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Year 13 Poetry Notes Sangam

1) The document provides biographical information about the poet Konai Helu Thaman, noting her educational background. 2) It then analyzes two poems by Thaman - "My Neighbour", which explores themes of gender and domestic violence, and "The Woman", which examines the experience and suppression of women. 3) Various literary devices used in the poems are identified and discussed, including imagery, symbolism, language, and structure. The characters and themes of exploring gender roles and inequality are also analyzed.

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Mohammed Zulfikar
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3K views6 pages

Year 13 Poetry Notes Sangam

1) The document provides biographical information about the poet Konai Helu Thaman, noting her educational background. 2) It then analyzes two poems by Thaman - "My Neighbour", which explores themes of gender and domestic violence, and "The Woman", which examines the experience and suppression of women. 3) Various literary devices used in the poems are identified and discussed, including imagery, symbolism, language, and structure. The characters and themes of exploring gender roles and inequality are also analyzed.

Uploaded by

Mohammed Zulfikar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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About the poet- Konai Helu Thaman

Dr Konai Helu Thaman is a Tongan native scholar and professor at the


University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji. She holds a BA in geography
from the University of Auckland and MA in International Education from the
University of California at Santa Barbara and PHD in education.
Analysis of poem based on the theme “Gender”
“My Neighbour” by Konai Helu Thaman
Summary
This poem reflects on acts of a neighbour who is showing humane character as
he supports needy students by meeting their school fees. He also shows care
towards religion by providing feasting for church and he is also a supporter of
women’s right. Yet the persona finds it obscure as to why he frequently beats up
his wife.
Subjects and Objects
Persona- a confused person, unable to comprehend the neighbours true
character outside, he pleases all but hurts his wife. It expresses a surprise.
Neighbour- character with two facts, one revealing all good quality and the
other showing negative attitude such as inflicting violence against women.
Wife- the victim of domestic violence
Themes
1. Gender
Females are given subordinate role in society. It is difficult to change the
mind sets of masculine society totally. Gender biasness still occurs at
home level whereby males prove that they are good human beings but not
so good husbands. Hence, equal rights for women also prevail at home.
2. Don’t judge a book by its cover
The masculine population may act out in a nicer ways to meet the
standards of a society but may not adopt the change completely. In order
to achieve equality, there is a change needed at home level as charity
begins at home. Thus women need to give opportunities for man to
practice humane acts at home level first. Also there is more awareness
needed to change the actions of man completely.
3. Be a change agent
As the persona is eaves dropping the neighbour’s action, he can bring
about a change to overcome such ambiguity. As an agent of change, he
can use dialogue and positive connotation about neighbour’s acts to make
him realise that he needs to practice good deed at home as well.
4. Home
The place for character development
The persona points out that the neighbour respects the school which has
given him education. He also shows the appreciation to church by
providing feasting and supports societal goals of women’s rights.
However his act at home is obscure due to absence of proper
dissemination of value he was not guided well at home.

Stylistic device
1. First/Second person narration
The first person narration (my, I) is used by the persona to reveal his
ambiguity associated with the neighbours good and bad acts. He does
well to other people but inflicts violence at home. Second person (he,
his) is used to reveal the attitudes of the neighbour.
2. Upper case letters
The lines begin with upper case letters to reveal that violence against
women is a societal problem that needs cooperation from all +level
such as school, church and society.
3. Dash
Dash is used to inform the readers about the lack of truthfulness in the
statement.
“And is a supporter
Of women’s rights”
4. Surprise ending
This shows that the persona is surprised as he finds his generous,
supportive neighbour beating up his wife who is not concerned about
women’s rights at home.
5. Use of effective vocabulary
This is used to show the negative attitudes of the character; the
persona uses harsh word such as “beats”. He also uses good words
cannot such as “generous, supporter” to describe the good deeds of the
character.
6. Uses of alliteration
“Slow sweet shell” creates a rhythmic musical effect emphasizing on
the pain the woman is going through.
POEM 2: THE WOMAN
SUBJECT: GENDER
Setting: in Tonga at persona’s home and nearby sea

Plot: The persona who is a guilty woman at the beginning rushes to a


nearby sea to wash her night’s sin that she has committed with her lover.
She knows what she has done is wrong because it is the second time
(she’d eaten again). However, she is a cautious and proactive woman,
who secretly took a shot from a family planning volunteer, denying any
case of pregnancy. Her conscience taunts her that cannot hear any
spiritual songs sung. She is unsatisfied that though she is gentle and
impatient, men are like waves, who come and go, do not care or feel for
her. Here man is compared to waves as being impatient and rough.

The poem insights that she suppressed by the rules of the society and
religion, not to reveal her secrets. She is secretive with her true self of
what her heart wants. She is a mysterious woman, who does not know
what she wants. Probably she is longing for independence and freedom in
life. To live a life of her own but conforming to religious rules (pastor)
makes her life miserable. It is a blind turtle faith where the mother turtle
buries its eggs in the sand and waits for it to be hatched. She is also
waiting in vain as when she will be free from this suppressive life.

Towards the end, the persona becomes lonely and feels down hearted.
She compares herself to an old sea- gull which is free and noisy. Her trust
issue of keeping her desires secret can be betrayed by this sea-gull. She
then tends to become resolute and stubborn that she makes up her
decision that she will continue with her action secretly (behind the rocks).
Then again she feels sad and her decision haunts her that she is leading a
double life or is waiting to be recognised as a person in her own right, and
not just a woman.
Characters
1. The Woman
 Guilty- stanza 1
 Cautious/proactive/resourceful- stanza 2
 Unsatisfied/full of conscience/patient/gentle- stanza 3
 Secretive/manipulative- stanza 4
 Lonely/suppressive- stanza 5
 Stubborn/practical- stanza 6
 Resolute- stanza 7
2. Man
 Impatient
 Uncaring
 Rough
 Stubborn
 Self centred
 Insatiable
 Sex crazy
3. Pastor
 Of moral principles
 Strict
 Caring
 Helpful
4. Turtle
 Patient
 Blind faith
 Cruel
5. Sea-Gull
 Noisy
 Old
 Communicative
Themes
1. Women are fragile in our society. They can easily breakdown if not
cared or treated fairly.
2. In pacific cultures, women’s voices are not heard. They are
suppressed off their desires and actions.
3. Adultery is a sin and cannot be tolerated whether it be a woman or
man.
4. Women are made up of many layers.
5. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
6. Some mirrors lie.
7. Culture of silence
8. Leading a double life.
9. Gender inequality is still a sensitive issue today.
10.Religious norms/society rules inhibit a woman to live a free
life/independent.
STYLE
1. Language
Simple language is used with a lot of vividness and
appropriateness. Emotive words are used such as caress, patient,
wailing, treasures, faith, emptiness, etc. These words create a
picture of what is happening to the woman. It also portrays reality
of life situation. The readers may also get emotionally touched as
these words help convey relevant themes.

2. Imagery
- ‘turtle blind faith’
- -‘eaten from the tree’
- -‘slow sweet shell’
- ‘chestnut leaf’
-
3. Symbolism
Flowers symbolise purity and beauty and taking to the sea gives
the woman solace. Seagull is used to refer to the societies who are
keeping a close eye on the woman. Turtle symbolises the man who
betrays.

4. Appropriate Title
The title of the poem is short and simple since it relates to the
subject of the poem- woman.

5. Emotional Appeal
This poem has an emotional appeal. It actually serves as an eye
opener of what happens to a woman who is condemned by her
creator/people and herself. She feels helplessness.

6. Uses of Alliteration
“Slow sweet shell” creates a rhythmic musical effect emphasising
on the pain the woman is going through.

7. Descriptive words used for vivid meanings. Eg. Patient, blind,


sweet, generous, etc.
8. Use of rhyming words- gives a pleasant sound while reading the
poem in a rhythmic way. Eg. tree-free
9. Figure of speech used- personification- waves to man, turtle- man,
sea-gull- woman.
10.Same consonant words- slow, sweet, shell- for effect.
11.Use of symbols- tree (Garden of Eden), chestnut leaf used in
Tonga to ask for forgiveness from the king.
12.Use of native words to bring vivid picture of Tongan
setting/culture- ‘Vala’
13.Separated in seven stanzas- each stanza depicts the type of woman
she is.

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