dawan what to do and how she should do it. In the end, Bao just wanted to help Dawan to enter the city school.

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I think that Minfong Ho wrote Sing To The Dawn to help address social inequality and how the main characters manage to overcome it. She also wrote about the necessary sacrifices needed to be made when facing these kinds of challenges. I believe that she should have experienced the different kinds of social inequality that inspired her to write this incredible story about Dawan and Kwai suffering the social inequality. I think that the author wanted to address how terrible social inequality by writing a small novel for children to inspire them to fix the problem when they grow up and replace the older generation (not insulting Mr Goh cough...cough...) and to make them finally solve the problem of social inequality to give everyone a chance for good education and equal rights. If this problem was solved in the book, Dawan and Kwai might both be able to go to the city to receive proper education and both help the village to no longer suffer from the landlord and need not pay him rice for what he did not deserve. The author must have realized the need for resolving of social inequality and might have gotten inspiration by going t the less fortunate countries like villages from other poorer countries with poorer education premises than Singapore's schools and thus, wrote Sing To The Dawn.

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Dawan faced sexism , lives in a society where boys are traditionally favored over girls. Dawan's younger brother, Kwai, will be able to go to the city to study even though he had came in second when Dawan came in first. If Kwai told his father about him coming in second for his academics, his father will still allow him to go to the city on behalf of Dawan even though she came in first. This is one example of the social inequality in the book. Another example is that the reason behind Dawan's father not allowing Dawan to go to the city to study and let Kwai go instead. The reason is that her father thinks that even if Dawan goes to the city to study, she will not be able to help the village or improve their poor living conditions because she was a girl. Thus, Dawan's father wanted to let Kwai go to the city to study thinking that he would definitely help the village more than Dawan could as Kwai was a boy. Thus, Dawans father did not want to let Dawan go to the city to study. This shows the social inequality to Dawan even in her own family. This is examples of social inequality in the novel.( •̀ ω •́ )✧

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I think that Dawan is a good role model to teens as she is resilient and determination when she is given the opportunity to go to the city to study. She will get proper education at the city and will be able to help her village to become a better place for studying, living and surviving. She also shows her determination when dealing with difficulties like gender bias in her village where her father will let Kwai go to the city instead of her as Kwai was a boy, but Dawan was a girl. However, Dawan still stood up for her rights to go to the city as she deserved as she scored the highest for her tests and came in first. She tried explaining this to her father but he would not listen to her. Eventually, she managed to convince her father to let her go to the city to further study due to her determination when arguing with her father to let him realize that Dawan had the rights to go to the city to further pursue proper education. Her determination let her father finally relent let her go to the city. She being able to this requires a great amount of courage to stand up against ones father to convince him to let her go to the city to further pursue her studies. These acts can be learnt as it will help people to have right moral values, the courage to stand up against someone who refuses your right to do something.

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I think that this novel was written in a way that inspire the younger children. It lets little girls now that even though they are female, doesn’t mean that they can’t learn. Whereas boys are always the priority over girls but it isn’t always that way.

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I believe that the characters have faced sexism or gender bias. Despite receiving the scholarship, Dawna’s father thought there was no need for females to learn that much, so he wanted to let her brother, Kwai, receive it instead.

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I think that Dawan is a good role model as even though her own father thought that she was not worth the scholarship, she still thought of ways to convince her father in letting her go to the city.

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I think the novel would be written this way, it is to inspire children that determination, willpower and a good mindset it can overcome challenges and obstacles you face in your daily life. It can be to also help children facing sexism and gender bias to encourage them to work hard and inspire them with the  sensational story to strive on and ignore all the negative comments heading towards their way.

I think the writer's intention is to spread the intensity of social issues like sexism, classism and even some global issues like poverty. She would like to share how hard live is to live in the very poor suburb areas in Asia as they might face sexism or classism by higher ranked officials. To help people understand how sexism plays out, she has gone in-depth on how the story plays out and how the characters develop.

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Gender bias and sexism was probably one of the main problems faced by Dawan. Sexism was shown quite a lot in the story as the father did not allow Dawan to go and wanted Kwai to go to the city school, as his thinking was that women would not be allowed to study and their main "job" was to cook, work and get babies which restricted her education. The monk also did not help her and said for her to focus on life and said she would not go far anyway.

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I think Dawan would be a good and courageous role model for teenagers.She showed great compassion for going to the city school to get a proper education, even though not even being allowed to go as the place she was living in had a lot of gender bias. This shows that Dawan has a lot of determination to excel and girls and boys can be inspired as they might face the same problem. She is also very empathetic towards people, like offering the umbrella to Kwai as it was raining, caring for Bao and told her to not care about the fact the Kwai pushed her, and even thinking why people's successes were baed on others failures as Kwai was disappointed the their father allowed her to go to the city school but not him.

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The part that I would change is that the monk would help Dawan and try to convinced her father to let her go.
I think that it would be better as monks are supposed to help anyone for most things and I feel like what Dawan is asking for is also a simple thing, it was also definitely not too much to ask for. With the help of the monk trying to convince her father, and the father not listening to the monk will show how much the father wants Kwai to go instead of Dawna and will make the last few parts of the book more meaningful as after countless attempts, the father will finally accept and let her go to the city which might lead to more emotional things and of course further deepening the plot.

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The social issue faced by Dawan was sexism.

There are examples of sexism for example:  Noi told Dawan that the city was dangerous for girls, meaning it was unfair or maybe another thing but overall dangerous for girls. Her father did not allow her to go to the city because he assumed that girls were not supposed to go and he wanted Kwai to go. The monk too did not help her because she was a girl.
These are a few examples on how sexism was shown in the story.

The way the problem was solved with the persuasion of BOTH Kwai and Dawan and fortunately and finally, her father allowed her to go to the city.

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I agree with the title as at the beginning of the book, Dawan was singing her morning song to the dawn before going to school and getting the results of the scholarship. Even in the last part, Dawan's grandmother gave her a lotus and told her about the lotus blooming in the dawn and children blooming into adults, and so on.  In the end, when Dawan was on the bus, her brother was singing her song to the dawn and Dawan had joined in. This is why I think that the title is appropriate.

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In this story, there was gender discrimination faced by Dawan. Dawan's father did not support in sending Dawan to the city school at first because he thought that Dawan had snatched the chance to go to the city school away from her brother by winning the scholarship and that even by learning in the city school, she could not benefit anyone. Dawan's father thought that only Kwai could help their family by going to the city school by learning various things. If Kwai had not supported Dawan in the end by standing up to their father, then Dawan might not have been able to go to the city. The issue was solved for Dawan because in the end, she was able to go to the city school.

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I think Dawan is a good role model because even though Noi said that the city was dangerous for girls, Dawan still wanted to go and see the city for herself. She even stood up against her father. Ultimately, her father allowed her to go to the city school because of her persistence.

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Yes, I think the title used is appropriate for the novel. When Dawan woke up in the morning, she was singing a song which she came up with, which was related to the dawn. Then throughout the story, when Dawan was upset or unsure of what to do, she would also sing to the dawn. And at the end of the story before Dawan's farewell to the village, as Dawan watched Kwai run away, she also sang the song to calm herself down. Finally, when she was on the bus to the City, she saw Kwai on the bridge waving goodbye to her, and he was singing the song. With that, Dawan decided to join in as well, and with Kwai, they both sang to the dawn. That is why I think the title used is appropriate for the novel.

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I think in this novel, there is social inequality such as gender biasness and sexism.
For example (regarding gender biasness/sexism), in the novel, Dawan was not allowed to go to school as she was a girl. It was only after her brother, Kwai, persuaded their father to allow her to go to school, did the father finally give in. However, when Dawan won the scholarship, her father was very angry as he thought Kwai should go, and not Dawan (because she was a girl).
In conclusion, the novel basically concludes the mindset that girls are meant to stay home and clean the house, cook food etc which is not true. Girls should have the freedom to do whatever they want to do.

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I think that Dawan is a good role model for teenagers.

She kept chasing her dreams even though shows faced with many harsh comments and challenges. For example: Noi said that the city was a dangerous place for girls and disagreed on the idea of Dawan going. Her father until the last few chapters disagreed too as she was a girl. Even the monk did not want to help her because she was a girl.
Her brother at the beginning of the book said that he would be happy and support Dawan to go to the city if she got the scholarship
but when she got the scholarship, he did not want Dawan to go as he wanted to go too.

This teaches us to chase our dreams no matter what people say, keep doing it until you succeed.

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I agree with the title. In some points of the book, Dawan was singing to the Dawn. The grandmother made connections with the lotus bud blooming at dawn and Dawan. At the end, Kwai was singing the song that Dawan would usually sing at dawn.

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Dawan was being criticized for wanting to go to the city after getting the scholarship as her father felt that girls should not go to the city to learn and that his brother should have gone to the city, but her father accused her of stealing the scholarship from him.

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I feel that Dawan is a good role model as despite all the challenges, she still managed to convince her father to allow her to go to the school in the city.

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I sympathise with Dawan as I do not think it is fair for her because her father does not allow her to go to school. I think that if she did well in her studies and had the opportunity to go to the City to study, her father should not restrict her just because she is a girl. Dawan, however, did not let her father's restrictions stop her from pursuing her dreams to go to the City, and wanted to at least try to change the unfairness in the village. She went to many different people but no one seemed to approve her choice. That is why I sympathise with Dawan.

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In her society, girls are expected to conform to traditional roles such as being a housewife and are not given the same educational opportunities as boys. Dawan challenges these gender inequalities and fights for the chance to attend school and pursue her dreams.

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Yes, I think the title is appropriate. At the start, Dawan woke up and sang to the dawn. At the around the last part, grandmother talked to Dawan about the lotus bud only blooming at dawn. She said the connection between the lotus bud and Dawan. At the last part, Kwai sang to the dawn.

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Dawan as she stood strong in wanting to go to the city school. She did not let the gender inequality stop her from letting Kwai going to the school. She also let her brother use the umbrella. When she wanted to go to the city school she went to talk to her parents, this shows that she is courageous and willing to stand up for herself.

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Characterization
1.      Based on the novel you have studied, which character do you sympathise with? Give reasons for your answer with close reference to the text.

2.     From the novel you have studied suggest one character in the novel who you think is a good role model for teenagers and give reasons for your choice.

3.     If you had to choose one character that you relate most to, which would you choose and why?

Thematic
4.      Based on the novel sing to the dawn by Minfong Ho, it is true that one must face many challenges in her life before reaching his or her goal.

Based on the novel that you have read, describe an important decision made by a character that you either agree or disagree with. Give reasons with your agreement/disagreement, with close reference to the text.

5.     Using the detail from the novel you have studied, describe how one of the characters shows sense of integrity and character.

6.     Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about social issue faced by the characters and discuss how the issue is solved.

7.     What forms of social inequality do you observe in this novel?

8.     We are the architect of our own lives. With close reference to the text, how far is this true of the novel you have studied?

Textual
9.      Using the details from the novel you have studied, do you think the title used is appropriate for the novel? Give reasons for your answer.

10.     If you were given a chance to change a part of a novel you have studied, which part would you change and give reasons.

11.     Why would this novel be written? What do you think was the writer’s intention and her motivation as a writer of this book?

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