It is a well-known fact that compared to other countries, Singapore is but a small island nation on the world map. In fact, an Indonesian minister once derogatorily called us the ‘little red dot’ that could do little to impact the world!
Unlike other countries with fertile and arable land, Singapore is unable to mass produce agricultural goods for export, a profitable industry for countries which can. Rather, Singapore is heavily reliant on tourism as a major source of revenue.
It is only logical that more land is allocated to urban redevelopment - for the construction of entertainment hubs such as shopping malls and casinos that will attract more tourists to visit Singapore and also to spend more money. Furthermore, with the increasing size of our population, more land has to be designated for the development of living estates.
As a result, unfortunately, several buildings and monuments that may hold historical or cultural significance have been demolished to make room for urbanisation. This practice of ‘out with the old, in with new’ by the government has inspired numerous poets to create works of literature that criticise or simply depict the ramifications of urbanisation.
The two poems below highlights the problems regarding progress and urbanisation in Singapore. They portray the same matter rather differently, which is really interesting, and allow us to have insight of their personal feelings - which may possibly represent what Singaporeans generally feel.
___________________
Alas for you
Vipersonic
Alas for you
Time waits for no man
No wonder
Progress and modernism
replaces all we hold dear
Claustrophobia and fear
abounds.
Time a brutal force of nature
to itself
The phantom draws near
Rushrazor
What’s left are the remnants
of memories that once were
Alas for us
Time waits for no man
No wonder
Progress and modernism
replaces all we hold dear
Claustrophobia and fear
abounds.
Time a brutal force of nature
to itself
The phantom draws near
Rushrazor
What’s left are the remnants
of memories that once were
Alas for us
___________________
Singapore
Eileen Chong
So we beat on, boats against the current,
borne back ceaselessly into the past.
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The driver, my friend, squints into the rain.
We took the wrong turn-off but Singapore
Is so small it doesn’t matter where you go.
She doesn’t know Change Alley. The new hotel
lies over Clifford Pier. I see the ghosts of red lights
at the harbour. I hear long-dead horses stamp and pull
at their tethers as wagons are loaded with sacks
swollen with rice, sugar and spices. At Tanjong Rhu
even the water’s edge has shifted. Yet a memory
of my great-grandmother’s benevolent, sepia face
swimming out from between jars at her shop remains.
I have her jade earrings now, deep green cabochons
gripped by gold teeth, mounted on stems that pass
through my flesh and hers at once. Tomorrow,
my grandmother turns eighty. For now, I wear the ring
I chose for her: a bezel-set sapphire surrounded
by diamonds. It’s not easy to find good jade
in Australia, much less old jade. The car stops
outside the botanical gardens: a fine cloud mists
the crown of trees. I watch the glossy streets and see
myself aged three, seven, twenty. It’s as though I can never leave.
___________________
In the first poem, the mood is more solemn and there is a sense of mourning over the "memories that once were" and "all that we hold dear". The negative end line "Alas for us" also almost warns of a future that can think back on few memories - which we use to define, and affirm our existence. The run-on lines in Alas for you is perhaps significant in mimicking how quickly one event of old is bulldozed and melds into the present, and how time moves seamlessly and without pause for anyone or anything.
On the other hand, in Eileen Chong's poem Singapore, the style of writing is more descriptive and the mood seems to be more personal - given that the speaker reveals details about her grandmother and memories. In Singapore, the speaker returns to Singapore after having been away, and notices all the changes the country has undergone. There seems to be a nostalgic desire in the speaker's words, but the poem ends on a relatively positive note, confident that the soul of Singapore remains amidst the changes in appearance.
The one similarity in the two poems is the fact that both the speakers seem to miss and reminisce about the Singapore of old times; and perhaps therein lies the biggest cost of urbanisation - memories.
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The driver, my friend, squints into the rain.
We took the wrong turn-off but Singapore
Is so small it doesn’t matter where you go.
She doesn’t know Change Alley. The new hotel
lies over Clifford Pier. I see the ghosts of red lights
at the harbour. I hear long-dead horses stamp and pull
at their tethers as wagons are loaded with sacks
swollen with rice, sugar and spices. At Tanjong Rhu
even the water’s edge has shifted. Yet a memory
of my great-grandmother’s benevolent, sepia face
swimming out from between jars at her shop remains.
I have her jade earrings now, deep green cabochons
gripped by gold teeth, mounted on stems that pass
through my flesh and hers at once. Tomorrow,
my grandmother turns eighty. For now, I wear the ring
I chose for her: a bezel-set sapphire surrounded
by diamonds. It’s not easy to find good jade
in Australia, much less old jade. The car stops
outside the botanical gardens: a fine cloud mists
the crown of trees. I watch the glossy streets and see
myself aged three, seven, twenty. It’s as though I can never leave.
___________________
In the first poem, the mood is more solemn and there is a sense of mourning over the "memories that once were" and "all that we hold dear". The negative end line "Alas for us" also almost warns of a future that can think back on few memories - which we use to define, and affirm our existence. The run-on lines in Alas for you is perhaps significant in mimicking how quickly one event of old is bulldozed and melds into the present, and how time moves seamlessly and without pause for anyone or anything.
On the other hand, in Eileen Chong's poem Singapore, the style of writing is more descriptive and the mood seems to be more personal - given that the speaker reveals details about her grandmother and memories. In Singapore, the speaker returns to Singapore after having been away, and notices all the changes the country has undergone. There seems to be a nostalgic desire in the speaker's words, but the poem ends on a relatively positive note, confident that the soul of Singapore remains amidst the changes in appearance.
The one similarity in the two poems is the fact that both the speakers seem to miss and reminisce about the Singapore of old times; and perhaps therein lies the biggest cost of urbanisation - memories.
References
(Map) http://craftymemories.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/untitled.jpg
"Alas for You: by Vipersonic, Text in the City. Last accessed 29 October 2014: http://textinthecity.sg/poems/482
"Singapore" by Eileen Chong, Text in the City. Last accessed 29 October 2014: http://textinthecity.sg/poems/404
"Alas for You: by Vipersonic, Text in the City. Last accessed 29 October 2014: http://textinthecity.sg/poems/482
"Singapore" by Eileen Chong, Text in the City. Last accessed 29 October 2014: http://textinthecity.sg/poems/404
No comments:
Post a Comment