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| Sunday, 25 September 2005 |
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A/L English Literature Made Easy - Poetry
Ruined Gopuram - Jean Arasanayagam Jean Arasanayagam is a popular Sri Lankan poet. She has a large number of poems to her credit. Jean Arasanayagam won the National Award for Non Fiction Literature in 1984. She was subjected to racial violence in 1983 and had the most tragic and bitter experience in refugee camps. Her stay in refugee camps influenced her to a great extent to write poetry, rather biased but keeping alive the literary value of her poems. Ruined Gopuram is a description of a Hindu temple destroyed by the riot. She describes the ruined temple creating the appropriate image of the Hindu Temple and makes her own comment on the people who underwent immense suffering and their genuine religious faith remained unchanged. The opening line creates the scene of the once beautiful landscape with "while sands and palmyra fronds freakishly black" The white sands and the palmyrah trees turning into the tragic hue black, symbolizing the sad situation after the inhuman destruction. "freakishly black" highlights the abnormal atmosphere prevailing. "all evening the pyres burn beside the broken walls" The riot creating disorder has destroyed not only the Hindu Temple but the lives of so many; keeping the "pyres burn" beside the broken walls. The word 'broken' signifying the pathetic situation of the whole scene. The brightness that once reigned turned into a state of confusion and devastation - Black. " - - the turquise seas bright with morning sun dimmed and went black" The verbs 'dimmed' and 'went' suggests the sudden change of the scene from brightness to darkness - Darkness not only to Gopuram, but to the whole environment and to the people darkening their minds and souls. "The Goddess guardian of the fresh water spring is silent" May be silent due to grief, having witnessed the procedure of the massacre. Although the place is burnt and ruined the Brahmin chants his "Boja" to the gods. The smell of camphor and incense reign in the place highlighting the faith and devotion of the people. "The Brahmin chants his Pooja to the gods, camphor and incense stream out of the stone door into the evening light" 'incense' streaming out of the stone door is suggestive of the extreme faith of the devotee. The 'silent bell' is cracked and fails to announce its symbolic presence at the temple. 'Cracked' may symbolize lives of the people subjected to suffer in for no fault of theirs. The last two lines "there are no bells left for the mourning" create the pathetic situation of the whole scene The pyres burn sans funeral bells to announce the deaths of the innocent folk who have died for no fault of theirs. The writer stresses the fact that the Brahmin performs his duties amidst terror and mayhem. His faith in God remains unchanged "and incense stream out of the stone door into the evening light" The poem Ruined Gopuram is in simple diction. The poet has used suitable words to create the exact situations and images arousing the reader's emotions, and emphasising the fact that religious beliefs and faith remain, in spite of the religious symbols being subjected to destruction. "In the month of July" arouses the emotions of the reader depicting the cruelty of "the mob" to a single helpless man while her poem "The ruined Gopuram" reveals the inhuman nature of the mob destroying a religious place and its vicinity and the innocent folk. "All evenings the pyres burn" The pyres of the innocent folk invoke the sympathy of the reader; to the people subjected to mayhem. The disaster is prevailing. The words 'all evening' are suggestive of the inhuman procedure of the mob. The poet describes the state of the ruined Gopuram, a temple, stressing the destruction of the place highlighting the deaths of many innocent folk "The unknown Goddess is silent" marooned by the destiny of the people subjected to a cruel fate. The past condition of Gopuram and its present state in sharp contrast to one another. "white sands and palmyra fronds" have turned out to be freakishly black", seem to be the outstanding feature of this poem and it is symbolically highlighted. The poet insists that hatred and discrimination pave the way for evil deeds creating the most pathetic situation "there are no bells left for the mourning" Jean Arasanayagam's poem is unique due to her own experience and creates a strong effect on the reader, revealing her skill as a poet. Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng. Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala |
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