Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Synopsis

The story traces the name of a village in Sarawak, which is called Dalat. The village gets its name after
blood is shed among three brothers and their followers. The chief of the village dies without naming a
successor or heir. 

The custom of the land gives preference to the eldest brother to take over the leadership of the village.
Galau is the eldest and he is the rightful chief of the people. However, his brother Umat believes he is
the right person to head his people. Thus, the disagreement brings about discontent and hatred
amongst the brothers.  Lutong, the youngest amongst the brothers, supports Galau to be the chief and is
on his side. Umat becomes their enemy and a war breaks out.

Many people die in the war. There are many flies at the place where people die. Flies are called ‘dalat’
in the language of the local people, Melanau. Thus, Galau names the place ‘Dalat’ to remind the people
of the war and the bitter lesson the people can learn from it. The place becomes a village and later a
town, but the name “Dalat” still remains!

Summary of the story

Dalat is a name of a town. There is history in how the town came to be called Dalat, which in the
Melanau language means ‘flies’. There is a story which tells how the village is named ‘Dalat’.A chief rules
the village. He rules his people fairly.  He is wise and well-respected. The chief is old and before he dies,
he speaks to his three sons. He tells Galau, who is the eldest, that he is fair and just. He asks Galau not to
change and be good to everyone. It will make the family prosper.

The chief continues to speak to his sons. He tells Umat that he is too quick to get angry times, but he is
brave and is a good leader. He requests Umat be kind-hearted and gentle towards his brothers. Umat
listens to his father but he wants to know who will be the next chief when his father dies. His relatives
are taken aback that Umat talks in such a way, especially when the chief is on his deathbed or is dying.

The dying chief talks to his youngest son, Lutong. He tells Lutong that he is a patient man, thinking
rationally and being fair. He asks him to help the new chief by giving him good advice. The dying chief
closes his eyes and dies. The people are sad that the chief is dead. They mourn for his loss. The
mourning period is over and the villagers wish to pay their respects to the new chief who replaces the
dead chief. They call for a meeting for this purpose.

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Setting

The setting is the place and the time; “where” and “when” a story takes place in the short story.

 Setting is important in a short story. The setting helps to give meaning to the story. The setting in
a short story tells us where and when a story takes place. Thus, setting acts as the background to
the story in the short story.

 The story in How Dalat Got Its Name is set in Sarawak.

 The story takes place in a traditional Melanau community.

 Setting reveals a lot about the native people of Sarawak especially about their social, cultural
and traditional practices.

 The setting tells us a lot about where the people live, what they do for a living, how their
behaviours are affected by their customs and beliefs.

 We notice that the people in the story live as a community in long houses.

 They respect the elders and observe mourning periods to respect their deceased village chief.
They also erect a memorial pole to honour the chief.

Characters and Characteristics

The main characters in the short story are:

- Galau (Eldest son of the chief)
- Umat ( Second son of the chief)
- Lutong (Youngest son of the chief)
- The village chief ( aged and dying)

What we can tell about the characters

Galau  
  - wise
  - attentive
  - instinctive
  - far-sighted
  - careful
  - responsible
  - peace-maker (does not  want to argue or fight with Umat)  
  - tolerant
  - truthful
  - calm (wants to live in harmony)
  - respectful of others (and is well-respected)
  - forgiving
  - grateful

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Umat  
  - Insincere
  - dishonest
  - hot-tempered
  - aggressive
  - envious
  - irresponsible
  - intolerant
  - self-centred
  - trouble-maker
  - disrespectful
  - traitor
  - cruel/insensitive
  - defiant (wants to break away from the traditional practices of the people) 

Lutong  
  - calm and patient 
  - sensible
  - fair and loyal
  - obedient
  - mediator (tries to get his brothers to come to an agreement to avoid quarrels)
  - peace-maker
  - tolerant
  - concern
  - assertive
 
The Old Chief 
  - careful in making decisions
  - wise
  - fair and just
  - kind
  - assertive
  - experienced and sensitive to the people’s  needs
  - rational
  - responsible
 

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Themes

“How Dalat Got Its Name”. The themes are:

Peace versus War

The theme of peace versus war is present in the story. The village is peaceful during the time when the
old chief rules. The people are used to the peaceful and calm situation. When the old chief dies without
naming the next chief, the situation changes. Umat does not want to recognise Galau as the new chief.
He wants to be the new chief. This causes problems in the village.

Soon the villagers are divided over who should be the new chief. Quarrels and misunderstandings take
place. The brothers and their followers have disagreements. Matters become worse when Umat plots
with the enemies to defeat Galau and become chief. They enter the village to attack Galau and his
people. A war begins and lasts for three days and nights. In times of war, peace is ruined. The peace in
the village is replaced with uncertainties. Many people die in the war and in the end Umat is also killed.
The new chief Galau names the place ‘Dalat’ which refers to the flies that infest the dead bodies. Peace
is restored once the war is over and the enemies defeated. Dalat reminds the people of the bitterness
and ugliness of war. Peace is important in life. 

Loyalty versus betrayal

It is a custom and tradition in the village, that when a chief dies, the eldest son takes over his position.
The laws of the land allow Galau to be the new chief. However, Umat does not agree and does not want
to accept Galau as the new chief. He questions the tradition and custom of the land. He thinks that he is
the bravest amongst the brothers and that he should be the chief.  He shows disrespect to the late chief,
Galau and the village elders. He becomes disloyal and conspires with the village enemies to attack the
village and defeat Galau.

Umat becomes a traitor and shows his disloyalty to Galau and his people. He fails to understand that he
should be helping his brother to rule the land than to be a burden and cause trouble for him. Lutong on
the other hand, is a faithful follower and supports Galau as he knows Galau is the rightful chief. The
people do not want to build a memorial pole for Umat as they are shameful of him. He has betrayed the
people. 

Power and Leadership

Umat wants power.  He knows that power is important. He wants to be the new chief. However, he fails
to realise that Galau is a better leader than him. Galau is wise, far-sighted and fair. He is also patient and
has good qualities befitting a chief. Power should be used wisely.  Moreover, leadership is not about
power or wealth; it is more about how one leads his or her followers for the good of the people. The
story shows that it is important to make the right decisions and judgments.

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Moral Values

The story teaches us some moral values.

1. Loyalty
The story teaches us to be loyal. Loyalty is very important especially when we live in a community or
society. Lutong is loyal to his brother and respects him as the new chief. He gives him his support and is
always with him. On the other hand, Umat is a traitor and shows disloyalty. He cooperates with the
enemies to defeat Galau and his people. In the end, Umat dies. The people do not want to build a
memorial pole for him as they know that he is the cause of so many deaths in the village. Umat has
betrayed his people. The story teaches us that we have to be loyal to the King and country.

2. Jealousy and Greed

Jealousy causes a lot of problems. In the story we learn that Umat is jealous that his brother is to be the
new chief. Galau is the eldest amongst the three brothers. The custom and laws of the land say that the
eldest should be the chief. Their father dies without naming the new chief. Umat does not want to
accept his brother Galau as the new chief. He is jealous that he is not accepted as the new chief. Umat
wants to become the chief and conspires with the enemies of the village to defeat Galau and his people.

Greed is also a negative quality. It can lead to one’s downfall. In the story we learn how greed causes
Umat to behave irrationally and become a traitor.  Greed for power has blinded Umat that he does not
even want to accept his brother, Galau, as the new chief.  Umat only wishes to be the new chief and
conspires with the enemies to conquer the village. He wants to be the new chief because he knows that
the chief of the village will have power.

3. Learning from One’s Mistake

The story teaches us to learn from one’s mistake. Umat makes the biggest mistake in his life. He
conspires with the village enemies. He wants to take over the village and become the new chief. He does
not respect his late father, his brother Galau (the new chief) or the villagers. He is obsessed with
becoming the new chief.

He is the cause of many of the villagers' and the enemies' deaths in the war. War only brings hardship
and causes death. When Galau wishes to build a memorial pole for Umat, who is dead, his followers
disagree. Umat is a traitor and does not deserve to be remembered nor respected. Galau realises that
Umat is the cause of the war and many people have died in the war. He names the place Dalat, which
means flies in the Melanau language. The name Dalat will remind the people about the war and the
downfall of Umat. It will teach people to appreciate peace. The value of peace and friendship should not
be forgotten. The story teaches us not to repeat the mistakes that one does.

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Plot

Plot is the sequence of events in the story. Plot is seen as the structure of the actions or events which
are ordered to give meaning to the story. The events or incidents that take place in a story are
developed based on a particular structure. The structure of the plot entails the 5-stage development in
the short story “How Dalat Got Its Name”. The 5-stage developments are:

1. The Introduction or Opening Stage (Exposition)

2. The Rising Action Stage
3. The Climax
4. The Falling Action Stage
5. The Closure or Ending (Resolution)

The Introduction or Opening Stage (Exposition):

The three sons of the chief come to see him. He is aged and dying. He advises the three sons to be good.
He tells them to be there for each other. He dies without naming the new chief of the village, who will
replace him. 

The Rising Action Stage

The three sons mourn over the old chief’s death. The custom of the land allows the eldest son to be the
heir. Galau is the eldest, so he is the next person in line to be the chief. Lutong supports that Galau
becomes the next chief.  Umat, however, disagrees. He says that Galau is not brave enough to be the
chief.  Umat defies the laws of the land. He wants to be the new chief. There are people to support both
the brothers. Thus, the people are divided. Umat feels angry and is determined to be the next chief.
Galau, meanwhile, prepares his men to defend the village and trains them to master the art of combat.
Umat conspires with the enemies to attack the village. He wants to defeat Galau.

Climax
Umat gets the help of the enemies to attack the village. They come by boats and try to enter the village.
Galau's men are prepared for the attack. They defend their village and their long houses. The enemies
are taken by surprise. They never expect the villagers to be so well-prepared for war.

The Falling Action Stage

Many of their enemies die. There are bodies everywhere: on the ground and in the river. Umat dies and
his body is found amongst the bodies of their enemies. Galau tells his followers to build a memorial pole
for him, just like the one they have built for his father. But, his followers refuse as they think Umat has
become a traitor. He has betrayed his people and has brought great harm to the people. Many of their
people are dead because of Umat. Lutong agrees with them. He tells his brother to mourn for Umat in
his heart. 

The Closure or Ending

The enemies are defeated. Umat is dead. The place is infested with flies. Galau names the place Dalat,
which means flies in Melanau. The name is given to remind the people that war only brings death and
disharmony.

JULY 2010
Form 3 English Literature / PMR –SHORT STORIES

Example of Question and Answer

Based on one of the short stories above, write about why you liked the story. Give evidence from the
short story to support your answer.
Your response should be:
in not less than 50 words
in continuous writing (not note form)

Sample Answer:
I liked the short story How Dalat Got Its Name because it is a story about fighting with siblings. It tells
about Galau, Umat and Lutong whose father had just died. They quarreled about who should replace
their father's place as chief. In the end, Umat died in the battle and Galau became chief. The reason why
I liked this story is because it reminded me about my relationship with my brothers. We fight all the time
but in the end, we would regret our actions and make-up.

JULY 2010