IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP
By Latiff Mohidin
B I O G R A P H YO F
L A T I F F M O H I D I N
Latiff Mohidin was born in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan, in 1941. He is Malaysia's most celebrated living artist and poet and is considered a national treasure. Called 'Boy Wonder' since age 11, he got his art training in Germany at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste, Atelier La Courriere in France and Pratt Graphic Centre in America. He shaped the development of art practise and literature through his extraordinary vision.
(Source : Kakiseni People – Visual Arts)
http://dkelopak.blogspot.com/2008/02/puisi-latiff-mohidin-songsang-dll.html
IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP BY LATIFF MOHIDIN
At dawn they returned homeheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stovetheir limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browshere was not a sign of despair
They were born amidst hardshipand grew up without a sigh or a complaintnow they are in the kitchen, makingjokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
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 foundhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uvY74
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PARAPHRASE- STANZA 1
injured. They head
straight for the kitchen.
They do not look
depressed or disturbed
by the events of the
previous day.
The family returns home at daybreak,
soaked and slightly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaLcI8YchAg
PARAPHRASE- STANZA 2
They spend the whole night wading
through the floodwater, looking for their
son’s albino buffalo. Theyhave to trudge through
twigs, branches and
dead animals during
their search. However,
they do not find the
buffalo.
PARAPHRASE- STANZA 3The family lives a life of hardship
and poverty. Yet they do not
complain but instead accept their
status in life. Now, sitting in the
kitchen, they are enjoying each
other’s company, cracking jokes
and smoking the cigarettes leaves.
SYNOPSIS
The poem consists of three stanzas. It conveys the
hardship experienced by a family during and after a bad
flood. The family members handle their difficult situation
very well. Instead of lamenting their plight, they focus onenjoying each other’s company
and indulging in the simple
pleasures of life. They are
grateful for the blessings that
life has bestowed upon them
and they do not mourn for
what they have lost.
LITERAL MEANING
The poem describes the hardship experienced by a
family during a bad flood. The persona describes
how the family spends the night wading through the
floodwater, looking for their son’s albino buffalo.
They return home at dawn, unsuccessful in locating
the buffalo. Yet their countenance reveals no trace of
disappointment or sadness. They get together in the
kitchen where they are able to unwind while
enjoying the company of the family and the simple
pleasures in life.
FIGURATIVE MEANING
As people journey through life, they will be faced
with difficulties and obstacles. They must accept
these problems as part and parcel of their life and
try their best to solve them. They must accept the
fact that they may not be able to overcome all their
problems. Instead, they must learn to accept life’s
challenges with a positive attitude and to derive
happiness from the few blessings that have been
bestowed upon them.
SETTING
The setting of the poem is in the kitchen at home. It is dawn and the family has just returned home after being out in the flood the whole night.
POINT OF VIEW
The poem is written in the
third person point of view.
PERSONA
The persona is an observer who
describe the family’s ordeal in the
flood. He expresses admiration for the
stoicism in dealing with the problems
encompassing them. He describes them
as strong and resilient people who do
not easily succumb to pressure.
STRUCTURE AND STYLE
The poem consists of three stanzas.
There are seven lines in the first two
stanzas while the last stanza consists
of four lines only. There is no rhyme
scheme – the poem is written in free
verse.
LANGUAGE
The language used in the poem is
conversational. The words used are
simple, everyday words are easy to
understand.
TONE AND MOOD
The general tone is one of sympathy for the people who are
born into a life of hardship. Yet there is also admiration for
the stoicism of the people. The persona seems familiar with
the family’s background and is therefore confident in telling
their story.
In the first two stanzas, the mood is thoughtful and serious as
the persona describes what the family has been through. In
the last stanza the mood brightens as the persona describes
the family indulging in the simple pleasures of life.
THEMES
Accepting life’s challenges with an optimistic
attitude.
Being thankful for the simple pleasures in
life
Enjoying the company of family members
Accepting circumstances that are inevitable
Coping with the effects of natural disasters
Understanding man’s relationship with
nature
MORAL VALUES
We must always focus on the positive aspects of life
We must be resilient when faced with hardship
We must never give in to despair and always strive to
overcome problems
We must not let problems dominates our lives
We must not complain when things do not favour us
We must be content with what we have
We must appreciate nature
POETIC DEVICES
Imagery
Alliteration
Metaphor
Contrast
Irony
Diction
IMAGERY ‘their soaky clothes torn’ symbolises poor and harsh
life ‘approached the stove’ represents food and warmth ‘their limbs marked by scratches’ and ‘their legs full of
wounds’ symbolise the traumatic affects of the flood suffered by the people ‘the bloated carcasses’ represents the loss of lives
caused by flood ‘tiny chips of tee barks’ represents the environmental
damage caused by the flood The “albino buffalo’ symbolises something special and
out of the ordinary which is cherished by the family ‘making jokes’ and ‘rolling their cigarette leaves’
symbolise the simple pleasures in life ‘without a sigh or a complaint’ indicates a calm
acceptance of their situation
ALLITERATION
‘but on their brows’
‘between bloated
carcasses’
METAPHOR
‘and approached the stove’ – thi is an
everyday activity which compared to
carrying on with one’s daily activities
despite the trauma o the previous night
‘desperately looking for their son’s albino
buffalo’-this is compared to embarking on a
difficult quest during a situation that is
already bad.
CONTRAST
The flood scene is horrendous and
dangerous. In contrast, the scene in
the kitchen is cheerful and calm
The people are physically wounded,
yet, in contrast, they are emotionally
calm and relaxed.
IRONY
Despite the difficulties and
trauma faced by the family,
it is ironic that they can
remain in high spirits and
till enjoy simple daily
activities.
DICTION
‘soaky’ – the poet uses the word
‘ soaky’ instead of ‘ soaked’ to
conjure the image of extremely
wet clothes.
PRACTICE 1- S t a t e w h e t h e r t h e f o l l o w i n g s t a t e m e n t s a r e t r u e ( T ) o r f a l s e ( F )
Statements True (T) / False (F)
1 Once the family was back home, they felt relieved
2 The flood lasted for one whole day and night
3 A cow was floating in the floodwater
4 The family just experienced a terrible flood.
5 They reached home at midnight
Statements True (T) / False (F)
1 Once the family was back home, they felt relieved
true
2 The flood lasted for one whole day and night
true
3 A cow was floating in the floodwater
false
4 The family just experienced a terrible flood.
true
5 They reached home at midnight false
Answers
VOCABULARY
words Same meaning1 sign A hopeless
2 approach
B the break of the day
3 brows C move toward
4 despair D forehead
5 dawn E indication
Match the words to their correct meanings
VOCABULARY-answers
indication sign
move towards approach :-)
foreheads brows
hopelessness despair :-)
the break of the day dawn :-)
Fill in all the blanks with the correct words from the poem
The flood victim are allowed to return to their home at
after a (1) flood. They have gone through a (2) time.
The floodwater rose very high. They were wading among
bloated (3) and chips of tree barks. It was an (4) sight.
As their son had lost his (5) buffalo, they were looking
(6) for it. However, they failed to find it. Back home, the
women started cooking. The men stood in the rain
talking. They were also rolling (7) leaves. This was a
time to feel and not complain about their (8)
ANSWERS
The flood victim are allowed to return to their home at
after a horrendous flood. They have gone through a
hard time. The floodwater rose very high. They were
wading among bloated carcasses and chips of tree
barks. It was an awful sight. As their son had lost his
albino buffalo, they were looking desperately for it.
However, they failed to find it. Back home, the women
started cooking. The men stood in the rain talking. They
were also rolling cigarette leaves. This was a time to
feel grateful and not complain about their hardship
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
A.the heavy downpour
B.falling into the river
C.sweating profusely
D.water shortage
1. In stanza 1, 'soaky clothes' are caused by
A.In the evening
B.At midnight
C.In the afternoon
D.Early morning
2. When did the family reach their home?
3. Why did they approach the stove?
A. To boil water
B. To cook breakfast
C. To change their stove
D. To dry themselves up
4 . W h i c h p h r a s e i n s t a n z a 3 i n d i c a t e s t h e j o v i a l f e e l i n g s o f t h e f a m i l y d e s p i t e w h a t t h e y h a v e g o n e t h r o u g h ?
A. They were born admist hardship
B. There was not a sign of despair
C. Making jokes while rolling their
cigarette leaves
D. Their limbs marked by scratches
5. Who were desperately looking for their son's albino buff alo?
A. The head villager
B. The villagers
C. The father and the mother
D. The albino buffalo's family
ANSWERS
1.A
2.D
3.B
4.C
5.C
1
2 3
4
5 6
7
8
9
10
CROSSWORDC o m p l e t e t h e c r o s s w o r d b e l o w.
Down:2. Slight wounds3. Broken pieces5.Dead bodies6. Human or animal with white hair, pale skin and usually pinkish eyes8. Breathe deeply and heavily
Across:1. Terrible4. Difficulty7. Swollen, as with a liquid, air or wind9. Early morning10. Complete loss of hope
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HOPE YOU DO YOUR BEST AND HAVE A NICE DAY!
With love always…
Yours, Po Po Tun