A fighter’s lines by marzuki ali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loTPuPT7qVo

Marzuki Ali was born in 1945 in Terengganu, Malaysia. He was brought up in Kemaman and later Sabah. He has been writing poems since the 1960's. His poems mostly deal with issues regarding his hometown, environment and patriotism. A lot of his poems have been published in the Utusan Malaysia, Berita Minggu, Dewan Sastera and Dewan Budaya. 

http://sundaypeople.nst.com.my/article/Features/20090328170723/Article/index_html

I am old and wornand have lost all my strengthsufferingsand the history of the fight for independencehave forced sacrificesthat know no nameor life

from the wheelchair of the rest of my daysI, body and energy crushedsee and cannot do muchthese times are too big a challengefor the remnants of my crippled yearsthe net of deceit spread everywheredisturbs me.

In the name of justiceWake up and form ranks sons of our ancestorBe braveAnd erect a wall of peopleStand up heirs of our freedom

I have no more voiceIt is you now who should speak

This poem is about an old and retired soldier’s call to younger generation. He wants young people to stand up and be patriotic to their nation. The persona was one of those who fought for the independence of his country and had scarified a lot for this cause. He now describes himself as old, weak and crippled and being unable to do much for his country. He sees the present as troubling times, but he is unable to do much because of his condition. Therefore he urges the younger generation to stand up and fight for justice.

The poem is written in free verse, without any rhyming scheme. The poem is written in four stanzas. The first two stanzas have seven lines each, the third has five lines and the last has only two lines.

Time : Present timePlace : Although no specific place is

mentioned, it can be assumed that the poem is set in the persona’s own country.

The point of view is the first person.

The mood and atmosphere in the poem is sombre. The poet urges the young to stand up and protect their country.

The tone is serious as the persona directly requests the reader to do something about his country’s present condition. The persona sounds worried and concerned.

The theme in the poem include patriotism, courageous and public spiritedness.

Patriotism is one of the themes of this poem. The people in this country have made a lot of sacrifices to fight for their freedom. They have achieved independence but now there are other threats such as deceit. This affects the country's safety. The persona calls on the younger generation to fight for justice and to speak up against deceit.

Another theme is being courageous. In the past, people made many sacrifices and fought bravely with the country's enemies for their freedom. Now, the persona urges the younger generation to be brave and fight against other threats in the country. He tells them to stand up and speak with courage.

In the past, people were united when they fought for independence. Now, the persona emphasises that the younger generation who has inherited a free country should unite to preserve their freedom. They should stand united by building a wall of people or forming ranks irrespective of racial, religious and other social differences. The "lines" in the poem, A Fighter's Lines refer to the persona's lines and the lines or ranks formed for unity. We have to be united and strong as in the saying, "United we stand, divided we fall".

We should be courageous when it comes to defending our country. We need to stand up for justice.

The persona urges the younger generation to stand up against the widespread lies which are rampant in society today. This 'net of deceit' worries his as it can destroy the solidarity of the people. Therefore, he urges them to stand united and uphold justice to preserve the freedom and safety of the country.

In the fight for independence, the persona and other soldiers sacrificed and risked their lives when they fought for independence. Now, he is wheelchair-bound because he was either crippled in the war or is now old and sick. Now, he wants the younger generation to make sacrifices too to preserve their freedom.

We must be united to preserve our freedom. The persona wants the younger generation to stand united regardless of their differences to ensure their freedom.

o Metaphorse.g. “net of deceit spread everywhere”

o Imagery of the sensesSight e.g. “a wall of people”Sound e.g. “ no more voice”

o Symbolismo e.g. the wheelchair represents disability

Words Meanings

1. worn a. broken

2. sufferings

b. disabled

3. forced sacrifices

c. dishonest behaviour that is intended to trick someone

4. crushed d. feeling of pain and unhappiness

5. challenge e. lines; row

6. remnants f. tired; weary

7. crippled g. a person of an earlier period and common heritage

8. deceit h. have no choice but to give up something important and valuable for the country

9. rank i. build

10. ancestor

j. people who continue the work started by others

11. erect k. remains

12. heirs l. difficult task

Words Meanings

1. f

2. d

3. h

4. a

5. l

6. k

7. b

8. c

9. e

10. g

11. i

12. j

1. Who’s the persona in the poem?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

I am old and worn

1. Who is I in this line?____________________________________

2. What is the meaning of worn in this line? ____________________________________ 3. Why is I worn?____________________________________

1. What does the poet mean in the above line? _______________________________________

2. Why is the persona weak? _______________________________________

1. What does the poet mean in the above line? ____________________________________2. What kind of challenge did the persona face when he was young? ____________________________________

3. What kind of threats or challenges does our country face today? ______________________________________

a) ____________________________________

b) ____________________________________

c) ____________________________________

d) ____________________________________

The persona in this poem is a veteran fighter / soldier / war heroThe persona had fought for our country’s independence.The persona urges the younger generation to continue fighting for their country’s independence.

1. Who’s the persona in the poem?

I am old and worn

1. Who is I in this line?

2. What is the meaning of worn in this line? 3. Why is I worn?

I is a veteran fighter/ a war hero / a soldier

tired out

I had fought really hard for his country’s independence

I am old and worn

1. Who is I in this line?

2. What is the meaning of worn in this line? 3. Why is I worn?

I is a veteran fighter/ a war hero / a soldier

tired out

I had fought really hard for his country’s independence

1. What does the poet mean in the above line?

2. What kind of challenge did the persona face when he was young?

3. What kind of threats or challenges does our country face today?

The persona realises that the threats faced by his country are now a different nature.

He had to fight for his country’ freedom from the colonizer like the British, the Japanese army and the Communists.

- Corruption/ The abuse of power / Moral decay

a) We must love our countryb) We must appreciate the fighters’

sacrifices in achieving independence for our country

c) We have to respect each other regardless of our age, gender, race and religion

d) We must stay unite in order to protect the freedom of our country

With love always…

Yours, Po Po Tun