Analyzing Poem

This is the analysis of a poem entitled "The Son is in Secondary School" by Affian Sa'at which my LA teacher told us to do so in the Term 2 Online Home Learning. The poem was about the author’s feelings and thoughts about his schooldays and he gave us an imaginary and some views about his schooldays through this poem. There are no rhyming appear in the poem, it was in free verse. The analysis is as below:

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

In this stanza, he was talking about his badge what it symbolize and what it represents. “Or something” he wrote was just to tell us that he doesn’t really care what it means or its purposes back in the old days in school.

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

This stanza described what occurs when he was singing the National Anthem where crows flying by above the sky and somehow distract him. This stanza also gave us a clear view about the place they have their flag raising which was outdoor and under the sky where crows passed by.

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

In this stanza, he was saying that his shoes was indeed not maintained as clean as it had to be all time on that single day. And there must be something happened as always that was unnecessary behind that specific day that drove his him mad and of course his shoes, Thrashed!

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

He was talking about the scouts in his days.

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

He describes about the chauffeurs waiting for his classmates while chatting to each other. This probably also stated that his classmates was fortunate to have chauffeur fetched them home everyday unlike him.

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

In this sixth stanza, he was telling us about his Mathematics and how difficult he think it was during his schooldays as he said the question was “unreasonable”.

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

He was telling probably a joke to that his teacher wore sarong kebaya and sang Bangawan Solo which was the Malay culture during Chinese New Year. Or indeed this was a mistake done by his teacher (not feasible).

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

This eighth stanza was telling us that the capital of Singapore is Singapore.

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

His best friend was courageous enough to have the guts to shade the same answers in the Chinese Language Multiple-choice paper. This also shows that the friends he mixed with was quite mischievous in their behaving. And this probably reflects himself in his schooldays.

In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

In this three stanzas as well as the last three stanzas was telling us about his unfortunate experience in his schooldays and it was recorded in his school’s annual yearbook. And he was quite happy of that unlucky to him again, his eyes were closed when the picture was caught!