Poetry in Motion

Ehem, Valerie always has nth betetr to do.(: Hehehes.

Mdm Abey has only one b in her name

Hi Mr Tan,

I have just read "The Merlion" and have a few enquiries.
What does the poet mean when saying "unaccustomed limpidity"?
Also, in what way is the merlion similar to a "Sphinx"?

Oh yeah... Thanks for the reminder AZD.
No offense to Mdm Abey if she sees this.

If u guys are considering opening this forum to other teachers, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. there are a lot of things i wun/can't mention here.

that could potentially be an allusion to Mdm Abey. There's no need for exact spelling.

KaiWen:

unaccustomed = not used to
limpidity = not turgid - suggests lack of strength, power. contrast this with the Merlion in UBTM. think about it!

comparison to the sphinx:
To answer this, u'd have to know what the sphinx connotes. what do u think of when u think of the sphinx? Wait for my lesson on monday, or if u want to know, tell me what u think first. Not going to just give u the answers to readily.

Good questions though! maybe others would like to respond to them?

It means to act like the monks and nuns in the monastery. It has nothing to do with madam abey but of course...you can always let you imagination run wild. Lols

with reference to Kaiwen's question on 'the merlion', is it okay to say that the merlion is compared to the sphinx because it is a mixture of a cat and a human like how the merlion is a mixture of a lion and a fish?

How about the sphinx is used to guard the pyramids while merlion is to ensure prosperity of Singapore??

aiyo i dont understand the whole poem liao
so chim...
(ok fine chim is...hard to understand.
try summarizing it XDXDXD)

Why is the forum getting filled with Abey everywhere even our dear CLASS CHAIRMAN MR JOEY TAN made a topic just for it... I deleted it a moment ago and i don't want to start deleting individual posts.

Liwen and Tzu Ning,

Nice ideas there! However, what is important is that these ideas link with the main theme or subject matter of the poem. Do you think the Merlion in this poem is being portrayed as a kind of guardian, or as a representation of mixed cultures? I believe it could possibly be the second one, not so much the first. You can argue for the first iea if you do find sufficient evidence though.

Personally, I believe it is neither. Let you guys know more of my own opinion in class. (My opinion is not the RIGHT one, nor is it the ONLY one)

Sure but you are a teacher so your opinion is usually respected =D.

Lol wilfred. A teacher may not always be right. XP

The friend in THE MERLION is wearing contacts?
Is she trying to act foreign?
Blond highlights of your back hair
And your blue lenses the shadow of a foreign sky
and the acqired accent of yours

Can we say that, in contrast to the Sphinx, which was carved out of stone and is a part of the natural landscape, the Merlion statue is made from concrete over a steel frame- as commercial and industrial as the buildings that surround it. Both of them are created in different times to suit the different backgrounds. The Sphinx is blending in the background, everything around it is sand,and the merion is blending in too, around it are concrete buildings,or the merlion has a tail,it is located at the seafront and all around it is the sea.
haha,just guessing.

i found this on the net
As opposed to Thumboo’s anchored and unwavering iconic creature, Sa’at’s Merlion is a mobile, unfixed entity ‘writhing in the water’, described as possessing a certain ‘limpidity’.This inherent ability for the Merlion to swim and move is reflective of the fact that the icon has no fixed identity or geographical location, ‘as if unsure of its rightful position’, as can be seen from its constant movement. Sa’at’s Merlion also experiences a deflation in status, as opposed to Thumboo’s elevation. It is reduced from a dignified statue eyeing the horizon of progress while glorifying in its roots at the Singapore River, to a limbless creature with ‘chalk-blind eyes’ and ‘iridescent slime’ on its scales, ‘purging itself of its aquatic ancestry’. Sa’at’s idea of the evolution of such a hybrid is a ‘post-Chernobyl nightmare’, portraying mutation as ‘grotesque’ and unnatural; conflicting with Thumboo’s idealized ‘together they mutate’ to ‘explore the edges of harmony.
Thumboo’s and Sa’at’s poems represent the evolution of a new regard for the Merlion by Singaporeans. Written two decades earlier by a poet belonging to a generation above Sa’at, “Ulysses By The Merlion” can be seen as a symbol of Singaporean’s search for a stable identity and the need for other countries (personified by Ulysses) to view the Merlion with admiration and interest. Sa’at’s Merlion, however, is very much representative of the present Singaporean’s identity; conflicted and unsure, and searching for change. Sa’at’s interpretation of the Singaporean as having ‘blond highlights’ and ‘blue lenses’ to hide heritageis not
unlike the new Merlion at Sentosa with its surrounding tall fountains and laser lights- a creature ‘so eager to reinvent itself’ in this case would refer both to the Merlion and the Singaporean. Despite their contrast, ironically enough, both poems have come to represent somewhat accurately the present status of the Merlion. “Ulysses By The Merlion” symbolizes foreigners’ opinion of the Merlion as is evident by its popularity as a Singaporean tourist attraction. “The Merlion” symbolizes the similarities with the Singaporean culture that the Merlion has come to adopt, or perhaps vice versa, with Singaporeans.
Mr Tan, whats your opinion on this?

er, oh wow valerie cheem much ;x

senbazuru - valerie?

yes the persona's interlocutor is wearing contacts. an instance of 'showing'. evidence from the text remember?

she/he is trying to act foreign - yes, continue with that train of thought and try to link the idea of singaporeans trying to act "foreign" with the rest of the text.

don't think too much about what u've just found on the net - you may not understand quite a bit of that. ask me if u have any questions though.

Live and kicking example - Maria Toh trying to speak Bangla(wonder if right spelling) talk and Ang mor talk.

Mr Tan,

In "The Merlion"

Is one sentence isolating by itself considered as one stanza?

For example:

"Yet..what brand new sun can dry
the iridecent slime from the scales
and what fresh rain wash the sting of salt
from those chalk-blind eyes?"

A pause.

"And why.......
..........mean..."

Thus, is the "A pause" considered as a stanza?

By the way this poem is in some way irregular.

Secondly, "It spews continually if only to ruffle its own refelction in the water; such reminders will only scare a creature so eager to reinvent itself"


Can this refer to Singapore's desire to develop itself?
For example, it has no sporting history in the past, but now, it had changed such that it's able to hold a prestigious event like YOG.

Thank you.

Lin Rui,

Yes, the reinventing part is very significant. It refers to some sort of identity crisis that modern Singapore and its people face - are we not constantly trying to reassert our identity? So not just to 'develop' itself, but also to search for some kind of fixed identity. In what way is our identity not as stable as that of Indonesians, Americans or the English?

We would not usually call it a stanza. In the strictest sense of the word, this poem is NOT stanzaic. However, if you want to refer to a huge chunk and have no other words to use, you can say stanza. Not for the one-line portion, though. Clear?

Mr Tan,

Concerning the replies that you gave, I went back to think about it. I feel that the sphinx shows a mixture of a human head and a lion body, while a merlion shows a mixture of a fish head and lion body. So this could show that the persona might want to explain the mixing of identities.

Do you think my opinion is substantial enough?
:?:

Mr Tan,

I am still unsure how the questions for poetry in MYE will be like. Can you give us an example of a question and answer so that we will be more clear? And how long should our answer be?

thnk you,
amielia

ask Mdm Abey in class tmr.

yo mr tan
i wanna ask about the show and tell thingy
could you please explain what is the show and tell thingy again?
coz i kind of forget it and dont really understand..
srry! >.<