Form 2 Heir Conditioning

Table of Contents

Introduction Synopsis

Elements Activities Assessment Answer Key Glossary Panel of writers

Curriculum Development Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia . 2010

DRAFT

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Introduction HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

M Shanmughalingam

M Shanmughalingam studied at Victoria Institution School,

Malaysia from 1952-58. He later attended the University of Malaya

and holds an Honours degree and a Masters from Harvard

University and later a Doctorate from Oxford University. At Oxford

he won the Gertrude Hartley Memorial prize for Poetry and a

graduate scholarship from Balliol College and the second prize in

the Short Story competition judged by the novelist, Iris Murdoch

and John Bayley, Prof. of Literature, and sponsored by ISIS, Oxford

University and The Observer. His stories, short stories and poems

have been published in Commonwealth Anthologies (London),

international anthologies (Singapore), in universities (Harvard,

Malaya, Oxford and Singapore) and in national literary journals. His

poems have been the subject of theses in local universities as well

as in Germany. He is actively involved in the debating, literary and drama fields and is the co-editor

of an anthology of Malaysian poetry. He has been invited to participate and read from his own work

at seminars. An Australian website on International Poets has a video recording of his Performance

Poetry.

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Synopsis HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

This poem is written in London, May 4, 1995. It talks about issues regarding different

lifestyles and values of two generations. It also talks about the generation gap that exists

between grandparents and their grandchildren. This poem is like a dialogue between them.

In the first stanza, the grandchild asks his grandfather if he could breathe without air

conditioner and how people manage to survive without modern devices such as air

conditioners, fans, faxes and telephones. The child asks his grandmother if she was

uncomfortable fanning herself with paper fans. He inquisitively questions how they could

communicate without today‟s modern media of communication which he cannot do without.

In the second stanza, the grandparents‟ answer sets the two generations apart.

Though they lived void of the „basic necessities‟, they lived contentedly and respected

nature. Also, they were God-fearing people. The grandparents warn the younger generations

that they have inherited much technological advancement and it has led to a separation from

his spiritual well-being. God has been replaced by money and nature has begun to fear man.

Natural surroundings are being taken over by rapid development and that has led to

pollution, deforestation and destruction of natural habitats that now threatens man.

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Elements

HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

Title The title implies the transfer of a generation and highlights the gap that existed and apparent in societies today. This gap existed due to he results of the conditioning affect that took place in the name of development and modern times.

Theme

Modernisation comes with a price. Differences in time between two generations Spirituality vs. Materialism Traditional vs. Modernisation Wisdom vs. Ignorance

Literary devices

Alliteration

Alliteration is used to reflect the sound of the wind from her grandmother‟s paper fans The repetition of similar consonants at the beginning of words put close to each other. Example:

Consonant: /f/

Grandma weren‟t you flustered As you fluttered with paper fans?

Rhyme Scheme Contemporary. Followed no rhyme scheme.

This poem is a good introduction for contemporary poem.

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Pun Pun is used as an irony as the usage of air-conditioner is causing harm to the nature as we enjoy the cool air. Example: Heir conditioning and air-conditioning

Heir

An heir is a person who will legally receive money, property or a title from another person, especially an older member of the same family, when that other person dies; someone who now has the responsibility for dealing with a problem or situation that existed or was created earlier. Condition/ Conditioning (INFLUENCE)

It is to train or influence a person or animal mentally so that they do or expect a particular thing without thinking about it.

Repetition

Words or ideas that are emphasized to show the importance of a certain concept Example:

Line 1- 9 : You”

Line 10- 18 : “We” Line 18- 20 : “You & We”.

Here the poet emphasize the word “you”, focusing all attention to the grandparents. Also signify blaming; “you” as pinpointing.

Style The style use is simple but rich in contrast. Example:

The lines in the poem are presented in a non standard tradition of style. The poem is presented in 9 lines in the first stanza. The second stanza contains 10 lines.

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Tone This poem has a rather serious and sarcastic tone. This is because the use of all these technological appliances that are supposed to make our lives more comfortable is actually destroying the world we live in.

The tone of the grandchild (line 1-9) poses question. The tone is puzzle. The grandchild saw nothing good of those times. The tone here is “ignorant, and looking down”. Blatant with a series of stupid questions. The tone is anticipation of trivial answers.

The tone of the Grandparents (line 10-18) reflect a “more experienced” that the grandchild did not have the privilege and contrarily should not look down towards.

The tone argues that despite the grandchild‟s “backwards” view towards them, wonderful experience is evident at the time. The tone here also suggests wisdom, as a sharp contrast to the ignorance. The tone here suggests their perception of wrongful ideas followed by youngsters today.

Irony An expression of meaning often humorous or sarcastic, by the use of language of a different or opposite tendency Example:

In this poem, the poet highlights the comforts of modernization (telephones, air-conditioner and modern transportation), and the consequences (stress, consequences of traffic jams and pollution) they have brought unto us.

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Aims Materials

Steps

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 1

What‘s in the picture?

1 To develop the faculty for observation and memory

2 To state object used in olden and modern days 3 To develop reasoning skills

1 Picture 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e

Time : 40 minutes

1 Class is divided into groups of 4-5. Show Picture 1a for 20-30 seconds.

2 Groups write down what they have seen on a piece of paper. 3 Group will be given one point for each correct answer. 4 Picture 1a is a composition of a considerable amount of smaller pictures in it. 5 Show Picture 1b. 6 Give the students 20-30 seconds to study it then put Picture 1b away

7 Groups write down what they have seen. 8 Ask a number of questions to test the observation and memory powers of the

group. 9 Each group leader is to submit the group‟s majority view on each question in

writing. 10 The sample picture given is a simple reflection of the poem‟s theme of Traditional

vs. Modernisation

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Notes

Suggested questions for Picture 1a and 1b:

1. How many objects did you see? 2. How many can you identify? 3. Where can you find these?

The group giving the most correct series of answers wins. Suggested final questions:

4. How many of the objects shown are you using at present? 5. Why are you using them? 6. Can you do without any of them? And why?

The group giving the most correct series of answers wins.

** Kim's Game

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kim's Game is a game or exercise played by Boy Scouts and

other children's groups. The game develops a person's capacity to observe and remember details. The name is derived from Rudyard Kipling's 1901 novel Kim, in which the hero, Kim, plays the game during his training as a spy. As with Kim, the purpose of this requirement is to develop the faculty for observation and memory.

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 1

Picture 1a

What ‘s in the picture?

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Picture 1b

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Aims Materials

Steps

Notes

Heir means a legal successor to property or rank; morally entitled to something; examples:

the heir to the throne; inherit the Earth or heirs to Earth;

Conditioning means to teach or accustom to adopt certain habits. The mind conditioned by the people around and society.

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 2

Conditioned Minds

1 To read and understand the poem 2 To relate key words in poem and title to theme

1 Worksheet 2

Time : 40 minutes

1 Ask students to discuss in groups of four what modern inventions they cannot live without.

2 Select some students to present the outcome of the discussion to the class. 3 Distribute worksheet 2 to students. 4 Instruct students to read the poem and match the lines in the poem to the

meanings. 5 Discuss the answers and create awareness that the poem can be looked at from

two perspectives that is a child or teenager and his grandparents or the younger generation and the older generation

6 Tell students to identify what is important to the younger generation by studying the poem

7 Discuss answers. 8 Discuss the meaning of „heir‟ and „conditioning‟. Ask students to give the theme as

seen in the title of poem.

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 2

Write lines from the poem that have the meanings given in the table below.

Meanings

Lines from the poem ‘Heir Conditioning’

1. Were you not disturbed by the heat when you used paper fans to cool yourself?

2. Were you able to talk to others who lived far away?

3. Was it difficult to live without handphones, fans, computers, washing machines, cars and other inventions?

4. Did you really live and breathe in air before air-conditioners were invented?

Work in pairs and discuss the answers for the following questions.

1. Who is asking the questions in stanza one?

__________________________________________________________________

2. Who is answering in stanza two?

__________________________________________________________________

3. Analyse the poem and circle the words which show what is important to the younger

generation.

fans forests air conditioners paper fans cars

God money telephones nature hills

4. What are the minds of the younger generation conditioned to think?

__________________________________________________________________

5. Who are the heirs to the Earth and everything on it?

__________________________________________________________________

6. Is the title of the poem suitable? Why?

__________________________________________________________________

Conditioned Minds

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Aims Materials

Steps

Notes

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 3

1 To identify objects/items used in to the past and present

2 To state objects/items students think are important

3 To reason why certain objects are more important than others

1 Worksheet 3a

2 Worksheet 3b

1 Groups are given Worksheet 3a. 2 Give students 10 minutes to study the pictures on Worksheet 3a. 3 Group members will orally state all that they see. 4 Group members will state the objects/items they think are important in their lives. 4 Students will state the reason/s for their choices. 5 Other students are allowed to ask questions or challenge the choices made. 6 Teacher must decide the number of questions allowed. Suggested number could

be between 2-3 questions.

7 Repeat with other group until all groups have presented 8 Repeat the whole process using Worksheet 3b.

Bare necessities Time : 40 minutes

For this activity, an ideal group size would be 2-3 members per group.

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 3a

Look at the pictures in the boxes then decide what item/s you would want to keep and what item/s you would want to discard. State reason/s why do so. You can use the boxes below the pictures to write your notes.

Bare necessities

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 3b

Look at the pictures in the boxes then decide what item/s you would want to keep and what item/s you would want to discard. State reason/s why do so. You can use the boxes below the pictures to write your notes.

Bear necessities

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Aims Materials

Steps

Notes

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 4

Generational Gap

1 To compare and contrast the lifestyle of the older generation and the present generation.

2 To understand the themes in the poem.

1 Worksheet 4a 2 Worksheet 4b

1 Distribute Worksheet 4a to the students. Ask students to match the pictures to the appropriate answer.

2 In pairs, ask students to compare the lifestyle of „grandfather‟ and „grandmother‟ to the „grandchild‟. Ask them to discuss whether they would prefer life in the older times or the present. Select a few pairs to present in front of the class.

3 Distribute worksheet 4b. Discuss the answer with the students.

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 4a

Match the pictures to the phrases in the box.

Cooling breeze

The borderless communication

The cooling machine

Environmental threat

Chatting at the coffee shop

Generational Gap

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 4b

Based on the poem ‘Heir Conditioning’, compare the lifestyle of ‘grandfather’ and ‘grandmother’ to the lifestyle of ‘grandchild’.

Grandmother and Grandfather’s Lifestyle

Grandchild’s Lifestyle

Write the textual evidence from the poem that supports the themes given below.

Theme

Textual evidence

1. Modernisation comes with a price

2. Differences in time between two generations

3. Spirituality versus materialism

4. Traditional versus modernisation

5. Ignorance versus Wisdom

Generational Gap

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Steps

Aims Materials

Notes

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 5

1 2 3 4 5

Teacher shows a set of pictures and samples of everyday technologies. Students identify these items and give a brief description of their function. Teacher divides the class into groups of fours and sets the task. Students brainstorm for setbacks or negative effects of pursuing material gains and present their findings in graphic form. The group leader presents the group‟s work to the class orally. Others listen and evaluate their peers‟ works.

.

.

Time : 80 minutes

1 Compare basic necessities of the past and the present.

2 3

Give opinions on the setbacks of pursuing material wealth. Justify opinions by providing reasons

1 2 3

Picture cards Samples of everyday technology (mobile phone, laptop, calculator, etc) Worksheet 5a and 5b

Teacher explains the different types of graphic organisers that students may use to show their findings.

Is more better?

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 5a

Is more better?

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 5b

Is more better?

TASK 1. Work in groups of four. 2. Brainstorm for ideas and opinions on the setbacks or negative effects of pursuing material wealth. 3. Present findings and opinions in graphic form. 4. Justify and provide reasons to support the group’s findings or opinions orally.

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Aims Materials

Steps

Notes

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 6

1 To introduce students to the words used in the

poem

1 Dictionary 2 Worksheet 6 3 A stop clock

1 Tell students to read the poem. 2 Let them identify some difficult words from the poem. 3 Tell students to take out their dictionary and find the meanings of these words. 4 Give Worksheet 6 to each student. 4 Start the clock and let students complete the puzzles in 20 minutes. Make this a

competition in the class and the best three answers will be given a reward. ( In case of a tie, the fastest time will decide the three winners)

Alternatively, this activity can be made into a SNAP Game. Teacher make two sets of

cards (use two colours). Write the words found in the poem on one set and the

meanings on another. Let students work in pairs and let them snap and snatch the

correct pairs.

Time : 80 minutes

Conditioning me

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 6

Complete the crossword puzzles as fast as you can. The maximum time you may use

to do this task is 20 minutes. Best of luck!

CLUES

Across

1. Take air into the lungs and then expel it as a regular process 2. Lack of knowledge and information 3. Share information news or ideas 4. Make you agitated 5. The physical world including plants, and animals.

Down

6. Electronic scanners that transmit data by telecommunication links 7. Relating to present or recent time 8. The action that cause much damage to something 9. Modern devices that are being created 10. The motion made by flapping up and down

6.

8.

10.

1. 9.

5.

2.

3.

7.

4.

Conditioning me

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Steps

Aims Materials

Notes

HEIR CONDITIONING ACTIVITY 7

1 2 3 4 5

Students study pictures in Handout 7 and discuss with partner what they see . Students then listen to the poem read aloud. Teacher distributes Worksheet 7. Students carry out the required task while listening to the poem again. With a partner, students discuss the differences between the past and present. What are the changes they see around them? Students present their answers orally in class.

.

Time : 40 minutes

1 Listen to a poem read aloud and list down relevant information related to the poem.

2 Talk about issues related to the poem and answer questions about the issues.

1 Handout 7 2 Worksheet 7a and 7b

Students can create and present a mini dialogue between a grandparent and grandchild based on the poem.

Past versus Present

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HEIR CONDITIONING HANDOUT 7

Past versus Present

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 7a

Fill in the bubbles with words or phrases from the poem that are associated with the environment.

i

y y

y

Environment

Pollution

Past versus Present

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HEIR CONDITIONING WORKSHEET 7b

List the differences between the past and present and write your answers in the spaces provided. You may refer to ideas in the poem as well as include your own ideas.

vs

Past versus Present

Paper fans

Air Conditioner

PAST PRESENT

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HEIR CONDITIONING ASSESSMENT 1

Fill up the blanks with the correct words.

Answer the questions that follow. 1. When grandma ‘fluttered with paper fans’, she did it…………..

A. slowly B. merrily C. quickly

2. Name two things that are important to the grandparents.

A. money and God B. God and nature C. Paper fans and stress D. Air conditioner and nature

3. Basic necessity means something is………………

A. trivial B. important C. essential D. expensive

What do you think? Read the statements carefully and write ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ in the space provided. You can state your reason/s for your answer. 1) In the poem ‘Heir Conditioning’, the grandchild wonders if his grandparents enjoyed their life when they were younger. 2) The poet believes that stress was a major problem in the past.

3) The poet highlights the need to respect nature and believe in God.

Have I understood?

The poet’s style is simple and direct. The poem, Heir Conditioning, is a dialogue

between a ………………………………..(1) and his ………………………………..(2) . It

consists of ………………………………..(3) stanzas, The first stanza which is

………………………………..(4) by the grandchild and the second, which consists of

the grandparents’ ………………………………...(5) The grandchild is

………………………………..(6) all the questions and the grandparents are

………………………………..(7) them honestly.

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Answer Key HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

Activity 1 : What is in the picture? Possible answers to Picture 1a, 1b and 1c 1. Picture 1a has 9 smileys, Picture 1b has 20 smileys and Picture 1c has 16 smileys 2. Happy, elated, loved, cheerful, bewildered., sad, confused, disappointed, troubled, stressed Possible answers to Picture 1d and 1e 3. 12 objects. 4. digital watch, car, camera, aeroplane, money, air conditioner, compact diskette, calculator, personal computer, mobile phone, bulb/electricity. 5. In our house and school; in our society

Activity 2 : Conditioned minds A. 1. Grandma weren‟t you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans?

2. Could you communicate before faxes and long distance calls became basic

necessities?

3. Was it hard staying alive without modern inventions?

4. Grand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented

B. 1 a child/ a teenager/ a young person/ the younger generation

2 the grandfather/ grandmother/grandparents/the older generation

3 air conditioners, telephones, fans, money, cars, modern inventions, fax machines

4. They have become conditioned to think that they cannot live without modern

inventions and that money is more important than nature and God.

5. Young people and future generations.

6. Yes. It is suitable as the poem is about young people or heirs of Earth whose minds

have been conditioned by modernization and materialism.

Activity 3 : Bare necessities Possible answers to Picture 2a 1. 7 objects 2. Hand fan, mails, tape cassettes, horse caravan, sundial, abacus, bicycle 3. In the olden days, museum, antique stores Possible answers to final questions (accept any possible answers) 4. 11 to 15 objects 5. To make our lives more comfortable, more livable 6. Yes. Because……………………………. No. Because……………………………

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Activity 4 : Generational Gap 4a(i) Grandmother/Grandfather’s Lifestyle

Using paper fans

No faxes / telephone

No pollution / stress / traffic jam

Abundance of nature

Religious

Grandchild’s Lifestyle

Air-condition

Faxes / telephones

Destruction of forests, streams and hills (nature)

Worships money rather than God 4b (ii)

a. “we did not know pollution, stress, traffic jams …” b. “Grand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented … was it hard staying

alive without modern inventions?” c. “we feared God and nature, now nature fears you, and money is your new God” d. “Grandma weren‟t you flustered and fluttered with paper fans, could you

communicate before faxes and long distance calls became basic necessities?” e. “Grandchild we lived before your age. Because of our ignorance we did not know

pollution, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forests, streams and hills”

Activity 6 : Conditioning me

6.

F 8.

D 10.

F

1.B R E A T H E 9.

I L

X S 5.N A T U R E

2.I G N O R A N C E T V T

S R E T

U N E

3.C

O

M 7.

M

U

N

I

C

A

T

E R

O T I E

D I O D

E O N

4.F L U S T E R E D N S

N

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Activity 7 : Past versus Present 7a 1. forest

2. streams

3. hills

4. nature

5. traffic jams

7b Paper fans

Clean, fresh air Clear streams and rivers Beautiful green forests Small population Few roads and cars

Versus

Air-cons Polluted air Dirty streams and rivers Deforestation Large population and more immigrants More roads and traffic jams

Assessment 1 : Have I understood? FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE CORRECT WORD 1. grandchild 2. grandparents 3. two 4. spoken

5. reply 6. asking 7. answering/replying

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW 1. A 2. B 3. C WHAT DO YOU THINK?

1. YES 2. NO 3. YES

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Glossary HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

Literary devices : specific aspects of literature which can be recognize, identify, interpret

and or analyse.

Alliteration : the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two

repetitions in a row.

Assonance : the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence

Pun : a word is used which has two meanings at the same time, which results

in humour

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Panel of Writers HEIR CONDITIONING POETRY

Coordinators

Diana Fatimah Bt Ahmad Sahani Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum, KPM Masreen Wirda Bt Mohammad Ali Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia Tengku Ireneza Marina Tunku Mazlan Aras 4-8, Blok E9 Eileen Jessie Ah Guan Kompleks Kerajaan Parcel E Ng Yew Kee Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan

62604 Putrajaya Jimmy Then Choon Jing SMK Bintulu, Peti Surat 97

97007 Bintulu, Sarawak.

Panel of Writers

Andrew Leong Kong Meng SMK Air Itam, Jalan Thean Teik,

(Panel Head) 11500 Pulai Pinang Adrian Robert SM La Salle, P.O. Box 10282 88803 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Vasanthi Sandra Gasam SMK Tun Habab, Jalan Tajul. 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor.