The Planners
Title: The title ‘The Planners’ gives hint
about the work of the persons who are involved in planning and development
department.
Ice Breakers
(i) You have heard the proverb ‘Plan your work, work
your plan’. It means-
(a) Planning of the work is important.
(b) Without planning work cannot be acomplished.
(c) Make planning and work according to that plan.
(d) Planning and work are two sides of same coin.
Answer-
(c) Make planning and work according to that plan.
(ii) Choose the proper alternatives from the
statements given below which would explain why town planning is essential-
(a) To develop the city according to the guidelines.
(b) To get the ‘Best City Award’.
(c) To attract the tourists.
(d) To use and develop the land available in the city for the interest
of the citizens.
Answer-
(a) To develop the city according to the guidelines.
(d) To use and develop the land available in the city for the interest
of the citizens.
(iii) Given below are various professions in column A
and in column B, the nature of work in respective professions. Match the
columns.
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A
|
B
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(i) Anaesthetist
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(a) Specialist in the treatment of problems concerning the position of
teeth and jaws.
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(ii) Pharmacist
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(b) A person who designs buildings and supervises the process of
constructing them.
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(iii) Orthodontist
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(c) A person who is in charge of a newspaper or of a part of a
newspaper.
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(iv) Dermatologist
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(d) The medical study of the skin and its diseases
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(v) Architect
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(e) A person who has been trained to prepare medicines and sell them
to public.
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(vi) Chartered Accountant
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(f) A person whose job is to give drugs which make the person not to
feel pain especially in preparation for a medical operation.
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(vii) Editor
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(g) A person who is engaged in the profession of accounting and
examining the statements and records of accounts.
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Answer-
|
A
|
B
|
|
(i) Anaesthetist
|
(f) A person whose job is to give drugs which make the person not to
feel pain especially in preparation for a medical operation.
|
|
(ii) Pharmacist
|
(e) A person who has been trained to prepare medicines and sell them
to public.
|
|
(iii) Orthodontist
|
(a) Specialist in the treatment of problems concerning the position of
teeth and jaws.
|
|
(iv) Dermitologist
|
(d) The medical study of the skin and its diseases
|
|
(v) Architect
|
(b) A person who designs buildings and supervises the process of
constructing them.
|
|
(vi) Chartered Accountant
|
(g) A person who is engaged in the profession of accounting and
examining the statements and records of accounts.
|
|
(vii) Editor
|
(c) A person who is in charge of a newspaper or of a part of a
newspaper.
|
The poet: Boey Kim Cheng:
He is a Singapore – born Australian poet. He is of Chinese descent. He
is widely regarded as one of the most promising Singapore poets to emerge in
the 1990s. Boey has published four collections of poetry. For his artistic
achievements, he received the 'National Arts Council Young Artist Award' in
1996. He is the co - editor of the anthology ‘Contemporary Asian Australian
Poets’ published in 2014.
The
Planners – By Boey Kim Cheng
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They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded
Filled with permutations of possibilities.
The buildings are in alignment with the roads
which meet at desired points
linked by bridges all hang
in the grace of mathematics.
They build and will not stop.
Even the sea draws back
and the skies surrender.
They erase the flaws,
the blemishes of the past, knock off
useless blocks with dental dexterity.
All gaps are plugged
with gleaming gold.
The country wears perfect rows
of shining teeth.
Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis.
They have the means.
They have it all so it will not hurt.
so history is new again.
The piling will not stop.
The drilling goes right through
the fossils of last century.
But my heart would not bleed
poetry. Not a single drop
to stain the blueprint
of our past’s tomorrow.
|
The poem – The Planners:
The poet begins the poem by stating what the planners do. As the poem
proceeds, we come to know how the planners achieve what they aim for. Towards
the end of the poem the poet depicts how the planning has affected the poet.
Boey Kim Cheng is talking about fast - developing modern Singapore. He laments
on the disturbing and loss of humane element in his surroundings. He becomes
nostalgic about his bonding with the old city. The free verse form of the poem
is suitable to the free expressions of the poet’s feelings.
New words:
anaesthesia: a state of controlled,
temporary loss at sensation or awareness.
amnesia: inability to remember events
for a period of time.
hypnosis: a trance like state with
heightened focus and concentration
fossil: the remains of an animal or a
plant which have hardened into rock.
blueprint: a photographic print of
building plans with white lines on a blue background a detailed plan or scheme.
alignment: placement of two or more things
in a straight line.
blemishes: a mark or fault spoiling
something that is otherwise beautiful.
dexterity: skill in using one's hand
gridded: a pattern of evenly spaced
horizontal and vertical lines
permutations: a variation in the order of a
set of things; combination; arrangement
plugged: filled
A1. True or False (2)
State whether the following statements are true or
false.
1) Planners spoiled the past
2) Planners are concerned about the environment of the area.
3) Planners deliberately find drawbacks in the old city planning.
4) Planners make tactful changes so that citizens do not recognize the
familiar landmarks.
Answer-
1) Planners spoiled the past- True
2) Planners are concerned about the environment of the area. - False
3) Planners deliberately find drawbacks in the old city planning.
- True
4) Planners make tactful changes so that citizens do not recognize the
familiar landmarks. - True
A2. Explain (2)
Explain the terms:
a) Amnesia
b) Hypnosis
Answer-
1) Amnesia: - It is the partial or total loss of
memory. The planners offered the new glorified work that makes the people
forget the sentimental attachment to the past things.
2) Hypnosis: It is the state of mind when a person’s
thoughts can be manipulated by someone. The planners hypnotize the people and
make them agree with the need of new development work.
A3. Personal Response (2)
Give suggestions to protect our national monuments.
Answer-
Our national heritage monuments are valuable. They should be cared
properly. They should be preserved as the assets of the nation. Common people
should make aware of its value and they must participate in its protection.
These monuments should be repaired regularly keeping its original beauty as it
is.
A4. Poetic device (2)
Name and explain the two figures of speech used in the
following sentence.
‘The country wears perfect rows of shining teeth.’
Answer-
Personification: - The country is given
the human quality having teeth.
Metaphor: - The shining buildings of the
country are indirectly compared with row of shining teeth.
A5. Poetic creativity (2)
The piling will
not stop.
(Add your two poetic lines that continues the theme)
Answer-
The piling will not stop.
We are helpless about it.
We need the development.
So we can’t make any complaint.
Poetic Appreciation
Q. Write the poetic appreciation of the poem- ‘The
Planners’.
Answer-
Poem / Poet:
The poem ‘The Planners’ is written by the poet Boey Kim Cheng. In the
poem he depicts the harsh reality of modernization at the cost of the country’s
history, monuments, and tradition.
Title:
The title ‘The Planners’ itself shows their planning to destroy
something to create new things. There is ruthless control of the influential
persons who in the name of development destroys the age-old heritage.
Poetic Device:
The major figures of speech used here include- Personification,
Alliteration, Irony, Antithesis, paradox and Inversion. It is written in free
verse. In the poem the poet uses Enjambment. Enjambment is the continuation of
a sentence or clause across a line break. Such lines used in the poem are also
called run on lines. Enjambment is also one of the figures of speech.
Special Feature:
The special feature of this poem is to show the destruction of past and
heritage in the name of development. The poet uses simple words and presents
the reality of modernization. He laments due the destruction of past heritage.
He wishes to aware readers to control such destruction.
Message of the poem:
The message of this poem is to understand the reality of modernization
and protect our heritage. The emotional bond to nature and heritage makes the
poet anxious. He wants to aware the readers to know the huge loss of nature and
heritage in the name of modern construction.
My opinion about the poem:
I like the idea of the writer protecting our nature and heritage. This
idea is universal. So, I like the poem very much.
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