Extract from Minfong Ho's 'The Clay Marble'
http://members2.authorsguild.net/minfong/work16.htm
http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/clay.htm
About Chnay, the bully.
I saw a lone figure slip out of the shadows of the nearby trees and hurry toward us. Even before I could see his face, I knew it was Chnay. I was surprised, but glad, too. Ever since I had found my own family, he had avoided me, even though I had invited him to eat with us several times. But he had always refused, claiming that he felt more comfortable eating by himself. I waved to him now, and waited for him to come up to me.
“I…brought you something,” he said awkwardly. He held out a wooden cowbell, polished to such a high sheen that it gleamed in the morning light.
“Where did you get it?” I asked.
Chnay smiled. “I made it, “ he said with pride.
I thought of the way he used to break Jantu’s toys, smashing them to the ground and laughing. It was hard to think of him making anything. He must have seen the surprise on my face, because he smiled.
“The first two bells I carved didn’t turn out very well. This is my third try.”
“Thanks, Chnay,” I said.
“Actually, “ Chnay said, awkwardly, “ I made it for Jantu. At least, I was thinking about her when I made it.” He walked over to our pair of oxen and started to tie the bell around the bigger one's neck. I went over to the ox and stood on its other side.
As he busied himself with tying the bell, Chnay continued,“I thought of the way she used to make things out of sticks and scraps and mud and, well .....I felt bad that I had broken so many of them.”
“Jantu would have liked your bell very much,” I said shyly, stroking thee muzzle of the ox. It tossed its head, swinging its new bell. It was a lovely sound, The low wooden knock-knock of it. Chnay and I smiled at each other.
“Why don’t you come back with us?” I said. “You’d like our village.”
He kept smiling, but his eyes turned sad. “I wouldn’t belong there,” he said.
"You think you belong here?”
Chnay shrugged. “Here, at least I won't feel so out of place. I mean, there are a lot of loners like me, boys without any family.” Chnay paused. “I’ve gotten to know some of them already. And guess what? I've made friends with that monkey, too."
He flashed me a smile, and then he was gone, running off without a backward glance, his bare feet, kicking up sprays of water as he splashed through the puddle between the trees.
My impressions: Chnay
Once a big bully,
Pitiful , Lonely , Ashamed.
Chnay, a kind soul. (Lee Xin Pei)
Chnay a loser
A Sad and Naughty orphan
Chnay a poor boy. (Jocelyn Ong)
In a small village
Where a shy lonely boy lives
Chnay, A good friend. (Darshinee Raman)
There was a shy boy
He is thoughtful and lonely.
Chnay, a true friend. (Neo Wei Xuan)
Chnay is a lonely boy.
Loves to bully kids
but he later changed for good. (Nur Shahira Yap)
There was once a boy
who is happy and cheerful.
Chnay. A true friend. (Chok Shu Ying)
Chnay the loner
Naughty, kind-hearted and poor
Yearning for friendship (Ernie Syazwani)
Chnay a loner
An Orphan without close friends
Chnay, a poor boy. (Sek Kim Bao)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w43D652uA_o
10 comments:
My impression of Chnay are: he was lonely, he was a shy boy when he wanted to give the cowbell to Dara he hesitanted.And he was also a boy without family, without love.Chnay has a kind heart but he used to hurt people as a bully.What a pitiful boy.
I find Chnay pitiful and lonely. He may be a naughty person that likes to destroy things that belong to his friend, but when he realized his mistakes, he will apologize to the person. He was a lonely boy without family and friends, an orphan.
I feel that Chnay is a shy and lonely boy. He may be naughty but he will still realise him own mistakes and try to make up for it. I find Chnay pitiful and lonely. From ''I saw a lone figure slip out of the shadows of the nearby trees and hurry towards us.Chnay always refused, claiming that he felt more comfortable eating by himself.Chnay kept smiling , but his eyes turned sad. There are a lot of loners like Chnay , boys without any families. Chnay made friends with that monkey.'' these sentences shows that Chnay is a lonely orphan and loves to be alone.
(Jocelyn Ong 2A)
I feel that Chnay is a shy boy. He is shy as the story states that when when the author had invited him to eat with her family several times, he had always refused, claiming that he felt more comfortable eating by himself. This shows that he is shy as he even rejected to eat dinner with a group of people!
I also feel that he is lonely as the story states that he made friends with a monkey instead of humans, and because he doesn't enjoy eating dinner with people. This had proven that he is lonely as normally, we make friends with other people and not a monkey and we will gladly accept people offers to eat dinner with them.
I feel that Chnay is a good person and not a bully after reading the whole book as at the end of the story, there is a part stating that he has done a wooden cowbell for Jantu. This shows that he is remorseful and he regrets breaking so many of Jantu toys that he actually made one for her. This also shows that he has turn over a new leaf and is he is a better person now.
I think that Chnay is very lonely and pitiful. Although he is a bully and he breaks Jantu's toys most of the time, deep inside he is lonely. I think that he became a bully so as to hide that he is lonely rom other children around him. I say that Chnay is lonely because he eats by himself, and he even has to make friends with a monkey. He is pitiful because he thinks the he does not belong to where the author lives but with loners like him, boys without family. I think that Chnay is trying his best to turn into a new leaf as he made a cowbell for Jantu in return for all the toys that he has broken.
i think that chnay was very pitiful because he got no one to care for him, i felt that he do need someone to help him get freed from the boredom he must be feeling right now
I felt that Chnay is lonely and pitiful.
Although he bully others, he is feeling lonely deep inside him.
He bullied others to get attention.
I can say that he is lonely because he is always alone. I fely that he should to given a chance to turn over a new leaf as I think that he is very sincere. He made a wooden cowbell to compensate the toys that he broke.
I think that Chnay is a very lonely boy.Although he destroy things that doesn't belong to him he still apologize to the person.That is why i think that he is a kind-hearted boy but is shy at tyhe same time.
Chnay may be a naughty boy which loves to break Jantu's toys but deep inside, he is a shy person. Maybe to him, he broke those toys in order to make friends but he did it wrongly. He even regretted for breaking Jantu's toys and made a cowbell in return to say 'sorry'. Chnay is a lonely boy and pitiful from these sentences 'Ever since I had found my own family, he had avoided me, even though I had invited him several times. But he had always refused, claiming that he felt more comfortable eating by himself. Here, at least I won't feel out of place. I mean there are a lot of loners like me , boys without any family.I've made friends with that monkey,too." He admitted that he was a loner and after telling those words to the author, he wanted to cry. The evidence is 'He flashed me a smile, and then he was gone, running off without a backward glance, his bare feet, kicking up sprays of water as he splashed through the puddle between the trees.' From these, we can also conclude that he did not want to show his sadness to the author.
I find him pitiful and lonely. When the author invited him to eat with them several times, he rejected. This shows that he is a very lonely person as he do not like to eat with others. He made friend with a monkey showed that he is a very pitiful person as he did not dare make friends with other people while nobody wanted to make friends with him too.
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