GROUP 3 (4D)

RANJEETA

ADELYA

NIK SHAHIRA

SHI MIN CARMEN

Oral Presentation (2012)

SYNOPSISQWERTYUIOP is about a young and poor graduate named Lucy, who had just finished her ‘O’ levels at Belmont Secretarial College. To escape poverty, she begins working at Ross and Bannister’s. On her first day at work, she meets Harry Drake, the office handyman who informs her about the office layout. She is then tasked to type out a letter but finds out that the typewriter is haunted by a spirit. The spirit, who is actually a long-time secretary known as Miss Broome, does not want Lucy to take over her place as secretary. She interferes with the typing many times, thus causing many mistakes in the letter. The letters, QWERTYUIOP will appear as Lucy begins to type.Soon, Lucy finds out that the previous secretaries left the company because they were afraid of the ghostly disturbances. However, she was determined to hold on to her job. She discovers Miss Broome’s background and uses that information to persuade her to leave peacefully. In the end, Miss Broome is convinced that the late Mr. Bannister ‘needed’ her in the afterlife and left. Lucy gets to keep her job as secretary at Ross and Bannister’s, hassle and ghost free.

- Ranjeeta

THE AUTHORVivian Alcock

Born in Worthing, West Sussex in England.

Studied at Oxford School of Arts First book published at the age of 56.

Since then, she has written more than 20 books.

Well-known for her ability to blend fantasy and reality. Her books appeal mostly to teenagers, as they reflect her understanding of the inner feelings of adolescents.

Her last book was “The Boy Who Swallowed a Ghost”. It was dedicated to her grand daughter, Jessica.

She married fellow writer Leon Garfield

Passed away in 2003 at the age 0f 79- Ranjeeta

Physical Setting 

Lucy’s house which she shares with her mother and her Uncle Bert, in a poor neighbourhood

The office of Ross and Bannister’s where Lucy works as a secretary. It is a small firm which is over thirty years old.

- Adelya

PLOT

Exposition-The main character, Lucy Beck is introduced . She lives with her mother and uncle Bert. She has recently completed her secretarial course and wants a job. She is tired of living in poverty and wants to lead a better life. Rising Action

Lucy manages to get a job as a secretary at Ross and Bannister’s after being interviewed by Mr. Ross. Harry Darke explains to Lucy that she needs to use the typewriter to do her secretarial work, but whenever Lucy types, the typewriter prevents the right letters from appearing. The word “QWERTYUIOP” appears instead, repeatedly. Lucy types questions in order to investigate the mystery behind it.

Climax –Lucy is determined to save her job still so she starts to type another copy, her eyes always fixed on the typewriter. She was shocked when the typewriter typed out a threatening note to her. Lucy challenges the spirit and through sheer determination, manages to get the letter typed and printed out with success.

Falling action – The spirit did however, manage to leave a few ‘QWERTYUIOP’s throughout the letter. To correct this, Lucy simply swipes them with correcting fluid and proceeds to hand the letter to Mr. Ross . Later, Harry Darke, who is surprised that Lucy is still sticking around, explains to her about Miss Broome’s untimely demise. Lucy feels sorry for her, realising that her own Uncle Bert faces through something similar; loneliness and depression.

Resolution -She sympathizes with Miss Broome and tries to persuade her to leave by convincing her that the late Mr. Bannister needs her help in the afterlife. The typewriter remains silent as Lucy types a goodbye note. There was no reply but Lucy was relieved knowing the spirit of Miss Broome found peace at last. With Miss Broome gone, Lucy maintains her position as secretary at Ross and Bannister’s, ghost free.- Nik

CHARACTERS

MAIN CHARACTER: LUCY BECK1. Young, small, plain looking - young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked

2. An underachiever but completes secretarial training at Belmont Secretarial College - has typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh

3. Punctual - she was early 

4.  Low self-esteem, inferior complex, no confidence and pessimistic- She is wondering who will employ her as she is aware of her inadequacies. Lucy assumes that there are more qualified and brighter people than her who are qualified for the job vacancy. - Carmen

5. Courageous- She went back and sat down in front of the typewriter and

glared at it.- She also became courageous when she has to face the conflict

with the spirit of Miss Broome.

6. Determined , ambitious and optimistic to change her life style.- Lucy wanted the job. More than anyone, more than anything,

she wanted a job. - For an hour, she battled with the machine- Lucy is tired of being poor and she is fed up with macaroni

cheese and baked beans. She is also sick of wearing second-hand clothes. She gathered her strength and was determined to get a job to get out of poverty.

- Carmen

5. Sympathetic, caring, insightful and understanding- Lucy is shocked when she heard the news about Miss Broome from Harry Darke. She was forced to stop working after she had been working for forty three years. Lucy sympathizes Miss Broome and tells her that Mr Bannister is only acting out of concern as he was worried of her health. Lucy manages to convince Miss Broome that the late Mr Bannister needs her help in the after life.Who needs

the ghosbusters

anyway?

- Carmen

MINOR CHARACTER: THE GHOST OF MISS BROOME-The Previous employee of Ross and Bannister's. She haunts and disturbs new secretaries from doing their job correctly as she deems herself the rightful and only secretary Ross and Bannister’s needs. That is, until she met Lucy Beck.

Loyal, dedicated and took her job seriously Ms Broome had worked for forty three years. She is unwilling to let go of her position and continues to defend her post, even after her demise.

Lonely as she had no family and friends.The office was her home; the job was all she lived for as she did not have any family of her own. She had no place worth to go and she insists to stay on.

- Carmen

Persistent, vengeful and also possessive over her secretarial job at Ross and Bannister’s.

Miss Broome dies but she does not want to leave her job and insists to stay on. She types nasty messages to new secretaries to instill fear. The typewriter rocked as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth. She creates havoc with intention to scare those who will replace her place at the office.

Wait a second, the alphabets are in

chinese characters!

- Carmen

MINOR CHARACTER: MRS. BECK Lucy’s mother. A housewife who lives a hard life andhas to support her brother.

Patient -   She is very patient especially to Uncle Bert, she never loses her temper to him. Content with her status in life/ Practical and RealisticMrs Beck is satisfied with her status, she said to Lucy that “We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life,” Hence, she accepts her fate and shows no actions or thoughts of wanting more than what she has in life.

- Shi Min

Forgiving and compassionateShe had an argument/quarrel with Uncle Bert and had turned him out once. Six weeks later, she asked him to return as she sympathized him. She said he looked so lonely, so lost, living all by himself in a horrid little room with the worn lino and the curtains all shrunk. Low expectationsShe does not expect Lucy to get a job as she was not confident in Lucy’s ability.

- Shi Min

MINOR CHARACTER: MR. ROSSLucy’s boss.

Encouraging- Employs Lucy on the spot

Helpful and Tolerant - He is easy to deal with, willing to help and even offers to do something about the typewriter if any problems continue.- Signs Lucy’s letters that were heavily marked with correcting fluid

Secretive - He never tells Lucy of the typewriter secret, or anything about the former secretary

- Shi Min

MINOR CHARACTER: HARRY DARKEMr. Ross’s right-hand man who has been working in the firm for thirty years. Retired, but still helps around when he can. He admires Lucy’s courage and determination to stay on. Later in the story, he gives her all the information regarding Miss Broome.

Physical Characteristics : Elderly, small dark eyes, thick white hair

Helpful and concerned

- He does all the odd jobs in the office and helps out new employees. He is helpful in giving useful information to Lucy regarding the spirit of Miss Broome and shows concern to her. He even told Lucy not to be like a frightened mouse and not to worry.

Loyal 

- He has been working for thirty years with Ross and Bannister’s, retired with a silver watch but still can’t keep away from his job.

- Shi Min

Encouraging and supportive to his colleague- Tells Lucy that she can ask him about anything- Stresses to Lucy that she shouldn’t worry if she makes

mistakes when she types- He praises Lucy for her braveness and determination to keep

on her job even after she has confronted the spirit of Miss Broome. He said that Lucy is no longer the timid mouse and she is a right little lion. Then he gives her chocolate biscuits with her tea as a credit and encouragement.

?

- Shi Min

MINOR CHARACTER: UNCLE BERT

Lucy’s old and lonely uncle. A heavy drinker. Has lived with Lucy and her mother for years but never contributes financially.

over sensitive/afraid of rejection- When Lucy gets mad on him, he tells Lucy of the feeling

being unwanted, but he never cares of the trouble he creates to others that makes him deserves for such awakening.

Was a fun loving person- Took Lucy to fly kites when she was younger Alcoholic- he drinks a lot perhaps to forget his problems - Shi Min

THEMES

DETERMINATION PAVES THE WAY TO SUCCESS

Lucy Beck was determined to keep her job as secretary in the firm. She battled fearlessly with the spirit of Miss Broome who was haunting the typewriter. As a result, Lucy managed to keep her job.

JOBS ARE IMPORTANT For both Lucy and Miss Broome, having a job is important . For Lucy, the job meant an opportunity to have a better life . For Miss Broome, the job was the only thing that gave meaning and significance to her life.

- Carmen

LONELINESS CAN BE DEVASTATING Family and friends are important and no matter how busy we are, we should always spend some time with them . Miss Broome led a lonely life and did not pass away peacefully. She then came back to haunt the typewriter because her job was the only life she knew and ever had.

LOVE AND CARE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

Uncle Bert was old and stayed with Lucy and her mother. Lucy’s mother had turned him away but soon relented and invited him to stay with them again. Lucy also regretted being nasty to Uncle Bert when they had a brief altercation in the kitchen. She immediately apologized and assured Uncle Bert that he was welcome in their home.

- Carmen

THE SUPERNATURALSupernatural is being above or beyond what is unexplainable and natural by natural law. The character of Miss Broome in this story is presented as an ethereal entity. Her spirit lingered in the office where she used to work and haunts the new young secretaries who are supposed to replace her. She writes nasty messages and tries to drive away those who were choose to replace her. She instills fear and eerie feelings in their hearts to frighten them. 

COMPASSIONThe theme of compassion is revealed in the final confrontation between Lucy and Miss Broome. After hearing about Miss Broome’s life history from Harry Darke, Lucy became sympathetic and understanding. She interacts with the spirit of Miss Broome by typing on the typewriter and finally convinves her to leave. She told Miss Broome that Mr Bannister needs her in the afterlife and the spirit left in peace. Compassion is also revealed by Mrs Beck to her brother who is lonely and needed a place called home. Lucy also had compassion towards her Uncle Bert and sympathizes him as he is a lonely person who has no place to go and no friends to be with.

- Carmen

MORAL VALUES

Being understanding and forgiving- When Mrs. Beck kicked Uncle Bert out after a big

argument, she felt extremely guilty. She knew her brother needed a place to stay even if he was going to be another burden in the house. Out of love for her lonely brother, she asked him to return and took care of him.

- Mr. Ross understands Lucy’s hardships when typing out the letter. He is tolerant with the abundant correction fluid markings on the paper. He signs it anyway without any comments.

Do not judge a book by its coverAt first Lucy seemed like an incompetent person with her timidness and inability to type fast. However, as the story progressed, Lucy shows perseverance and determination to fight for her job. Her actions manages to dismiss Harry Darke’s doubts of her being too weak to ward off Miss Broome and be able to maintain her role as secretary. She does in the end and proves everyone wrong. Harry Darke even compliments her and offers chocolate biscuits as credit.

- Nik

Compassion and Kindness- Lucy feels compassion for Miss Broome when she learns

the nature of her circumstances. She kindly helps Miss Broome to let go of the past and be at peace. Lucy continues this value at home when she learns to be sensitive and compassionate to her uncle.

- Lucy’s mother also displays kindness when she asked Uncle Bert to live with them again after previously throwing him out.

Discretion and consideration for others- Lucy demonstrates these values when she was

threatened by the presence. Although she is only seventeen, she acts with maturity. Lucy makes the ex-secretary feel wanted and useful, just like she was when she was alive.

- The knowledge of Miss Broom’s circumstances also influences Lucy to change her attitude towards Uncle Bert. Lucy realises that he is just another human being who needs to feel wanted and loved. He was after all, family.

- Nik

POINT OF VIEW �

The story is told from the third person, omniscient point of  view.

The author knows everything and explains the thoughts and motives of the characters through narration, speech and actions.

The author also uses Harry Darke to tell us the history of Miss Broome.

�

- Ranjeeta

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

LANGUAGE & STYLE 

This is direct narrative and the language used is simple.

This makes for an easy and engaging piece to read.

Even though it is set in a different culture, the reader should not have any major difficulties in understanding the story as a whole.

- Adelya

TONE The character has empathy towards Lucy Beck

DICTION ( the choice of words used in the story)

- Use of vocabulary to create eerie, paranormal atmosphere

For example; There was something odd ! A sudden wrongness felt by her fingers, a tingling, an icy bricking - Simple vocabulary, short dialogues

- Lots of exclamation marks (!) to show emotion

- Different fonts to indicate typed messages. For example, capital letter to indicate Miss Broome’s ANGER in her.

-Typed message; use Italic to show emphasis

- Adelya

SIMILE …… wearing strings of ‘O’ levels round their necks like pearls.’ ….. Small dark eyes like currants ….. No need to look like a frightened mouse.’ …… ran down the typing paper like melting ice cream…..’ …… like starched table napkins,’

METAPHOR ...... we are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life….’ …... Thick icing of white hair’ …… a scarlet net of broken veins.’ …… tough old devil , she was.’

FLASHBACK In a sense, Harry Darke’s input about Miss Broome can be seen

as a flashback because it explains issues about her and the critical situation in the story.

- Adelya

QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS1. Who are the people involved in the story?2. Where did the events in the story took place?

3. Lucy wanted the job very much because she A. Liked workingB. Just left schoolC. Did not want to be poor anymoreD. Disliked school life

4. What was Lucy determined about?E. Keeping her jobF. Finding another jobG. Getting a promotionH. Saving money

- Nik

"I'm used to electric typewriters," Lucy said coldly. She was beginning to be annoyed. 

" Not this one. This one's ...different. You mustn't worry," he said gently, “If it goes a little wrong now and again, just ignore it. Don't bother to re-type the letters. Splash on the old correction fluid. Look, I got you a big bottle. Liquid Paper, the things they invent! And if that runs out, cross out the mistakes with a black pen- see, I've put one in your tray. Nice and thick it is. That should keep her quiet.“

6. If you ignore something, you _________A. pay attention to itB. take no notice of itC. make suggestionsD. ask questions

5. Why did Lucy reply coldly to the man?A.   She was excited.B.   She felt confident.C.   She felt hungry.D.   She felt irritated.

- Nik

ANSWERS1. Lucy Beck, Miss

Broome, Mrs. Beck, Mr. Ross, Harry Darke, Uncle Bert

2. Lucy’s house and the office at Ross and Bannister’s

3. C. Did not want to be poor anymore.

4. Keeping her job

5. D. She felt irritated.6. B. take no notice of it