Do the respective authors use these traditional Chinese rituals (eating paper dissolved in drin, burnning of paper money and houses, lighting joss-sticks and praying to the dead anestors) just for irony or for more profound purposes? What are there purposes?



In Paper, tay soon's mother us these traditional chinese rituls for more profound purposes. While the young people get carried away by the promise of easy riches and the prospect of a mansion that would satisfy their yearnings for comforst and luxury, the old woman has held on in a steadfast manner to her terrace house, her savings and her conservative satisfaction with life as it is. In Tanjong Rhu, it's irony. Because Mr Li is a successfull businessman and he was more mordenised.



Would you yourself, as a modern young Singaporean, see the relevance of such cultural rituals in your society as a necessary still, or are a hindrance to progress and enlightened thinking?



No. I don't see a need to do these cultural rituals. Not like i think it's outdated. My family have not done any joss-sticks praying before, or visiting any graveyard to show respect to our ancestors. Doing these rituals are not a hindrance of progress. It depends on how people see it. Like in South Korea, the people there are still very traditional and as a country, they are progressing very well.



Do you think the elderly in Singapore are out of touch with the contemporary world? How far is it a virtue to remain contented like old Mrs Li and think that there is nothing more that a person, especially an elderly one, can want?



In my opinion, not all elderlys in Singapore are out of touch with the contemporary world. Some elderly are very close to their Grandchildren, so they know what's in and not. To have a virtue to remain contented like old Mrs Li, you need to be easily satisfied, and not materialistic.



Is looking back at the past necessarily a good thing? This particular story uses the past to affirm strong ties, emotion and sentiment, but when can it become a negative habit?

Looking back at the past is a good thing. It shows that the person cherish every moment that they'd spend what the other party. But it can become a negative habit when one become to emotional, and doesn't want to move on. Moving on shows that a person is strong, moving on doesn't mean that one doesn't treassure what happens.