Poems In MY Heart

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening  (1923)
Whose wood these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farm house near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives  his harness bell a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
The only other sound's the sweep
of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have to promise to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.  
                                                     ROBERT FROST (1874-1963)

     This is one of my favourite poems. It soothing me to imagine the woods covered with snow...pure and innocent! This is one of the poem we have to study in Semester 7, in EDU 3216 with Dr. Arbaayah Ali Termizi.

When I was a little girl, I love to read poems. Love to recite simple poem. Sometimes, when I wrote my diary, I try to express my feelings into a poem. Poems in English, of course. I feel satisfied on what I wrote although it didn’t well at all but it’s all about me. Only me and my poems. When I was in secondary school, my poems faded. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t find my calming time to write. All school stuffs need to be completed! When I was in college, when love came knocking my heart, I wrote poems again. Simple romantic poems I guess… when there was a paper on poems, I knew I’m going to enjoy them. From then on, I learn a lot about poems. Sometimes, there were certain poems that very difficult to analyze. 

     I realized the beauty of poems and they opened my eyes to see what happened around the world in different ages! I once dreamed to be a poet. A poet for myself. May be I can be one day. I know it’s impossible to be like Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Shirley Lim or Hilary Tham. I just want to write about me, my family and the journey I had in my life. May ALL S.W.T bless all us. Amiin.

    

   

Literature... Experience Though Inspiration

      Dear friends, do you all still remember our assignment, EDU 3209 Literature In English Teaching Materials with Dr.Jayakaran during Semester 6? i do hope so. The title of the assignment was "Discuss the problems teachers face when trying to teach poems in the literature component." It is really puzzling for me!
      First, I have to reacall my teaching experience. I am a primary school teacher with 8 years teaching experience. The literature compenent has been introduce to the students of year 4,5 and 6. Literature is used in the language classroom in a single period every week in primary schools. The term literature is indeed broad and it does include rhymes and other literary materials that are used to teach language. Indeed, it was enjoyable to excellent students but for the low proficiency students, they just learn it as an ordinary lesson with nothing to enjoy.
      Secondly,i have to have a closer look at the Malaysian syllabus for the literature component that will reveal the purpose of incorporating literature into the language classroom. One of the purpose are to create awareness and understanding of content, issues and cultures. One big challenge, however, is for us to find ways to make the language, content, issues and culture accessible to learners with poor proficiency.
      I strongly advocate the teaching of literature. I am glad that we have a literature component in the language paper at both the primary and secondary school levels. Teachers seem to be getting comfortable with the idea of teaching literary texts in the language classroom. However, we have not seen of any findings from research conducted by the Ministry of Education on the implementation of the literature programmes at both the primary and secondary school levels. Through literature, they widen knowledge, see the other side of the world, understand people and perhaps learn a good lesson through literature.

MY CONCERN

HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANT BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY

                When I was in Semester 6, in EDU3214 Teaching The language Of Short Stories, we were assigned to discuss the characterization of one the listed short stories given by Dr Edwin. I always admire him for his widest knowledge and experience. To be one of his students was a great opportunity for me.

He had listed 8 stories altogether. At first, I don’t know which is the best or the simplest story for me. As a PJJ student, time is very consuming. After I have read all the stories, then I knew that this is the story. Again, the story I chose is about woman and decision she that she make for her future.

The story is about a young couple but they are not married and the polemic issue of abortion. Though the word ‘abortion’ is nowhere in the story, it is doubtlessly understood through Hemmingway’s powerful use of two literary elements, setting and symbolism. The story defines a two-part theme. The first is a commentary about the way selfishness can corrupt a relationship. The second comments on life and what it means to bear life. Though the setting is heavily symbolic, and characters are drawn mostly in dialogue, both are strongly evocative of the theme.   

Everyday people make decisions that affect their future lives. The man wants the girl to do the abortion while the girl is not sure. The tension between the two is almost as sizzling as the heat of the Spanish sun. Conflict is created through dialogue as these characters face what most readers believe to be the obstacle of an unexpected pregnancy.

From the man’s point of view, the hills don’t look like white elephants, and the hills certainly don’t have skins. The girl, however, have move away from the rational world of the man and into her own world of the intuition, in which she seemingly knows that the things that she desires will never fulfilled. This insight is best illustrated when she look across the river and sees fields of fertile grain and the river, the fertility of the land, contrasted to the barren sterility of the hills like the white elephants. She, of course, desires the beauty, loveliness, and fertility of the fields of grain, but she knows that she has to be content with the barren sterility of an imminent abortion and the continued presence of a man who is an inadequate. What she will ultimately do is beyond the scope of the story.

                During the very short exchanges between the man and the girl, she changes from someone who is completely dependent upon the man to someone who is surer of herself and more aware of what to expect from him. At the end of their conversation, she takes control of herself and of the situation: She no longer acts in her former childlike way. She tells the man to please shut up and note that the word “please” is repeated seven times, indicating that she is overwhelmingly tired of his hypocrisy and his continual harping on the same subject.  

               Actually, deep in my heart I am very concern of these phenomena. The pregnancies out of wedlock and abortions among teenagers are our critical social ills nowadays. As a muslim, a teacher, a woman and a mother, I always pray to ALLAH S.W.T that all of us will be always protected by HIM. Amiin…

The Courage of a Young Girl

            I need courage in life. This amazing short story, A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett really provides me with courage and motivation to go on in this life. For me, it is a simple but perfect story about women spirit.

I admired Sylvia for her courage towards protecting nature. I admired her for winning her battle of inner conflict between nature and man’s love. I respected her decision for rejecting materials rather than scarifying the innocent heron.

 I found myself almost constantly relating to young Sylvia as I was in my childhood as I was born and raised in a small village. Sylvia’s spirit, care-free attitude and apparent lack of anything stressful really takes me back to a place that I wish I could stay forever.

Sylvia proved to be much more intelligent and mature than the average nine year old girl. She was indeed satisfied with her decision. Sylvia chooses to preserve the forest's inhabitants over possibly having her amorous emotions returned. In Sylvia’s choosing the heron over the masculine psyche is indeed a proof of remain loyal to nature is really worth it.

                As a teacher, we must encourage our students to love nature, be brave and strong. Encourage them to protect our nature for next generations to live in better world.