This slide on Latiff Mohidin's poem, In the Midst of Hardship, is to complement the popular online SPM English Self-Tuition Course at http://spmenglish1119.com. This poem will be released together with three other poems in a course entitled: SPM English 1119 Literature Component - A Comprehensive Guide for Teachers and Students in July/August. Check it out at: http://meexam.blogspot.com.

1. In the Midst of Hardship<br />-by Latiff Mohidin<br />At dawn they returned home<br />their soaky clothes torn<br />and approached the stove<br />their limbs marked by scratches<br />their legs full of wounds<br />but on their brows<br />there was not a sign of despair<br />The whole day and night just passed<br />they had to brave the horrendous flood<br />in the water all the time<br />between bloated carcasses<br />and tiny chips of tree barks<br />desperately looking for their son’s<br />albino buffalo that was never found<br />They were born amidst hardship<br />and grew up without a sigh or a complaint<br />now they are in the kitchen, making<br />jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves.<br />Latiff Mohidin’s poem, In the Midst of Hardship, is quite easy to understand. Students should have no trouble understanding this poem. In this slide I have given only the literal/surface meaning of the poem, but you must go beneath the surface meaning. In other words, understanding a poem requires you to make a critical analysis (deeper meaning or theme) of the poem. <br />Literal (Surface) Meaning<br />In his poem, In the Midst of Hardship, Latiff Mohidin tells us about the hardship faced by a farming family. The family were out in the floodwaters, looking for their son’s albino buffalo. They had been out the whole day and night braving the floodwaters and returned at dawn failing to find the buffalo. In their search for the buffalo, they saw bloated carcasses and tree barks floating in the water. When they got home, they just went into the kitchen, rolled their cigarettes, joked, and sat down for a warm drink.<br />