BBL 3206

Prof. Madya DR. NORITAH OMAR

 PREPARED BY:
SUDHEEP RAMASAMY (B10127)
YEAN KEK FONG (B10204)
B.A ENGLISH(executive)
 What it means by echoes of silence in this
novel?
 How can there be echoes in silence? Is
there anything going on?
 What is silence means in this novel?
 How do the writer portray echoes as in
silence situation?
 Echoes that was meant in this novel is not
the literal meaning of echoes. But then the
repeated thing(silence) that the writer
included in her story.
 Silence in this story means the unspoken

matters and things by certain characters.

 These unspoken matters/things might

actually hold the biggest clue towards the

identity of the murderer.
 Why certain characters keep their past in
silence?

 Whatcould be the consequences of them

revealing the truth about something or
revealing their past?
 Thepurpose of not revealing certain
matters could be because they(characters)
themselves feel threatened by the truth and
how the other person would react to it.

 The consequences that they need to face

later on.
 The race riots in Malaysia in May 1969.
 The displacement feeling

 Ambiguity in own identity

 Ambivalence of obscurity
 Following are the few examples of silence in this novel.
1. Jonathan.T to Michael.T about the death of his
wife/Michael.T’s mother.
2. Puteh/Mary to Jonathan.T/Simon Collins about her
muteness.
3. Ai Lian’s father about the grandmother –

por-por
 Following are the few examples of silence in this
novel.
1. Puteh/Mary to Yusof about Michael as her own
child.
2. Michael.T to Ai Lian regarding who is the
murderer.
3. Michael.T to Ai Lian about how he get the
diamond necklace
4. Ai Lian’s mother of her past/background.
 Guat eng uses different time frames for/in
her novel
 There are 3 time frames/time period as

follows:
Distance past – 1940 –Truth manuscript is written
Present past – 1974 – The murder occurred and the
whole storyline
Present – 1994 – Ai Lian tells the story to Anna
Distance past

1940
During the Japanese invasion & occupation
 Written by Michael Templeton about
Mary/Puteh, Simon Collins, Jonathan
Templeton, Yusof,
Present past

 1974

 The murder occurred - Cynthia

 The story happens in this time period/ time frame

Present

 1994
 Ai Lian describes/tells what is going on in the present
days of her with Anna, her daughter.

 Each time a part begin, there will be some story about

what is going on now so that the reader could follow the
things happening to Ai Lian in real time.
 AiLian, who is unable to find her identity and her
feeling of displacement in Malaysia.

 She thought that if she left Malaysia and went to

different country where she felt more safe, then she
could find herself.

 Sheexperienced other culture that is so contradicted

to her Asian culture.
 Ai
Lian seem very interested in finding who
murdered Cynthia.

 Theway on how she investigate makes the

readers to continue reading to the end.

 Thecuriosity of Ai Lian is also felt by the

readers
 Ai
Lian seem very interested in finding who
murdered Cynthia.

 Theway on how she investigates makes the

readers to continue reading to the end.

 Thecuriosity of Ai Lian also been felt by the

readers
 Michael.T
is about to give that necklace to Ai Lian
because he is going to marry her.

 Thenecklace belongs to Michael.T’s mother that

must be carry forward by a lady who will be marrying
to Michael.T.

 Since
the necklace is given to Cynthia, there are
some unsatisfaction feeling to Puteh.
 That
could be the motive of Puteh killing
Cynthia

 OnceMichael.T gets the necklace from

Puteh, he gave it to Ai Lian.
 What is the value of the necklace to Ai Lian?
 As a stone? As a left out by Michael.T? As a

jewellery to her clothes?

 Why the author emphasizes on the

necklace?
 The arrangement of the diamonds in a

necklace is how a story should be read or a

mystery is to be solved.
 What is the significance of Ai Lian suiting
some dresses with the necklace and
ended up being naked in front of the
mirror?

 Maybe the diamond necklace doesn’t need

any clothes to be suited. Just being
yourself without clothes suggests that we
should be frank to ourselves and not by
pretending of being someone else.
 A short Mahagana Buddhist Scripture
(holy book) or a perfection of wisdom

genre
 Posits that something is what it
is only because of what is it not
 Tells us that realizing the emptiness of
all things is the key step on this path and
that its
articulation comes paradoxically in the
bodhisattva (god) ideal of saving all the
sentient (having consciousness) beings. .
It is call ‘ The Diamond of Transcendent
Wisdom' because its teaching will cut like
a diamond blade through worldly illusion
to illuminate what is real and
everlasting .
Due to the reading and
understanding of
Diamond of Sutra, Chuah Guat Eng
produced the “ Echoes Of Silence ”
 Echoes of silence is a discovery of
journey, everything Ai Lian knows or
goes through is not true .

 People in Echoes of Silence hide

the truth.

Actually people put value on their

own mind.
 The diamond necklace in the
story is a symbol.

 It is connected to the Diamond

of Sutra.
-it is like a touch stone to Ai Lian .

-it carries the truth.

Echoes of Silence is very critical to
the
postcolonial countries.
Ai Lian represents a postcolonial
country, in
love with her country master until she
gives
 She up.
finds herself learning about racial
prejudice , human relationships , right
or
wrong, truth and deception , guilt and
innocence ,womanhood love and the
way
past silences echo in the present.
Chuah Guat Eng

• translates the world view news and

value implied in them

• describes how she uses them in

Echoes
of Silence to anatomize and
deconstruct
the mindset of the postcolonial
subject
whose minds have been colonized by
the
world news and value inherent in