Comics Got Me Started
As promised on New Year's eve . . . details of how D-reading habit got instilled in me . . . he, he
Number one ... let's have some fun!Number two ... here's one for you!Number three ... take this from me!Number four ... is your jaw sore?Number five ... you take a dive!Number six ... you're in a fix!Number seven ... up there is heaven!Number eight ... don't stop up late!
Number nine ... you won't be fine!Number ten ... you never make sense!!!
Number nine ... you won't be fine!Number ten ... you never make sense!!!
I will not easily forget these rhythmic words (more appropriately old time combat jingles) for at least many more years to come. Those were the words from a series of combat comics in the fifties! The scenario was a Viking hero who fought and outclassed ten foes with his bare fists . . . and doing it in a very leisurely manner.
As a matter of fact, I started picking up English words at quite an early age (about seven) by browsing through such comics (whenever I had the opportunity to do so) at roadside newspaper stalls along Pasar Road (now Jalan Pasar) and Pudu Road (now Jalan Pudu) in KL.
I was studying at a Malay school then. I only went into English medium primary and secondary schools many years afterward. I had very little if not zero knowledge of English then. There were very few 'outlets' to 'access' into for reasonable guidance in English language learning (other than the limited scope of reading and writing practice in the classroom).
I still remember those 'Mamak' stalls around town (especially the ones in my neighbourhood) where my peers used to congregate! The famous rendezvous of ours . . . those days!
These stalls sold newspapers and books including comics. And . . . comics were the most popular item amongst us.
Comics were the in-thing then. But they were quite expensive to obtain. Not everybody was privileged enough to buy or have them at will. Yours sincerely was of course in that category of 'non-purchasers'.
There were also other comics for children at that time. The Beano, Dandy, Topper, Beezer features prominently amongst them. These comics were partly in colour. The English used was very precise and of a decent level. Cowboys and Red Indians comics were also in abundance.
Titles like Kit Carson, Buck Jones, Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Hickok and the like always captured the imagination of kids of that era. Adventures of William Tell, Dick Turpin, Superman, Batman, Robin, Zorro, The Lone Ranger and others in fully illustrated colour versions sparked up more interest (reading and visualizing) among comics enthusiasts.
English captions/texts both in narrated storyboard form or bubbled speech form for episodes such as those found in the Beano, Dandy, Topper or Beezer comprising of characters like Lord Snooty, Desperate Dan, General Jumbo, The Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx, Calamity Jane,
Jonah, Dennis the Menace and others helped much to open up the young readers mind as well as attended to their curiosity in English learning.New words picked up will 'casually' be registered in one's mind and later put to use either orally or in the written form. When such words were repeatedly used, an understanding of the English language will automatically be instilled into the youngsters' mind without them realizing it. A healthy reading habit has been voluntarily inculcated early in life. That is surely a good head start!
I am sure there are more ways than one to start an interest in reading. There is much talk about being the typical Malaysian . . . when one shy away from reading activities. We are said to be having very little (hopefully not negative in percentage) reading interest in comparison to people in other advanced nations of Europe or even Asia.
Whatever is the case, I would like to establish a point here. Every individual has his own style or method of starting and nurturing the reading habit in himself. I for one will always believe in the 'casual' and 'painless' reading style. It suits me best!
What about you readers out there? Surely you have your own way of inculcating that habit called 'reading'.
Please feel free to share your experience in this respect. Your comments are most welcome. Thanks.
A man 'well read' is a man in 'good stead'>>>>>>>>>>
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2 comments:
First of all Salam too to everybody at home.
Yeah . . . those were the days . . . days when life was so simple but never lacking in purposefulness . . . very meaningful in short!
Many more 'Down Memory Lane' or 'I Remember When' type of those days tales could be retold.
I remember well the books we were supplied with at school as our first readers . . . (in the Malay schools and later the English).
The contents were very simple and down to earth indeed . . .
Eg. Malay Readers: "Ini pasu bunga. Emak saya tanam bunga dalam pasu ini . . ." and so on.
Eg. English Readers: "This is a man. This is a pan. This is a man and a pan . . ." and so on.
. . . yet this kind of a beginning in reading managed to make us what we are today!
Alhamdulillah.
and . . . yes of course, I will not easily forget the famous character 'Dol Keropok' of Malay cartoon strip fame. He existed at about the same era as another cartoon character then . . .'Wak Tempe' . . . he, he.
PS: I've visited your My Elusive Dreams blog. Very interesting reading. Best wishes and Happy Blogging.