Discussion-5
Anne Ranasinghe highlights cruelty, inhumanity and violence through her poems. Discuss with reference to at least three poems composed by her.
‘On the Beach’ describes a cruel
incident that happened on the beach. It is seen some boys making fun of a puppy
by torturing it on the sand. Though the poem is a simple one to read, there are
multiple layers of meaning. The simple yet disturbing context of
the poem reveals a harsh truth. From an early age, humans have this basic urge
to laugh at someone’s distress. Philosophers across the globe throw light on
this dark side of the human mind and think every human has this inherent dark
side. However, the motive behind writing this poem is to alert young readers
not to indulge in such inhumane acts. On the Beach’ is a poem
written by the Sri Lankan poet Anne Ranasinghe. It concerns how men drive
sadistic pleasure from torturing an innocent. This poem takes place on the
beach in clear daylight. In this poem’s context, three boys and a puppy are
there. Those boys have a rope and a stick to torture that innocence. What is
mere “play” for them, becomes insufferable torture for the innocent animal that
doesn’t even have the ability to yelp. However, the poem ends on a horrid note.
Ranasinghe writes, “They cry let’s/ play/ At burying him/ And then/ They bury
him.” Readers can sense what might have happened with the helpless creature.
This poem is 31 lines long and has uneven
line-length. Some lines describing the plot are
long and some lines are comparably short. Those short lines are meant for
emphasizing the words especially. As an example, in the last section of the
poem, the word “play” stands alone in a line. Here, the poet emphasizes this
word and depicts a symbolic meaning. Apart from that, it is a free verse poem without having any specific rhyme.
The flow of the poem gets maintained by the use of internal rhymings. However,
the poem is mostly composed of iambic feet.
Literary Devices
The poet begins her poem with a metaphor in the phrase, “the crash/ Of
the morning waves.” Thereafter, she uses personifies in the following line.
Here, she personifies the “sunlight”. Anne also uses metonymy in this poem. As an example,
the “rope” is a metonym for torture. Moreover, there is a synecdoche in the line, “And helpless
anger.” Here, the poet presents the abstract idea, “anger” to portray the
helplessly angry creature suffering on the beach. Apart from that, from line 16
to line 18, the poet presents anaphora. There is an allusion to the holocaust in the line,
“The alien years.” The poem ends with the use of alliteration and irony as well.
The poem begins by directly presenting the plot of
the poem that is the sea beach. The use of the words “crash”, “drown”, and
“yelps” create the tone and mood of
the poem. However, in the first section of ‘On the Beach’, the poet
depicts “Three boys, one puppy” and “A rope.” Those boys are torturing the
helpless puppy. As an effect, it yelps haplessly on the beach. However, the
poet ironically says that neither the crashing waves nor the sound of the wind
can drown its yelps. After reading the next few sections of the poem, readers
will get to know that the waves and the wind have drowned its voice.
Whatsoever, this section contains an ironic representation of the cruel act that
happened on the beach. “The sand fills his ears.” In the following section of
the poem, Ranasinghe says that the creature’s agony rips dark holes in the eyes
of the torturers. It means that such a pathetic incident can hurt a person
deeply. Moreover, the poet says the helpless creature twists on the hand of
those boys as they noose the rope tighter. Along with that, they beat the puppy
with a thin stick. Each time the blow strikes harder. This sadistic act does
not stop here. They even throw sand on it until the sand fills its eyes, nose,
and ears.
At the end of the previous section, the poet makes
a personal commentary on what is happening in the poem, ‘On the Beach’.
Here, she dispassionately says though its eyes are filled with tears, the tears
taste salty in her mouth. So, the speaker was also a victim of such an
incident or some other incident like this in the past. For this reason, her
“alien years” have rotted her tongue into immobility. She becomes speechless
whenever she comes across such an action happening in front of her.
However, the speaker says people swim in the sunlit
sea just like it is an ordinary day. They don’t even care what is happening on
the beach. In the last section, Ranasinghe shifts to the act of oppression
mentioned in the first section. After throwing sand on the puppy, the boys say
to each other, “Let’s play.” They don’t even know what they are doing. For
them, it’s just a plaything. At last, they bury the helpless creature alive!
‘On the Beach’ is a poem by Anne
Ranasinghe. She was born in a Jewish family and her name was Anneliese Katz.
During the holocaust, she left Nazi Germany and took shelter at her aunt’s in
England. When World War II broke out her parents got killed by the Nazis.
However, later she moved to Sri Lanka. She established her career there.
Whatsoever, being a victim of the holocaust, the episodes of her life had a
deep impression on her mind. This poem reflects this tension in the poet’s
mind. Moreover, the imaginary plot of the poem depicts the reality of the holocaust
in Nazi Germany. Last but not least, through this poem Ranasinghe describes how
that horrid incident during World War II made the victims cold at heart and
numb at an emotional level. Anne
Ranasinghe(Anneliese Katz) who was a Jewish by birth was born in 1925 in
Germany. She was a victim of Nazi violence against Jewish in Germany. In the
literary world Anne Ranasinghe is known as a holocaust writer. Here in her poem
“At What Dark Point” she brings out the idea of unpredictability of violence in
a more evocative manner.
The poem “At What Dark Point” sets in
a lush and rich almost romantic background with a regular scenery where a
stranger sitting under the Araliya in the poet’s path and twisting the strands
of a rope. At once it brings innocence and beauty in life yet the poet
juxtaposes the idea with sinister and evil dormant. Suddenly the romantic
verdant setting moves into a somber. The mechanical routine of the action has
suddenly been transformed, rousing evil without any volition of the doer. This
is what the poet experienced with a strong sense of genocide, it was her known
world with the people who she had the trust, faith and reliance suddenly
metamorphosed into a mind-boggling horrific world of violence and brutality. It
is her memory of Holocaust that triggers in her mind. The present scenery
evokes her horrific past and inviolate in her consciousness.
“And seeing him sit day after day,
sinister, silence, twisting his rope
to a future purpose of evilness
I sense the charred- wood smell again”
With the innocent action
of the man she was potent with a signal of horror come in. It was the Nazi
attack where humanity was reduced to beasts and there was no possibility of
love and reason. “Animal fear” suggests the fact that hunting for prey. She
smells the burning down of the beautiful synagogue and the blood thirst of the
hunters. Moreover she depicts the picture with a sound effect “echoing thud”
she extends her experience by foregrounding her memory to the human context.
Yet as a whole the poem
conveys the deep pessimism of the poet. Neither the technological achievements
nor cultural facts can safeguard for the primeval instincts of the humans.
At What Dark Point
Every morning I see him
sitting in speckled shade
of blossom laden araliya tree
which I planted many years ago
in my garden, and it branches now
have spread in our lane.
Under my tree in a shadow of silence
he sit, and with log skeletal hands
sorts of strands from a tangle of
juten fibres
and twisting, twisting makes a rope
that grows. And grows. Each day.
Every morning I pass him. He sits
in the golden – haze brightness under
my tree. Sits
on the edge of his silence twisting
his lengthening rope and
watching
me.
And seeing him sit day after day,
sinister, silent, twisting his rope
to a future purpose of evilness
I sense the charred-wood smell again
Stained glass exploding in the flames
( a firework of fractured glass
against the black November sky)
the streets deserted, all doors shut
at twelve o’ clock at night, and
running with animal fear
between high houses shuttered tight
the jackboot ringing hard and clear
while stalking with the lust for
blood.
I can still hear
the ironed heel – its echoing thud-
and still can taste the
cold-winter-taste
of charred-wood-midnight-fear
knowing
that nothing is impossible
that nothing is impossible
that anything is possible
that there is no safety
in words or houses
that boundaries are theoretical
and love is relative
to the choice before you.
I know that anything is impossible
anytime. There is no safety
in poems or music or even in
Philosophy. No safety
in houses or temples
of any faith.
And no one knows
at what dark point the time will come
again
blood and knives, terror and pain
of jackboots and twisted strand of
rope
And the impress of a child’s small
hand
paroxysmic mark on an oven wall
scratched death mark on an oven wall
is my child’s hand.
Some looming clouds of gloom are incrementally enveloping our paradise
isle very vividly and palpably and the writer is compelled to suppose that the
whole nation is at some dark point in her history that has to be arrested at
any cost. At what dark point, we have to be deciphered by the intelligentsia of
the country with the least delay because of the very fact that when the die is
cast the situation would be ‘no turning, no stopping’ an ounce of prevention is
better than a pound of cure.
The student violence in the so called big schools is an ill omen. If it
goes spiraling, the whole school system would embroil in an ugly foray. This is
an unprecedented situation. It would be a Herculean task for the rulers who
have some other fish to fry. Modern generation seems to be very immature. They
are driven by sudden emotions. The solution has to bear social sensitivity. In
a village school, the higher authorities nip it in the bud, but the names of
the schools signal the level of the parents.
The other day, some of the national newspapers reported that a junior
prefect of a school in Kandy had been severely assaulted and intimidated by a
senior prefect of the same school. The reason behind that is not the concern
here, but the gravity of the situation with regard to student violence in the school
system. Once the writer read in a newspaper that a teacher in a school in
England had been molested by some students for keeping them after school for
not doing homework. So, the situation seems to be global and developed out of
proportion. The big match season is another nuisance and a root cause for
students’ violence. Yet, it has to be viewed sans malicious sentiments.
Opposing everything, dwelling in the traditional mindset is not the solution.
It has to be done on expert guidance.
Ethnic violence
Literature written on ethnic violence is vast. The nostalgic memories of
the writers have resulted in good literature in every genre. The late Anne
Ranasinghe’s poetry speaks volumes in this regard. The disgruntled politicians
and racist maniacs are at the forefront to hamper any development towards
ethnic harmony. I wonder if ethnic violence would raise its ugly head again
what could be the ultimate outcome? Under these circumstances reconciliation
efforts of the country ought to be propelled at any cost.
It goes without saying that country is debt-ridden to the bottom. The
huge amounts of local borrowing and foreign debts have to be paid off. But, we
hear every day on the Central Bank grapevine that the country is in a
treacherous bog of financial disarray. It seems a Herculean task for the
governor to shoulder. Some others could invent and fabricate fairy tales to the
public as they are politically motivated to remain in power. The governor has
to bear the cross and have faith; the people have to tighten their belts. The
late professor Indrarathne and other veteran economists in the bygone era of
country’s economic resurgence candidly showed the way forward for us. Dr. N. M
. Perera’s far sighted economic planning to increase productivity and curtail
import of luxurious goods to the country was scrapped poignantly and very
ironically. He made the country debt-free to a great extent.
It seems very advisable to take a leaf from his book and seek solace in
this disgraceful economic ordeal. A productivity driven economic system
curtailing unnecessary imports seems mandatory. Our honourble members of the
parliament would definitely wait for some time to enjoy the duty free benefits
to own a new car to visit the constituents with the sublime aim of serving
them.
The street protests do not seem augur well for country’s progress. The
opposing factions always claim for the right pound of flesh. The problems are
aggravated by the relevant MPs and ministers of our August Assembly making the
situation unbearable for the Government to solve. During the halcyon days of
our parliament in the post-independence period, the honourable members and
responsible ministers appeared in the house well prepared to answer any
question. It is only history now. When the well-educated parliamentarians were
on their feet, it was a scene to enjoy and something to listen and learn.
When the late Anura Bandaranaike was on his feet, it was something to
learn and revise from HAMLET. The most veteran minister of finance the country
has ever seen honourable Ronie de Mel once said ‘SUPERSTION IS THE RELIGION OF
FEEBLE MINDS’. Informative, educational, literary eloquent, farsighted,
visionary and humorous speeches made by the iconic parliamentarians could be
the lessons for the novice of the current parliament if by chance they visit
their library as our well-read prime minister reminds them over and over again.
The oral questions that the members of our house ask to be answered by
the relevant ministers seem very unimportant. The country is burning and they
questions on very impertinent subjects. They are given humorous answers and the
tax payer foots the bill. The parliament canteen seems to be their rendezvous
to plan speeches for public ralleys. It seems that they make public utterances
with mutual understanding. That is the name of the game. At what dark point our
paradise island is?
small screen
The monks wearing their saffron robe could be seen very frequently on
the pillion of their friends’ motor cycles. Monks are highly venerated in our
society. Their reverence and dignity seem to have eroded due to such irrational
conduct in the public eye. One could argue on this matter very eloquently. But,
the crux of the matter is that they have already earned that ill reputation in
the public mind indelibly.
Another recent development is that the actors who are known by the
public for their known and unknown conduct are draped in the sacred robes for
aesthetic performances on the small screen in particular and on the silver
screen in general. In the contemporary period of our great playwright William
Shakespeare, even women were not allowed to perform on the stage. But, the
playwrights were capable enough to dress men for women. As a regular viewer of
tele-opera I have never seen the religious dignitaries of other faiths acting
in their clerical garbs. When we put this situation in juxtaposition one could
feel it odd. In the long run, this offshoot of monk actors would pave the way
for another cultural crisis, the writer laments, the writer is in a state of aphasia.
The other day, the writer pointed out in the national press a grave
error the examination department had made in the G.C.E. A/L English literature
question paper. It has fallen into deaf ears.
The defective question papers, leaking, pilferage, not representing the
given parts in the syllabus and a plethora of accusations against the question
paper modeling panels could be leveled with available data. The curriculum
development should necessarily be geared to productivity development of the
country. But, very poignantly these things lie stagnant at the relevant places.
To clinch over, a comprehensive cleansing of all the aspects of
government machinery and public awareness of the ongoing changes are of
paramount importance to look forward to. The delay in taking decisions would
create calamitous effects leading the whole country to a total collapse and a
moral paralysis. This is the time to turn the swords into ploughshares.
Plead Mercy
We pass a bullock yoked to a cart
Straining uphill. He shivers
With effort, his bones
Protrude and the taut skin quivers
At each whip of sharp-throned stick
There is no expression on his face
Only his eyes plead mercy
Foam slavers from his lips
As he travails to increase his pace
And slips. My daughter asks
Does he think life is worth living?
I tell her what I know
Is not true, that life
Is always better than death
She frowns
If there is revolution, she says
I'll kill myself. All those horrible things
They do to people
The bullock has fallen on the rough
Edge of the road, He tries
But in spite of the
Stick he cannot rise
Lord have mercy on his eyes
My daughter is just thirteen.
Anne Ranasinghe, a German lady who
had experienced revolution and its horrible effects in her own country, seems
to make an appeal to the Buddhist philosophy to find out an answer to the
larger issues of the younger generation.
By birth she was German but later
married a Sri Lankan and has written many poems to the Sri Lankan poetry
lovers.
In this poem the writer presents a
very common theme, that is cruelty to the animals. She selects the situation of
a bullock cart where the carter inhumanly beats the bull, until it falls down;
unable to move a step further.
'As he travails to increase his
pace and slips.'
The pathetic scene is watched by
the poet and her daughter who questions her mother and is not satisfied with
the answer she gets.
Anne Ranasinghe clearly brings out
the inhuman qualities of human beings. The bull is begging for mercy from his
master with his eyes and he is insensitive to the pleas of his own animal.
The daughter becomes sensitive to
the painful suffering experienced by the animal while the carter is not.
The girl represents the innocent
merciful younger generation while the carter represents the merciless adult
world. The mother is between these two. She is conscious of the girl's natural
feelings and troubled by her age. She wonders about her daughter.
However, "Sabbe Sattha
Bhavanthu Sukhitattha" this epigraph is taken from the Buddhist scripture
which means 'May all beings be free from sorrow and pain' makes us aware of our
Sri Lankan Buddhist culture which forbids any kind of torture and cruelty to all
living beings. This is a common wish of the Buddhists.
In a primarily Buddhist country
such as Sri Lanka, the Pali line is frequently uttered, it being associated
with one of the principal teachings of Buddhism - loving kindness. But the
irony of it is that in Sri Lanka, cruelty to animals and inhumanity prevail.
This is presented very dramatically
through a single episode where a thirteen-year-old girl who witnesses the
scene, questions her mother:
'Does he think life is worth
living?' which means 'Is life worth living if it's full of such suffering?'
Mother tells 'that life is always better than death'. But the daughter is not
satisfied with the answer she gets. The mother who has experienced such
cruelties committed upon animals is helpless and all she can do is to plead
mercy and pray that human beings become compassionate and merciful.
Sources:
http://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2008/03/16/mag05.asp
http://www.scholarspark.com/at-what-dark-point-by-anne-ranasinghe.html
https://www.dailynews.lk/2017/08/17/features/125431/what-dark-point
