THE PLANNERS POETRY ESSAY (B-A grade, L6-L7)
QUESTION
Based on the poem “The Planners” by Boey Kim Cheng, explain the
tension between progress and history.
THE ESSAY
The poem “The Planners” makes use of a variety of literary devices to show the
strong tension between progress and history. This poem likewise has a wide
variety of tones over its whole to show the speaker’s attitude towards the
planners who are destroying the past while developing the city.
Both bewailing and accusing undertones predominate throughout. In the
sentence "They plan, They build, All spaces are gridded," the pronoun "They"
refers to the people who construct the city. The opening line of the poem reveals
that the setting is well arranged, which gives it an unnatural appearance. The
phrase "They" alludes to the people responsible for planning, and the use of this
term several times reveals a certain level of resentment at the individuals in
question. The term "gridded" has been brought forward by the planners as a
desirable option. It also defines the layout of the city, which is very congested
and confined. The next stanza includes the term "permutation of possibilities,"
which emphasizes that there are a variety of possible approaches to making the
cities ideal. Additionally, the alliteration of the letter 'P' shows that the permutation
of possibilities is almost unlimited. The third line, which reads "The buildings are
in line with the road," helps to bolster the impression of a well-planned
environment and flawlessly executed urban development.
The angry tones of the line "They build and will not stop." are emphasized by the
repetition of the phrase "thy build." The term "they will not stop" demonstrates
that the planners are being driven insane by their unquenchable appetite for
QUESTION
Based on the poem “The Planners” by Boey Kim Cheng, explain the
tension between progress and history.
THE ESSAY
The poem “The Planners” makes use of a variety of literary devices to show the
strong tension between progress and history. This poem likewise has a wide
variety of tones over its whole to show the speaker’s attitude towards the
planners who are destroying the past while developing the city.
Both bewailing and accusing undertones predominate throughout. In the
sentence "They plan, They build, All spaces are gridded," the pronoun "They"
refers to the people who construct the city. The opening line of the poem reveals
that the setting is well arranged, which gives it an unnatural appearance. The
phrase "They" alludes to the people responsible for planning, and the use of this
term several times reveals a certain level of resentment at the individuals in
question. The term "gridded" has been brought forward by the planners as a
desirable option. It also defines the layout of the city, which is very congested
and confined. The next stanza includes the term "permutation of possibilities,"
which emphasizes that there are a variety of possible approaches to making the
cities ideal. Additionally, the alliteration of the letter 'P' shows that the permutation
of possibilities is almost unlimited. The third line, which reads "The buildings are
in line with the road," helps to bolster the impression of a well-planned
environment and flawlessly executed urban development.
The angry tones of the line "They build and will not stop." are emphasized by the
repetition of the phrase "thy build." The term "they will not stop" demonstrates
that the planners are being driven insane by their unquenchable appetite for
