A group presentation of my group for ULBS 2 ^^ It is good for the form 4 students inshaallah. May Allah ease your way in seeking His knowledge.

1. In the Midst of
Hardship

2. Biography
of
Latiff mohidin

3.  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.

4.  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.

5. In the Midst of Hardship
by Latiff Mohidin
They were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
At dawn they returned home
heir soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
here was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found

6. 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 home
heir soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
here 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.

7. Paraphrase- Stanza 2
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino 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.

8. Paraphrase- Stanza 3
They were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Setting
The 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.

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

14. persona
The 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.

15. 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.

16. Language
The language used in the poem is conversational.
The words used are simple, everyday words are easy
to understand.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. Moral values
We 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

20. Poetic devices
Imagery
Alliteration
Metaphor
Contrast
Irony
Diction

21. 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 flood
The “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

22. Alliteration
‘but on their brows’
‘between bloated carcasses’

23. 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.

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

25. 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.

26. diction
‘soaky’ – the poet uses the word ‘ soaky’
instead of ‘ soaked’ to conjure the image
of extremely wet clothes.

27. The end