THE FIRST POEM

First of all, thank you for your emails. So, now we are ready to learn about the poem entitled 'In The Midst of Hardship' by Latiff Mohidin.

Latiff actually wrote this poem in Malay but we are learning the translated version in schools. From this we know the audience is most probably for Malays and the poem is somehow dedicated to them.

In the Midst of Hardship 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


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

STANZA 1: We can identify the poem's point of view here which is THIRD PERSON point of view. the words they and their shows that the persona is describing other's condition and not his own.

STANZA 2: words such as horrendous floods, tree barks, and albino buffalo are images to describe the place setting of this poem. this poem is set in a VILLAGE most probably a MALAY VILLAGE where they work as farmers with buffaloes to help them with their farming. it was the rainy season and floods occured hence the hardship that they faced.

STANZA 3: the last stanza shows one moral value of this poem. it shows hardship is not meant to let you down, you have to face the hardship and carry on with life.


So now you know the point of view, place setting, and one moral value of the poem. try to find another two point of view and state from where or which verse shows the moral values. you can email me the answers and we'll discuss it further there.

TQ.

-LOVE-