The Planners Flashcards
Summarise the poem
‘The Planners’ have a constant want for perfection and disregard peoples history and culture, leaving the poet uninspired.
How does the poem fit into the dystopian genre?
The poem suggests ‘The Planners’ cause oppression as they “erase the flaws” and are creating a new history. “Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis” implies that people become numb and suppressed. These are all conventions of the dystopian genre.
Why might have Boey written the poem?
To question ‘The Planners’ control and there desire for perfection.
Explore ways in which Boey uses words and images to such powerful effect?
-Boey criticises the ‘The Planners’ desire for a flawless society and city and paints them as the villain.
-“They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded” . In this phrase, the full stop creates a caesura and emphasises the clear, perfect lines ‘the planners’ value
-The personal pronoun “they” creates an enigma as the audience are wondering who “they” are.
-“The Planners” are so powerful that “even the seas draw back and the skies surrender”
-This metaphor suggests that nature is inferior to ‘the planners’ or perhaps even scared.
-‘The planners’ also “erase the flaws, the blemishes of the past” creating connotations of a dystopian and oppressed society where culture and history is forgotten.
-The extended metaphor of a dentist is suggested throughout the poem , this evokes fear from the reader.
-Boey may have done this to warn people of the tyrannical planners and their reckless disregard for culture and history.