The Planners (Boey Kim Cheng) Flashcards
“They plan. They build” [2]
Caesura: Full stops along with mono-syllabic words suggest a robotic, emotionless feel.
Full-stops break the fluidity of the poem, which is perhaps what Cheng wants– a break in the fast pace of development; but yet it continues
“permutations of possibilities” [2]
Alliterative impact gives across a nimble, light sound that suggests the quick pace of development.
Also, permutation has mathematical connotations of forced arrangement; forced development. Doesn’t say something similar to ‘vast array’ of possibilities, he says ‘permutations’, as if it’s endless, but it’s all in a fixed arrangement it’s already decided, designated
“gridded”, “alignment”, “mathetmatics” [1]
Use of technical terminology creates a semantic field of math – gives an emotionless, characterless feeling of pure precision and mechanisation–almost lifeless
“grace of mathematics” [2]
Juxtaposition
Grace=elegant movements, but those that allow space for creative thinking, liberty, freedom and passion.
Contrasted with the word mathematics–restrictive and suppressive; there’s a fixed set of rules that everybody has to live by-there is no room for creative license.
Suggests that in this seemingly perfect, precise environment, there is an overpowering air of suppression and confinement.
“even the sea draws back and the skies surrender” [2]
Personification: even nature–something that’s usually self-sufficient, untamed and vast–has receded and succumbed to inevitable progress and development.
Hyperbole exemplifies the vast, immense impact the planners have; even nature is afraid of them and submits/abdicates to development
Skies surrender= sibilance.
Flows smoothly. Development has nothing to deter it; the power of development is such that it forces even the skies to surrender without hesitation or question; nature has no power to rebel, it has been forced to retreat so smoothly and has been overcome by this inevitable force.
“Knock off useless blocks with dental dexterity” [1]
“dental dexterity”: plosive, alliterative effect–depicts the power of the planners & exemplifies his distaste at the control inflicted by planners
“Gleaming gold” [1]
Alliteration.
Gold=royalty, regality, preciousness, rarity and sense of perfection.
Usually, gleaming=shining. But here he uses it as a negative connotation; the way it’s “gleaming” is almost artificial; this whole development process is artificial; the beauty is artificial and non-existent
“Dental dexterity”, “gleaming gold”, “shining teeth” [2]
Connotations of cleanliness, sterility, calm and collectedness–>gives across a sense of precision & accuracy in the way which the planners destroy the heritage and the past as if the structures are flaws like rotting teeth.
We give dentists control over our teeth, not even questioning them. Similarly, these planners have full control of the city and nobody, not even nature, has the will to question them. We have all become numb to our surroundings.
“Anaesthesia”, “amnesia”, “hypnosis” [3]
Rule of three
Anaesthesia: numbs the pain, makes the citizens succumb to the development because they obscure the blemishes, the reality is being suppressed
Amnesia: detachment to sentimentality and feeling; they have lost their previous feelings and are forcefully made to remember development in a positive light
Hypnosis: citizens are manipulated into viewing this as seemingly perfect; yet they cannot see past this into the reality and the far-reaching implications of the planners’ actions
3 interpretations of ‘anaesthesia’, ‘amnesia’, ‘hypnosis’ [3]
- all fool the brain into seeing things as if they are perfect; development has changed the way we think and cheng is obviously critical of this change
- connotations of plastic surgery–>remodeling one’s aspects
- pain+loss has been covered up, but cheng will always feel pain+loss at this
“They have the means, they have it all so it will not hurt,” [1]
The planners have the ability to force the citizens into a false sense of perfection so “it will not hurt”
“The drilling goes right through the fossils of last century” [2]
Drilling: onomatopoeia-sound effect of demolition and destruction. Progress is ingrained in our minds; it is inevitable. We will watch it continue with no sense of control, and it will continue until it has completely erased the past.
Fossils: this was our only connection with the past. Planners have devastated this too. By destroying our interpretation of the past, we are likely to repeat the same mistakes and we have no model to learn from.
“But my heart would not bleed poetry.” [1]
Due to this development and progression, the poet cannot express his emotions through poetic form. The planners have rendered him devoid of any inspiration.
He cannot even lament this development (i.e. bleed) because he has no means of doing so as his imagination and creativity have been suppressed through the false sense of perfection created by the planners.
“poetry. Not a single drop.” [1]
Caesura: sudden, abrupt feeling. This continual flow of inevitable and destructive development needs to be terminated. He currently does not have the means to do so, but someone must.
“To stain the blueprint of our past’s tomorrow” [3]
Blueprint: something that’s already been created & planned for the future. Planners already have a list of things to do and it will never end; he cannot do anything to stop this because “they have the means” to “suppress the pain”
-past’s tomorrow: oxymoron. We already reside in the future; there is almost no present (and no past, just future)
-past’s tomorrow=today. Yet, he does not want to destroy the present through this poem so he accepts it and moves on.
