6 questions from Unravelling Off Centre

Q1. In your opinion, how key is the parent-child relatonship to Vinod's inevitable end?

It is very important to have a parent-child relationship especially when the child is sick. The child needs support from parents.
Vinod do not has a close relationship with his parents beacuase his parents ignored that he is mentally ill. They assumed that Vinod is trying to test their patience so that he do not need to go to university. This show that Vinod's parent only care for only interest and not Vinod. They want Vinod to achieve good result and have a good job, to be a lawyer. They think that Vinod can survive without the support from them but they are wrong. Vinod needs them to reassure him and love him. This show that one of the key that led to Vinod's inevitable end because his parent did not show care and concern when he needed it.
Vinod thinks that his parents think of themselves only and not at Vinod's needs of them in his life. The evidence is" after telling Saloma the truth about his parents, vinod became angry and off centre and he even tell Saloma that he is angry with his parent and not with the psychiatrists in Woodbridge. This show that Vinod do not trust people easily. He think that his parents are not there with him when he is in woodbridge because of their high status. Vinod's mother is chairperson of a corporation and his father is a judge. They do not want people to know that they have a mentally ill child as they work with people who are of high standard. This show that his parent rather think of their embarrassment than Vinod their own child who needs them when he is sick. Therefore this shows that Vinod do not have anyone else when he is in woodbridge as his parents is not there for him.
Vinod and his parents have different character. Vinods is the types who want physical contact when showing love like hug, however not his parents. Vinods think that his parents are cold that they do not want to show that they love him. Vinod do not experience physical contact from his parents that make him feels that he is alone and he had no one else. His parents do not care for him. Therefore when his parents do not care for him, he committed suicide at the end of the play.

Q2. ''Vinod's high expectation of himself caused his downfall'' To what extent do you agree with the analysis of Vinod's predicement and tragedy?
I agree to large extent with the analyis of Vinod's predicement and tragedy. Vinod do not received love from his parents, tranformation from Saloma and loss faith in God
Vinod's parents are not with Vinod when they are the one that supossed to be with him .whenever he needs them. His parent ignored his exitence. His parents ignored his exitence because Vinod's ignored them when they want to sent him for overseas studies. Since them his parents ignored him. They think that it will be the best for him but they are wrong because they are not thinking of Vinod. They think that Vinod is trying to get away from studying. Vinod do not has the love from parents which makes him think that his parents do not show care and concern.
Saloma's transformation at the end of the play also caused his downfall. In the beginningof the play, Saloma is a shy girl who is scared to talk to the audience and scared of Vinod at first. Vinod do not expect that Saloma can find her centre back while he become more off centre. He thinks that off centre people cannot find his or her centre because they will be look down by the mojority.
The other resons that led him to his downfall is he loss faith in God. He finds that God is playing trick on people instead of helping them whenever they seek help from Him. He say that whenever he asked help from God, He will give hime rain. That is the reason why he gave up on God and thinks taht God do not exist. Instead, he turned his faith to music. Before he die, he listen to music thinking that the music will help him.
Q3. Discuss the reasons for Saloma's transformation in the play.
Saloma changes a lot, from a shy girl to one that survive from her mental illness. She started changing when she was able to reasons out with her mother in act 5 scene 2.
one of the reasons that change her was when she met Emily at the halfway house. Emily gave her mantra" I am strong, nothing can destroy me. She uses the mantra seriously which makes her thinks that the mantra is really powerful. By using this mantra, she turn out to be stronger than Vinod at the end of the play.
the other resons is that Vinod withdrew himself from the reality whicj makes Saloma to face the reality by herself for the first time. As for this while, Saloma can face the world because Vinod is there for her. When Vinod do not want to meet her, her has to stand on her own.
The other reasons is Saloma eats medicine. She believe that medicine can cure her from her mental illness. Even though her mother do not allow her to eat medicine but she still eat because of Emily that asked her to eat and not throw away. These are the reasons for Saloma's tranformation at the end of the play

Q4. ''Though a minor role in the play, the character Razali is the key to the plot of off centre." To what extent do you agree with this assessment.
I do not agree with this assessment because Razali appeared in middle of the play and not at the beginning of the play. It is because Saloma and Vinod are mentally ill form the start of the play. However, Razali can be to a certain extent that he is to the key to the plot of off centre. it is because Vinod really believe him as he called him 'bapak'. He do not has a father figure in his world, believe that Razali is somehow is father. Razali may be a minor charater in the play but he plays a big impact on Vinod and Saloma because both of them do not a father figure and they want him to be their 'father'. This shows that Razali plays a role in Saloma and Vinod's life.

Q5. ''Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata'' mean to Give, Sympathise, Control.'' How did the major character in the play exert control in their environment and or their live? Support your answer
The major characters like Vinod exert control by his intelligence because of his literature. His friends in the university uses or photocopied his literature essay as a modal answer. However, it is does not show his control that much because there are other people who can do that. It happened only after he met Saloma. He can show off his 'control' over Saloma because Saloma is not highly educated. Her highest education that she had attended is VITB while Vinod has been to university. Vinod thinks that he can show off his intelligent to someone that is lower of him. Vinod thinks highly of himself when he can do that.

Q6. There are there different reaction to the minority/off centre in the play: fear, pity and acceptance. Contrast the three and explain the answer.
The minority fears of the majority because they look own on them because the minority cannot look after themselves. Example when Vinod is working with Mr Chow, the other employee do not dare to ask Mr Chow for salary. Like Ah Seng, he was insecure and lack of confidence to speak wit Mr Chow. The mentally ill employee cannot resign because they know that there will be no one who wants to hire them. Only Mr Chow who wants to employ them because of certain reasons. Saloma who was also fear of the majority at first. She asked Vinod why the audience is staring at her. The other example is when Vinod ask Saloma to eat restaurant. She also ask Vinod why the waiter is staring at her.
The minority feels pity because there are not a lot of people who understand them. Example Saloma's mother, she does not understand Saloma. She cannot accept that her own child is mentally ill while Saloma herself can accept that herself is mentally ill. They feels pity because they do not get what they want. The majority thinks that the minority does not hve these kind of feeling.
The minority feels the acceptance from the majority is little. The majority cannot accept their existance. Example Mr Chow who accept ex-patient because he want the comunity to know that he is doing a good deed.