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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Answers

HOPE YOU DO YOUR BEST AND HAVE A NICE DAY!

With love always…

Yours, Po Po Tun