We have our Genealogies
·
I cant find anything on the net, totally relying on
the notes I took in Mirosh Sir’s class. Let me know in the comments if I am
wrong somewhere or if something needs to be added.
·
Jean Arasanayagam – Sri Lankan poet – is a Burgher – offspring
of a Dutch father and indigenous mother.
·
Very visual poem – she describes everything in detail –
all the violence and death – but in a slight flowery language.
·
The anger in her tone is very evident – there is pain,
hatred and anger throughout the poem.
·
Stanza 1 :
o
Poem starts with her talking about the history of her
land – which the historians have told them was full of violence – “blood trials”
– “gempits of flesh” – this is the result of the invasions.
o
It was a history filled with trouble, blood and
torture.
·
Stanza 2 :
o
Talks about how the colonizers burnt the people to
death.
o
Heretics : People who defer from Catholicism – mad men
in this context – colonized people were burned like those madmen.
o
Description of how people were killed and burnt at the
stake by the European settlers.
·
Stanza 3 :
o
Talks about the history of West being full of
violence.
o
Hedonists : People who take pleasure in violence.
o
Claiming that they received sadistic pleasure in
killing innocent people – scene is described elaborately.
o
“Power enters them to speak in tongues” – the only
language understood by the colonizers was that of violence.
o
Day of Pentescot – 49 days after the Exodus, God gave
the 10 commandments on this day at Mount Sinai – suddenly they appear out of
nowhere like the God and deliver the torture on the people (not what God did,
though).
o
The colonisers went around different countries
spreading violence – their legacy was the bloodshed they caused.
·
Stanza 4 :
o
An elaborate image of violence.
o
There were so many dead bodies, nobody cared anymore.
o
No one had the time to even knock the body aside to
walk – also meaning that there were so many dead, there was no place without a
corpse – “path knotted with chains of corpses”.
·
Stanza 5 :
o
Poet uses “you” for greater impact – makes the reader
enter the world of the victims and the families.
o
“Great manor house…” – there was darkness everywhere except
for the big houses that the colonisers lived in – they shone with the candles
and the celebrations of victory – while the people suffered – they enjoyed.
·
Stanza 6 :
o
Leaves – used to write on, in olden times – compared with
flesh – which has history written on it – meaning the dead bodies told the
story of violence.
o
“Ola leaves of…” – talks about the texture and color
of the leaves used – yellow-brown, brittle, stiff – but is actually talking about
the flesh of the body which has turned like that due to the crude violence.
o
The lettering (violent incidents) is so richly archaic
– meaning it is so old and ancient – and has so much knowledge in it – “scholarly”
- it is scripted with the “fine tools
torture has etched” – it was carried out through various means of torture.
o Very visual description
of the bloodshed and violence.
No comments:
Post a Comment