In The Midst Of Hardship

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

Stanza 1

At dawn they returned home	They had been out for the whole night and came back at dawn / They returned home after they have completed their task / work
their soaky clothes torn	Their clothes were torn and wet / They are engaged in hard labour as it is the nature of their work
and approached the stove	They quickly went to the stove to dry up and get warm / They go to the place that could provide them the warmth
their limbs marked by scratches and legs full of wounds	Their bodies were full of wounds and scratches / Their life is not an easy life because they have to suffer physically in the process
but on their brows there was not a sign of despair	However, they were not seen to be hopeless / There are no regrets and they appear to be receptive of their physical sufferin

With injuries on their arms and legs, the parents come home after a hard day’s work. Though garbed in smelly and shabby attire, they are not bothered by their appearance. They accept their life as it is and there are nor regrets or shame for the kind of work they do. They need to survive and that is all they care about for the moment.

Stanza 2

The whole day and night just passed	It rained heavily and continuously / That is their day to day life
they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks	There was a terrible flood and they have to endure the terrible floodwater with the dead animals and tiny chips of tree barks / They have to endure hardship, suffering and obstacles whatever the circumstances will be.
desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found	A couple of poor villagers were looking for their son’s albino buffalo but they could not find it / The parents continue seeking hope and a better future for their younger generation and even though they may know that they are searching for something that is beyond their reach because the condition that they have been living in has plagued them for years.

Life is a routine despite the fact that they have encountered many obstacles. The nature of their work forces them to face daily challenges and possibly even death but they are not easily broken. Their hard life seems like a disease. They endure hardship continuously and at the same time hope for a better future for their family.

Stanza 3

They were born amidst hardship	The villagers were born in poverty and had always lived in adversity / It is their misfortune to suffer
and they grew up without a sigh or a complaint	But they had learned to accept their fate and cope with it as they never complain or give up easily / They have accepted their life
now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves	They continue to enjoy simple pleasures in life, joking and rolling their cigarette leaves as they prefer to spend their time with their family and grateful that they still have their homes rather than moaning over what they have lost / Their lives are very much the same. Life has to go on, food is needed for survival and so is their peace of mind to keep them sane.

They are fated to suffer. However, they accept themselves as they are. Life goes on and they seek to survive. They treat life nonchalantly and instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they make the best of it. They have no illusions about life.

Vocabulary

approached – went towards, came neared

limbs – arms and legs

despair – losing hope

horrendous – frightening and terrible

carcasses – dead bodies

albino – a person or animal that lacks of natural colouring as a result of genetic malfunction

amidst – among or surrounded by

hardships – a very difficult condition

sigh – making a long sound especially because one feels boared, disappointed or tired

Elements Of The Poem

Setting

Place: poor flood-ridden village, inside the home of the family

Time: The time is at dawn after a bad flood

Point of View

The poet uses the third person point of view by using ‘they’, describing a family returning to their home after a bad flood. He is amazed by the strength, courage, and determination in the family experiencing hardship.

Tone

·      The poem carries grim tone and acceptance

·      The mood is sober and pity when the persona describes how the couple struggle to find the buffalo in the flood

·      The tone of relief and respect for the couple for their attitude and outlook and the ability to be cheerful even though in hardship.

·      The tone changes as the poem progresses

·      The poet finishes off the first and last stanza with a heartening note.

Themes

(i) Consequences of a flood on flood victims

- The poem portrays a clear picture of the effects of a flood

- The family sustains scratches and wounds during flood

- They have to brave the water amongst drowned, bloated carcasses

(ii) Being happy during hardship

- Life is full of difficulties and problems. Therefore, we should not let these problems spoil our happiness. We should not feel sad and depressed if we are born poor and things do not favour us.

- Living in poverty and adversity is not a setback. What is important is that we must learn to make the most of the situation regardless whether is pleasant or unpleasant.

- The poor couple is undeterred neither by their hopeless condition nor their failure to find the albino buffalo. They remain happy and cheerful.

(iii) Having the right attitude

- We determine our attitude our way of looking at things in life. By having proper attitude we can live happily even in the worst situation.

- The poor couple spends the whole day and night looking for their son’s albino buffalo in the floods.

(iv) Man’s relationship with Nature

- Man must appreciate nature. Man should not take nature for granted.

- Man is considered vulnerable and weak against natural disaster like floods.

- Nature can be destructive and man can be easily hurt and harmed. Therefore, man has to be humble before nature.

- The poor couple struggle in the terrible floodwater among bloating carcasses of dead animals and floating tree barks for their son’s albino buffalo. Unfortunately, they fail to find the buffalo.

(v) Facing hardship with optimism

- We should remain optimistic in the midst of hardship and must not lose hope and complain when things do not favour us.

- The poor couple gets soaked in the heavy rain and their clothes are torn while searching for their son’s albino buffalo in the horrible flood. They get their bodies scratched and wounded in the harsh, dark night. In spite of their discomfort, they do not seem to lose hope.

(vi) Value of Love

- The couple risks their lives to look for their son’s albino buffalo in the floods. This shows that they love their son very much

(vii) Determination

- The couple shows determination to search for the missing albino buffalo, braving the terrible flood water. Yet they do not give up as they do not want to disappoint their son. They are determined to remain cheerful and still carry on with their life.

(viii) Positive Attitude

- The poor couple fails in their attempt to locate the albino buffalo and they also fail to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Yet they portray stoicism in accepting their lost of life and adapt to their horrible circumstance with cheerfulness. They are poor but happy, made possible by their positive attitude in life.

Moral Values

1. We should not lose hope in the midst of hardship

Like how the family still can make jokes and role their cigarettes near the stove in the house. They are not really emotionally affected by the flood.

2. We must learn to remain calm and cheerful

Like how the family can still make jokes and roll the cigarettes near the stove in the house. They are not really emotionally affected by the flood.

3. We should not grumble and complain when things do not favour us.

The couple did not complain but just get on with their daily activities and enjoy simple pleasures in their lives.

4. We should respect and love our family

The couple spent the whole day looking for their son’s albino buffalo in the floodwaters because they love their son.

5. Be grateful with what we have

The couple is happy with whatever life they have as they still indulge in their daily simple pleasures.

6. Do not take nature for granted.

7. Man must appreciate nature.

8. Always look on the brighter side of things.

Like the family in the poem, they still manage to enjoy the simple pleasures that they have. We must always look on the brighter side of things. This is even when things prove to be difficult and we are surrounded by danger. By doing so, we are happier people.

9. Accept the hardship and be resilient

The poem gives an example of the hardships we can be in. Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. This is by accepting the hardship and enduring it. Often the difficult time is not a permanent situation. Like in the family in the poem, dealing with flood is something that they have been facing for quite some time. They take the situation as part and parcel of life as they are still able to enjoy simple pleasures of life and do not complain.

Message

1. We must always look at the positive side of things

2. We must accept hardship we are in and be resilient

3. We should never give up in whatever situation that we are in

Language

·                The poet uses free verse and speaks in a conversational tone

·                The poem does not have rhyme or rhythm

·                The poem does not use any full stops in the poem. This shows the continuous struggle of the couple who were born in poverty and grew up in poverty.

·                The poet uses simple words and most of them are common words.

‘their limbs marked by scratches’ – sense of touch

‘their legs full of wounds’ – sense of touch

‘bloated carcasses’ – sense of smell and touch

‘tiny chips of tree barks’ – sense of sight

Symbolism

‘legs full of wounds’ – represent pain and show difficulties

‘bloated carcasses’ – shows death and decay

‘albino buffalo’ – represents value thing
‘the stove’ – represents food and warmth