Home Learning Lesson 4

1. In relation to Paper, you should explain exactly what the title refers to and why it is so significant to gambling, gains on the stock market and ultimately the conclusion of the story.

It all started with paper, though money is much more worthy than papers, it's still related to papers. Got attracted to papers, working hard, saving hard, all to gain enough money for that dream house, paper gains as mentioned.

Then started buying stocks, a dangerous, risky gamble. No gambling game makes one as rich as buying stock but no gambling game makes one as poor as buying stock, all to the extremes.

Then the ending, I think this is where the most important meaning of paper is shown in this passage. Tay Soon died, not with big houses, not with loads of money..... but papers, real papers, papers accompanied him! So what's the point of working hard, saving, buying stocks, won at first but lost a great deal in the end, got seriously ill, upsetting the whole family? All for papers? Its just like how Tay Soon's mother spent so much but just to buy papers. Shortchanging herself.

2. For Lottery, do an analysis of 100 words in which you look at Ah Boh’s superstitions regarding gambling.

Ah Boh, no doubt, was hooked onto gambling, the method for a modern living to her was gambling, hoping to be weathy overnight. Thus when she thought too much about it, she turned to believing anything that would help her, superstitions, Ah Boh thought that that was at least what she could do. She got seriously ill mentally, she would just jot down any number that attracted her eyes, even in accidents, she never cared or felt uneasy about dying people, those numbers she needed for 4-D or any sorts of gambling blinded her. Moreover, she bought joss sticks, prayed to gods, all sorts of supersttions. Superstitions only got Ah Boh worse, caused her not even to care about her old mother, when she in an accident, Ah Boh only thought and wished her old mother will not be angry with her.

3. For The Rocking Horse Winner, write a paragraph of 100 words in which you point out who was responsible for Paul’s death.

I think there were different people contributing to Paul's death. Firstly, Paul's mother, she was the first person who caused Paul's addict, indirectly though, her mindset was wrong in the first place. She wanted to be born lucky and be lucky for the rest of her life, never wanting to work to hard but get more advantages. She blamed for marrying an unlucky husband, causing her not to love her children. Paul wanted to show her that he could and he was lucky, for he already knew the little amount of love her mother had for him.

Another person was Pual's uncle, Oscar Cresswell, it was ok at first to bring Paul to watch the race, but I don't understand why he would agree to let Paul, his own nephew, to earn money through this way, at such a young age! How much can Paul understand, if he were not dead, he would find his secrets, partners what so ever is childish. And Oscar should know it, yet agreed to join and even supported Paul, beliving him. If Oscar were to stop Paul from saving money, talking and caring so much about horse races, riding his wooden horse madly or whatever else the habits of Paul, nothing would have happened.