IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP
Latiff Othman
Latiff Othman
At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found
They were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves
SYNOPSIS (OVERALL)
In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke.
SYNOPSIS (ACCORDING TO STANZA)
STANZA 1
They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.
STANZA 2
They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their son’s albino buffalo but were unable to find it.
STANZA 3
They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.
SETTING
The setting of the poem is in the house.
THEMES
Stoicism in life
Family love
Acceptance of way of life
MORAL VALUES
We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook.
We must attempt to face and solve problems.
Failure is part of growing up.
Do not despair in the face of failure.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
Understanding and sympathetic
Dismal
Acceptance of situation
POINT OF VIEW
Third person pint of view.
LANGUAGE & STYLE
Language is simple and easy to understand.
The style is simple with no rhyming scheme.
POETIC DEVICES
Imagery – Gives picture of poet’s thoughts e.g ‘soaky clothes torn’ and ‘legs full of wounds’
Alliteration – e.g. ‘but on their brows’
Symbols – e.g. ‘horrendous flood’ and ‘bloating carcasses’
Diction – e.g. ‘stove’ and ‘brows‘
TASK: Try these questions!
1. Which part of the day is dawn?
2. When did the family go back home?
3. Why were their clothes soaky?
4. What were found on their limbs and legs?
5. What did the phrase 'bloated carcasses' refers to?
6. What was happening to the dead bodies?
7. What were the family members desperately looking for?
8. What type of life is a life of hardship?
9. How did they view their hardship?
10. What hardship did the family just experience?
11. What shows that they are unaffected by their recent experience?
12. In what manner are they talking in the kitchen?
13. What lesson can readers learn from the poem?
14. What are the activities mentioned in the last stanza?
Source: PIB
ANSWER KEY:
ReplyDelete1. Early in the morning
2. Dawn
3. They were soaked in water.
4. Scratches and wounds
5. The people and animals that drowned.
6. They were floating in the water.
7. Their buffalo
8. A life of suffering
9. They accepted it.
10. A bad flood.
11. They were telling jokes to each other.
12. Happily
13. Readers learn to look at the positive or brighter side of things and accepted hardship and challenges with resilience.
14. The two activities were joking while chatting and rolling leaves into cigarettes.