The Planners

Question 1

Summarise the poem

Answer 1

‘The Planners’ have a constant want for perfection and disregard peoples history and culture, leaving the poet uninspired.

Question 2

How does the poem fit into the dystopian genre?

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

Why might have Boey written the poem?

Answer 3

To question ‘The Planners’ control and there desire for perfection.

Question 4

Explore ways in which Boey uses words and images to such powerful effect?

Answer 4

-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.