School over

By Muhammad Haji Salleh

BYLEE ZHEN HUANYEAN YAN TONG

SALLY LEWKOK JIA XUAN

VIDEO

Writer’s Overview

Famous author and poet of Malaysia

Wrote the poem while teaching in Sultan Abu Bakar School, Kuantan (1968)

He writes in bilingual, English and Malay.

He writes about Malaysia.

Muhammad Haji Salleh.

WHAT INSPIRES HIM?

His real experiences (teacher) School over is rejoiced by everyone and

he want to record these happy moments down.

School over is something significant (new starts)

The happiness of the children inspired him to write this poem.

THEMES

The theme freedom is well portrayed in the poem. It is all about the temporary freedom enjoyed by the students when school ends. He describe

school over as a door to freedom for students.

Freedom

The theme of happiness is displayed throughout the poem, especially clear in the third stanza, when the boys are running around.

Happiness

Looking at the kids breaking rules and enjoying their temporary freedom after school, we would naturally miss the old school days. The feel of longing and missing for the old days is probably one of the main issue of this poem.

Missing School Days

TONE AND MOOD

The mood in this poem is

pleasant as it is the writing from the view of a teacher. The poet is playing the character as an observer.

Mood

Tone

The tone in this poem is happy, excited and the eagerness waiting for the school to end in a day. The poet is also joining the children’s excitements of the happy moment.

“boys running to catch friends from other classes” (Stanza 3)

“the bell was life-giver, the sudden god of freedom, life rushed into the limbs” (Stanza 2) “wandering plans for the schoolless

afternoon” (Stanza 1)

LITERARY DEVICES

ONOMATOPOEIA

“The belated bell shrieked rustily”

The use of 'shrieked' is imitating a high pitch sound, which is using rhetorical device.

PERSONIFICATION.

  “Life rushed into the limbs” Life is given the way a person runs and rushes. It is a form of PERSONIFICATION.

OXYMORON

“Wet from the heat” where 'wet' is place side

by side with 'heat'. Wet only happens when it is cold. It is impossible to be wet on a hot day!

ALLUSION

“hidden in Shakespeare or Usman Awang”

Shakespeare is a famous English author while Usman Awang is Malaysian famous author. 

It symbolizes…

SPECIAL SYMBOLS IN POEM

Good Things Starts Small

OVERALL COMMENTS

http://goodbooksguide.blogspot.com/2008/10/writing-life-muhammad-haji-salleh.html

http://www.angelfire.com/me5/muhammadhs/page_3.htm

References

On the other hand, the girls were still calm. They were combing their hair by “secretly peering into some mirrors” that they had brought to school. They were not allowed to bring mirrors to school. Despite the school rules, the girls had hidden the mirrors in their books. This was the starter of author’s confusion and feeling of absurdness in that environment. He feel as if he is peeking into someone’s privacy.

Mirrors

*The school over poem is overall a familiar and warm hearting piece of work, we laughed and enjoyed throughout it as it matches the situation which reminds us of our school days . The writings are genuine and though it is the situation that we are all so familiar with, he managed to get something different out of it. The poet observes and think more, he connected those tiny little pieces in life to form a complete puzzle, elaborates them and,This is always how good things start small ^^.