Page 9 - 2021 English Magazine - Final

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that only you can give an examination power over you.
My family and I – we are weak; we cannot exist without
you. You are the ones who control us, and you are the
ones who allow yourselves to be willed into submis-
Letter From SPM sion.

Now that I have exposed one of the many family
secrets, let me offer you some encouragement. For the
lot of you born in 2003, I have already come and gone.
Dear SPM candidates, I am likely nothing but a mild irritant in your memories,
and for that, I am glad. Regardless of your results, it was
By now, I expect you would have heard of an honour to have known you, however short our time
me. If you haven’t, I would like to gently inquire together may have been. I hope that when your results
what hole you’ve been living in for the past year. come by (which I believe will be soon, if they have not
By now, I expect that you may feel searing hate, an- already), you treat yourself with kindness and love, and
ger, or perhaps annoyance upon hearing my name, remind yourself that I do not have the power to define
and I do not blame any of you for it – truly. I myself who you are. You are worth more than a few letters on
have often been pondering the meaning of my exis- a piece of paper, and you owe it to yourself to be more
tence, as well as my role in adding to your burdens than that.
in these trying times.
As for those of you born in 2004 and 2005, I
For what it is worth, I am sorry. look forward to seeing you, whether it be this year or
the next. I sincerely hope that my arrival will not be
My kind (by which I mean examinations) marked by grief and sorrow, but with a quiet resilience
has lived for a long time – much longer than any of and determination. I am no match for you, children,
you. We have always been known as a very dysfunc- and I hope you can see that – remember that you are
tional family, existing in all shapes and sizes, made stronger than me, and will always be. The strength you
to cater to all age groups, regardless of nationality. only that you understand that the root of our exis- dation and restlessness. I know that my imminent need to overcome me, as well as the fears I present, is
You should see our family arguments – who’s the tence is to help you. All of you. I have always been arrival and swift departure would have been a buried deep within you, and I believe it will serve you
trickiest, the most prestigious, the most challenging, an ugly duckling in a household of swans, you see, great relief to all of you, but as we all know, some- well when the time comes.
the most famous – just to name a few. Nevertheless, not the trickiest, nor the most famous. Nothing times, things don’t always go as planned.
we all agree on one thing, and one thing only: that but a tiny gear in the grand scheme of things. That With that, I wish all of you luck, and I promise
our existence is necessary. just goes to show that even the most insignificant Children, I know that it has always been that I will (to the best of my abilities, which I admit are
events can have a huge impact on some. customary to give yourself grief over examinations, limited) put in a good word for you with my family. I
Some may argue that it would be a boon to especially one that is as significant to you as I am. I hope they will be forthcoming and kind enough to ease
add the word ‘evil’ behind ‘necessary’, but I digress. I am, of course, talking about you, my dear understand that I must seem all-important to you up a little and make all of your lives a little more bear-
We’ve always been needed, whether you like it or SPM candidates. I’m sure you know the sense of – a key that will unlock doors to your future, which able. Once again, best of luck, and, as always, sending
not. It matters not whether you think we are bad, urgency and anticipation, the nervousness and ex- I am sure will be brilliant and bright. However, I do my love to all of you!
hilaration that comes with an examination. It is a not wish to cause you further troubles, so I will ask
chance to prove yourself, to show your worth, and you this: why does one examination matter, when Yours truly,
most of all, to understand yourself – academically, you have so much more ahead of you? SPM.
at least. Some of you, I’m sure, had been looking
forward to my arrival for months, and yet, it had My predecessors and seniors will have my
been delayed time and time again. head for this, but let me tell you this: you may
think of the mighty examinations as a threat, as
I cannot take full responsibility for this fact, a way to blackmail yourself into studying, but my
as we have the pandemic to thank, but I feel that I family has always maintained the belief that we
am at fault still – enough so that I am writing this exist to challenge humans. We are an anthem to
letter to apologize. I know I have your self-worth; a song to your belief that you are
caused you pain, strife, and many sleepless nights. stronger than you know; a hymn towards your
I know I have caused you needless anxiety, trepi- path of self-discovery. Remember, dear students,

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