he had such quiet eyes
TRANSCRIPT
Bibsy Soenharjo
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
Bibsy Soenharjo
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those were quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise
If only she’d been wise
And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
She’d be free from “the hows and whys”
Now here’s a bit of advice
Be sure that nice really means nice
Then you’ll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart at one or twice
•An Indonesian poet, well-versed in Indonesian, English, French and Dutch
Her poems are characterized by rhymes , wit, verbal puns and alliteration
Her imagination draws the readers into the world of fantasy and surprises
Her sense of humor is engaging.
THE POET
Bibsy Soenharjo
THE POET
Bibsy Soenharjo
•The poem deals with the issue of deception in society, especially in matters of the heart.
•It is about a woman who has been deceived by man ‘with quiet eyes’.
•The woman was blinded by the man’s quiet eyes who actually wants to have pleasure with her only.
•Readers are advised not be deceived easily by outward appearances
•The poem deals with the issue of deception in society, especially in matters of the heart.
•It is about a woman who has been deceived by man ‘with quiet eyes’.
•The woman was blinded by the man’s quiet eyes who actually wants to have pleasure with her only.
•Readers are advised not be deceived easily by outward appearances
A place where a man can charm and seduce a lady
A place where a man can charm and seduce a lady
Language: free verse; flows gently and freely as the poet narrates.RyhmesPersonificatonMetaphor
Language: free verse; flows gently and freely as the poet narrates.RyhmesPersonificatonMetaphor
THE CONCEPT MAP OF THE POEM
•Sadness and regrets due to unwise actions.
Didactic: when the persona gives advice in stanza 3.
•Sadness and regrets due to unwise actions.
Didactic: when the persona gives advice in stanza 3.
Do not be fooled by outward appearances or ‘ sweet talk’
Listen to advice
Do not be fooled by outward appearances or ‘ sweet talk’
Listen to advice
Learn from mistakes
Appearances can be deceptive
Learn from mistakes
Appearances can be deceptive
Deception
The love trap
Wisdom
Deception
The love trap
Wisdom
The Third Person (Stanza 1&2)
The Poet (Stanza 3)
The Third Person (Stanza 1&2)
The Poet (Stanza 3)
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
SETTING
PERSONA
THEMES
MESSAGES
MORAL VALUES
TONE AND MOOD
OVERVIEW
LANGUAGE ANDSTYLE
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
STANZA 1
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those were quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise
STANZA 2
If only she’d been wise
And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
She’d be free from “the hows and whys”
STANZA 3
Now here’s a bit of advice
Be sure that nice really means nice
Then you’ll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart at one or twice
PLACENo specific physical setting.
It can be a quiet place in town or city, where a man charms a lady into believing him and to fall in love with him.
TIMEProbably a quiet evening.
Set in the present.
SOCIAL SETTINGMiddle-class, young working people.
Two Personas:
a) Stanza 1 & 2 :
the persona is the third person ( the one who observes the folly of the young woman being seduced)
b)Stanza 3 the persona is the poet.
DECEPTION
From this poem, a young woman is lured by the insincere charm and romantic pretences of a man.
The young woman is deceived by a man who deliberately sets out to woo her to satisfy his own bad intentions and not because of love.
THE LOVE TRAP
This is a twin theme which snares the unwary and the innocent.
Taken in by the charms of the opposite sex, many people fall in love, only to be duped.
WISDOM
This theme is portrayed in the poem.
One can learn from one’s mistake and learn to discern right from wrong.
It is the beginning of maturity.
It is also wise to listen to good advice to prevent us from making too many mistakes in life.
LEARN FROM MISTAKES
We must be able to learn from our mistakes.
We should not give up and lose our heart if we make a mistake as it gives us the opportunity to be more experienced.
Language
Free verse and speaks in a conversational style.
The lines flow gently and freely as the poet narrates the poem.
Personification
The man’s eyes become alive as they ‘ were breathing desolate sighs’ , like a human being.
The sad and pleading look the man gave the victim tugs at her heart and she gives in to him.
Metaphor 1
The poet describes the man’s eyes as “two pools of lies”. We can
almost visualize the man’s eyes as two inviting clear pools of water, charming the young woman into believing everything that he says.
Metaphor 2
“layered with thinnest ice” indicates that the man hid his true intentions
well that the woman was totally deceived. In real life, when the ice
breaks , it may cause a lot of damage to the victim.
Metaphor 3
“ losing at dice” refers to the gambles a person takes when making a decisions. The poet
compares making wrong or harmful choices in life to throwing the dice
in a board game.
