Assignment on Poetry from other Cultures and Traditions

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Assignment on Poetry from other Cultures and Traditions

Ever since life on Earth started it has been closely linked with suffering. Sometimes, against their will people hurt each other. All people have values of their own, dignity or pride, money or power, beauty and attractiveness. Depending on the individual depressing these values may lead to very strong feelings. Throughout history some of the best pieces of art have been influenced by the creators thoughts. Suffering is one of those feelings. In this assignment I will try and look inside the suffering that has led to the writing of these poems...

Many women that left their homeland, in the 1860-80s, saw 'new life' in the face of New Zealand. They were taken up there by ships, and the only information about them was from the records. Those women left behind their past, to start a new full of expectations future. In those records there is a girl, Charlotte O'Neil, who is listed as a 'general servant'. Fiona Farrel chooses her as a leading character, to sing a song about her feelings and thoughts, in her play Passengers. Her song is only set in two tenses - the past and the future.

Like the song reveals, the job involved everything, from opening the front door, to emptying the chamber pot. In the first verse the girl tells us all the work she had to do for her master. The last line:

'...and I scrubbed till my hands were raw'

is probably most impressive. The girl is only seventeen years old and the usage of the word 'raw' strongly describes her suffering. As a whole this verse only focuses on what physical work she was expected to do.
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The next verse goes on to show the distinct contrast between the lives of the rich and the poor. She initiates an argument about the fairness of the social system that in 1800s is considered out of question. It is a commonly accepted issue that the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich. The girl compares the 'attic cot' she has to sleep on and the 'silken pillow' that her master deserves only for his wealth. She also has the humiliating job of emptying the chamber pot, which would crush anyone's dignity, even more at the naive ...

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