1.Irony in the Story
In the first two pages of the story, the taximan's keeps on complaining about the misconduct and attitude of the young people that hang out with foreigners at the night club, especiaaly by giving a personal example of his daughter and has also made the reader feel his strong dislike for them. However, at the end of the 2nd page and the last page showed his turning liking for them, as he said that the people who bargain for "no meter fare" and wait for even 10-cents made him mad in comparison to the young peoplewho did not even wait for change and made love in the taxi without knowing that he has drove round and round, wasting their time to earn more money through the meter charge. This irony is the sudden change of his attitude towards the young people from strong dislike through his oral presentation to a liking for them compared to thrifty people.
2.The Themes raised in the story
Personally, I think that the main and most important theme is the hypocrisy of human nature, which is clearly reflected from the taximan's attitude. Although he did not really like the young people hanging out at clubs, and his daughter's actions, he also likes them in a sense that they give more money than ordinary people and is a very good source of income for him. The last line of the text states him saying, "Must go off to Hotel Elroy... there plenty of young people to pick up shows a hypocrisy of him constantly complaining and saying to his passenger how disguted he is at how bad and rebellious these people are, yet he still goes to the places they go to pick them up to earn more money. Such is shown of a hypocrisy of human nature for greed of money.
3.How realistic is this story
I think this story is partially true, because if a ordinary person would not easily tap on sensitive topics such as his own private life like how his father beats him with a cane and how his daughter has been rebellious and lied to him about coaching in Maths to a total stranger, it may be exaggarated parts to make his opinion of the rebellious young people more sound. However, his story about young people hanging out in clubs and "amking love in his taxi" should be true because there are no reasons why he should lie about it and it is true that such things do happen in Singapore. Maybe he was trying to waste the passenger's time by winding up a make-belief story and earning more money through the metre charge.
4.Sympathy for the Taximan
I think the taximan is a very good speaker, with his ability to engage the "audience" in the conversation. If the story is true, I have my full sympathy for the taximan because he encounters cases of rebellious young people lying to parents and clubbing all day daily via his work as a taximan and I am sure he stronly dislike such attitude and behaviour and certainly does not want his children to behave and act in such inappropriate manner, but his smartest and most obedient child, which has his expectations to do him proud as a father, has also lied to him about coaching in Maths and has gone out hanging around in the streets with what he think are bad influence for her.
5.Do you agree with his lamenting?
I don't really agree with the taximan except for him lamenting about his daughter being rebellious and lying to him. Most of the time, he is lamenting about the growing trend in Singapore of young people being rebellious and clubing, which he thinks is an inappropriate behaviour. I think the growiong is not his business and has nothing to do with him. Instead, he should feel happy that these wasteful people give him extra income and not lament.
6.The Daughter has my sympathy
She might not be hanging out with her friends to do some inappropriate acts. I think she might be just discussing their school work in the coffeeshop and her father is just to sensitive and particular about her behavior and whether she was mixing with Europeans because he has seen many of such cases during his worktime and was over-protective of his daughter. I don't think she "deserved" the slapping and beating by her father.
4.Sympathy for the Taximan
I think the taximan is a very good speaker, with his ability to engage the "audience" in the conversation. If the story is true, I have my full sympathy for the taximan because he encounters cases of rebellious young people lying to parents and clubbing all day daily via his work as a taximan and I am sure he stronly dislike such attitude and behaviour and certainly does not want his children to behave and act in such inappropriate manner, but his smartest and most obedient child, which has his expectations to do him proud as a father, has also lied to him about coaching in Maths and has gone out hanging around in the streets with what he think are bad influence for her.
5.Do you agree with his lamenting?
I don't really agree with the taximan except for him lamenting about his daughter being rebellious and lying to him. Most of the time, he is lamenting about the growing trend in Singapore of young people being rebellious and clubing, which he thinks is an inappropriate behaviour. I think the growiong is not his business and has nothing to do with him. Instead, he should feel happy that these wasteful people give him extra income and not lament.
6.The Daughter has my sympathy
She might not be hanging out with her friends to do some inappropriate acts. I think she might be just discussing their school work in the coffeeshop and her father is just to sensitive and particular about her behavior and whether she was mixing with Europeans because he has seen many of such cases during his worktime and was over-protective of his daughter. I don't think she "deserved" the slapping and beating by her father.
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