Introduction

Short stories originated and developed in Europe that also known as Western country.
The short stories developed occur rapidly and drastically because of the struggle of
figure such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nikolai Gogol, Guy de Maupassant and Anton Chekhov.
The authors have laid the concrete foundation in producing a short story, especially with
regard to the definition and characteristics of a short story.
The evolution of short stories in Malaysia had started before the Second World War, that
time the traditional short stories were modernized. Generally, short stories were written
for entertainment among the community, look for satisfaction, criticisms and give
comments on issues. Not only that, writing short stories also provides religious
experiences, to preach and also publish the propaganda. Ones writing short stories
because they want become famous. Short stories are written based on a true story, the
experience of author or others and also based only on imagination.
There are some elements included by the author in short stories writing to make the
stories more interesting. The elements are such as setting, plot, character, theme and
moral value. Short stories and novel are two different types of writing although both of
these writings contain of same elements. This is because the writing of short story is
shorter if compare to the novel writing. In addition, short story writing included a bit of
character and conflict while in novel writing, there is a lot of characters and conflicts.
At last, short stories are written by the author not only based on their experience or from
others, but also according to their imagination. As Malaysians, we should appreciate to
the Malaysian writers who produce or write short story and give moral supports to them
by reading their short stories.


ANALYSIS OF SHORT STORY (IBRAHIM SOMETHING)
Ibrahim Something is a short story written by Lee Kok Liang. The story was about a
Chinese man who converted to Islam after married to a Malay woman in the era of
Japan Occupation that is between the year of 1942 and year 1945, in the hospital that is
narrated by the narrator. The environment in the ward was enlighten by two occupants
named Ibrahim and Kuppu who was good friends with different of races. Besides
narrator, Kuppu and Ibrahim, there was also a Malay man with unmentioned name.
Ibrahim was a converted Chinese. Ibrahim finally left the hospital with his wife after the
death of his brother who was herbalist although he had not fully recovered.
The main character of this story is just as the title of this story that is Ibrahim. He is a
fat man. He is a helpful and caring man. He helps a lot his friend, Kuppu by giving a lot
of advice to motivate Kuppu. He also helps Kuppu to get up from the mattress. He is a
humorous man. This characteristic can be seen in the interaction between Ibrahim and
his good friend, Kuppu when Kuppu feel stomach pain. He made joke with Kuppu by the
way of scolding him to separate Kuppus attention so that he did not feel the pain.
Ibrahim also a loving person. He treat his wife well. Besides, he also suffers bad dreams
at night. Ibrahim actually was a Chinese that converted to Muslim to marry with his wife
that the marriage was not approve by his family and finally his family gave him up.
Ibrahim lived up to his motto, believe in what you believe is enough to change yourself.
According to the story also, we can know that Ibrahim is an irresponsible to his family
that he left his brother and his sons to go with the Malay woman. He then left hospital
after his brother die although he had not fully recovered.
Narrator is also a character in this story. Narrator is a Chinese boy who work as a
body builder or weight lifter. He was hospitalized because of yellow fever. He had learnt
a lot of languages, that is Japanese language, English, Malay, Thai and also Chinese.
Narrator was also a good listener. He listened quietly to Ibrahim who suffers bad dreams.
He kept the promise that he would not spread the words that Ibrahim told him that night.
He also did not care about other business.
Kuppu is an Indian male. He is a thin figured man. He is good friend of Ibrahim. He
always had stomach pain. He was a nosey man. This characteristic can be shown when
Kuppu crept up the curtains and peeped through the new occupants to know about him.
He is also a humorous man in the conversation between him and Ibrahim. He also know
his friend very much that he know that the scolding of his friend was just a joke. He also
sometimes sensitive. This is shown when he get angry with Ibrahim suddenly. He also a
hot tempered man. When narrator did not want to tell him what he heard from Ibrahim,
he got angry with him and shouted loudly.
The Malay inmate is work as farmer or fisherman. He was a smoker. He was a nosey
man. He always stared at Ibrahim especially when Ibrahim with his wife. He talked bad
about Ibrahim and his wife.
The next character is Ibrahims wife. She is a Malay, different from the race of
Ibrahim. She was short with brown cheeks and a square face. She is loving and caring
that she took good care of her husband, Ibrahim who was feeling unwell. She was a
loyal woman that she never left behind he husband. Besides, she also a gentle woman.
She calmed Ibrahim down gently that he want to get off the bed.
Ibrahims brother is the last character that appear in the story. His bed was three
beds away from the narrators. He suffered from yellow fever that became the cause of
the death of him. He died in the same hospital Ibrahim was admitted. He was a herbalist.
The story was began in a hospital during the Japanese Occupation among 1942 till
1945. This story started at the afternoon when the narrator introduced himself as one of
the patients in a hospital during the Japanese Occupation. The narrator was in the
hospital because he had yellow fever. In the hospital the narrator met many patients who
eventually became his friends like Kuppu and Ibrahim. All the patients in the ward were
very close to each other.
The rising action is when Kuppu and Ibrahim talked about the history of General
Kuan Yung. General Kuan Yung was the history person in China. Then, Kuppu became
a little bit angry because Ibrahim made cruel him as a toddy drinker. Soon after that in
the evening the narrator father visited him and Ah Chang, one of the patients in the
hospital sat on the edge of the narrators bed to see what the narrator father brought.
The narrators father brought some old magazines, exercise book and pencil to keep him
busy. The narrator father narrated the history of the patients he knew, their families and
their businesses while the narrator enjoyed his food.
At the same time, the narrators father and the Malay neighbour were watching at
Ibrahim and one woman, and this part became the climax of this story. The women
carefully lifted some sarongs, a food carrier, singlet and other things from the basket.
The narrators father told the narrator that he had met Ibrahim somewhere.
Next the falling action happened when the narrator knew that Ibrahim was a
converted Chinese after a herbalist patient who was Ibrahims biological brother
admitted in the same ward as Ibrahims. Then, Ibrahims sister in-law scolded Ibrahim
because Ibrahim leaved his family, included his another Chinese wife the next morning.
The herbalist died finally because of yellow fever. When Ibrahim knew that his brother
was passed away he became confused and undecided what to do next. The narrator
also thought about his fever, he had yellow fever too.
The denouement of the story is after the death Ibrahims brother, Ibrahim had
changed a lot in his appearance. He left the hospital together with his wife although
Ibrahim still not fully recovered. People around them spread rumuors that Ibrahim had
slipped into the jungle with his wife.
There are many themes in this story. One of the theme of the story multicultural
identity. The occupants in the ward consisted of varieties of races in Malaysia such as
Malay, Chinese and Indian. Ibrahim and narrator were Chinese, Kuppu was Indian and
unnamed Malay man. The story showed the various of races during pre-independent in
Tanah Melayu. Besides, it also showed cultural and economy status of part of
community at that time.
The next theme of the story is friendship. We can see a valuable friendship between
Ibrahim and Kuppu. Although they were different races, Ibrahim was a Chinese while
Kuppu was an Indian, they had different skin colour but they helped each other and
knew each other very much that they can made jokes together. They can curse each
other to change the environment of the hospital that is quite boring. This showed they
were close friends.
Besides that, the story also contains the theme of mix marriage. Mix marriage
between Ibrahim and his Malay wife that was rarely happen at that time. Ibrahims family
did not accept this marriage that he had to left his brother after he married with Malay
woman. We can see the mix marriage when a Malay woman took care of him and the
most obvious is when a Chinese woman scolded him to be leave his own family because
of the Malay woman.
Moreover, the theme of nativization is also included in this short story. Definition of
nativization is the process whereby a language gains native speakers. By other mean is
that the process of adapting other languages as their spoken language. We can see the
nativization of language in the conversation between the occupants especially the
conversation between Ibrahim and Kuppu such as minatang, hantu, har and babi.
The moral value in Ibrahim Something is respect and understanding promote
harmony and unity between multiracial society. In the story, although they in different
races, they respect to each other that a harmony environment. They curse each other
but no heart feeling. Besides, through this story, we know the moral value that friendship
between two different races is possible. Ibrahim and Kuppu are closed friend although
they are different races and different skin colour. They help each other when one of
them in need. Real love between spouse can overcome everything is also one of the
moral value in the story. Ibrahim and his Malay wife have to face a lot of problem
because of their rare love. One of the problems is such as support from their family.
Although the society under estimate their love, but they still loving each other. Ibrahim is
willing to be give up by his family just to be with his wife. The next moral value is never
cut the blood ties as family. Family is most close people in our life. We should not put
our family away easily. This story also teaches us to be never judge a book by its cover.
In the story, narrator, the Malay inmate and his father prejudiced towards Ibrahim who
had a Malay woman by his side in the ward. Besides, narrator also misunderstanding
and had a bad impression towards Ibrahim at the beginning of the story that he thought
that he had hurt Kuppu with vulgar words. With the laughter of Kuppu after the scolding
of Ibrahim and also when he saw Ibrahim help Kuppu to get up from his bed, narrator
finally realized that Ibrahim was actually a nice person.



Reflection
First, I want to thank to the God because I can finish this coursework in time. This
coursework took time to finish it because at the beginning when I received the question
of this assignment, I thought that it is difficult for me. Although it is tough, but I thought I
got a lot of things and knowledge in the process of finishing this assignment. Make an
analysis of a short story is a new thing for me.
After I got the coursework, I had discussed with my partner, Louis Pulong. Then,
both of us agreed that we have to find the references at the library of Institut Pendidikan
Guru Kampus Bahasa Melayu. We take a few hours to seek for the books.
At here, I want to take chance to say thank you to my lecturer, Madam Thanes
that help my team a lot in completing this work by giving some examples for doing a
good analysis of a short story so we can more understand to do this coursework. She
had explained a lot how to perform well in this course work.
I also want to say thank you my teammate that had give a lot of commitment in
completing this work. Without the cooperation from him, I think we cannot finish it on
time. Besides, I also want to take this chance to say thank you also to my other
classmates that had also discussed with me about topic of this course work when both of
us did not know what to do next step.
In this analysis of Ibrahim Something, I also learned that we should not cut off
the ties with our family. Family is the closest people in our life. We should not leave them
with any reason. A conflict that happened between family and us can be solve through
many ways. We can solve the conflicts by discussing with our family in a good way and
do not just think of the easy way. Be responsible to our family is a must as a human
being.
I learnt to be not judge someone by its cover. We should not prejudice to
someone easily because of something happen.
Not only that I also learn to be thankful for the harmony environment that I stay
now in Malaysia. After reading this story, I totally can imagine how the society live in
Malaya when the Japanese Occupation. They have to suffer the affect of Japanese
Occupation. For example, we can see some of the patient in the ward of the hospital
suffers for yellow fever. So, we should be grateful of what we have now and
Not only that, in this story also, I have learn not to be racist. In Ibrahim
Something, the patients in the ward of the hospital consists of different races. Although
they are in different races, they get very close and become friends. They help each other
when one of them has difficulties by the giving advices and worried about each other.
Furthermore, in this story also, I also had learn to
Moreover, I also have been given a chance to analysis the short story in English
language that I think it is so hard for me. In doing this course work, with the help of my
partner, finally I can finish the analysis of story that is impossible thing for me. I am glad
to have such chance in doing this.
I also learn to be confident in my daily life. Before the coursework, I am an
unconfident person, and now, I am able to talk in front of my lecturers and my friends
while presentation. In other hand, I hope I will improve and more be careful with my
language while talking English. It is important in my future life especially in my career.
In the aspect of moral value, I learnt to be a responsible person in perform my
task that is completing the assignment. In this assignment, everyone needs to work for
the task, so my team divide the work among our us. We discuss about the analysis with
each other. This mean that I have the responsibility in perform my task and this value
should own by a future teacher like me.
Moreover, I also learn to use time wisely. It is important to use time to do
advantage activities so that can complete the work in time. Although there is a lot of
coursework in other subjects, I also tend to finished it on time. This is because I divide
the time in doing work by set up a timetable so that the time is not wasted.
I want to take my responsibility as a teacher in the future after doing this
coursework. This is because I think that I should try to be a good teacher in the future
that can bring my students to the correct way so that they will not doing something that
will make they fail in their future. I want them to grow up successfully.
In short, I feel happy I can do this work that had given by my lecturer. Although it
is quite difficult, but it is really challenging. It will help me a lot in my life. In make me
more mature than before and be good and responsible teacher in the future time. Thank
you.