LEISURE

Synopsis The poem Leisure by William Henry Davies is about life. Life can be hectic sometimes. However, we must make time
top enjoy life. Slowing down to enjoy nature is a way to live life meaningfully. Leisure, or free time, is time spent away
from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such
as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education. Paraphrase of the poemThe poem Leisure is divided into seven
rhyming couplets. Couplet 1:

The poet, W. H. Davies, begins by questioning the purpose of a life which is so full of worry that it does not allow us
any time to simply stand still and watch the world go by.

In the next few couplets, he describes the various things that people are not able to do due to lack of leisure.

Couplet 2:

Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open fields and staring into a distance. People living a busy life
would not posses the leisure to stand under the branches of trees and keep staring into space.

Couplet 3:

W. H. Davies further adds that when such people pass a forest or a woodland, they would be in too much of a hurry to
notice the nooks and crannies in the grass where squirrels conceal their nuts. They would not posses the leisure to
notice the various aspects of the natural world around them.

Couplet 4:

In daylight, streams appear to be sparkling under the effect of sunshine making it seem as if the streams are full of
stars like the night sky. However, such beauties of nature are likely to be missed by people overburdened by anxiety
and living a life of haste without any leisure.

Couplets 5 and 6:

The poet states that the rush of life provides people with no leisure to turn at the glance of a beautiful girl and marvel at
her dancing feet.They are unable to leisurely observe her as her mouth shapes out a smile that started from her eyes.

Couplet 7:
In the final couplet states that a life which is so bogged down by worry that it allows one no time for leisure is indeed a miserable
life. It means that we have a poor life if we have no time to relax physically or mentally. Summary

Life should not be about working so much that we have no time to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. We are so
caught up in our work routine and mundane schedule that we do not know how to break away. We should slow down
and take a look at things around us because life goes by fast and we do not want to miss a thing. Sometimes, the mind
should be free of work stress so that we can we enjoy the beauty of the little pleasures of life. We all get so caught up
in the ways of the world that we become emotionally blind to what is going on. We are not alert of our surroundings.
We focus so much on the things that bring us trouble and not enough time on what makes us happy. Life becomes
meaningless if we do not learn to set aside time for ourselves and our families.

Setting

Set in the countryside

Persona wonders why man i s so busy that he lets life to pass him by and does not make any attempt to appreciate
nature.

Imagery

stream full of stars gives the picture of a stream shimmering under the sun.

Beauty has feet, how they can dance and enrich that smile gives the picture of a beautiful, graceful woman.

Simile

And stare as long as sheep or cows

Like stars at night

Themes

We should take time off from our daily work to enjoy nature.

Nature has many beautiful things that we can appreciate if we take the trouble and time.

Learn to relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of life.

Learn to observe the little and beautiful things around us.

Enrich and expand our minds with the beauty of nature.

Moral values

We need to take advantage of our free time to live a better lifestyle.

We should use leisure creatively to strengthen our minds and hearts.

We should take note of the beautiful things around us.

Enrich and expand our minds with the beauty of nature.

Practice 1 1.Who is the persona in the poem? 2.What does he think of life today as is mentioned in the first stanza?
Practice 2 1. Explain the phrase stand and stare. 2. Why is the phrase stand and stare repeated in the first and last stanza?
Practice 3 1. In the second stanza, what do we fail to do? 2. Explain the imagery of streams full of stars. Practice 4 1. Why do we
fail to see when we pass the woods. 2. Why do you think the persona mentions sheep or cows? Practice 5 1. How is Beauty
personified? 2. Why do you think the persona describes life today as poor?
Leisure is a simple yet beautiful and thought provoking poem written by William Henry Davies (W. H. Davies) . In this poem, the
poet wonders whether it is worth leading a life which provides one with no time for leisure.

The poem Leisure is divided into seven rhyming couplets.

 Couplet 1:

The poet, W. H. Davies, begins by questioning the purpose of a life which is so full of worry that it does not allow us any time to
simply stand still and watch the world go by.

In the next few couplets, he describes the various things that people are not able to do due to lack of leisure.

Couplet 2:

Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open fields and
staring into a distance. People living a busy life would not posses the leisure to stand under the branches of trees and keep
gazing on and on like such ruminants.

Couplet 3:

W. H. Davies further adds that when such people pass a forest or a woodland, they would be in too much of a hurry to notice
the nooks and crannies in the grass where squirrels conceal their nuts. They would not posses the leisure to notice the various
aspects of the natural world around them.

Couplet 4:

In daylight, streams appear to be sparkling under the effect of sunshine making it seem as if the streams are full of stars like the
night sky. However, such beauties of nature are likely to be missed by people overburdened by anxiety and living a life of haste
without any leisure, remarks W.H. Davies.

Couplets 5 and 6:

There are two ways of looking at the fifth and sixth couplets of the poem: literally and metaphorically.

Looking at it literally- The poet states that the rush of life provides people with no leisure to turn at the glance of a beautiful
maiden and marvel at her dancing feet.

They are unable to leisurely observe her as her mouth shapes out a smile that started from her eyes.

Looking at it metaphorically- W.H. Davies has personified the beauty of the world around us which many often fail to observe
due to a lack of leisure. The dancing feet and enchanting smile refers to various aspects of the beauty around us.

Couplet 7:

In the final couplet of the poem, Davies states that a life which is so bogged down by worry that it allows one no time for leisure
is indeed a miserable life. If you read the first couplet of Leisure carefully, you will notice that although it ends with a full stop,
(and is hence in the form of a statement) it can also be interpreted as a question asked by the poet. In that case, the final couplet
can be seen as W. H. Davies answer to his own question.
THE FIGHTERS LINE
Marzuki Ali

This poem talks about the feeling of a retired soldier who had fought for the countrys independence. This poem is looking from
the first person point of view who is a retired soldier as the poem uses the pronoun I , as seen in the stanza 1. In this stanza, the
persona says that he is old and worn and has no energy. From this Stanza, we know that the persona once had become a
soldier and he had suffered a lot to free the country from invaders. Many lives had been sacrificed to fight for our independence.
At that time, they fought with all of their will.
Consequently, he is wheelchair bound. Due to the loss of energy and the fact that he is now old, he has enough energy to only
be able to sit on the wheelchair. This is portrayed in Stanza 2. After years of independence, the persona sees that the people are
trying to destroy themselves by indulging into the world full of lies. Now, there is nothing much he can do as how he did beforeprotect the country. This is shown in the lines:
see and cannot do much
these times are too big a challenge
for the remnants of my crippled years
the net of deceit spread everywhere
disturb me
In stanza 3, the persona calls out to the younger generation to stand up and protect the country. Due to the spreading of lies, he
now urges new generation to speak out their opinions and fight for their freedom. He tells us in order to fight for our freedom, first
we have to be united, erect a wall of people and fight for the sake of our nations harmony.
Synopsis
Our ancestors worked very hard for independence. Many died for the country. In the midst of struggling for independence, he
was injured and now he is wheelchair bound. He was strong then. However, the challenges facing the country are far greater
than before. He is unable to fight it now. He has no more power to control or change anything although he has a strong will. Due
to his strong will and in the spirit of patriotism, he urges the youngsters to see the truth and not drown in sea of lies. He stresses
here that if we, as the younger generation cannot find the way to stop the dishonesties and lies we are putting our countrys fate
in danger as this dishonesties can actually shake the stability of our country. As the persona feels helpless, he wants the younger
generation to come forward and fight in the name of justice.
Setting
In this poem, there are two settings. First is in an independent country- independent of colonial rule and any foreign control. This
is shown by the line, and the history of the fight for independence have forced sacrifices that know no name or life. The word
history tells us that the persona is reflecting the past. The second setting is an old man sitting on a wheelchair inside his abodehome where he sits and ponders on the days problems. This is shown in Stanza 2 (Line 1), from the wheelchair of the rest of
my days.
Theme
The important theme in this poem is patriotism. The personas experience of being a soldier; fighting with the enemies and going
through hardships has made him a person who loves his country. But now he is old and disabled and cannot do much to free his
country from current challenges. Due to his patriotism he cannot bear to see the country sink in the sea of lies, he urges the

young to fight for it. He urges the younger generation to unite in spite of their differences and speak out the inequalities and
dishonesties in the community so much so that the freedom retains.
Tones
The persona voices out his hopes through various tones. There are three different tones in the poem. In Stanzas 1 and 2, the
persona enhances the tone of frustration as he shares his disabilities and weariness of not being able to fight for the country
anymore. They are shown through the line, I am old and worn. Apart from that, the line from the wheelchair of the rest of my
days , stresses his disability and leads him to feel frustrated. He shows the tone of disappointment as he talks about the deceits
that have spread everywhere as what he says in the line, the net of deceit spread everywhere disturbs me. He also feels
disappointed as he and his friends have fought so hard but now people themselves are creating problems due to greed and
deceit. His tone changes dramatically as in Stanzas 3 and 4, he goes from frustration and disappointment to hopefulness. He
eagerly urges the new generation to stand up and rid of their fear of voicing out their opinions as stated in the line, In the name
of justice wake up and form ranks sons of our ancestor and Be brave. At the same time, he also stresses on the needs for the
younger generation to be united and seek for their freedom as he clearly states in his lines, And erect a wall of people and
Stand up heirs of our freedom.

Symbols
A few symbols are highlighted in the poem. First is the wheelchair that connotes disability. The wheelchair symbolises the
sacrifices for the country-the hardships he went through for the sake of achieving the countrys independence. Although, he is
now wheelchair bound, he still has the will and determination to awaken the younger generation from their long sleep on how
important it is to retain the independence achieved from the sacrifices made by the older generation like him. Another symbol in
the poem is a wall of people. It symbolises unity of the people. In this poem, it refers to a need for the younger generation to
unite themselves regardless of race, skin colour or background to speak and not to be influenced by the deceits being spread. It
is also important for the younger generation to erect a wall of people to retain the independence achieved.
Metaphor
One major literary device used in this poem is metaphor. A metaphor is comparison made between two things without the use of
words such as like or as. In this poem, we can see there are two examples of metaphor. In Stanza 2 (Line 6), the persona uses
the net of deceit where he voices out problems encountered by the younger generation. The modern generation deceives each
other and how the deceit is being spread- it is widespread just like a fishing net that spreads out when cast into the sea. The next
metaphor is as in the Stanza 3 (Line 4), a wall of people where the persona feels that the people need to be united and become
like the concrete wall to counter any challenges met.
Moral Values
Whether we are young or old, we must fight for our country. We may be physically handicapped but we can still contribute as we
can be alert mentally. We must value the issues of human rights that our ancestors have fought for.
Discussion

The poem implied that our country Malaysia comprises a variety of races, religions and beliefs. Dishonesties and lies can be the
viruses that could destroy our unity and peace. The new generation is urged to form a wall of unity regardless of our differences
and stand together as a family to retain our freedom. Apart from that, to retain our countrys independence, we must be brave to
uphold justice. We must be brave to seek the truth and only then we can make a path to a better future.

Synopsis of the poem

The persona in the poem is an old soldier. He is tired as he is old and weak. He and his people suffered in the past in their fight
for freedom of their country and they made many sacrifices. People lost their lives and some remain nameless or unknown.
The persona, who believes that he will be in the wheelchair for the rest his life says he can only watch the happenings around
him. Physically, he is helpless and he has no energy left. He was either seriously injured when he was a soldier or is very ill. He
finds that times have changed and being a crippled man, it is too challenging for him to fight the injustice he sees around him. He
is troubled by many lies being told everywhere.
Being highly spirited, he calls on the younger generation to wake up and fight on. They have to realise that they have to form
lines or ranks irrespective of racial, religious and social differences to fight courageously for justice. He wants the young people
who inherited the country's freedom to be united and denounce lies which may threaten the country.
The persona feels helpless that he is not heard. He urges the younger generation to fight or speak up for what is right because it
is now their turn to do so.
The Setting
The poem is set after independence. The persona feels that the independence he has struggled for is now threatened by
subversive elements.

Tone and mood

In the first stanza, the tone indicates that the persona is sad and weary because he is old and weak. The persona is also
melancholic, reflecting on his past sacrifices he made for the country's independence.
In the second stanza, the persona voices his helplessness, anger and contempt because his country is facing threats.
The tone used in the third stanza is serious and demanding. The persona urges the present generation to form a united front to
uphold the freedom that he and many others has fought for.
The persona ends by insisting that the younger generation continues to fight against injustice because he can no longer do so.
Themes
1. Patriotism
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.

2. Being courageous
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.

3. Unity
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".

Values
1. We must be brave to uphold 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.

2. We must be willing to make sacrifices to preserve our independence.

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.
3. 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.

Stanza 1:
The poet once had become a soldier and he had suffered a lot to fight for independence from invaders.
Stanza 2:
During that time, they fought with all of their will and as the consequences now he is wheelchair bound due to the loss of energy
and he is now old enough to only be able to sit on the while writing this poem. After years of independent, the poet sees that the
people trying to destroy themselves by engulfing into the world full of lies. The poet says that there is nothing much he can do as
these times are too challenging.
Stanza 3:
The poet now urges new generation to fight for their freedom. First we have to be united regardless of our races or religions and
fight for the sake of our nations country.
Stanza 4:
The poet also claims that he cannot affect others to fight for freedom as he is old and has no will to protect the country and it is
the responsibility of the young ones to speak out their opinions.

Analysis of poem
[I Wonder by Jeannie Kirby]
Literal meaning

A child is wondering about the natural happenings, asking why the grass is green (instead of the other colours) and why the wind
is invisible. He or she continues to ponder the person who teaches the birds to build nest and the trees stop growing. He or she
also wonders when the moon is in crescent shape, where the other part of the moon is.
He or she proceeds to question about the person who makes the stars shining and how the lightning flash about. He or she
keeps on asking who colours the rainbow and puts the clouds high in sky. He or she cannot get the answers, thus, directs the
questions to the other. Lastly, the child wonders why father doesnt tell him or her if he knows the answers.
Persona(Speaker)
-a naive child
Point of view
-First person (I Wonder)
Setting
-Day to night, outdoor
Theme
-Curiosity
-The Power of Creator
Structure
-6 stanzas (6 couplets)
Rhyme Scheme
-regular (aa bb cc dd ee)
Tone
-questioning, curiosity
Mood
-reflective
Language
-simple, Wh-words/questions
Imagery
-nature (grass, wind, bird, moon, stars, lightning, rainbow, clouds)
Poetic Devices
-Personification ("trees...take a rest")
-Alliteration ("grass is green", "birds to build")
Moral Values
-We should be observant and sensitive to out surroundings
-We should always cultivate a sense of wonder in our heart
-We should appreciate and take care of the nature created by our Creator
#Bite Eng's Review
Reading through the poem, the questions are those common questions asked by most children. These questions are identical to
our questions that we asked when we were child. For example, "Why the sky and sea are blue?", "Why I can smell it but can't
touch it?", "Why we grow taller each day", "Can I pluck the shining star?", "Why the sky is bright during daytime and yet dark at
night?", etc. Most children are curious in nature. Adults might find their questions naive and funny. However, the sense of wonder
is essential as the motivation to drive them to seek for the answer. With the questions in mind, their curiosity urges them on
finding the solution. Thus, they are those scientists-to-be, doctors-to-be, geologists-to-be, astronomers-to-be, teachers-to-be, etc.

Thus, the message here is to cultivate the sense of wonder in our children's heart and avoid killing their interest to know about
their surroundings.
Reading the questions posed, effort is made to answer the questions:
I wonder why the grass is green, (The grass has chlorophyll which is green pigment.)
And why the wind is never seen? (The wind is moving air [gas] which cannot be seen.)
Who taught the birds to build a nest,
And told the trees to take a rest? (Our creator of nature did that.)
And when the moon is not quite round,
Where can the missing bit be found?
(We have Phases of moon. As the moon circles the Earth, its shape seems to change depending on the sunlight.)
Who lights the stars, when they blow out,
And makes the lightning flash about? (Again, our creator of nature did that.)
Who paints the rainbow in the sky,
And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?
(These are the art of work done by our creator of nature.)
Why is it now, do you suppose,
That Dad wont tell me if he knows?
(Our Father..Almighty Lord would want us to be self-aware and able to appreciate his hard work.)
The message is that Our Father (The Creator) is almighty. We, as human being, are naive to understand the hard work done by
Him. Instead of asking Him for answers for our doubts, we are obliged to carry on our mission to seek and gain the borderless
knowledge and message conveyed by Our Father. Our Father may not give the whole knowledge directly, but He will guide us.
One day, we will be enlightened with His knowledge for us.

I WONDER BY JEANNIE KIRBY

Iwonderwhythegrassisgreen,Andwhythewindisneverseen?
The poet questions on why the color of the grass is green but not theother colors. In this world we have so many colors like blue, yellowand gray. However, we
can only see green as the color of the grassthroughout the Earth. The poet also questions on why is the windcannot be seen. As human, we can feel things via
the sense of touchthrough contacts made with our skin. Nevertheless, we cannot seethe wind although we can feel it on our skin
O
, when the moon is not quite around,Where can the missing bit be found?
We all know that the moon is round in shape. However,sometimes the moon loses its shape and become half orthree quarter of its real
shape. The poet is curious onwhere would the other parts of the moon have gone to.
Who taught the birds to build a nest,And told the trees to take a rest?
In the first line, the poet wonders who gave the birds theknowledge to build such a perfect nest to live on. This isbecause; most
birds build their own nest for their littleones and for them to live. As compared to animals, humanneed to be taught to learn some
skills or abilities. Thesecond line shows the curiosity of the poet on the treesthat don t move like other living things.

Who lights the stars, when they blow out,And makes the lightning flash about?
The stars always appear at night but disappear as themorning comes. This occurrence makes the poet to thinkthat there is a
person who light up the stars as the nightcomes and the lightning flash in the night sky.
Who paints the rainbow in the sky,And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?
Rainbow is the combination of 7 lines that appears in 7colors after the rain stops. The poet is curious on howwould the rainbow
appear in the sky. Looking at therainbow also makes the poet to question about the cloudslocated up in the sky that looks like
they are hanging.
Why is it now, do you suppose,That Dad wont tell me, if he knows?
The poet is wondering on why his father refuses to explainall the questions above. This is maybe because of the poetis too small
to understand all the consequences thathappen naturally in this world.
MoralValue

We should appreciate the wonders andmysteries of nature.

We can learn a lot of things simply byobserving and asking questions.

We should not feel ashamed to admit thatwe do not know things because no oneknows everything.

We must hunger for knowledge the way achild does.

Heir conditioning
Basically, the poem above was composed by our very own writer from Malaysia who named as M Shanmughalingam. The poem
is a question which also came with an answer yet it is hard to discern by the readers. The first stanza of the poem was reviewed
as a child who is puzzled and inquisitive about how was it for their grandparents to live in the time when there was no modern
facilities. The stanza two is the part when the grandparents finally answer the earlier question. The grandparents then tell that
although there was no modern facilities to help them do all things easier, they did not have to fear the pollutions, deforestation
and traffic jams. Since the world has becoming more and more advanced by day, money has become the major tool that controls
the world the writer symbolized it as God.

HEIR CONDITIONING : ELEMENTS OF THE POEM

SETTING
The poem is written in a twentieth century setting as there are references to modern gadgets such as air cons and faxes. The
problems mentioned in the poem also allude to current problems faced by today generation. These include stress, pollution and
traffic jams. The dialogue could have taken place in the living room or any place that allow two parties to discuss certain issues.
PERSONA
There are two personas in the poem. They are the grandparents and the grandchild.
THEMES
The poem is concerned about the price one has to pay for progress. With the development, one has to face many problems that
can affect the quality of life. The younger generation has to face greater challenges in life because they have many wants. The
poet highlights the challenges in the present world and attributes them to our own greed and materialistic ways.
MORAL VALUES
1.We must love our environment.

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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

We must be God-fearing.
We must not be greedy and materialistic.
We must use our knowledge for our own good.
We must be grateful with what we have.
Progress and development bring about advantages and disadvantages.
Present days values are different from yesterday.
Greed can lead to destruction.
The younger generation has different values.
Preserve the environment.
We must pay a high price for development.
TONE AND MOOD
The tone is matter-of-fact and honest. The grandchild poses the questions honestly and directly to the grandfather. The
grandchild asks questions in an innocent and nave tone did you,was itwerent youCould you The grandfather
explains and answers in a firm and serious tone , the voice of someone scolding, preaching and teaching an ignorant person.
(we did not ). However in the last two lines we could sense that the grandfather is unhappy with the present generation as
they have become more materialistic in life and their values have changed.
STRUCTURE, STYLE AND LANGUAGE
The poem is written in free verse. It does not have a fixed rhyme scheme and it consists of two stanzas. The poem is presented
as a dialogue between grandchild and his grandparents. Stanza 1 consists of four questions. Stanza 2 consists of grandparents
answers.
The diction consists of common words such as breathe and communicate. An example of alliteration used in Stanza 1,
Grandma werent you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans? Figurative language such as ignorance and money is your new
God. The title refers to the younger generation who inherits the world today and how they must act responsibly.

Heir Conditioning
Grand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented? was it hard staying alive without modern inventions? Grandma
weren't you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans? could you communicate before faxes and long distance calls became
basic necessities?
Grandchild we lived before your age. Because of our ignorance, we did not know pollution, stress, traffic jams destruction of
forests, streams and hills we feared God and nature now nature fears you and money is your new God.
The Poet: M SHANmughalingam

Studied at the Victoria Institute School, Malaysia from 1952-58.

Holds an Honours degree from University Malaya, a Masters from Harvard and a Doctorate from Oxford University.

Literary publications include short stories and poems in Commonwealth Anthologies, International anthologies,
universities and in national literary journals.

He is the co-editor of an anthology of Malaysian poetry.

Has always been active in the debating, literary and drama fields.

Summary

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The poem talks about the differences on the ways of living of two different generations.

The poet uses an interesting way of a question and answer session between a grandchild and his/her grandparents.

The child questions his/her grandparents on how they could live without all the necessities they todays generation
could not live without such as air cons, fans, faxes and telephones.

The grandparents replay one after another that even though the necessities were not yet invented to comfort them,
they could live in comfort as their life were free from pollution, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forests, streams and
hills.

They warn their child that there is a price to pay when they do not fear God and appreciate nature. They have made
money as their God and nature fears them because of the rapid pace of development and the destruction of the
beautiful environment.

Theme
1. Technology Brings More Harm

It may seem that we are living in comfort with all the technology that keeps on improving, but we do not realize the
harms that the technology has brought us.

The grandchild thinks that it is impossible for their grandparents to live in comfort with the help of technology. The child
does not realise that because of the technology itself, the world becomes hotter and that is the reason why some
technologies are created to blind humans with the fake comfort that the technologies bring them. For example, electric
fans and air cons.

Technological advancements have other setbacks such us pollution, stress, traffic jams, and destruction of forests,
rivers and hills.

2. Fear

The older generations were God-fearing people and respected His creation nature.

However, todays generation does not fear God. On the contrary the poet says that now nature fears you and money
is your new God.

This indicates that the younger generation has become more materialistic.

They do not care for nature but gives priority to riches and money rather than practicing good values such as
preserving Gods creation.

3. Importance of Preserving Nature

God created nature to preserve life.

In stanza 2, the poet gives the consequences of not preserving nature

-pollution, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forest, streams and hills.

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Humans seem not to aware that the more pollution they make, the more they need to preserve the nature.

In paving the way for development, forest and hills have been destroyed and streams have been polluted. This has
destroyed the natural habitat of many species of animals and plants which help to retain balance in our ecosystem.

Moral Values
1. Appreciate Nature

Stanza 2 in the poem conveys a strong message regarding appreciating nature.

The poet reminds us that during our grandparents time, they believed what goes around comes around they took
care of nature.

They believed that everything in nature was created by God. Therefore, if one

appreciated and respected Gods gifts to mankind, the returns would be bountiful.

However, since the dawn of modern inventions, lifestyles and priorities have changed. As the poet points out, now
nature fears you and money is your God. This shows that the present generation does not care and appreciate
nature. In fact, they have become more materialistic and believe that money and riches are more important.

In turn, nature has suffered due to their lackadaisical (unconcerned/ laid back) attitude. Today, the destruction of forest,
streams and hills have shaken the balance in living cycles. As a result, we are faced with problems such as pollution,
stress, and traffic jams.

2. Respect and Love

Through the question and answer session, we know that there is mutual respect and love in this family. The
grandparents show patience to their grandchild by answering his questions.

At the same time they also make attempts to educate and warn him of the dangers of modern inventions to the
environment and about having good values and lifestyle.

3. Believe in God

The poet reminds us that todays younger generation is too preoccupied with making money and maintaining a certain
standard of lifestyle and status.

They tend to be extravagant. Such emphasis on material things has made them forget God.

Thus, they do not fear God. Their need to believe in God is slowly waning (fading/weakening) as other objects and
material things become more important.

Tone and Mood

This poem interestingly conveys two tones and moods.

In the first stanza, the tone is curiosity where the grandchild inquisitively seeks answers to his questions.

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In the second stanza, the tone and mood is more serious. Here the poet uses this tone and mood because he wants to
show the impact of Mans actions on the environment as a result of using modern inventions.

Structure and Style

The poet uses a free verse style of writing.

The poem is written in two stanzas. There are 9 lines in Stanza 1 and Stanza 2 has 10 lines.

The poet does not use any rhyming words or couplets. Generally, the poet has employed a light and easy conventional
style in writing Heir Conditioning.

In Stanza 1, the poet uses many questions to portray a childs inquisitiveness about his surroundings. In stanza 2, the
responses given by his grandfather cast gravity and imply the seriousness of modern inventions to the environment.

Literary Devices
1. Heir or Air

The most striking literary device in this poem is the use of a pun. A pun refers to a word or phrase that has been used
in an amusing way to convey meaning.

They usually have the same sound but convey different meanings. In this poem, the word heir which also sounds
like air shows the poets ingenuity in playing with words.

By using this word, the poet reminds us that by using modern inventions such as air conditioners, we are leaving our
heirs, the future generation, a world that will be plagued with environmental problems.

2. Lifes Irony

The poem shows us an example of lifes irony.

We wish that the modern inventions mentioned in the poem such as fans, air conditioners, faxes, and telephones
would make life easy. However, modern inventions have also brought with it new problems such as stress, traffic jams
and pollution.

3. Contrast

Contrast in this poem refers to showing the differences between ideas, situations and people of different generations.

The poet makes a comparison between the past and present. The first contrast is in Mans beliefs. The poet points out
that our forefathers feared God and nature. In contrast, the younger generation has turned things around so much
that now

nature fears you and money is your new god.

The second contrast is with regards to basic necessities. In the past, our elders used simple things such as paper fans.
Today, modern inventions, through considered basic necessities, have brought about many changes.

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More significant is the negative effects of these inventions on the environments such as pollutions, stress, traffic jams,
destruction of forests, stream and hills.

4. Alliteration

In this poem, there is at least one example of alliteration. Stanza 1 (Lines 5 6) shows the consonant f being
mentioned three times.

Example: Grandma werent you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans?

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