appreciating language use in poems
Singapore poetry research project
Table of contents
Pooja Nansi
Pooja Nansi was born in Gujarat, India in 1981. Her family moved to Singapore when she was one and a half years old. She is the oldest of two daughters. She grew up in Katong and attended Telok Kurau Primary School and CHIJ Katong Convent from 1988 - 1997.She wanted to be a teacher from a young age and would teach her dolls as a child. She attended the National University of Singapore and started teaching upon graduation. She taught at Temasek Junior College for nine years and held the position of head of Language Arts and English Literature for part of her time there.She was a writer-in residence at Nanyang Technological University (2015-2016) and currently teaches creative writing part-time.
Her works
She published two collections of poetry: “Stiletto scars” in 2007 and “Love is an empty Barstool” in 2013. Her poetry often explores themes of identity, memory and place and draws on her experiences growing up in Singapore as a woman of Indian descent,
Edwin Thumboo
Thumboo graduated in English from the University of Malaya in 1956. Although he applied for a position at the university, he was rejected as few locals held academic posts at that time. He therefore worked in the civil service for about nine years before finally joining the university, then renamed the University of Singapore, in 1966 following Singapore's independence. He received a Ph.D. from the university in 1970. Thumboo rose to the position of full professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, heading the department between 1977 and 1993. After the merger of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University in 1980 to form the National University of Singapore (NUS), he was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from 1980 to 1991, NUS's longest-serving dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Thumboo was the first Chairman and Director of the university's Centre for the Arts from 1993 to 2005, and continues to be associated with the university as an emeritus professor, a position he has held since retiring from full-time teaching in September 1997.
His works
He is known for his poetry that explores the theme of identity, history and culture, and draws on his experiences growing up in Singapore during a time of great social and political change. His works often reflect on the complexities of post colonial identity and the challenges of forging a national identity in a rapidly changing global context.
Alfian Saat
Alfian bin Sa'at is a Muslim Singaporean of Minangkabau, Javanese and Chinese Hakka descent. An alumnus of Tampines Primary School, Raffles Institution, and Raffles Junior College, Alfian was the chairman of the drama societies, both known as Raffles Players, in both RI and RJC. He also took part in the Creative Arts Programme twice – once at fifteen, and a second time at seventeen – both times under the mentorship of Haresh Sharma. He has since returned to the programme as an occasional mentor. During his two years at RJC, Alfian received the Kripalani Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creative Arts. Alfian attended medical classes at the National University of Singapore but did not graduate.
His works
His works often explore themes of identity, culture, and politics, and are known for their wit and social commentary. He is considered one of the most prominent and outspoken voices in Singaporean literature and culture, and his works have been widely acclaimed both locally and internationally.
the poem i chose:
Wonderful Wordsmiths
I chose a poem from one of the poets above.
neighbours
by
Alfian Saat
During Hari Raya she knocks on my conscience,
I knock on her door and I give her cakes.
She says she likes them and gives me
Sweets with gelatine inside. I throw them away.
Poor woman, doesn’t know how to make cakes.
Her children eat Maggi after school every day.
That's why the elder one is in Normal stream
And the younger one can't spell her name.
If I was her age I wouldn't be wearing shorts at home.
No shame, she doesn't know how to hide her womanhood.
When the children are naughty and I beat them
I close the door: I hear she's a gossip.
But she beats her children harder than I do
What to do her children are like that.
I once hear her scream she wanted to kill herself.
These people never value their own lives.
Other times I see her I smile and she smiles back
And her children smile and call me auntie.
But in our hands we hold with fists clenched tight
The keys to our homes, each night we slam the bolt shut.
Analysing the poem
explaining fully the effective use of words and imagery.
my anaysis of the words and imagery used
neighbours by
alfian saat
The language used throughout the poem is filled with symbolism. For example, the phrase "knocks on my conscience" in the first line conveys a sense of guilt and moral responsibility. This is contrasted with the image of the narrator giving the neighbor cakes, which serves as a gesture of charity and generosity.
However, this generosity is tinged with condescension and a sense of superiority. The narrator comments on the neighbor's lack of culinary skills and her children's academic struggles, suggesting that they are somehow inferior or deficient. This is further emphasized when the neighbour gives the speaker some "sweets with gelatine" and the speaker throws it away. this also suggests that although the neighbour has good intentions, she is very unaware of her surroundings. the speaker is most likely a Muslim, and cannot eat things containing gelatine which goes on to show that she is insensitive to details, which makes the speaker feel that she is "inferior".
For the imagery used, the phrase "knocks on my conscience" creates a visual of a woman's action that creates a moral reckoning for the speaker. The phrase "keys to our homes, each night we slam the bolt shut" creates an image of physical and emotional closure, underscoring the themes of separation and distance between the speaker and their neighbour. Furthermore, the use of figurative language in the phrase "we hold with fists clenched tight" creates a powerful image of control and tension. The repetition of "smile" in the eighth stanza creates an image of a facade that the speaker and their neighbour wear to maintain a superficial friendliness, even though they hold deeply conflicting attitudes towards each other. Overall, the use of imagery in the poem adds depth and nuance to the characters and their relationship, creating a complex and layered portrayal of societal issues and human interactions.
expressing myself
the poem i chose:
may 1954 by edwin thumboo
We do but merely ask,
No more, no less, this much:
That you white man,
Boasting of many parts,
Some talk of Alexander, some of Hercules.
Some broken not long ago
By little yellow soldiers
Out of the Rising Sun...
We ask you see
The bitter, curving tide of history,
See well enough, relinquish,
Restore this place, this sun
To us... and the waiting generations.
Depart white man.
Your minions riot among
Our young in Penang Road
Their officers, un-Britannic,
Full of service, look
Angry and short of breath.
You whored on milk and honey
Tried our spirit, spent our muscle,
Extracted from our earth;
Gave yourselves superior ways
At our expense, in our midst.
Depart:
You knew when to come;
Surely know when to go.
Do not ignore, dismiss,
Pretending we are foolish;
Harbour contempt in eloquence.
We know your language.
My father felt his master's voice,
Obeyed, but hid his grievous, wounded self.
I have learnt:
There is an Asian tide
That sings such power
Into my dreaming side:
My father's anger turns my cause.
Depart Tom, Dick and Harry.
Gently, with ceremony;
We may still be friends,
Even love you... from a distance.
visual representation
drawing by me!
explanation for the drawing
The poem is a plea to the white man to relinquish control of the speaker’s homeland and allow the people to regain independence. This can be seen through the drawing of the local of the island begging the white man to “depart”. The three exclamation marks are the total amount of times that the word “depart” was used. The repetition of the word “depart” throughout the poem gives a sense of urgency to the speaker’s plea, as the speaker wants the white man to be out of his homeland. This is because he had already done a lot of damage to his homeland, as seen in “restore this place, this sun to us… and the waiting generations.”. This quote shows that the white man would be “restoring” the “place” if they leave the place. In stanza 4, the speaker talks about how the white man has “whored on milk and honey” and has extracted resources at the expense of the people. This is shown through the drawing of the ship loaded with cargo which has “milk” and “honey” labels on each one of the boxes and the rather empty beach. And finally, in the last stanza of the poem, the speaker suggests that departure does not mean enmity, but rather a “gentle” separation that allows for a future friendship or love “from a distance”, which can be seen from the drawing of the white soldiers with their guns behind them, instead of holding it in front of them, this can also be seen from the other ship at the back, showing no signs of hostility towards the land at all. In addition, the bright blue sky is also a way to show that separation does not necessarily mean a negative outcome.
done by: Lee Wen En 3 Resilience