Poems for SPM

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PREPARED BY NO NAME SCHOOL

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MOHD NAWAWI BIN HUSSIN NAJIHAH BINTI TALAHA HEDZLIN SHAZWANI BINTI ADZLAN PAUZIMA BINTI ZAKARIA

SMK CHENDERING, KUALA TERENGGANU SMK TENGKU BARIAH, KUALA TERENGGANU SMK SULTAN MANSOR, KUALA TERENGGANU SMK PANJI ALAM, KUALA TERENGGANU

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FOREWORD

Teaching English nowadays gets more and more challenging. In our school syllabus we also have to teach English Literature Component which consists of poems, short stories, plays and novel. The teaching of literature is important because students have a chance to study the language as well as learn new cultures. It also provides the students with many examples of good sentence structures, correct usage of grammar and vocabulary. The teaching of literature would definitely help students to improve their language skills. Therefore, a good introduction to literature can compensate for the deficiencies of the linguistic approach in the area of grammar, vocabulary and syntax and it can augment the students' competence in English. Moreover, literature exposes students to complex themes and exemplary uses of language. Great novels such as The Curse and Around the World in 80 Days can take students to foreign countries, exciting events and wonderful journeys. These stories evoke certain dilemmas and powerful emotional responses which students can reflect. I strongly believe that using literature to teach students can help them to become more sensitive to some of the overall features of the English Language and enhance their linguistics ability. The aim of this module is to simplify the teaching and learning of the literature components for both the teachers and students. I do hope the module will play a pivotal part in our English Language classrooms. Finally, I would like to thank all English teachers who are involved in the publication of the module. Your excellent contribution is greatly appreciated. By English Language Unit Academic Management Sector Terengganu State Education Department (Free circulation for educational purposes only)

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By Latiff Mohidin About the Poet

Latiff Mohidin was born on 25 August 1941 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. He was graduated from University of Fine, Berlin. He has served as Writer in Residence at the Science University of Malaysia (USM), the National University of Malaysia (UKM), and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. He is not only a well-known poet in Malaysia and South-east Asia but also a famous artist. Many of his poems have won the Putra I Poetry Award.

Poem In the Midst of Hardship At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows there was not a sign of despair The whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks desperately looking for their son's albino buffalo that was never found They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Understanding the poem in pictures SPM LITERATURE COMPONENT 2012 Page 2

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STANZA 1 At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows there was not a sign of despair

The family returned home at day break. Their clothes were wet and torn.

They were hungry and tired. They quickly walked towards the stove for warmth and food.

Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.

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The whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks desperately looking for their son's albino buffalo that was never found

They spent the whole day and night searching for their sons albino buffalo that was never found.

They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood.

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They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Even though, they were born in hard times, they did not complain about their lives.

They were still cheerful and made jokes as they relaxed and smoked their cigarettes.

Activity 1 - Test Your Vocabulary

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Match the pictures with the words A) o o Wounds

B)

Stove

C)

Flood

D)

Carcasses

E)

Cigarette

F)

Tree barks

G)

Scratches

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Answer the questions below 1. (i) What natural disaster had occurred? . [1 mark] (ii) In stanza 2; which line shows that an animal had gone missing during the natural disaster. . [1 mark] 2. Despite the conditions of the people in the poem, did they give up? Give a reason for your answer. .. [2 marks]

3. From Stanza 1, which line shows that they were patient? . [1 mark] 4. From Stanza 2, they had been outside the house. (i) How long had they been out? . [1 mark] (ii) What were they doing outside? . [1 mark] 5. In stanza 1, why are their clothes soaking wet? . [1 mark] 6. Which phrase in the poem refers to dead animals? . [1 mark] 7. Do you think the parents love their son so much in the poem? Give a reason for your answer. .. [2 marks]

8. Where do you think is the setting of the poem. . [1 mark] 9. Why are their limbs and legs full of scratches and wounds? SPM LITERATURE COMPONENT 2012 Page 7

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. [1 mark] 10. What was unusual about the buffalo? . [1 mark] 11. Do you think that the buffalo was important to the family? Why? .. [2 marks]

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ANSWERS Activity 1 A. Flood B. Wounds C. Stove D. Cigarette E. Carcasses F. Tree barks G. Scratches

Activity 2 1. (i) Flood/ flash flood (ii) Albino buffalo that was never found 2. Accept any reasonable answer. Do not award marks if no reason is given. 3. And grew up without a sigh or complain 4. (i) the whole day and night (ii) looking for their sons albino buffalo 5. Because they have to wade the flood/ it was raining heavily/ they had to brave the horrendous flood 6. Bloated carcasses 7. Yes/No. Accept any suitable answer. Award either 2 or 0. Do not ward mark for yes/no answer only. 8. House/ village 9. They were surrounded by dead animals, parts of trees and got scratch because of sharp/thorny objects in the flood water. (accept any suitable answer) 10. White in colour 11. Accept any reasonable answer. Do not award marks if no reason is given

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ABOUT THE POET BIBSY SOENHARJO Born 22November 1928 in Jakarta,Indonesia.she was the daughter of Haji Agus Salim,one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Indonesia. Bibsy and her siblings were taught at home and they were taught at home and they were encouraged to pursue their own interests. Writes under the pen name NUSAPATI for the Indonesian dailies. After returning home from a four-year stay in Japan, she began writing first prose in 1957 and then poetry in the sixties. Her Indonesian works have been translated into English,Dutch and and Japanese. Now lives in Jakarta with Haryo Soenharjo the youngest of her three sons and his wife,Sutji and their children.

He had such quiet eyes (Bibsy Soenharjo) Stanza 1 He had such quiet eyes (lelaki itu mempunyai mata yg kuyu/baik) She did not realize (perempuan itu tidak menyedari) They were two pools of lies (terdapat penuh penipuan dimatanya) Layered with thinnest ice (dilapisi dgn ais nipis/perempuan itu dlm bahaya) To her, those quiet eyes (baginya, mata lelaki itu) Were breathing desolate sighs (menunjukkan kesedihan/kesunyian/kegersangan) Imploring her to be nice (meminta dia supaya berbuat baik/tunduk) And to render him paradise(dan memberi dia syurga/kenikmatan /memenuhi keinginannya) Stanza 2 If only shed been wise (kalaulah dia pandai menilai/bijaksana) And had listened to the advice (dan mendengar nasihat) Never to compromise (iaitu tidak bertolak ansur/tidak membiarkan dirinya tergoda) With pleasure-seeking guys (dengan lelaki buaya darat/yg suka keseronokan) Shed be free from the hows and whys(dia akan bebas dr masalah yg membelenggu dirinya) Stanza 3 Now heres a bit of advice (Dengarlah nasihat yg ingin disampaikan) Be sure that nice really nice (pastikan baik bermakna benar2 baik/ikhlas) Then youll never be losing at dice (kamu tidak akan kecewa dalam percintaan) Though you lose your heart once or twice (walaupun kamu mungkin kecundang/patah hati sekali atau lebih dlm percintaan)

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The Poem STANZA 1: MEANING BY LINE Stanza 1 He had such quiet eyes His eyes were calm and quiet She did not realize she did not know They were two pools of lies - His eyes were like two pools with lies Layered with thinnest ice Thinly veiled,like very thin ice To her, those quiet eyes to the woman,those calm and quiet eyes Were breathing desolate sighs Looked very sad and desolate Imploring her to be nice The eyes begging her to nice to him And to render him paradise And to give him happiness and bliss so that he would feel like he was in paradise Stanza 2 If only shed been wise The woman wished she had been wiser in her past actions And had listened to the advice And she had listened to the sound advice given to her by people who cared about her. Never to compromise They had advised her not to give up her moral values or principles With pleasure-seeking guys When she was with men who wanted only pleasure and fun./Casanova/playboy. Shed be free from the hows and whys- If she had listened to them, she would not be haunted by questions of hows and whys and the difficult situation she was in. Stanza 3 Now heres a bit of advice Let me give you a bit advice Be sure that nice really nice Make sure that the person you think is nice,is truly sincere and trustworthy. Then youll never be losing at dice- Then you will not lose in a game of love where you can lose your heart to an undeserving man. Though you lose your heart once or twice Even if you should fall in love and lose your heart to love once or twice.

SYNOPSIS In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girls feelings for a man. She believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. She is taken in by his quiet eyes. If she had listened to advice about men who seek pleasure, she would not be in this situation. The poet advises all young girls to be careful and not be betrayed by men.

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THEME

Betrayal of love Personal experiences Relationships that are meaningful

MORAL VALUES

Dont be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart. We must be careful when choosing friends. Falling in love is normal but one should be careful. We must learn from the experience of other people.

TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

Reflective Sad and happy Sympathetic

POINT OF VIEW

Second and third person points of view

LANGUAGE & STYLE

Simple and easy to understand Simple style with rhyming scheme

POETIC DEVICES

Imagery e.g. pools of lies, layered in thinnest ice Symbol e.g quiet eyes, dice Alliteration e.g lies layered

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Activity 1

Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the poem.

He had such .eyes She did not realise They were two ..of lies Layered with ice To her, those quiet eyes Were breathing .sighs Imploring her to be nice And to ..him paradise If only shed been wise And had to the advice Never to compromise With .guys Shed be free from the . Now heres a bit of.. Be sure that nice really nice Then youll never be losing at .. .. you lose your heart once or twice

Activity 2

Find the most suitable meaning to each quotes

1. two pools of lies in stanza 1 refers to a) two people telling lies

b)

a pair of eyes that are full of lies

2. eyes that were breathing desolate sighs means a) eyes that reflect sadness b) 3. to render him paradise is the same as a) to show him heaven.

eyes that only see sadness

b)

to grant him a state of bliss

4. The word quiet in the phrases he had such quiet eyes in stanza 1 means a) sad b) calm 5. The hows and whys refer to a) the questions we usually ask

b)

the difficult question-to-solve problems of life

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Activity 3

Match correct symbolism with its meaning.

Symbolism 1.quiet eyes 2.pools of lies 3.thinnest eyes 4.eyes breathing desolate sighs 5.paradise 6.the hows and whys 7.losing at dice

Meaning a)a state of bliss b)losing at a game of chance c)areas of deceit d)a difficult situation where solutions are not easily found e)eyes that pour out sadness f)a thin veil that is easy to see through g)eyes that do not show much emotions

Activity 4

Imagine you are the persona.Write a letter to the editor of the Dear Thelma column telling her of your broken heart.Describe to her how you were seduced by a man with charming eyes and ask for her advice on how to get over your heart broken.You need to refer to the poem He had such quiet eyes Dear Thelma, __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Please help me, I am really very desperate. From Broken-heart

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Activity 5

Answer the questions given.

He had such quiet eyes She did not realize They were two pools of lies Layered with thinnest ice To her, those quiet eyes Were breathing desolate sighs Imploring her to be nice And to render him paradise a.What did the girl think of the mans eyes? ____________________________________________________________ b.What were the eyes asking of the girl? ____________________________________________________________ c.Which word means give or grant? ____________________________________________________________ d.Write two words that are related to feelings of happiness? ____________________________________________________________ e.What do you think the man said to convince the girl to accept him? ____________________________________________________________

Activity 6

Answer the questions given.

If only shed been wise And had listened to the advice Never to compromise With pleasure-seeking guys Shed be free from the hows and whys a.What does the girl regret not doing? ____________________________________________________________ b.What do pleasure seeking guys normally do to nave girls? ____________________________________________________________________________ c.Do you think the girl will make the same mistake again? Why? ____________________________________________________________________________ d.The poet uses two expressions to show the girls confused thoughts. What are these expressions? _____________________________________________________________________________

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ANSWERS Activity 1 (refer to the poem) Activity 2 1) b 2) a 3) b 4) b 5) b

Activity 3 1) g 2) c 3) f 4) e 5) a 6) d 7) b

Activity 4 accept any suitable answers

Activity 5 a.she thought he had quiet or sincere-looking eyes. b.Begging her to accept the man. c. render d. nice and paradise e. In your own words give a reason to support your answer (use any suitable answer)

Activity 6 a. She regrets not listening to advice. b. the man probably said she was in love with her and she should show her feelings physically as he had asked her to render him paradise. c. No, because she gives advice to the girls out there/she regrets for not listening the advice/she has learnt her lesson. d. if only and the hows and whys

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NATURE : By HD. Carberry The Poet:

H.D. Carberry was born on 12 July 1921 in Montreal, Canada and migrated to Jamaica when he was still an infant, A law practitioner He was also a poet and contributed greatly to the literary world. He wrote this poem with much focus and affection about his island, his people, his heritage , love, humanity and nature. He died on June 28, 1989 at the age of 68.

NATURE Synopsis Jamaica has no four seasons like spring, summer, autumn and winter. Instead, the year is divided into cycles or short periods of bright, golden sunshine beating down on the canefields, followed by days of heavy rain which beats noisily on the roof-tops. Though Jamaica does not have all four seasons as in other countries, it is just as beautiful as compared to those with hot and wet days. Then, there are periods when the leaves from the guango trees fall and the canefields become bare after the harvest. According to the poet, the best time is when the mango and logwood blossom with growth of grass and flowers and the sound of buzzing bees and the fragrance of honey. There is beauty and fine weather all around.

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UNDERSTANDING THE POEM: The poem We have neither summer nor winter Neither Autumn nor Spring We have instead the days When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefieldsMagnificently The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs meanings We (in Jamaica) dont have four seasons of summer, winter, autumn or spring Instead, we only have variety of days: There are days when the sun shines brightly on the rich green fields of sugarcane. It is a beautiful and magnificent sight There are days of heavy rain which beats rapidly and noisily on the roof-tops

And there is no sound but the swish of water The only sound heard (during rainy days) in the gullies is that of water flowing in the gullies

And 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 the best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom

There are times when trees struggle to stay rooted in the strong Jamaican winds There are days when leaves fall from guango trees And the harvested canefields lie empty and unproductive in the sun But the best times in our country is when the mango trees and the logwood blossom and flower (still the best moment) The bushes are filled with the buzzing of bees and wonderful smell of honey When the tall grass moves gracefully to the gentlest breeze When the buttercups lace the ground with yellow stars Beauty comes immediately after the rain stops

When the 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 stars And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone

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From the poems: 1) Instead of having no regular four seasons in a year, Jamaica has a changing days of hot sunny days and cold rainy days. 2) During sunny days, the sun is very hot and is described like gold - it shines brightly. 3) On the other hand, the rain comes in a torrential shower like bullets shooting on the roof of houses 4) There are also sad moments for the poet: strong windy days which make it difficult for trees to stay rooted on the ground, leaves fall from trees and barren harvested canefields lie fallow to the sun. 5) The best moment in Jamaica : i) When the mango trees and the logwood blossom bearing fruits ii) When the smell of honey emerges from the bushes iii) When the gentle breeze of air sways the tall grass iv) When the earth is filled with a buttercups 6) Those four moment marks the coming of beautiful days in Jamaica (the poet loves the situation) 7) Words list : 1. Lush (Adj) abundant, dense, flourishing, verdant, luxurious, opulent, plush 2. Canefields (Noun) sugarcane fields or plantations 3. Magnificently (Adv) splendidly, gloriously, gorgeously, imposingly, impressively, majestically, regally, excellently, brilliantly, finely, outstandingly, superbly 4. Beats (Verb) - hits, bangs, batter, knocks, pounds, strikes, thrashes 5. Swish (Noun) - to move or make something move quickly through the air with a quiet sound 6. Gullies (Noun) channel, ditch, gutter, watercourse. 7. Struggling (Noun) fighting, battling, competing, contending, grappling, wrestling 8. Fade (Verb) pale, bleach, discolour, lose colour, wash out, dwindle, decline, die away, disappear, vanish, vane 9. Guango trees (Noun) a type of tree unique to Jamaica 10. Reaped (Adj) collected, brought in, garnered, gathered, harvested 11. Bare (Adj) naked, nude, stripped 12. Fallows (Adj) uncultivated, dormant, idle, inactive, resting, implanted, unused 13. Logwood (Noun) a type of tree unique to Jamaica 14. Blossom (Verb) flower, bloom, bud SPM LITERATURE COMPONENT 2012 Page 19

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15. Scent (Noun) fragrance, aroma, odour, perfume, smell 16. Sways (Verb) leans, bends, rocks, rolls, swings 17. Shivers (Verb) trembles, quakes, quivers, shakes, shudders, flutters 18. Slightest (Adj) smallest, most feeble, most insignificant, most meager, slimmest, most trivial, most unimportant 19. Breath (Noun) respiration, breathing, exhalation, gasp, gulp, inhalation, pant, wheeze 20. Buttercups (Noun) small shiny yellow wild flowers 21. Paved (Verb) covered, concreted, floored, surfaced, tiled

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