Practice 1

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

At dawn they returned hometheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stovetheir limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browsthere was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passedthey had to brave the horrendous floodin the water all the timebetween bloated carcassesand tiny chips of tree barksdesperately looking for their son’salbino buffalo that was never found

There were born amidst hardshipand grew up without a sigh or a complaintnow they are in the kitchen, makingjokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

a. Why were their clothes ‘soaky’?

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b. Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a village?

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c. What does the phrase “bloated carcasses” refer to?

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d. In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Practice 2:

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (stanzas 1 and 2)At dawn they returned hometheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stovetheir limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browsthere was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passedthey had to brave the horrendous floodin the water all the timebetween bloated carcassesand tiny chips of tree barksdesperately looking for their son’salbino buffalo that was never foundBy Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

a. Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?

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b. The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is the theme related to?

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c. What does the phrase ‘albino buffalo’ reveal?

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d. What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.

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Practice 3:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes (Stanzas 1 and 2)

He had such quiet eyesShe did not realiseThey were two pools of liesLayered with thinnest iceTo her, those quiet eyesWere breathing desolate sighsImploring her to be niceAnd to render him paradise

If only she’d been wiseAnd had listened to the adviceNever to compromiseWith pleasure-seeking guysShe’d be free from “the hows and whys”Bibsy Soenharjo-1968

a. What does the phrase ‘two pools of lies’ refer to?

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b. Which lines show that the man is saying “I love you, and if you love me, prove it!”

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c. Which stanza shows that there is a sense of regret?

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d. What do you understand by the phrase “the hows and whys”?

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Practice 4:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

He had such quiet eyesShe did not realiseThey were two pools of liesLayered with thinnest iceTo her, those quiet eyesWere breathing desolate sighsImploring her to be niceAnd to render him paradise

If only she’d been wiseAnd had listened to the adviceNever to compromiseWith pleasure-seeking guysShe’d be free from “the hows and whys”

Now here’s a bit of adviceBe sure that nice really means niceThen you’ll never be losing at diceThough you may lose your heart once or twiceBibsy Soenharjo-1968

a. What does the phrase ‘thinnest ice’ imply?

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b. In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girl’s feelings for a man. She believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. Write the two lines depicting this.

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c. What is the main theme in this poem?

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d. What did you learn from this poem? Explain.

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Practice 5:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?When there is hardly time for our loveI am feeling guiltyTo be longing for your songThe melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bambooUncovered by the breath of an artistComposed by his fingersBlown by the windTo the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?In the village so quiet and desertedAmidst the sick rice fieldsWhile here it has become a luxuryTo spend time watching the rainGazing at the evening raysCollecting dew dropsOr enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?The more it disturbs my conscienceto be thinking of youin the hazard of youmy younger brothers unemployed and desperatemy people disunited by politicsmy friend slaughtered mercilesslythis world is too old and bleeding.By Zurinah Hassan

a. Who is the persona in the poem?

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b. Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.

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c. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in uncertainty of its future.

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d. In your own words describe why the poet used the word “sick” to describe the rice fields.

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Practice 6:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? (Stanzas 1 and 2)

Are you still playing your flute?When there is hardly time for our loveI am feeling guiltyTo be longing for your songThe melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bambooUncovered by the breath of an artistComposed by his fingersBlown by the windTo the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?In the village so quiet and desertedAmidst the sick rice fieldsWhile here it has become a luxuryTo spend time watching the rainGazing at the evening raysCollecting dew dropsOr enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

By Zurinah Hassan

a. What did the persona mean when she said ‘deserted’?

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b. Why is the persona feeling guilty?

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c. Why is the question “Are you still playing your flute’ repeated as the starting line of all the stanzas?

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d. In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your answer.

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Practice 7:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor WinterNeither Autumn nor Spring.We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-Magnificently.The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofsAnd there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gulliesAnd trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossomWhen bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow starsAnd beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. In your words describe the weather as depicted in the poem.

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b. State one moral value that you have learnt from the poem.

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c. Note that the poem ends with the line “and beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone”. Describe how this bears a resemblance in our life.

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d. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet describes the things that are absent. In your opinion, what is the poet trying to convey?

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Practice 8:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor WinterNeither Autumn nor Spring.We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-Magnificently.The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofsAnd there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gulliesAnd trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossomWhen bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow starsAnd beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. Why do you think H.D.Carberry wrote the poem?

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c. Which line in the poem ‘Nature’ suggests the sense of smell?

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d. Based on your knowledge of the poem ‘Nature’, describe a theme in the poem.

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ANSWERS.

PoemIn The Midst Of HardshipPractice 1a. They were wetb. desperately looking for their son’salbino buffalo that was never foundc. animals killed as they drowned in the flood water.d. Optimistic,- they were making jokes not crying or show signs of despair.

Practice 2a. The whole day and night just passedb. Facing hardship with optimismc. They are in the village as people in the town will not rear buffaloes.d. Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. Often, the difficult time is not a permanent one.

He Had Such Quiet EyesPractice 3a. The eyes are compared to deceit.b. Imploring her to be niceAnd to render him paradise.c. Stanza 2d. The hows and whys is compared to a situation where one gets hurt emotionally and tries to solve the problem.

Practice 4a. dangerousb. To her, those quiet eyesWere breathing desolate sighsImploring her to be nicec. Deceitd. We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us. We should take precaution against them.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Practice 5a. a very perceptive and reflective woman.b. my younger brothers unemployed and desperatec. my people disunited by politicsmy friend slaughtered mercilesslythis world is too old and bleeding.d. Perhaps the yield is not rewarding/ the harvest is destroyed due to bad weather.Practice 6

a. the villagers have left/migrated.b. Feeling guilty as she is enjoying the music when the nation is plagued with problemsc. This is to stress on the activity as something that should not be done when the nation is facing so much trouble.d. No, it is not a romantic poem. It is poem that shows the irony between a leisure activity and problems faced by the nation at the same time.

Nature

Practice 7a. The poem highlights the appealing climate conditions on the island of Jamaica.b. We must appreciate the beauty of nature.c. This is a big resemblance to our life, as it has been our experience that after bad times, good times will follow and sometimes ever so abruptly.d. It is to highlight the pleasant climate on the island. It has no extreme weather conditions.

Practice 8a. He wants to celebrate the richness of the land’s produce and how alive and plentiful Nature is.b. gold sun, rain, trees.c. The line, “When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey”d. Appreciating one’s country-Life in one’s country has its share of ups and downs but one must always look at the brighter side of life. In this poem, the poet stresses on his country’s weather being sunny, rainy and windy. The poet states that we must appreciate what we have.