Sing To The Dawn - Minfong Ho

Chapter One:

Dawan and Kwai sat on the rickety old bridge above the river

Dawan asked Kwai what would he do if he got the scholarship

Dawan felt that she would not get the scholarship because she is a girl, instead Kwai might get the
scholarship

Talked about how unfair it is that the sacks of rice stacked up beneath the house is for the tax collector

Their parents thought that it was foolish and wasteful to send girls to school

Chapter Two:

Teacher asked students what they saw beneath their house in the morning

Had a long discussion with the students about the landlord taking away sacks of rice beneath their
houses

A student spotted the headmaster heading to their class and the student shouted "he's coming"

Teacher and student immediately pretended that they are having Geography lessons until the headmaster
went away

Teacher and student discussed what they should do if they won the scholarship

Teacher announced that Dawan won the scholarship

Chapter Three:

Classmates surrounded Dawan as soon as they heard that she won the scholarship

Kwai was unhappy and sad that Dawan won the scholarship instead of him

Dawan told her family that she got the scholarship and that made her parents angry. Her father was
especially angry and said that she took her own brother's chance away from him.

Dawan's grandmother however supported her

Dawan and her grandmother headed to Noi's house and halfway, Dawan's mother decided to go with
Dawan instead of her grandmother

Chapter Four:

Noi said that going to the city was useless

Army officer made deal with Noi's family in order not to bring Ghan to the army

Chapter Five:

Kwai realised that Noi and Ghan do not support Dawan in going to the city

Kwai came in second in the examination

If Dawan does not go to the city, Kwai gets to go instead of her

Chapter Six:

Dawan's father didn't want her to go to the city

Kwai asked his father if he had won the scholarship, would he allow him to go to the city

Kwai's dad thought that boys going to the city to futher his studies would be better than girls

Chapter Seven:

Dawan went to the marketplace alone and met a girl that sells lotus bud and caged sparrows

Dawan realised that the girl, Bao, was the sister of her classmate

Chapter Eight:

Dawan went to see the old monk

Dawan's teacher and the old monk are good friends

Old monk does not really see why Dawan should go to the city school

Chapter Nine:

Bao allowed Dawan to free a bird for free

Bao's brother, Vichai, came to the market stall and hit her because she freed a bird for free

Kwai stopped Vichai from hitting Bao

After realising that Bao knew about what happened between Dawan and Kwai, Kwai wanted to slap Bao

Kwai pushed Dawan away when she tried to stop Kwai, unfortunately she landed on top of a pile of
broken bird cages, injuring herself

Cousin Noi helped Dawan with her wound

Chapter Ten:

Dawan and Kwai were at the river

Kwai was thinking about Dawan's words, about him being a bully

Dawan passed Kwai her umbrella caringly as it was raining

Kwai made a decision

Chapter Eleven:

Kwai's father heard from his teacher that he got second in the test and was angry at Kwai for not telling
him so

Father spoke to both Kwai and Dawan together

Father was very reluctant and unconvinced that Dawan should go to the city school

After much persuasion from Dawan and Kwai, father finally allowed Dawan to go to the city school

Chapter Twelve:

Kwai will miss Dawan once she goes to the city school, no one will be there to watch the sunrise with
him

Chapter Thirteen:

At first Dawan was unsure if she wanted to leave as she will miss everything in her village

After her grandmother talked to Dawan, she decided to go

When she was boarding the bus to go to the city, Kwai was nowhere to be seen

Although many people in the village sent her off, she was not happy as Kwai was not there

During the bus journey, she saw Kwai on the bridge that they usually went to, he was waving at her.
Bidding goodbye

Synopsis

The story is about a young Thai girl called Dawan who wins a scholarship to study in a city school.
She faces the disapproval of her father who thinks that studying is not for girls and she should give
the scholarship to her brother as he is second in the test. Dawan tries many ways to convince her
father to let her pursue her studies.
Dawan tries to convince her father that he should give her a chance to study. When she approaches
anyone for help, she keeps on failing but she never gives up and continues to do so and succeed in
her mission. Even though she failed many times, she manages to convince her father in the end.
When the bus arrives, she almost changes her mind because she is going to miss singing to the
dawn. After her grandmother convinces her, she decides to go.
The story ends with Dawan sitting on the bus going to the city. When she passes the bridge, she
sees her brother, Kwai singing the song that they sing every dawn. Then, she sings together with
Kwai until she cannot see Kwai anymore. Next, she looks at the lotus flower her grandmother gives
her to convince her to go. As she sees it unfold, she becomes more convinced her grandmother is
right, she should go to the city, like the lotus unfolding.

The countryside

Dawan was surrounded by a crowd of curious and chattering classmates after the teacher announced that she
won the scholarship. Her brother was standing alone in the doorway.

Dawan found the strength to inform her father about the scholarship. Haltingly she said,"I won the the prize. I
can go to the City and study some more now."

Mr Phaspras offered to help Ghan and his wife Noi by lending them one thousand with a forty percent
interest. They accept his terms as there was no choice for them.

" You're only a girl. You won't be able to fight, or to argue loudly, or to lead people in time of crisis. All you are
good at is studying - that's how you got the scholarship in the first palace," said Kwai rudely to Dawan.

Dinner was tense and a silent meal until her father said Kwai is a boy and more schooling would be useful and
Kwai would be useful to him too. He told Dawan angrily to wait for his permission to continue his study in the
city.

Bao, Vichai's sister shocked to learn that Dawan is schooling and asks Dawan what schooling is all about. She
sells lotus buds and caged sparrows every morning in the marketplace and she tells Dawan that she will be
selling lotus buds and caged sparrows for the rest of her life.

"All you youngsters are alike, talking of flying away and being free", the monk said.
Dawan argues with him as the monk live inside a peaceful monastery, with food and clothes provided and
nobody bullies him. He never experiences the pain living in world outside the temple.

Vichai hits Bao in public because she gives Dawan a sparrow for free.

Under the shelter of the orange umbrella, Kwai watches her sister limping home . He had hurt Dawan badaly
but Dawan leaves her umbrella for him to sit under the rain. She limps home, wet and cold and tired. Kwai
suddenly makes his decision.

Kwai reaches out impulsively and gently brushed a wisp of damp hair away fro Dawan cheek and tells her that
he is sure that he wants Dawan to continue her studies in the City.

"Hold on to this lotus and watch it unfold during your long bus ride to the City. It is like yourself, this lotus bud,
all shut up tight, small and afraid of the outside. But with good water and strong sunlight, it'll unfold, petal by
petal by petal. And you will too, Dawan, you will unfold too"

Dawan stuck her head way out of the window to catch a glimpse of the bridge on which she had so often
greeted the sun.

SETTING
1. Dawan's house
2. The river, the bridge and the narrow path leading to the river
3. The village school
4. Noi's house
5. Bao's flower stall in the market palce
6. The temple
7. The bus

8. The City School

CHARACTERS
1. Dawan
2. Kwai
3.Dawan's father
4. Dawan,s mother
5. Grandmother
6. Cousin Noi anad Ghan
7. Bao
8. The teacher
9. The head monk
10. Vicahai
11. Mr Phaspras
12. The landlord
13. The villagers
14. The village students
15. Takchit
16. The headmaster of the village school
THEMES
1. Family love
2. Poverty
3. Gender discrimination
4. Responsibility
5. Sibling rivalry
6. Being fair and just
7. Standing up for what is right
MORAL VALUES
1. Do not be jealous of our siblings' success
2. Love our family members
3. Be responsible
4. Be helpful
5. Be fair and just
6. Be rational
7. Be hardworking and courageous