2. Marzuki Ali was born in 1945
in Terengganu, Malaysia. He
was brought up in Kemaman
and later Sabah. He has been
writing poems since the 1960's.
His poems mostly deal with
issues regarding his hometown,
environment and patriotism. A
lot of his poems have been
published in the Utusan
Malaysia, Berita Minggu,
Dewan Sastera and Dewan
Budaya.
http://sundaypeople.nst.com.my/article/Features/20090328170723/Article/index_html
3. I am old and worn
and have lost all my strength
sufferings
and the history of the fight for independence
have forced sacrifices
that know no name
or life
4. from the wheelchair of the rest of my days
I, body and energy crushed
see and cannot do much
these times are too big a challenge
for the remnants of my crippled years
the net of deceit spread everywhere
disturbs me.
5. In the name of justice
Wake up and form ranks sons of our ancestor
Be brave
And erect a wall of people
Stand up heirs of our freedom
6. I have no more voice
It is you now who should speak
7. This poem is about an old and retired
soldier’s call to younger generation. He wants
young people to stand up and be patriotic to
their nation. The persona was one of those who
fought for the independence of his country
and had scarified a lot for this cause. He now
describes himself as old, weak and crippled
and being unable to do much for his country.
He sees the present as troubling times, but he is
unable to do much because of his condition.
Therefore he urges the younger generation to
stand up and fight for justice.
8. The poem is written in free verse,
without any rhyming scheme. The poem
is written in four stanzas. The first two
stanzas have seven lines each, the third
has five lines and the last has only two
lines.
9. Time : Present time
Place : Although no specific place is
mentioned, it can be assumed
that the poem is set in the
persona’s own country.
11. The mood and atmosphere in the poem
is sombre. The poet urges the young to
stand up and protect their country.
12. The tone is serious as the persona
directly requests the reader to do
something about his country’s present
condition. The persona sounds worried
and concerned.
13. The theme in the poem include
patriotism, courageous and public
spiritedness.
14. Patriotism is one of the themes of this
poem. The people in this country have
made a lot of sacrifices to fight for their
freedom. They have achieved
independence but now there are other
threats such as deceit. This affects the
country's safety. The persona calls on the
younger generation to fight for justice
and to speak up against deceit.
15. Another theme is being courageous. In
the past, people made many sacrifices
and fought bravely with the country's
enemies for their freedom. Now, the
persona urges the younger generation to
be brave and fight against other threats
in the country. He tells them to stand up
and speak with courage.
16. In the past, people were united when they
fought for independence. Now, the
persona emphasises that the younger
generation who has inherited a free country
should unite to preserve their freedom. They
should stand united by building a wall of
people or forming ranks irrespective of
racial, religious and other social differences.
The "lines" in the poem, A Fighter's Lines refer
to the persona's lines and the lines or ranks
formed for unity. We have to be united and
strong as in the saying, "United we stand,
divided we fall".
17. We should be courageous when it
comes to defending our country. We
need to stand up for justice.
18. The persona urges the younger
generation to stand up against the
widespread lies which are rampant in
society today. This 'net of deceit' worries
his as it can destroy the solidarity of the
people. Therefore, he urges them to
stand united and uphold justice to
preserve the freedom and safety of the
country.
19. In the fight for independence, the
persona and other soldiers sacrificed
and risked their lives when they fought
for independence. Now, he is
wheelchair-bound because he was
either crippled in the war or is now old
and sick. Now, he wants the younger
generation to make sacrifices too to
preserve their freedom.
20. We must be united to preserve our
freedom. The persona wants the
younger generation to stand united
regardless of their differences to ensure
their freedom.
21. o Metaphors
e.g. “net of deceit spread everywhere”
o Imagery of the senses
Sight e.g. “a wall of people”
Sound e.g. “ no more voice”
o Symbolism
o e.g. the wheelchair represents disability
22. Words Meanings
1. worn a. broken
2. sufferings b. disabled
3. forced c. dishonest behaviour that is intended to trick
sacrifices someone
4. crushed d. feeling of pain and unhappiness
5. challenge e. lines; row
6. remnants f. tired; weary
7. crippled g. a person of an earlier period and common
heritage
8. deceit h. have no choice but to give up something
important and valuable for the country
9. rank i. build
10. ancestor j. people who continue the work started by
others
11. erect k. remains
12. heirs l. difficult task
23. Words Meanings
1. f
2. d
3. h
4. a
5. l
6. k
7. b
8. c
9. e
10. g
11. i
12. j
24. 1. Who’s the persona in the poem?
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
25. I am old and worn
1. Who is I in this line?
____________________________________
2. What is the meaning of worn in this line?
____________________________________
3. Why is I worn?
____________________________________
26. 1. What does the poet mean in the above
line?
_______________________________________
2. Why is the persona weak?
_______________________________________
27. 1. What does the poet mean in the above
line?
____________________________________
2. What kind of challenge did the persona
face when he was young?
____________________________________
3. What kind of threats or challenges does
our country face today?
______________________________________
28. a) ____________________________________
b) ____________________________________
c) ____________________________________
d) ____________________________________
29.
30. 1. Who’s the persona in the poem?
The persona in this poem is a veteran fighter /
soldier / war hero
The persona had fought for our country’s
independence.
The persona urges the younger generation to
continue fighting for their country’s
independence.
31. I am old and worn
1. Who is I in this line?
I is a veteran fighter/ a war hero / a soldier
2. What is the meaning of worn in this line?
tired out
3. Why is I worn?
I had fought really hard for his country’s
independence
32. I am old and worn
1. Who is I in this line?
I is a veteran fighter/ a war hero / a soldier
2. What is the meaning of worn in this line?
tired out
3. Why is I worn?
I had fought really hard for his country’s
independence
33. 1. What does the poet mean in the above
line? different nature. the threats faced by his country are
The persona realises that
now a
2. What kind of challenge did the persona
face whenforJapaneseyoung?the Communists.
He had to fight
he was army and from the colonizer
like the British, the
his country’ freedom
3. What kind of threats or challenges does
our country face of power / Moral decay
- Corruption/ The abuse today?
34. a) We must love our country
b) We must appreciate the fighters’
sacrifices in achieving independence
for our country
c) We have to respect each other
regardless of our age, gender, race and
religion
d) We must stay unite in order to protect
the freedom of our country
