In the Midst of Hardship

Biography

of Latiff mohidin

Born in 1941 in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan. A charismatic and multi-talented person, being an accomplished artist, poet, writer and thinker. His first art exhibition was at the age of 10 in Singapore. He earned the titles of ‘boy wonder’ and ‘the magical boy with gift in his hands.’ Latiff studied art in Berlin, Germany, as well as in France and America.

He began publishing his poems in the 1960s. He captures the feelings elicited by natural environment in his art and poetry. Latiff’s sensitivity to lines, shapes and colours is evident in both his art and poetry. Held numerous exhibitions locally and abroad and has received numerous awards, both in Asia and Europe. His most recent written work is an anthology Sajak – Sajak Lengkap (1963-1994). His most recent artistic work, Latiff Mohidin: Journey to the Wetlands and Beyond is a detailed study of his drawing.

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

They were born amidst hardshipand grew up without a sigh or a complaintnow they are in the kitchen, makingjokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

At dawn they returned homeheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stovetheir limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browshere was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passedthey had to brave the horrendous floodin the water all the timebetween bloated carcassesand tiny chips of tree barksdesperately looking for their son’salbino buffalo that was never found

Paraphrase- Stanza 1

The family returns home at daybreak, soaked and slightly injured. They head straight for the

kitchen. They do not look depressed or disturbed by the events of the previous night.

At dawn they returned homeheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stovetheir limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browshere was not a sign of despairAs we journey through life, we may experience

situations that are painful and challenging.Despite these challenges, we should not despair.

We should face hardships with courage.

Paraphrase- Stanza 2The whole day and night just passedthey had to brave the horrendous floodin the water all the timebetween bloated carcassesand tiny chips of tree barksdesperately looking for their son’salbino buffalo that was never found

They spend the whole night wading through the floodwater, looking for their son’s albino buffalo. They have to trudge through twigs,

branches and dead animals during their search. However, they do not find the buffalo

Our journey through life may be troubled and we may face obstacles and tragic losses along

the way.

Paraphrase- Stanza 3They were born amidst hardshipand grew up without a sigh or a complaintnow they are in the kitchen, makingjokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

The family lives a life of hardship and poverty. Yet they do not complain but instead accept their status in life. Now, sitting in the kitchen, they are enjoying each other’s company, cracking jokes

and smoking the cigarettes leaves.

We may be born in to a life of hardship, but that does not mean that we should live in

despair.We should learn how to cope with the

difficulties we face, instead of dwelling too much on them

Synopsis

The poem consists of three stanzas. It conveys the hardship experienced by a family during and after a bad flood. The family members handle their difficult situation very well. Instead of lamenting their plight, they focus on enjoying

each other’s company and indulging in the simple pleasures of life. They are grateful for the blessings that life has

bestowed upon them and they do not mourn for what they have lost.

Literal Meaning

The poem describes the hardship experienced by a family during a bad flood. The persona describes how the family

spends the night wading through the floodwater, looking for their son’s albino buffalo. They return home at dawn,

unsuccessful in locating the buffalo. Yet their countenance reveals no trace of disappointment or sadness. They get

together in the kitchen where they are able to unwind while enjoying the company of the family and the simple

pleasures in life.

Figurative Meaning

As people journey through life, they will be faced with difficulties and obstacles. They must accept these

problems as part and parcel of their life and try their best to solve them. They must accept the fact that they

may not be able to overcome all their problems. Instead, they must learn to accept life’s challenges with

a positive attitude and to derive happiness from the few blessings that have been bestowed upon them.

SettingThe setting of the poem is in the kitchen

at home. It is dawn and the family has just returned home after being out in the

flood the whole night.

Point of view

The poem is written in the third person point of view.

personaThe persona is an observer who describe the family’s ordeal in the flood. He expresses admiration for the stoicism in dealing with the problems encompassing

them. He describes them as strong and resilient people who do not easily succumb to pressure.

Structure and style

The poem consists of three stanzas. There are seven lines in the first two stanzas while the

last stanza consists of four lines only. There is no rhyme scheme – the poem is written in

free verse.

Language

The language used in the poem is conversational. The words used are simple, everyday words are easy

to understand.

Tone and mood

The general tone is one of sympathy for the people who are born into a life of hardship. Yet there is also admiration for the stoicism of the

people. The persona seems familiar with the family’s background and is therefore confident in telling their story.

In the first two stanzas, the mood is thoughtful and serious as the persona describes what the family has been through. In the last stanza

the mood brightens as the persona describes the family indulging in the simple pleasures of life.

themes•Accepting life’s challenges with an optimistic attitude.

•Being thankful for the simple pleasures in life

•Enjoying the company of family members

•Accepting circumstances that are inevitable

•Coping with the effects of natural disasters

•Understanding man’s relationship with nature

Moral valuesWe must always focus on the positive aspects of life

We must be resilient when faced with hardship

We must never give in to despair and always strive to overcome problems

We must not let problems dominates our lives

We must not complain when things do not favour us

We must be content with what we have

We must appreciate nature

Poetic devices

Imagery

Alliteration

Metaphor

Contrast

Irony

Diction

Imagery‘their soaky clothes torn’ symbolises poor and harsh life‘approached the stove’ represents food and warmth‘their limbs marked by scratches’ and ‘their legs full of wounds’ symbolise the

traumatic affects of the flood suffered by the people‘the bloated carcasses’ represents the loss of lives caused by flood‘tiny chips of tee barks’ represents the environmental damage caused by the floodThe “albino buffalo’ symbolises something special and out of the ordinary which is

cherished by the family‘making jokes’ and ‘rolling their cigarette leaves’ symbolise the simple pleasures in

life‘without a sigh or a complaint’ indicates a calm acceptance of their situation

Alliteration

‘but on their brows’‘between bloated carcasses’

Metaphor

‘and approached the stove’ – thi is an everyday activity which compared to carrying on with one’s daily activities despite the trauma o the previous night

‘desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo’-this is compared to embarking on a difficult quest during a situation that is already bad.

contrast

The flood scene is horrendous and dangerous. In contrast, the scene in the kitchen is cheerful and calmThe people are physically wounded, yet, in contrast, they are emotionally calm and relaxed.

irony

Despite the difficulties and trauma faced by the family, it is ironic that they can

remain in high spirits and till enjoy simple daily activities.

diction

‘soaky’ – the poet uses the word ‘ soaky’ instead of ‘ soaked’ to conjure the image

of extremely wet clothes.

The end