Prepared by : Elisabeth Chua Chia Yuin Hiing Cheng Soon Liu Ting Reenisha A/P Bhaskaran

Literature – Form 4The Sound Machine

Introduction

Welcome to the Literature Component for secondary school courseware. This software is specially for conceptualized, designed, developed and packaged as a courseware for Form 4 students. The contents offered is based on the Malaysia Curriculum and syllabus for English Languages for secondary schools. This educational courseware is developed to help teachers, students and parents in literature components. It will be helpful for students to prepare for their public examinations and at the same time provide necessary instructional support to teachers and parents to strategies on learners’ achievement. Thus, learners can study the works of poets and writers in meaningful ways and make connections with the many rich experiences that are available in the literary texts.

Elements

Video Exercises

Preview Objectives What you should know

Application

Click to Play the Video

OBJECTIVES

• To form instructional design that is fun, creative and informative.

• To introduce to students the summary of the short story.

• To provide students with the elements derived from the short story.

• To obtain response from students by giving them exercises.

What You Should Know

SYNOPSIS• This is a bizarre story of a scientist who invents a

machine that could detect sounds which human beings cannot hear.

• Klausner works on the machine and when it is ready, he goes out to his garden to test it.

• He hears sounds that are entirely new to him. He looks around, and sees his neighbour cutting some roses.

• He believes that the sounds he hears are coming from the flowers because they are being cut.

Continuation…• He hears more strange sounds when he tries

cutting a tree with an axe the following morning.

• He believes that the tree is crying and pleading not to be chopped.

• He tells his doctor about this. He asks Dr Scott to treat the tree.

• The doctor plays along with him but he actually thinks that Klausner is insane and then takes him home.

ELEMENTS

Author

Plot

CharactersSetting

ThemesStructure &

Style

Moral Values

Author

Roald Dahl

Received Edgar Allan Poe Award in

1954, 1959 & 1980

Died on 23 November at the

age of 74

Born on September 13, 1916 in Cardiff,

Wales

Received his education at

English boarding schools

Wrote 17 children’s books, 2

novels, 26 short stories & etc

Plot Climax

Rising Action Resolution

Beginning

Beginning

This is a bizarre story of a scientist who invents a machine that could detect sounds which human beings cannot hear.

Klausner works on the machine and when it is ready, he goes out to his garden to test it.

Rising Action

He hears sounds that are entirely new to him. He looks around, and sees his neighbour cutting some roses.

He believes that the sounds he hears are coming from the flowers, which are reacting in some way because they are being cut.

He hears more strange sounds when he tries cutting a tree with an axe the following morning.

Climax

He rushes home and calls the doctor to come quickly.

He asks the doctor to listen to the machine while he cuts the tree with his axe again.

Suddenly, a branch falls from the tree and smashes the machine.

Klausner and the doctor escape unhurt.

Resolution

He asks Dr Scott to treat the tree. The doctor plays along with him but he

actually thinks that Klausner is insane and then takes him home.

Characters

Mr. Klausner

Talks to himself

Easily excited

Meticulous & careful

Patience intense

concentration

Knowledgeable & Innovative

Lost in his own world

A little absent-mindedEvasive

Characters

Dr. Scott

Sarcastic

Skeptical

Scared

Worried

Curious

Concerned about his patient

Characters

Mrs. Saunders

Concerned

Skeptical

Feels intimidated by Klausner

Kind enough to humour

Klausner’s request

Setting

• PhysicalKlausner’s wooden shed, front lawn, park.

• SocialDuring a period when computers do not exist yet. This can be seen from the way the sound machine is described as a “black box” about 3 feet long, the shape of a child’s coffin

Themes• People’s perception towards new ideas and

inventions:Usually different to be accepted by conservative society; some people don’t like changes

• Nature should be taken care of:Klausner claims that he could hear the flower and trees screaming in pain when being cut/chopped. We should take care and treat nature well.

• Do not judge people negativelyAll of us are different, we should not be judgmental.

Structure and Style

• Personification

Yellow rose – a frightful piercing shriek

Daisy – a faint high-pitched cry

Beech tree – a growling, low-pitched, screaming sound

Structure and Style

• Onomatopoeia

“a faint spasmodic crackling”

“a distant humming tone”

“the telephone buzzing”

Structure and Style

• Simile

“…each ear was connected to his head by a thin stiff wire, like a tentacle”

“…so pale, small and thin that he looked like an accident, consumptive, bespectacled child”

Moral values

• We must not judge people by outward appearances

• We must learn to respect people’s beliefs and viewpoint

• We must live in harmony with our neighbours & society at large

• We should take care of nature, & be sensitive to all living things

Click to play the video

Test Yourself

Question 1

Klausner’s machine is useful for A storing spare, coloured wires.B measuring the growth of plants.C listening to sounds inaudible to the

humans. Click your answer ..

CBA

Good Job! That’s Right!

For the next question, click

Your answer is incorrect to try again!

Question 2Klausner asks Mrs. Saunders to cut another rose

becauseA he wants to make sure that his machine can

really detect the cry made by the rose.B he enjoys hearing the flowers scream.C he likes to frighten her.

Click Your Answer …

CBA

Well Done!That’s Right!

For the next question, click

Your answer is incorrect to try again!

Question 3Why does Klausner ask Dr Scott to join him in the

park?A He is too tired to carry the machine back alone.B The tree told him it wanted some iodine.C He wants Dr. Scott to hear the sound made by

the tree.

Click Your Answer …CBA

Excellent!That’s Right!

For the next question, click

Your answer is incorrect to try again!

Question 4Dr Scott decides to treat the injured tree with

iodine becauseA Klausner insists that he does so.B he is doing a special treatment on the tree.C he is also a botanist with an interest in

plant conservation. Click Your Answer …

CBA

Terrific!That’s Right!

For the next question, click

Your answer is incorrect to try again!

Question 5What happens to Klausner’s sound machine at the

end of the story?A It is smashed by the falling branch.B Klausner smashes it with his axe.C Klausner takes it home.

Click Your Answer …

CBA

Fantastic!That’s Right!

To know your score,

Your answer is incorrect to try again!

Congratulations! You scored 5/5!

Application Do you have friends like Klausner who may

seem a little weird at times? What should you do?

I should accept them for who they are. I should not judge them but try to

understand them. I should respect their beliefs and viewpoints

even when they are different from yours.

Extra Resources

Here are some extra resources regarding English Literature for secondary schools for your reference.

Please click below to access to the web links.

The sound machine

Synopsis and worksheets

Contact Us

If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ms Elisabeth 017-9990909

Mr Hiing 016-8889998

Ms Liu 012-3338989

Ms Reenisha 014-3339999

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THE END

THANK YOU!