AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND

Kassim Ahmad was born on 9 September 1933 in Kedah, Malaysia. He took his Bachelor

of Arts degree in Malay Language and Literature, but also read widely in political science

and Islamic philosophy. He taught Malay language and Literature for a time in the

London school of Oriental and African Studies and then in a secondary school in Penang

where he has been staying with his family since 1966.

Kassim Ahmad is Malaysia’s foremost thinker and philosopher. He grabbed national

headlines in the 1950’s with his dissertation on the characters of hang Tuah, the Malay

Literary Classic. In it he challenged the traditional interpretation and made the hitherto

hero Hang Tuah as nothing more than a palace hack, and elevated the anti-hero hang

Jebat as the true hero, willing to kill even the sultan in defence of honour and principles.

Kassim was jailed for nearly five years under the ISA for daring to express openly his

political views, an experience which he recounted in his book, Universiti Kedua (Second

University) Kassim again shook the Malay world with his “Hadith: A Re-examination” in

which he challenges the infallibility of the purported Muhammad s.a.w. Except for an

honorary doctorate in Letters conferred by the National University of Malaysia, the

country has not seen fit to honour this great public intellectual

SYNOPSIS

A Common Story is about Yusuf, a kampong boy in Malaya who goes to

Singapore to get a university education. After graduation he returns to his hometown.

He dashes the hopes of his padi-planter parents who hoped his return would promise a

better life for them and the community. His mother, however hears rumours that he has

become a communist and she casually advises him not to get involved in politics. The

writer comments that it is a fashionable thing to be a revolutionary during the university

days. However, Yusuf has been very much influenced by the ideology of Marx and

Lenin. He later returns to Singapore and gets imprisoned with the modern lifestyle and

here too he falls in love with a Chinese girl but their relationship does not last long. So

he decides to return to his village - to look for his soul.

CHARACTERS

Yusuf

Kampong boy – in his early twenties

A graduate from a university in Singapore

Influenced by Western culture but deep inside he has traditional values Eg.

Probably that is why he did not even kiss the woman he loved

Labelled as a communist as he was influenced by the ideology

Faces inner conflict

Faces a dilemma of fulfilling his parents expectations

Yusuf’s parents

Poor padi planters

Worked very hard, toiled,

Yusuf’s father had high expectations

Minor Characters

- Yusuf’s girlfriend

- Yusuf’s friend

POINT OF VIEW

Third person point of view.

SETTING

1. Malaya before independence

- traditional Malay kampong

2. Singapore

THEMES

Discovering one’s self – Finding one’s path in life

Political Ideologies – Holding on to one’s ideology

Education and Change

Poverty and Hardship

Mental/Intellectual Conditioning

ISSUES

Educational influence

Cultural shock

Inter-racial relationship

Revolutionary ideas

Change in mind-set

A search for one’s identity

Family expectations

ACTIVITIES

1. Group discussion - Imagine you are Yusuf and had gone to study in a university.

What would you plan to do when you come back?

2. Internet Search on lives and times of people during the period of Malayan

Communist Party in 1950s.

3. Discussion questions -

Does education guarantee a better life?

Does foreign education bring harm or good?

Was Yusuf’s decision for not wanting to serve the government a rational

one?

What do you think are expectations of Yusuf’s parents?

4. Draw a speech bubble and write out what Yusuf’s parents expectations would be.

5. Draw out a flow chart – A Journey of Yusuf’s Life

QUESTIONS

a. “And the mother, poor woman, did not understand … could feed and clothe him.”

Based on the extract above,describe Yusuf’s mothers feelings. (5m)

“He only knew that it was hard. It was hard … wage their daily struggle for

survival.”

Based on the extract above, describe Yusuf’s feelings. (5m)

b. Describe what Yusuf’s father’s expectations of him were and why was he

(Yusuf’s father) disappointed? (8m)

c. “Change and challenges are inevitable in life.”

With close reference to the text, discuss the statement. (12m)