Singapore poetry research project
Lenise Tan YanLing (17)
3 Resilience
LIterature in english
Task 1
Our poets:
Pooja Nansi
Edwin Thumboo
Leong Liew Geok
Pooja Nansi
- Singaporean poet, performer, and educator
- She was born on December 13, 1981, in Singapore
- Her works often explore themes of identity, memory, and social justice, and she is known for her powerful spoken-word performances
- Holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Published several collections of poetry, including "Stiletto Scars" (2007), "Love is an Empty Barstool" (2013), and "You Are Not Too Old" (2021)
- Performed her poetry at numerous international festivals and events
Extra info:
- She is a passionate educator and has taught creative writing and literature at several universities in Singapore. She has also been actively promoting Singapore's arts and culture scene, serving as the Director of the Singapore Writers Festival from 2018 to 2020. Pooja Nansi won several awards for her contributions to Singaporean literature and culture, including the Young Artist Award in 2016 and the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018.
Edwin Thumboo
- Singaporean poet
- Born on November 22, 1933, in Singapore
- One of the pioneers of modern English poetry in Singapore, and his work often explores themes of identity, heritage, and culture
- Studied at the University of Malaya in Singapore and later earned a PhD in English literature from the University of London.
- Began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Malaya, and later became a professor of English literature at the National University of Singapore.
- Poetry collections include "Rib of Earth" (1956), "Ulysses by the Merlion" (1979), "A Third Map" (1993), and "Still Travelling" (2008)
- His work has been translated into several languages and he has won numerous awards for his contributions to Singaporean literature and culture, including the Cultural Medallion in 1979 and the Southeast Asia Write Award in 1979 and 1994.
Leong Liew Geok
- Singaporean poet and educator
- Born in Kedah, Malaysia, in 1949, and moved to Singapore in 1968
- Her poetry often explores themes of identity, culture, and language, and she is known for her unique blend of traditional and contemporary poetic styles
- Holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Singapore and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the City University of Hong Kong
- Published several collections of poetry, including “Love Is Not Enough” (1991), “Women Without Men” (2000), and “Breaking The Tongue” (2011).
- Her works have been translated into several languages and she has been featured in several international literary festivals.
Extra info:
- In addition to her creative works, Leong Liew Geok is a dedicated educator and has taught English literature and creative writing at several institutions in Singapore, including the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Management University. She has also served as the President of the Association of the Arts Friends, a non-profit organisation that promotes the arts and culture scene in Singapore. Leong Liew Geok won several awards for her contributions to Singaporean literature and culture, including the Cultural Medallion in 2012.
Task 2:Wonderful Wordsmiths
I have sailed many waters,
Skirted islands of fire,
Contended with Circe
Who loved the squeal of pigs;
Passed Scylla and Charybdis
To seven years with Calypso,
Heaved in battle against the gods.
Beneath it all
I kept faith with Ithaca, travelled,
Travelled and travelled,
Suffering much, enjoying a little;
Met strange people singing
New myths; made myths myself.
But this lion of the sea
Salt-maned, scaly, wondrous of tail,
Touched with power, insistent
On this brief promontory ...
Puzzles.
Nothing, nothing in my days
Foreshadowed this
Half-beast, half-fish,
This powerful creature of land and sea.
Peoples settled here,
Brought to this island
The bounty of these seas,
Built towers topless as Ilium's.
They make, they serve,
They buy, they sell.
Despite unequal ways,
Together they mutate,
Explore the edges of harmony,
Search for a centre;
Have changed their gods,
Kept some memory of their race
In prayer, laughter, the way
Their women dress and greet.
They hold the bright, the beautiful,
Good ancestral dreams
Within new visions,
So shining, urgent,
Full of what is now.
Perhaps having dealt in things,
Surfeited on them,
Their spirits yearn again for images,
Adding to the Dragon, Phoenix,
Garuda, Naga, those Horses of the Sun,
This lion of the sea,
This image of themselves.
"Ulysses By The Merlion" by Edwin Thumboo
Task 2:Wonderful Wordsmiths
The persona in the poem is Ulysses, a Greek mythological hero. Edwin Thumboo compared Ulysses's experiences to Merlion's experiences. The phrases, “I have sailed many waters, skirted islands of fire” and “heaved in battle against the gods” show that Ulysses had face a lot of challenges to be a hero he is. However, Ulysses still “kept faith” and “travelled” a lot even though he was “suffering much, (and) enjoying a little”. By comparing Ulysses hardships to the Merlion, Edwin Thumboo wanted to tell the readers about how the Merlion represents Singapore going through alot of hardships to achieve independence and racial harmony in present times. “Half-beast, half-fish, this powerful creature of land and sea” suggests that Edwin Thumboo thought the Merlion is a great monument, thus compared it to Ulysses, trying to convey a message to readers which the Merlion gives off a sense of pride for Singapore. Furthermore, Ulysses was impressed by the spirit of people who hailed from different lands, Edwin Thumboo aligns this to the immigrants that formed Singapore. Edwin Thumboo used diction in “Despite unequal ways together they mutate...searching for a centre”, “adding to dragon , phoenix, Garuda, naga those horses of the sun”. The word “mutate” suggest that the immigrants no longer held on to the identity of the past, as they “mutate” to become something different and new, thus showing the forming of a Singaporean identity, which is further reinforced by how they “have changed their god”, letting go of their old identity to embrace the new. In addition racial harmony is evident from the the enumeration of different mythical creatures from different ethnicities trying to blend and accept one another. Thus, there is a very strong sense of achievement and glee as Edwin Thumboo rejoices over the creation of racial harmony. Thus in Edwin Thumboo’s poem, we see a that he carries high hopes towards a strong creation of the Singaporean identity.
Poem Analysis:
Task 3:Express yourself
Our brakes don't squeal
Our cars can't speed
Our egos won't turn
Sharper than we need
We stop for red
We play by rules
We don't bend, or break
Cars with resale value
We'd rather give way
To our fellow men
Wanting to cut in
Than move or pretend
Yet we rattle the nerves
Of motoring louts
Who feel stuck behind us
And cannot move out
When they finally pass
They throw dirty looks
Confirmation in sight
Of why they shook
What's wrong with slowing down?
With the traffic we're moving
While we mull over
Which way we aren't going
No broken bones
No possibility
Of traffic accidents
From our gravity
Mindful of position
We calculate with care
The U-turn queue lengthens
We simply don't dare
We don't want to hurt
We'd rather not cheat
We don't like close shaves
We'll ignore your heat
Though we don't swerve or weave
We're a breed more maligned
The scapegoats you denigrate
With cliches unkind
Without sanity like ours
Imagine how roads would be
Demonized by thugs
Unchecked and dashing free
So gender recognition
By you smug motorists
Our compliment it is
Through your gritted teeth
"Woman drivers" by Leong Liew Geok
Task 3:Express yourself
drawing is done by myself
The poem is "Woman drivers" by Leong Liew Geok. The poem is about discrimination towards women driver on the road. I drew this drawing to show a woman driving very slowly because she is very aware of her surroundings and wanted to be safe. Behind her, there is a male driver who is angry since she is wasting his time. This shows a very negative and tense mood, which can also be seen in the poem. I drew the thoughts of the woman to represent the fact that she does not think it is fair to get discriminated against for doing something not wrong. Even though she is slow, she makes sure that she is safe, and so is everyone around her. By being slower, it reduces the amount of road accidents, which is better than being fast like men drivers but may have more chances for accidents to occur.
Citations
Thank you!
