Stanza 1
“Live in the East and the West side, Leave out the North and the South” means the poet is looking at the East and the West side of the world. While he pauses looking at the North and South side of the world for a moment. Actually, he tries to look at what is happening around him in this world. The word “Red-eye” in “Red-eye of devil keeps razing” resembles the bad congregation of certain people who live in this world with too much manipulation and seem so happy to see people suffer from what they have done without clemency. “The million of green hungers whose wishes are blown away to the conurbation of evil” describes on no matter how much hopes for better days the victims give towards the war, it seems like the hopes that they wish for will not come true. The most sadist thing if the war still happens from one generation to one generation until the end of time. The victims may be dying because of the oppression that they are going through and all the hopes to have a peaceful life seems demolished. “Green hungers” means the people who seek for peaceful life.
Stanza 2
Overall, this stanza means that the poet reads newspaper in order to know what is happening in the other side of the world. In the newspaper, he can find a lot of sorrowful things such as the helps that are seeked by the war victims (“Full of rising hands”) and the pain that they endure (“Bleedings are breathing and the dropping of tears”). In the line of “While our eyes are like steel. Limbs are sealed” , the word “our” refers to the poet as well as the people on earth. This line means that our eyes can only see everything occurs around us and it seems that our eyes are already get used to see all those things and sometimes we tend to feel that war makes us tired and fed up because it happens almost everywhere and we just cannot do anything to stop it from occurring.
Stanza 3
This stanza generally means that, even we read a lot in the newspaper about the agony of the war victims and we lay our deepest sympathy to them, but our life has to continue on. We seem cannot spend much of our time thinking and sorrowing about other people as we have our on job to work on. We have to leave out all those sad things for a while and continue our normal life.
Stanza 4
“Live in the North and the South side, Leave out the East and the West” means the poet is looking at the East and the West side of the world. While he pauses looking at the East and West side of the world for a moment. That line is contrast to the first stanza. It seems that the poet changes his view on the North and South side of the world where finally he sees all 4 directions of the world which are North, South, East and West. He uses newspaper as a medium for reading and gaining information. As he reads the newspaper, he finds that the war is still happening ( “The evils are still breathing”) and it looks like we would never able stopping it.
Stanza 5
The word “winter” in line 1 means death or hopeless. The word “summer” in line 2 means the hope or life. “Does it dry up like raisin in the sun?” The word “it” in this line means hope. This line generally means to compare hope to a raisin dried in the sun that portrays terrible shrinking from fresh to dry. This line contains of very deep meaning which means something that really has happened and will it happen again?. Overall, this stanza elaborates on the hopes that are wished seem will not come true, unless those wicked people are eliminated from living in this world. Whatever happens around us, the eyes seem have to bear it and get used to see it and swallow all the bitterness in order to continue our life journey.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Poem The Iron Iris By Ruxn
Live in the East and the West side
Leave out the North and the South
Red-eye of devil keeps razing
The million of green hungers
Whose wishes are blown away
To the conurbation of evil.
Listen to the voices
Of black and white newspaper.
Full of rising hands,
Bleedings are breathing,
And the dropping of tears.
While our eyes are like steel.
Limbs are tightly sealed.
Look at the moving numbers of the clock
The long rail of life has to catch
The sounds of newspaper
Need to be muted
The eyes have to be blinded
The ears have to be deaf.
Live in the North and South side
Leave out the East and West
Hands flip the pages
Of black and white newspaper.
The evils are still breathing
To the battle that we never taste the victory.
Blow hopes to the forever winter
The summer is not for long
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
The eyes cannot endure anymore
To the sights that are violated
And the eyes have to bear.[2005]
Leave out the North and the South
Red-eye of devil keeps razing
The million of green hungers
Whose wishes are blown away
To the conurbation of evil.
Listen to the voices
Of black and white newspaper.
Full of rising hands,
Bleedings are breathing,
And the dropping of tears.
While our eyes are like steel.
Limbs are tightly sealed.
Look at the moving numbers of the clock
The long rail of life has to catch
The sounds of newspaper
Need to be muted
The eyes have to be blinded
The ears have to be deaf.
Live in the North and South side
Leave out the East and West
Hands flip the pages
Of black and white newspaper.
The evils are still breathing
To the battle that we never taste the victory.
Blow hopes to the forever winter
The summer is not for long
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
The eyes cannot endure anymore
To the sights that are violated
And the eyes have to bear.[2005]
Poem SONNET 71 By William Shakespeare
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world, with the vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot
If thinking on me then should make you woe.
O, if, I say, you look upon this verse
When I perhaps compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse.
But let your love even with my life decay,
Lest the wise world should look into your moan
And mock you with me after I am gone.
POEM ANALYSIS
Sonnets 71-74 mainly resemble and associate the poet’s thoughts on his own mortality or death. This sonnet does not focus to any gender specifically whether to man or woman and the person who the poet refers to (in this sonnet) is rather be called as his beloved. The first quatrain, in line 2 (Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell), In Renaissance era, “passing-bell” was rung many times as an honor to the deceased’s life at funerals. In the first quatrain, generally it conveys that the poet is already died and left his life and his beloved. The poet asks his beloved not to lament when he is dead or even remember his name. In line 4 (From this vile world, with the vilest worms to dwell: ), actually signifies the transaction of living in the world to the grave.
The second quatrain indicates that this sonnet is written or created in order to solace his beloved after his death. In line 6 (The hand that writ it, for I love you so) points out that this sonnet is written and dedicated to his beloved and it illustrates a romantic relationship between the poet and his beloved. In addition to that, the poet believes that he would die before his beloved and it made him writing this sonnet in order to console his beloved after his death oneday. The poet also does not want his beloved to keep thinking about him and try to forget him as it makes his beloved in sorrow for the rest of his beloved’s life.
The third quatrain explains how the poet urges his beloved to completely “decay” him and their love relationship along with his dead body in the grave. In the final couplet, it expresses how the people would mock him and his beloved after his (the poet) death and they would be mocked by people about their past relationship when the poet was still alive. Overall, the poet concerns about his beloved’s life after his death especially what would his beloved face in his or her life after his death. And the reason for writing this sonnet is to solace his beloved’s emotion after his death and stop mourning after his death and live in contentment.
Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world, with the vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot
If thinking on me then should make you woe.
O, if, I say, you look upon this verse
When I perhaps compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse.
But let your love even with my life decay,
Lest the wise world should look into your moan
And mock you with me after I am gone.
POEM ANALYSIS
Sonnets 71-74 mainly resemble and associate the poet’s thoughts on his own mortality or death. This sonnet does not focus to any gender specifically whether to man or woman and the person who the poet refers to (in this sonnet) is rather be called as his beloved. The first quatrain, in line 2 (Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell), In Renaissance era, “passing-bell” was rung many times as an honor to the deceased’s life at funerals. In the first quatrain, generally it conveys that the poet is already died and left his life and his beloved. The poet asks his beloved not to lament when he is dead or even remember his name. In line 4 (From this vile world, with the vilest worms to dwell: ), actually signifies the transaction of living in the world to the grave.
The second quatrain indicates that this sonnet is written or created in order to solace his beloved after his death. In line 6 (The hand that writ it, for I love you so) points out that this sonnet is written and dedicated to his beloved and it illustrates a romantic relationship between the poet and his beloved. In addition to that, the poet believes that he would die before his beloved and it made him writing this sonnet in order to console his beloved after his death oneday. The poet also does not want his beloved to keep thinking about him and try to forget him as it makes his beloved in sorrow for the rest of his beloved’s life.
The third quatrain explains how the poet urges his beloved to completely “decay” him and their love relationship along with his dead body in the grave. In the final couplet, it expresses how the people would mock him and his beloved after his (the poet) death and they would be mocked by people about their past relationship when the poet was still alive. Overall, the poet concerns about his beloved’s life after his death especially what would his beloved face in his or her life after his death. And the reason for writing this sonnet is to solace his beloved’s emotion after his death and stop mourning after his death and live in contentment.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Ronggeng-Ronggeng By Lee Kok Liang
Ronggeng-Ronggeng is a short story written by Lee Kok Liang, who lives on the island of Penang and his family has been domiciled for four generations. Besides being active in writing, Lee was also engaged in politics. As a well-known writer, many of his writings have been published in magazines and anthologies. For example, his first collection of short stories is ‘The Mutes in the Sun and the Other Stories’ in 1964 then, his novel, ‘Flowers in the Sky’ came out in 1981. After that, a second collection of his short stories, ‘Death is a Ceremony and Other Stories’, was published in 1992, before his death. His novel, ‘London Does Not Belong to Me’ is due in 2003. Although Lee was educated in Chinese and English, his literary works still reflect his identity as a truly Malaysian in many of his short stories such as, ‘Return to Malaya’. Lee proves that one’s language background will not affect his/her identity. This work of his does contribute to the Malaysian Literature in English as it reveals the importance of identity and attachment of one’s root.
Ronggeng-Ronggeng presents the story with rural and semi-urban backgrounds-villages and town areas. All events in the story are in realistic tradition presenting the identity of Malaysian such as cultural shows Ronggeng, Bangsawan, Hokkien Opera, and Westerns. The significant of the story can be seen through their lifestyle including the way they dressed.
Our reading of this short story gives us a strong feeling that the writer is trying to present the importance of not forgetting ones origin and to achieve that, Lee Kok Liang has created a protagonist named Che Siti, who represents a very Malay character through the story and she has to sacrifice a lot to earn a life. She has to work as a dancer at Ronggeng-Ronggeng in order to feed her mother and younger brothers. She had gotten married once but, unfortunately her man left her for a richer woman. Pity on her but, there is one man named Mat had taught her the rhythm and steps of the ronggeng. Furthermore, she still had her beauty by the time. This package helps her to get a lot of customers during the ronggeng. Here is where the issue of women exploitation comes up. It can be seen clearly in this story when women had been use as an ‘entertainment’ for men. Women have to do the ‘Ronggeng’ to get the money even though, deep inside Che Siti’s heart, she doesn’t want to work like that.
Therefore, in order to achieve the outcome of making the story to stand out as a prominent figure as well as to make the central theme speaks for itself, the narrator has chosen to present the story from an omniscient point of view. Through the utilization of this perspective, the narrator is able to give us the highlights the inner feelings of the characters. Consequently, this leads the readers to obtain a deep understanding of the characters’ feelings, without having the narrator to intrude much because the narrator has the freedom to move in and out of the characters’ minds. In other words, readers are then allowed to have access to the perceptions and thoughts of all the characters in the story. Other than that, the narrator uses him omniscience to trek deeper into a character that we otherwise do not really come close to understanding. For example, there are plenty of inner monologues throughout the story, especially the main character of the story, Che Siti . Here are some examples:
~ She loved gold- a beautiful anklet on her foot would bring out the texture of her skin. And how the other girls would be so jealous. And the men would look at her foot instead of her breasts.
~ Siti looked at the men closely and saw that he was young. And he was not bad-looking at all, despite the gold tooth. He had a high nose, unlike most Chinese and very kind eyes. They said the Chinese worked hard and saved a lot of money. Was this one rich?
~ As he lifted his arms, blond hairs stuck out like coconut fibers from his armpits, and he smelt. Are white women like that too? But how could they? They had looked so pretty in the pictures and in their pretty shoes, with such slim straps and very sharp heels, just the stems of flowers.
Apart from that, the writer utilized the sacrificed of a woman by explaining about what is the hardship that Che Siti had to go through. For example, every night, her feet hurt and her legs ache because of the dancing. In fact, according to Mat, she was the most serious girl of the lot and saved most of her earnings. She had the idea that if she tapped lightly her shoes would last twice as long. It is then strengthen again by Che Aminah, who is Che Siti’s friend when Che Aminah asks her to get a new shoes but she refused and said, she still can use it instead of buying a new expensive one. In this part, it is very clear about the physical restriction according to the gender. As in this story, women have to wear high heels to look beautiful in the eyes of men even they have no money and ‘ronggeng’ women have to wear tight and short kebaya to make the men glanced at them during the dance. The issue of sexual harassment also appeared while Che Siti dancing with the drunken white soldier, Johnnie.
The value of having identity is portrayed throughout this story. Lee nativizes the text by including the local slang and the national language in the story to create a sense of origin that still slightly remains in the protagonist and other characters in this story such as “-lah”, “ronggeng”, “sarong”, “kebaya”, “songkok”, “pondok”, and “bangsawan”.
Ronggeng-Ronggeng presents the story with rural and semi-urban backgrounds-villages and town areas. All events in the story are in realistic tradition presenting the identity of Malaysian such as cultural shows Ronggeng, Bangsawan, Hokkien Opera, and Westerns. The significant of the story can be seen through their lifestyle including the way they dressed.
Our reading of this short story gives us a strong feeling that the writer is trying to present the importance of not forgetting ones origin and to achieve that, Lee Kok Liang has created a protagonist named Che Siti, who represents a very Malay character through the story and she has to sacrifice a lot to earn a life. She has to work as a dancer at Ronggeng-Ronggeng in order to feed her mother and younger brothers. She had gotten married once but, unfortunately her man left her for a richer woman. Pity on her but, there is one man named Mat had taught her the rhythm and steps of the ronggeng. Furthermore, she still had her beauty by the time. This package helps her to get a lot of customers during the ronggeng. Here is where the issue of women exploitation comes up. It can be seen clearly in this story when women had been use as an ‘entertainment’ for men. Women have to do the ‘Ronggeng’ to get the money even though, deep inside Che Siti’s heart, she doesn’t want to work like that.
Therefore, in order to achieve the outcome of making the story to stand out as a prominent figure as well as to make the central theme speaks for itself, the narrator has chosen to present the story from an omniscient point of view. Through the utilization of this perspective, the narrator is able to give us the highlights the inner feelings of the characters. Consequently, this leads the readers to obtain a deep understanding of the characters’ feelings, without having the narrator to intrude much because the narrator has the freedom to move in and out of the characters’ minds. In other words, readers are then allowed to have access to the perceptions and thoughts of all the characters in the story. Other than that, the narrator uses him omniscience to trek deeper into a character that we otherwise do not really come close to understanding. For example, there are plenty of inner monologues throughout the story, especially the main character of the story, Che Siti . Here are some examples:
~ She loved gold- a beautiful anklet on her foot would bring out the texture of her skin. And how the other girls would be so jealous. And the men would look at her foot instead of her breasts.
~ Siti looked at the men closely and saw that he was young. And he was not bad-looking at all, despite the gold tooth. He had a high nose, unlike most Chinese and very kind eyes. They said the Chinese worked hard and saved a lot of money. Was this one rich?
~ As he lifted his arms, blond hairs stuck out like coconut fibers from his armpits, and he smelt. Are white women like that too? But how could they? They had looked so pretty in the pictures and in their pretty shoes, with such slim straps and very sharp heels, just the stems of flowers.
Apart from that, the writer utilized the sacrificed of a woman by explaining about what is the hardship that Che Siti had to go through. For example, every night, her feet hurt and her legs ache because of the dancing. In fact, according to Mat, she was the most serious girl of the lot and saved most of her earnings. She had the idea that if she tapped lightly her shoes would last twice as long. It is then strengthen again by Che Aminah, who is Che Siti’s friend when Che Aminah asks her to get a new shoes but she refused and said, she still can use it instead of buying a new expensive one. In this part, it is very clear about the physical restriction according to the gender. As in this story, women have to wear high heels to look beautiful in the eyes of men even they have no money and ‘ronggeng’ women have to wear tight and short kebaya to make the men glanced at them during the dance. The issue of sexual harassment also appeared while Che Siti dancing with the drunken white soldier, Johnnie.
The value of having identity is portrayed throughout this story. Lee nativizes the text by including the local slang and the national language in the story to create a sense of origin that still slightly remains in the protagonist and other characters in this story such as “-lah”, “ronggeng”, “sarong”, “kebaya”, “songkok”, “pondok”, and “bangsawan”.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Poem "Becoming A Woman" By Hilary Tham
When I was twelve, my mother initiated me
into the mysteries of becoming a woman
with a pound of rice-paper, the unadvertised
kind made from stalks and leaves, the stubble
after the harvest.
She taught me the art of crumpling,
stretching, folding the sheafs inot
a likeness of Modess-factory-rejects.
"You will bleed
at a special time of the moon."
she told me. "Use these
to preserve modesty and the secret
of your femaleness."
Her mother's way she passed to me
with the few words she had received
at her initiation.
Each full moon I curse the tides
within my body. I abandoned
tradition's rice-paper.
I have forgiven the moon since
Our children came, spores of sunrise
In their new born hands.
into the mysteries of becoming a woman
with a pound of rice-paper, the unadvertised
kind made from stalks and leaves, the stubble
after the harvest.
She taught me the art of crumpling,
stretching, folding the sheafs inot
a likeness of Modess-factory-rejects.
"You will bleed
at a special time of the moon."
she told me. "Use these
to preserve modesty and the secret
of your femaleness."
Her mother's way she passed to me
with the few words she had received
at her initiation.
Each full moon I curse the tides
within my body. I abandoned
tradition's rice-paper.
I have forgiven the moon since
Our children came, spores of sunrise
In their new born hands.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Fasting, Feasting By Anita Desai - Reviews (Part 1)
Anita Desai
In her novels, she has explored the lives of outsiders within Indian society and within the West.
Her fiction has covered themes such as:
-women’s oppression and quest for a fulfilling identity,
-family relationship and contrasts,
-the crumbling of traditions.
In Desai’s literary world, East and West have been treated as mirror images of each other.
Fasting, Feasting Novel
Story told from the point of view of Uma in India and Arun in America.
Depicts the struggles of Uma, Aruna and Arun to strike a balance between their parents’ expectations and their own personal realization.
Compares and contrasts:
-Two cultures
-Two societies
-Two families that represent their culture and society
PapaMama and Children
PapaMama:
-Discuss, plan, plot, control, govern the activities of their children, e.g. marriage, going abroad for studies.
-Does not consider possibility that children could have their own lives
Uma: Victim of patriarchy – repressed, suppressed and imprisoned at home; Wants life beyond confines of home
Aruna: Caught in mad pursuit of perfection; neurotic – controls family
Arun: Feels trapped by the education that is meant to liberate him; wants to be left alone
The Pattons
Mr and Mrs Patton:
-not really doing duty as parents
-let children do what they want
Mr Patton: quiet and self-centred
Mrs Patton: no identity or purpose in life; cannot handle family
Rod: obsessed with physical needs
Melanie: self-imposed starvation; lost in a free world
Fasting, Feasting: Question 1
Question:
In what ways do the two terms of the title—"fasting" and "feasting"—apply to family life and society in general in India and the United States?
Question 1: Answer
Title:
-food as metaphor for emotional sustenance
Fasting:
-Deprivation in Indian culture and religion
Uma: deprived of attention
Arun: deprived of freedom of choice
Miramasi: religious aestheticism
Feasting:
-Consumer society; Excess and opulence in American lifestyle
Mrs Patton: provide for family - shopping for food.
Rod: obsession with body
Fasting, Feasting: Question 2
Question:
What differences and similarities are there between the Indian and American families?
Answer: Draft
-Similarities:
-Differences:
Similarities and Differences
Indian
-Patriarchal
-PapaMama control children’s lives
Uma
Aruna
Arun
-Family is everything
-Tradition and cultural beliefs strong
American
-Patriarchal
-Children given the freedom to choose their way of life
Rod
Melanie
-Disintegrating family values
-“Corrupt” way of life
Fasting, Feasting: Question 3
Question:
What roles and expectations are open to women and men in the India and America of Fasting, Feasting?
Answer: Draft
-Men: Indian vs. American
Roles and expectations
-Women: Indian vs. American
Roles and expectations
Roles and expectations of men and women
Indian
-Men: to be in charge of family; provider
Papa: “God”; autocratic
Arun: not happy
-Women: subservient, oppressed; marriage
Mama: no identity
Uma: suppressed
Aruna: not happy
Anamika: killed
American
-Men: to be in charge of family; provider
Mr Patton: not responsible
Rod: obsessed with body
-Women: free to be and do what they want
Mrs Patton: providing for family – shopping
Melanie: neglected
Revision: More questions?
What kinds of freedom and what specific freedoms do the characters seek?
What instances and images of imprisonment and entrapment occur in the novel's two parts? To what extent is entrapment of one kind or another envisioned as an inescapable fact of life?
How does Desai establish Mama and Papa's identities as separate persons and, at the same time, as the single, and singular, Mama and Papa? In what ways do "they have the comfort of each other," as Uma later realizes?
In her novels, she has explored the lives of outsiders within Indian society and within the West.
Her fiction has covered themes such as:
-women’s oppression and quest for a fulfilling identity,
-family relationship and contrasts,
-the crumbling of traditions.
In Desai’s literary world, East and West have been treated as mirror images of each other.
Fasting, Feasting Novel
Story told from the point of view of Uma in India and Arun in America.
Depicts the struggles of Uma, Aruna and Arun to strike a balance between their parents’ expectations and their own personal realization.
Compares and contrasts:
-Two cultures
-Two societies
-Two families that represent their culture and society
PapaMama and Children
PapaMama:
-Discuss, plan, plot, control, govern the activities of their children, e.g. marriage, going abroad for studies.
-Does not consider possibility that children could have their own lives
Uma: Victim of patriarchy – repressed, suppressed and imprisoned at home; Wants life beyond confines of home
Aruna: Caught in mad pursuit of perfection; neurotic – controls family
Arun: Feels trapped by the education that is meant to liberate him; wants to be left alone
The Pattons
Mr and Mrs Patton:
-not really doing duty as parents
-let children do what they want
Mr Patton: quiet and self-centred
Mrs Patton: no identity or purpose in life; cannot handle family
Rod: obsessed with physical needs
Melanie: self-imposed starvation; lost in a free world
Fasting, Feasting: Question 1
Question:
In what ways do the two terms of the title—"fasting" and "feasting"—apply to family life and society in general in India and the United States?
Question 1: Answer
Title:
-food as metaphor for emotional sustenance
Fasting:
-Deprivation in Indian culture and religion
Uma: deprived of attention
Arun: deprived of freedom of choice
Miramasi: religious aestheticism
Feasting:
-Consumer society; Excess and opulence in American lifestyle
Mrs Patton: provide for family - shopping for food.
Rod: obsession with body
Fasting, Feasting: Question 2
Question:
What differences and similarities are there between the Indian and American families?
Answer: Draft
-Similarities:
-Differences:
Similarities and Differences
Indian
-Patriarchal
-PapaMama control children’s lives
Uma
Aruna
Arun
-Family is everything
-Tradition and cultural beliefs strong
American
-Patriarchal
-Children given the freedom to choose their way of life
Rod
Melanie
-Disintegrating family values
-“Corrupt” way of life
Fasting, Feasting: Question 3
Question:
What roles and expectations are open to women and men in the India and America of Fasting, Feasting?
Answer: Draft
-Men: Indian vs. American
Roles and expectations
-Women: Indian vs. American
Roles and expectations
Roles and expectations of men and women
Indian
-Men: to be in charge of family; provider
Papa: “God”; autocratic
Arun: not happy
-Women: subservient, oppressed; marriage
Mama: no identity
Uma: suppressed
Aruna: not happy
Anamika: killed
American
-Men: to be in charge of family; provider
Mr Patton: not responsible
Rod: obsessed with body
-Women: free to be and do what they want
Mrs Patton: providing for family – shopping
Melanie: neglected
Revision: More questions?
What kinds of freedom and what specific freedoms do the characters seek?
What instances and images of imprisonment and entrapment occur in the novel's two parts? To what extent is entrapment of one kind or another envisioned as an inescapable fact of life?
How does Desai establish Mama and Papa's identities as separate persons and, at the same time, as the single, and singular, Mama and Papa? In what ways do "they have the comfort of each other," as Uma later realizes?
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