Poetry in the Midst of Hardship He Had Such Quiet Eyes

LITERATURE COMPONENT FOR FORM 4

Poetry

Curriculum Development Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia. 2009

Table of Contents………………………………………………….

Introduction He Had Such Quiet Eyes Poets’ background - Synopsis In The Midst Of Hardship - Activities - Synopsis Assessment - Activities Glossary

Panel of writers

In The Midst Of Hardship Latif Mohidin

He Had Such Quiet Eyes Bibsy Soenharjo

DRAFT

1

POETRY

What is poetry? Poetry is a genre that is very different from prose and drama.

Poetry is distinguished by moving us deeply. A poem is an expression of a vision that is

rendered in a form intelligible and pleasurable to others and so likely to arouse kindred

emotions.

There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined

poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". Emily Dickinson said, "If I

read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is

poetry" and Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: "Poetry is what makes me laugh or

cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or

nothing." In short, it is the epitome of life, the elixir of enjoyment.

Poetry is a lot of things to a lot of people. Homer's epic, The Odyssey, described

the wanderings of the adventurer, Odysseus, and has been called the greatest story

ever told. During the English Renaissance, dramatic poets like John Milton, Christopher

Marlowe, and of course Shakespeare gave us enough to fill textbooks, lecture halls, and

universities. Poems from the romantic period include Goethe's Faust (1808), Coleridge's

"Kubla Khan" and John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn."

About Poetry

Poetry

2

POETRY

One of the most definable characteristics of the poetry is economy of language. Poets are miserly and unrelentingly critical in the way they dole out words to a page. Carefully selecting words for conciseness and clarity is standard, even for writers of prose, but poets go well beyond this, considering a word's emotive qualities, its musical value, its spacing, and yes, even its spacial relationship to the page.

The „paragraph‟ in a poem is called a stanza or a verse. Poetry does not necessarily have to have ordered/regular standards.

Poetry is evocative. It typically evokes in the reader an intense emotion: joy, sorrow, anger, catharsis, love and the like.

Poetry has the ability to surprise the reader with an Ah Ha! Experience -- revelation, insight, further understanding of elemental truth and beauty. Like Keats said:

"Beauty is truth. Truth, beauty. That is all ye know on Earth and all ye need to know."

Predominant use of imagery which appeals to the senses - of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. You might be interested in the terminology of the different imagery. They are as follows:

o Visual imagery – sense of sight

e.g. It was as strange as an ocean without water.

o Aural/auditory imagery - sense of hearing

e.g. Her voice was like the roar of a lion.

o Kinesthetic/tactile imagery – sense of touch

e.g. Her skin was as soft as satin.

Characteristics of Poetry

Poetry

3

o Gustatory imagery – sense of taste

e.g. Her voice was like warm honey on a cold morning.

o Olfactory imagery - sense of smell

e.g. Her cheeks were like the perfume of roses.

Poems contain figurative language (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc.)

Poems may include rhythm (the regular recurrence of stressed and unstressed beats)

Poems may contain rhyme.

Poems contain sound devices (e.g. assonance, alliteration, consonance,

onomatopoeia, etc.) to support the content of a poem.

The table below will give you a quick look at the characteristics of poetry.

Characteristics of Poetry

4

POETRY

There are many types of poetry but the more common ones will be dealt with below.

Haiku Haiku is a Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku poetry originated in the sixteenth century and reflects on some aspect of nature and creates images.

Temple bells die out. The fragrant blossoms remain. A perfect evening!

Limericks Limericks are short sometimes bawdy, humorous poems consisting of five lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 of a Limerick have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another. Lines 3 and 4 have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.

There was an Old Man with a gong, Who bumped at it all day long; But they called out, 'O law! You're a horrid old bore!' So they smashed that Old Man with a gong.

Types of Poetry

Poetry

5

Cinquain

Cinquain (cinq which means five in French) has five lines. Line 1 is one word (the title). Line 2 is two words that describe the title. Line 3 is three words that tell the action. Line 4 is four words that express the feeling. Line 5 is one word that recalls the title. American poet Adelaide Crapsey created the cinquain based on the Japanese haiku.

Dinosaurs

Lived once,

Long ago, but

Only dust and dreams

Remain

An ABC Poem

An ABC poem has a series of lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines are made up of words and phrases. The first word of line 1 begins with an A, the first word of line 2 begins with a B etc.

A lthough things are not perfect B ecause of trial or pain C ontinue in thanksgiving D o not begin to blame E ven when the times are hard F ierce winds are bound to blow

6

Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem, sometimes called a name poem, uses a word for its subject. Then each line of the poem begins with a letter from the subject word. This type of poetry doesn't have to rhyme.

Here's an example using the word „school‟:

Shabonee is where I go

Computers, spirals, books, and more

Homework every night

On math, science, reading, and social studies

Our class does lots of fun projects

Learning never stops

Concrete/Shape Poem

In this kind of poetry, the words themselves form a picture. It is based on the spacing of words. The pattern of the letters illustrate the meaning of the poem. It does not have to rhyme and can be of any length.

7

Try this out. What do you think the shape of the poem resembles?

) a

pen _cil

holds a gr

eater know ledge than any c omp uter, a pen cil hol ds 100 years of ex peri ence and has

been thro ugh the stori es of milli ons

8

URL : http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/poetry/a/poetry.htm Date accessed : 12 October 2009

URL : http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/davidc/6c_files/Poem%20pics/ cinquaindescrip.htm Date accessed : 12 October 2009

POETRY

The elements in prose and poetry are almost similar. The table below will best illustrate the terminology used where the elements are concerned.

PROSE/DRAMA POETRY

Plot Subject matter

Theme Theme

Characterization Very rarely

Point of view Voice/persona

Tone Tone

Mood Mood

Elements of Poetry

Poetry

Sources

http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/poetry/a/poetry.htm

http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/davidc/6c_files/Poem%20pics/

9

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

LATIFF MOHIDIN

Born on 25 August 1941 in Negeri Sembilan, Latiff Mohidin was educated at Lenggeng,

Seremban, Singapore, and the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. This poet and artist has held

exhibitions of his works and travelled abroad extensively in the 1960s and 1970s. He has

served as Writer in Residence at the Science University of Malaysia, Penang, the National

University of Malaysia and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. At present, Latiff is a freelance poet

and artist. His poems have won the Putra I poetry Award. Among his books are: Sungai Mekong

(1972), Kembara Malam (1974), and Wayang Pak Dalang (1977). Garis: Dari Titik ke Titik

(1988), a book on the creative process (art and poetry), won the Honourable Diploma Prize at

the Festival of International Books at Leipzig, Germany in 1989.

Latiff Mohidin is usually known for his graphic and imagistic experiment. He addresses

social themes in his poems, illustrating the all-important concept that poetry serves society.

Among the poems he has written are Dream 1, Mirror, The Puppeteer’s Wayang, Words Adrift

on Air, The Legend of the Dawn, His Thick Shroud, The Shore of Time, Mask of My Name is

Rawana and „A City, A Grandmother and Death’.

Poet’s Background

10

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES

BIBSY SOENHARJO

Bibsy Soenharjo was born in Jakarta on 22 November 1928. Bibsy and her siblings were

homeschooled and each was encouraged to pursue their own interests. She had a particular

fondness for literature and, after returning home from a four-year stay in Japan, Bibsy began

writing her first prose in 1957, and then poetry in the 60s. The Literary Review, an international

quarterly published by Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, USA, published her first

four literary pieces in their Autumn and Spring Editions in 1967 and 1968 respectively. In 1967

also, her poem, “Jakarta, March 1967” was published in the Australian magazine Hemisphere,

while ”Setelah Gerhana Bulan” (After the Eclipse of the Moon) was published in Gelanggang, an

Indonesian cultural magazine now defunct.

Her poems have appeared in bilingual anthologies, with her Indonesian works translated

into English, Dutch and Japanese and her English poems into Indonesian and Dutch. She

continued to write prose pieces in Indonesian that appeared in Jakarta dailies under the pen

name Nuspati.

Bibsy Soenharjo now lives in Jakarta with the youngest of her three sons, Haryo, his wife

Sutji and their children.

Poet’s Background

11


This poem tells of the hardship that a family in a village faces after a big flood. The elders return

at dawn in soaking-wet clothes. They go straight to the kitchen. They are probably hungry. Their

hands and legs are bruised but they do not show any sign of despair or of losing hope.

After braving the dreadful flood for the last 24 hours, they still can not find their son‟s albino

buffalo. Despite all the adversities and suffering, the people in the poem do not complain or

lament on their misfortunes. They spend time together, enjoying each other‟s company. They

are grateful for the fact what they still have instead of what is lost. Life goes on with their daily

chores of preparing food and habit of rolling their cigarette leaves. They are still able to joke with

one another.

Synopsis

12

To introduce the context of the poem To train students to listen, read and comprehend the poem

To elicit from students feelings and attitudes To enable team work while having fun rearranging the lines

Pictures from newspaper cuttings of current natural disasters

MPEG Video on 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina

Worksheets P1a and P1b

Handout P1


Distribute Handout P1 and let students talk about the pictures. Fill in Worksheet P1 : Looking at Pictures

Ask students about their personal experience in a flood, fire or landslide. Let students watch a downloaded video from youtube.com of a current natural disaster .

Conduct open class discussion: What do people do when disaster strikes?

Give students Worksheet 2 called “Find Someone Who….” and instruct students to go around the class to find the various people with various experiences in the set time phase.

A Picture Says A

Thousand Words

Materials

Aims

40 minutes

Steps

13

On Tsunami

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpgsCaFe4sM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhuqKh

www.ogrish.com

On Hurricane Katrina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB33kPIhBkc

On Padang, Indonesia earthquake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnr9Mcg_jIo

Date accessed : 12 October 2009

Sources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpgsCaFe4sM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhuqKh

http://www.ogrish.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB33kPIhBkc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnr9Mcg_jIo

14

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP HANDOUT P1

Source : The Star, 4 October 2009

A Picture Says A

Thousand Words

15

Source : The Star, 11 Oct 2009

16

Source: The New Straits Time, 11 Oct 2009

17

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP WORKSHEET P1a

Looking at pictures

A Picture Says A

Thousand Words

18

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP WORKSHEET P1b

Find somebody who…

FIND SOMEONE WHO…….

( write the name of a classmate here)

…used to dream of becoming very rich when he or she was a child.

…thinks he or she would not be sad even if he or she failed every single subject in Form 4.

…has an experience getting caught in a flood.

…thinks he or she has changed a lot since he or she were at primary school.

...would have given up hope at least once before.

…witnesses a very sad incident.

…has donated cash or kind to a charity before.

…thinks he/she has given up on a hobby.

…has a permanent scar on his/her hand or leg.

…has lost a pet before.

Reminder: 1. If a student cannot find anyone with a particular trait, leave it blank. Most questions here are related to the context of „In the Midst of Hardship‟. 2. You may tell a story or relate a personal experience pertaining to hardship.

A Picture Says A

Thousand Words

19

To find out more about the poet To train students to listen, read and comprehend the poem

To enable team work while having fun rearranging the lines

Worksheet P2

Handout P2

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP ACTIVITY P2

Paste strips containing information of the poet around the classroom - on the board, wall, table, behind the chair, door, windows, etc.

Get students to work in groups of four. Give each group Worksheet 3 with questions asking for information related to Latiff Mohidin. Set a time frame for this activity.

Decide on the winners. The first group with the most number of correct answers will be the winner.

Getting-To-Know-You

Materials

Aim

20 minutes

Steps

Notes

Instead of seven strips, other information can be pasted around the classroom to allow the

students to be discriminate in their

selection.

20

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP WORKSHEET P2

Questions Answers

1. When was Latiff Mohidin born?

2. Name his birthplace.

3. Name a place where he had his

education.

4. Give a country to which he has been

before.

5. Apart from being a poet, what else

does he do?

6. What award has he won?

7. What is his nickname?

8. Name one of his poems.

9. Latiff Mohidin believes that poetry

serves …..

10. Name one of his works.

Getting-To-Know-You

21


STRIPS OF PAPER ( to be pasted around the classroom – on the table, behind the chair,

beside the door etc)

Latiff was born on 25 August 1941 in Negeri Sembilan. He is Malaysia's most celebrated

living artist and poet and is considered a national treasure.

Called 'Boy Wonder' since age 11, Latiff Mohidin was educated at Lenggeng, Seremban,

Singapore, and the University of Fine Arts in Berlin. He also 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 practice and literature through his extraordinary

vision.

This poet and artist has held exhibitions of his works and travelled abroad extensively in the

1960s and 1970s. He has served as Writer in Residence at the Science University of

Malaysia, Penang, the National University of Malaysia and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

At present, Latiff is a freelance poet and artist.

His poems have won the Putra I Poetry Award. Among his books are: Sungai Mekong (1972),

Kembara Malam (1974), and Wayang Pak Dalang (1977). Garis: Dari Titik ke Titik (1988), a

book on the creative process (art and poetry), won the Honourable Diploma Prize at the

Festival of International Books at Leipzig, Germany in 1989.

Getting-To-Know-You

22

Some of Mohidin‟s poems are Dream 1, Mirror, The Puppeteer‟s Wayang, Words Adrift on

Air, The Legend of the Dawn, His Thick Shroud, The Shore of Time and Mask of My Name is

Rawana and A City, A Grandmother and Death.

Social or public poems are a very important sub-genre in modern Malaysian poetry. Latiff

Mohidin addresses these social problems in his poems, illustrating this all-important concept

that poetry serves society. He finds pride in his social commitment. In the poem, ‟In the Midst

of Hardship‟, he uses the social themes of poverty, hardship and perseverance closely

associated with the local peasants.

23

To enable students to grasp the mood and feelings of the poem

To train students to listen, read and comprehend the poem


Worksheet P3

Handout P3


Introduce emoticons that portray different feelings. Get students to talk about the various feelings shown. Get students write down appropriate words for each emoticon.

Distribute Handout 3. Recite the poem with rhythm and intonation. Let students cut out and paste emoticons on the section of the poem that they feel appropriate.

Discuss the students‟ options and let them state the reasons why they have chosen a certain emoticon.

Show Some Emotion!

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

24



by Latiff Mohidin

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

There 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

Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

Show Some Emotion!

25


Which emoticons do you think will describe the feelings of the people in each stanza? Cut and paste them on the handout given.

_____________________ _______________________

__________________ ____________________

_____________________ ________________________

Show Some Emotion!

26

To allow students to explore ways in which figurative language is used in the poem

To train students to listen, read and comprehend the poem


Worksheet P4

Handout P4


Choose a figure of speech, for e.g. simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, or personification. Discuss its meaning in class, and share examples.

Distribute Handout 4 and discuss it with the students.

Give out a copy of Worksheet 5 to each student. Write the word „Assonance‟ on the top line.

Instruct students to look for examples of assonance in the poem they are reading.

Let students write out the full line with the figure of speech and the line number(s) in each lens of the binoculars.

Instruct students to form groups of four and discuss what each student has found.

Let students write out two lines using either alliteration or assonance.

The Search Is On

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

27


Find two examples of assonance.

Write them in the binoculars with the line number or numbers.

Assonance Line 12

and tiny chips of tree barks

Assonance Lines 2 and 3 their soaky clothes torn

and approached the stove

The Search Is On

28


Find two examples of _________________________ .

Write them in the binoculars with the line number or numbers.

Line ________ Line ________

The Search Is On

29

To enable students to write simple poetry using key words found in the poem

The poetry text

Handout P5


Get each student to write a word from the poem ( for e.g. despair, albino, hardship ) vertically on the left hand side of the paper.

Ask the students to write a word or a phrase that begins with each letter creating a poem.

Tell them to use Handout 5 as a guide.

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

Acrostic Poem

Materials

30


Do you know what it means to be poor

Especially when disaster strike every year

Some would say, oh very unfortunate

Perhaps some would just shake their heads

And move on

In fact many would not understand

Reality is what we confront

Acrostic Poem

31


1 (25 August )1941 6 Putra I Poetry Award/ Honourable Diploma Prize

2 Negeri Sembilan 7 'Boy Wonder' 3 Lenggeng/Seremban/Singapore/

University of Fine Arts in Berlin/ Hochshule fur Bildende Kunste/ Atelier La Courriere in France or Pratt Graphic Centre in America.

8 Dream 1, Mirror, The Puppeteer‟s Wayang, Words Adrift on Air, The Legend of the Dawn, A City, A Grandmother and Death, His Thick Shroud, The Shore of Time and Mask of My Name is Rawana.

4 Singapore/ France/ Germany/ America

9 society.

5 artist 10 Mekong / Kembara Malam / Wayang Pak Dalang/ Garis: Dari Titik ke Titik

Answer Key

Worksheet P2 : GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU

32

To evoke students‟ awareness of the disasters around the world

Worksheet P1

Hold a debate on which disaster is the most impactful. Get two teams to choose representatives from their groups. Let other groups judge who the winner is. Tell them to write out an interview with a person who has been a victim of a natural

disaster.

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP BEYOND THE TEXT / ACTIVITY P1

Divide students into four groups and give each group a card with a picture of the four elements; the sun, earth, wind, water.

Distribute Worksheet 1. Get each group to discuss and list all the disasters that could occur in the element given. Tell them to write on the worksheet given be presented to the class.

Get each group to choose one disaster and discuss how it affects people‟s lives. (They should guess how these people move on with their daily lives such as how they prepare food, wash themselves and their clothes clean, and where they sleep, etc.)

Tell them to write what they have discussed in the worksheet given. Let the group members write sentences describing the way the people lead their

lives after a disaster and add their feelings when doing it. (This can be given as homework. A descriptive essay on the life of a disaster victim as

a follow-up activity.

“Oh My!”

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

Variation

33


ELEMENT:

DISASTERS RELATED TO ELEMENT:

DAILY LIVES AFFECTED:

“Oh My!”

34

To enable students to draw a fund-raising poster

To prompt students‟ imaginative and creative involvement

To allow students to extend literary texts in another medium

Newspaper, mahjong paper, coloured markers, pictures, glue, scissors


Tell students to bring articles and pictures of natural disasters they can find in the newspapers, magazines or from the Internet

Tell them to discuss ways to raise money to help the victims. They are to choose the best way to raise money to help the victims.

Tell them to create a poster which includes the heading of the fund-raising project, pictures, method of delivering the cash and kind, and venue of collection.

Tell them to paste all posters around the classroom. Let the students judge which poster is the most impressive.

Report a Disaster

Materials

Aim

80 minutes

Steps

35

To enable students to make word associations in order to extend their vocabulary

Mahjong papers, markers, masking tape

Handout P3

The activity can also be conducted with the whole class. Instead of the group brainstorming for ideas. If the students are weak, you can help the students by giving clues for students to come up with words. Write the words on the board.


Divide the students into groups of 3 to 5. Ask each group to write the word „Disaster‟ in the middle of the mahjong paper.

Give each group the materials above and Handout 1. Get the students to make as many words as they can that are related to „Disaster‟ in five minutes. (Students may use the words in the poem)

Ask students their reasons for choosing those words. Get the students to extend from the words they have chosen (like a spidergram).

Allow or encourage high profiency students to write an essay based on the word “ Disaster” at home.

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

Word Explosion

Variation

36


AN EXAMPLE OF WORD EXPLOSION

RAIN FUNDS RECEDE RAISE

DROWN WATER DEATH LEVEL BOAT LOSS SMELLY SWIM CLOUD

FLOOD

Word Explosion

37

To enable students to share an unforgettable memory by writing simple poetry using key words found in the poem

The poetry text

Handout P4


Get students to think of all the memories related to time shared with someone. Write down words related to the memory.

Give out Handout 2. Tell them to use as a guide.

Begin the sentence with “I Remember…” Edit and arrange these sentences to form a stanza ( as in a poem ).

Ask them to present their work.

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Steps

“I Remember” Poem

38


Example 1

I remember it was in the month of November

I remember that there was a thunderstorm

And I couldn‟t leave the house

I remember it was cold and the lights were out

But most of all

I remember it was a time to be together.

Example 2

I remember when I was small

I remember the cute little kitten I once had

As a pet

I remember the days we spent cuddling and playing together

But most of all

I remember the day the cute little kitten was gone…

“I Remember” Poem

39


The poem is about a persona, a lady who fell for the wrong man. She was

fascinated with his „quiet eyes‟ and believed that his eyes showed his true emotion and

feelings for her. The man‟s eyes had the power to charm her and made her believe him

and be nice to him.

However, the man was actually a „pleasure seeking man‟, a flirt. As the lady was

truly fascinated and charmed by the man, she did not listen or did not want to listen to

any advice concerning the man‟s true behaviour. In the end, she realized her error and

was broken hearted.

Synopsis

40

To enable students to observe and describe features using adjectives

To encourage students to put their creativity to work

Worksheet P1

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES ACTIVITY P1

Get students to sit in their respective places facing each other.

Hand out Worksheet 1 to them. Tell them to look into their friends‟ eyes and draw on the worksheet what they see.

Get students to move around the room to complete their worksheet.

Tell students to look for different types of eyes. Tell them to list in writing the words describing their friends‟ eyes. Introduce adjectives into the lesson via the labeling activity.

Materials

Steps

Aims

40 minutes

Do You Know Me?

Students are encouraged to slowly observe their friends eyes and draw the best that they can. They can use colour pencils if they choose to. Students then label the eyes, e.g.: round eyes, big eyes, small eyes or any other adjectives that befit the eyes.

41

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P1 Draw eyes to complete the characters above. Take examples by looking at eyes of those around you. Then, label each character. For example; angry eyes, loving eyes, sad eyes, etc.

Do You Know Me?

42

To read poem aloud with correct stress, intonation, pronunciation and expression

The poetry text


Tell students to make two big circles in the classroom. Each group consists of 19 students.

Get a student to read a line, starting from the title, followed by the name of the poet Bibsy Soenharjo and the seventeen lines of the poem.

Encourage students to read with expression and tell them to try to memorise the lines.

Once the reading starts, it must be continuous so that the chain ( flow ) will not be broken. Let the students read a few rounds to be familiar with the poem.

Materials

Aim

20 minutes

Chain Reading

Notes

Variation to Steps 1 and 2 – Form groups to

read each stanza as part of choral reading

Steps

43

To introduce rhythm in a fun way To enable students to observe and describe features using

adjectives

To train students in spelling To encourage students to put their creativity to work

To encourage team work in a fun way

Worksheet P3


Get students to sit in groups of 3 – 4.

Hand out Worksheet 2 to them. Tell students to unscramble the letters to form words that will in turn form short sentences from the poem.

The group that is able to unscramble all the sentences correctly wins.

Put Me Straight

Materials

Steps

Aims

40 minutes

Students are not encouraged to refer to their text books. The group that finishes with all correct answers wins.

44

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P3 The following words are related to the poem He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo. Unscramble them to find out what the sentences are.

1. NCOE RO ETCWI

2. SHWO NDA SHYW

3. SLOING TA ICED

4. LOASETDE SSHGI

5. TQEIU YEES

6. TTSEHINN CIE

7. LOOPS FO LEIS

8. RINGMOLIP ERH

9. RREEDN MIH

10. ELSO RYUO THREA

11. ECSOIMMPOR

12. ERLPUSAE-EGSNKIE

13. EB REUS AHTT

14. A TIB FO

15. DENETSIL OT

16. REEF FORM

Put Me Straight

45

To identify meanings of words

Handouts P4a, P4b and P4c


Prepare the BINGO cards in advance. Give each student a BINGO card with different combinations of words found in the poem. ( see Handout P4a )

Prepare strips with meanings of the rhyming words of this poem in advance, (Handout P4b)

Set rules for this game, for e.g. Let‟s play „Diagonal Line” (or vertical / horizontal line ). Students must wait for the teacher to draw a Meaning Strip from a bag/envelope / box.

Read out the phrase /word /sentence loudly. Get students to look for the one word which has the same meaning as the Meaning Strips drawn. Strike out the word.

Repeat Step 5 until there is a student who strikes all three words diagonally. The student must shout “BINGO!” and he/ she wins. (Refer to Handout P4c)

Continue pulling out the remaining strips until all the nine words are struck out to play FULL HOUSE. The first student to strike out all the words on the card and shouts “ BINGO! ” first, will win.

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Bingo

Notes

You can play BINGO with the rhymes or verb tense. Two or three students may have the same card ( all words arranged

similarly ) but it depends on who will

be more alert to shout „BINGO! “first. DO NOT FORGET TO

CHECK WITH DRAWN STRIPS.

Steps

46

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES HANDOUT P4a Use combinations based on 20 words taken from the poetry text for Bingo cards.

eyes

layered lies

pleasure-seeking

realise desolate

dice

compromise paradise

quiet

render compromise

advice

pools layered

breathing

lies dice

listened wise advice

sighs imploring lies

heart thinnest dice

heart thinnest wise

advice

realise desolate

pools compromise dice

Bingo

47

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES HANDOUT P4b 20 chosen words and the meaning strips in Bingo.

Long, deep audible breaths

A pair of organs of sight

Guidance

Unhappy and uninhabited

Looking for a feeling of happy

satisfaction

A small cube with each side having a

different number ranging from 1 to 6

arranged in layers

Bingo

Sighs

eyes

advice

desolate

Pleasure-seeking

dice

layered

48

Intentional false statements

become aware

agree

heaven

no noise

inhaling and expelling air from the

lungs

shallow patches of liquid

provide or give help

superlative of thin

lies

realise

compromise

paradise

render

breathing

pools

thinnest

quiet

49

begging desperately

having knowledge and good

judgement

muscular body organ that pumps

blood

Past tense of listen

imploring

wise

heart

listened

50

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES HANDOUT P4c BINGO – EXAMPLES TO HOW AND WHEN A STUDENT CAN SHOUT ‘BINGO!’

quiet

render compromise

advice

pools layered

breathing

lies dice

or

pool

eyes layered

advice

compromise layered

quiet lies breathing

Bingo

51

To enable students to write a simple poem

The poetry text Worksheet P5


Distribute worksheet 3 to the students

Haiku poems have a specific pattern. Introduce the pattern to the students. Haiku has 3 lines and 17 syllables. The first and last lines have 5 syllables each while the second line has 7

Give students phrases taken from the poem as the first line.

Tell students to complete the haiku with their own words .

Materials

Aim

40 minutes

Haiku It!

Steps

52

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P5 A haiku has a specific pattern. It has 3 lines and 17 syllables. The first and last lines have 5 syllables each, while the second line has 7 syllables. Create your own haiku. i. Pleasure seeking guys

____________________________

____________________________ ii. You may lose your heart

____________________________

____________________________ iii. A bit of advice

____________________________ ____________________________

iv. Never compromise

____________________________ ____________________________

Haiku It!

53

To enable students to interpret a picture and find its meaning to complete a task

To encourage team work and brainstorming in completing a task

Worksheets P1a and P1b

YOU MUST WARN THE STUDENTS THAT IN ORDER TO FIND THE CORRECT IDIOM, THEY MUST FIRST FIND THE CORRECT WORD TO THE PICTURE.

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES BEYOND THE TEXT / ACTIVITY P1

Get students to sit in pairs. Hand out Worksheet 1 to the pairs. Students must read the picture to find out what they say.

Tell the students to use the clues or unfinished sentences to help uncover the correct word.

Get students to work out the message in each of the images or combination of images. Then, state the idioms that have the word „eyes‟ in them.

The group that decodes correctly will be given worksheet 2 to work on.

Tell them to combine the words to form correct idioms. Because „a picture holds a thousand words‟, students must find the correct one that will make a proper idiom.

Idioms Uncovered

Materials

Aims

40 minutes

Steps

54

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P1a Try to work out the message in each of these images or combination of images. Then, state the idioms that have the word ‘eye/s’ in them and give the correct meaning to the idioms.

EXAMPLE:

EAGLE

EYES

clue

…………................………..

……..…………...…………..

……..…..………...……..…..

Idioms Uncovered

55

……………..……

……………………..

……………………..

…..………..………

clue

……………..………

…..………….……..

……………..……..

…..………..……….

Use this to …..

……..................……

…..…………..……..

……………………..

……………….….…

clue

Sounds like

……………..………

…….……….……...

……………...……...

…..………...………

56

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P1b

Try to work out the message in each of these images or combination of images. Then, state the idioms that has the word ‘eye/s’ in them and give the correct meaning to the idioms.

FROM

……………

……………

……………

……………

……………

MEANING:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

‘R’ Sounds like

clue

……………………

……………………

……………………

› clue

……………………

……………………

……………………

MEANING:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Idioms Uncovered

57

To extend key word usage in idiomatic expressions

Handout P2 Worksheet P2


Elicit phrases / idiomatic expressions / proverbs which consist of the word “ eye” from the students.

Pre-teach Idioms with the word „eye‟ (see Handout 1 for guidance ). Alternatively, Step 2 can be given as a matching exercise you can get the students to match the phrases with their relevant meanings.

Give worksheet 3 and tell the students to work on it in pairs

Eye!

Materials

Notes

Make a bookmark using the word ‘eye’

Steps

Aim

40 minutes

58

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES HANDOUT P2

to catch someone's eye

Meaning : attract someone's attention, make someone notice.

to be up to one's eyes (in something)

Meaning : be extremely busy.

to have an eye for something

Meaning : be a good judge of something.

to have eyes in the back of one's head

Meaning : be alert, notice everything going on around one.

to keep an eye on something/somebody

Meaning : look at something/somebody continually and carefully.

to see eye to eye (with someone) (on something)

Meaning : agree.

Eye!

59

to turn a blind eye to something

Meaning : ignore something.

to do something with one's eyes closed

Meaning : do something very easily

. to keep one's eyes skinned/peeled

Meaning : remain alert

. to open someone's eyes

Meaning: make somebody realize the truth about something

. the apple of one’s eye

Meaning: a person of whom one is extremely fond and proud of

60

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P2

Complete the sentences with appropriate idioms.

1. The teacher knows everything we do, she must have ___________________of her

head!

2. Would you ________________________on the children while I go to the doctor's?

3. They are a perfect couple, they ____________________________ on most things.

4. If you would ___________________________________, I'd like some more bread.

5. Using this fax machine is really easy, you can do it _________________________!

6. Her flat is so beautiful. She obviously ____________________________________

for decoration.

7. I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday, but I was ________________________ in work.

8. He knows I am always late, but he just _______________________ _________ to it.

9. The youngest son is the _______________________________________________ .

10. Nobody should see that I'm doing this, so _______________________ and tell me if

someone is coming.

Eye!

61

To enable the students to explore the criteria of their future spouse and give reasons for the criteria chosen

Coloured papers, mahjong papers, markers and pictures of celebrities

Worksheet P3


Divide the students into 5 to 7 groups. Give them worksheet 4 and the materials or ask them to bring some. Planning is crucial here.

Let them choose the criteria of the spouse in terms of physical and character traits. Use the words in the poem in the criteria too. List them down. Tell them to create a collage of their future spouse using the pictures they have brought. They are to put it on the mahjong paper together with the list they have come up with. Use the coloured paper to make 5 stars for each group member. Each group is only to come up with one collage.

Tell them to paste the mahjong paper on the board and get the other students to view and give comment by giving ratings up to 5 stars for the future spouse of the other groups. Put the stars on the mahjong paper itself. Allow sometime for this activity. Each group will count the stars and total them up. The spouse with the most stars will be the most desirable.

Is She The One?

Is He The One?

Materials

Notes

Discuss the following topic: Is the reality

show on television on looking for the right spouse by meeting with many men and

women the right way? What do you think?

Steps

Aim

80 minutes

62

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P3 CRITERIA FOR FUTURE SPOUSE: PHYSICAL TRAITS:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………. CHARACTER TRAITS:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Is She The One?

Is He The One?

63

To enable students to explore different perspectives.

Worksheet P4

- This activity can be changed by „exchanging the gender‟ of the girls to think like

boys and boys to think like girls when explaining the usage of eyes by girls and boys in any situation possible.

- This activity can also focus on one aspect of the eyes; can they be used to lie? Let the two groups discuss how the eyes are used to lie.

- Another variation would be by reducing the age from teenagers to young children and explain what things they lie about.


Divide the students into two groups of gender, boys and girls. (If in a single sex school get another group to imagine themselves as the other gender if possible)

Get the groups to think of the power of the eyes to men and women and how they use them to get the things they want. List the situations where the eyes play a very important role. Complete worksheet 5.

Get each group to present their findings to the rest of the class.

Get the groups to comment on the other group‟s presentation and explain why they agree or disagree with the group‟s work. Discuss with the whole class.

Blame It On Him Or Her?

Materials

Steps

Aim

80 minutes

Variation

64

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES WORKSHEET P4 GROUP: MALE / FEMALE LIST SITUATIONS WHEN EYES PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE: 1) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. LIST THE REASONS FOR THE HEARTBREAK IN THE POEM. [FROM THE MALE OR FEMALE PERSPECTIVES.] 1) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Blame It On Him Or Her?

65


1. NCOE RO ETCWI ONCE OR TWICE

2. SHWO NDA SHYW HOWS AND WHYS

3. SLOING TA ICED LOSING AT DICE

4. LOASETDE SSHGI DESOLATE SIGHS

5. TQEIU YEES QUIET EYES

6. TTSEHINN CIE THINNEST ICE

7. LOOPS FO LEIS POOLS OF LIES

8. RINGMOLIP ERH IMPLORING HER

9. RREEDN MIH RENDER HIM

10. ELSO RYUO THREA LOSE YOUR HEART

11. ECSOIMMPOR COMPROMISE

12. ERLPUSAE-EGSNKIE PLEASURE-SEEKING

13. EB REUS AHTT BE SURE THAT

14. A TIB FO A BIT OF

15. DENETSIL OT LISTENED TO

16. REEF FORM FREE FROM

Answer Key

WORKSHEET P3 : PUT ME STRAIGHT

66

Roll your eyes Stars in your eyes Cry your eyes out Keep your eyes peeled Sight for sore eyes

Scales fall from your eyes

MEANING: When the scales fall from your eyes, you suddenly realise the truth about

something.

Eyes are bigger than one’s stomach

MEANING: If someone's eyes are bigger than their stomach, they are greedy and

take on more than they can consume or manage.

1 Eyes in the back 6 Has an eye

2 Keep an eye 7 Up to my eyes

3 See eye on eye 8 Turn a blind eye

4 Catch the waiter‟s eye 9 The apple of the mother‟s eye

5 With your eyes closed 10 Keep your eyes peeled/skinned

PHYSICAL TRAITS: Slim and slender. Clean and smell nice. Long hair.

CHARACTER TRAITS: Intelligent. Careful and think before she acts. Open minded to many current and new things.

WORKSHEET P1a : IDIOM UNCOVERED

WORKSHEET P1b : IDIOM UNCOVERED

WORKSHEET P2 : EYE

WORKSHEET P3 : IS SHE THE ONE? IS HE THE ONE?

67

POETRY ASSESSMENT 1 THE STUDENTS WOULD BE ASSESSED BY USING AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. THEY WOULD BE ASSESSED BY:

- PORTFOLIO

- SCRAP BOOK

THE CRITERIA TO BE ASSESSED WOULD BE:

PORTFOLIO:

- ANSWER QUESTIONS GIVEN

- COLLECT PICTURES RELATED TO THE POEM

- FIND ARTICLES WITH SIMILAR THEME TO THE POEM

- CREATE A PARALLEL POEM SIMILAR TO THE POEM

- GIVE PERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE POEM IN 200 WORDS

- MAKE REFERENCES TO SUPPORT YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSE

- FIND A SIMILAR SONG TO THE POEM AND EXPLAIN THE SIMILARITIES

- COMPARE THE ASPECTS OF LIVES TOUCHED BY THE TWO POEMS

- STUDENTS HAVE TO USE AND FOLLOW THE SAME STYLE IN PRESENTING THE

PORTFOLIO

SCRAP BOOK:

- THE CRITERIA WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE ABOVE

- THE STUDENTS CAN ADD MORE CONTENTS INSIDE THEIR SCRAP BOOK

- STUDENTS CAN PRESENT THEIR SCRAP BOOK ANY WAY THEY WANT

ACCORDING TO THEIR CREATIVITY

*HOLISTIC MARKING SCHEME WILL BE USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE

STUDENTS’ PORTFOLIOS AND SCRAPBOOKS.

Authentic Assessment

Poetry

68

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP ASSESSMENT 2

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin. Objectives: 1. To allow students to present a graphic representation of the context of the poem. 2. To encourage students to give a personal response to the poem

Read the poem carefully. Then decide on how best you can graphically present the content of the poem.

Poetry Analysis Folder

69

Poetry Analysis Worksheet

Title of Poem ___________________________________________ Poet ___________________________________________ Theme ___________________________________________ Type of Poem ___________________________________________ Number of stanzas ___________________________________________ Select one stanza. Identify the rhyme scheme.

Identify literary elements (mood, imagery, symbolism, contrast, comparison) and explain how they add to your understanding of the poem.

70

Analyze and explain the message of the poem.

What feelings has poem evoked in you?

71

About the Poet What have you learned about the poet that contributes to the type of poetry he/she writes? Consider:

1. Personal beliefs 2. Nationality or ethnicity 3. Male or Female 4. Time period in which he/she lived

72

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP ASSESSMENT 3

Objectives:

To conduct a diagnostic assessment for students to recall information from the poem to get insight into how well they have learned the material

To give indication to the teacher of how well the information has been taught in the previous lessons

To enable the teacher to conduct remedial or enrichment exercises in the forthcoming lesson based on error analysis of each and every question

1. When did the people in the poem return home?

2. What kind of a setting do you see in the poem, „ In the Midst of Hardship‟ by Latiff

Mohidin?

3. Describe the conditions of the people in this poem.

4. Despite the conditions of the people in the above poem, did they give up?

Which line tells you this?

5. What do you understand by „ but on their brows, there was not a sign of despair‟?

6. What natural disaster had occurred to the place?

7. Name the animal that had gone missing in this poem.

8. Do you think the people in the poem are rich? Justify your answer with evidence

from the poem?

9. Why do you think the people are desperately looking for the lost animal?

10. What is alliteration? Give an example of alliteration from the poem.

11. Do you think the people here are hopeful and optimistic? Justify your answer.

12. What can you learn from this poem?

13. Do you think the poet has chosen a good title for this poem? Give a reason for

your answer.

14. Do you like the poem? Give a reason for your answer.

Have I Understood?

73

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES ASSESSMENT 4

QUESTIONS BASED ON THE POEM 1. The eyes have a lot of functions other than seeing. Explain one function of the eyes that

you know and give an example when that function is being used.

2. Do you believe in „seeing is believing‟? Give a reason for your answer and relate it to the

poem “He had such quiet eyes”.

3. Why do you think the persona in the poem fell for the guy‟s quiet eyes? Give a reason

why she likes his „quiet eyes‟.

4. How can you help a friend who fell for a person who you know is a pleasure seeking

person? Give a suggestion on how to help this friend.

5. In the poem there is a phrase “how‟s and why‟s”. Form a question for each of the

question in the phrase with close relation to the situation of the persona in the poem.

6. Which one is easier to do, giving advice or listening to advice? Give a reason for your

answer with close reference to the poem.

Have I Understood?

74


1 dawn

2 Village 3 They are soaked in water and sweat, and their clothes are tattered /They are probably

hungry after a day braving through the flood and slightly injured 4 They did not give up as shown in „ their brows there was not a sign of despair‟ or „They

were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint‟

5 These people did not give up or lose hope. 6 A flood 7 (An albino ) buffalo 8 No. Any possible reason(s)

9 It is their son‟s buffalo/

They love their son/ Any other possible answer 10 between bloated carcasses 11 Yes.

„but on their brows there was not a sign of despair.‟ „They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint‟

12 Any possible answer 13 Any possible answer 14 Any possible answer

Answer Key

ASSESSMENT 3

75


1. One of the eyes‟ functions is to show emotion like sadness and happiness. An example

would be when one feels very sad and his eyes cry and shed tears because he has lost

someone he really loved and that person is now gone forever.

2. No. It is because there are a lot of things in this world that we can see do not really

portray their true identity or the reality. In the poem the girl fell for the guy‟s quiet eyes

because she thought that those eyes portrayed a true and genuine feeling of love.

However, the girl was mistaken as he was only a guy who wanted to seek pleasure in a

relationship and he was not serious in his relationship.

3. The persona in the poem fell for the guy‟s quiet eyes because she thought that those

quiet eyes were showing genuine feeling of love and care for her and the guy really

loved her for who she is and there is no other reason.

4. I would help this friend by looking for proofs first and show these proofs to prove that this

person is not who she thinks he is because she might not want to believe in words as

she has fallen for him really badly. If she still does not believe me I would not do

anything else to help her and let her fall for herself.

5. How did I fall for such a pleasure seeking guys? Why I could not see that this guy does

not really love me for who I am?

6. Listening to advice is easier because we can listen and choose which part of the advice

really matters and have close relation to the problems we have.

Answer Key

ASSESSMENT 4

76

POETRY

acrostic a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.

albino A person or animal lacking normal pigmentation, with the result being that the skin and hair are abnormally white or milky and the eyes have a pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil

alliteration The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words on in a stressed syllable, as in “on scrolls of silver snowy sentences” (Hart Crane). Modern alliteration is predominantly consonantal.

amidst In the middle of, among

assonance The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed syllables, “that dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea” (William Butler Yeats)

bloated Swollen with fluid or gas

carcasses Dead bodies of animals

despair Absence of hope

Haiku a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.

horrendous Awful, terrible

idiom An idiom (Latin: , “special property”, f. Greek: , “special phrasing”, f. Greek: , “one‟s own”) is an expression, word, or phrase that has figurative meaning

metaphor A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in “a sea of troubles” or “All the world‟s a stage”

Glossary

Poetry

77

personification A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstract idea is represented as animated, or endowed with personality, as in “the floods clap their hands‟.

proverbs a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw.

rhyme A similarity of sound between words, such as moon, spoon, croon, tune, and June. Rhyme is often employed in verse. A similarity of sound between words, such as moon, spoon, croon, tune, and June. Rhyme is often employed in verse.

scrapbook an album in which pictures, newspaper clippings, etc., may be pasted or mounted.

scratches Superficial wounds in the skin caused by a sharp object

simile A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in “how like the winter hath my absence been” or “so are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare)

soaky Extremely wet

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/verse

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/verse

78

DIANA FATIMAH AHMAD SAHANI (COORDINATOR)

BAHAGIAN PEMBANGUNAN KURIKULUM KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN MALAYSIA

AMAR SHOBHA SARNA (PANEL HEAD)

INSTITUT PERGURUAN MALAYSIA KAMPUS ILMU KHAS, KUALA LUMPUR

YONG WAI YEE

SMK SERI HARTAMAS, DESA SERI HARTAMAS, KUALA LUMPUR

ANDREW LEONG KONG MENG SMK AIR ITAM, GEORGETOWN,

PULAU PINANG

ABANG MUAMMAR GHADDAFI SM TEKNIK BINTULU,

SARAWAK

NADIAH CHOONG ABDULLAH SMK DATUK MANSOR, BAHAU,

N.SEMBILAN

ASMAH ABU HADZIM SMK PUTRAJAYA PRESINT 9(1),

PUTRAJAYA

Panel of Writers

Poetry

Documents

Poetry in the Midst of Hardship He Had Such Quiet Eyes