THE DEAD CROW (BY A.

SAMAD SAID)

He saw a dead crow

in a drain
near the Post Office,
He saw an old man
gasping for air
And a baby barely able to breathe
In a crowded morning clinic
This land is so rich
Why should we suffer like this?

I want clean air

For my grandchildren
I want the damned fools
To leave the forest alone,
I want the trees to grow,
The rivers run free
And the earth covered with grass.
Let the politicians plan how
we may live with dignity
Now and always
Biography of The Poet

A. Samad Said is well known for his literary works and is a distinguished
personality in the literary world. He has a number of National Award to
honour him and his remarkable literary works. He has been honoured
with the title Sasterawan Negara or National Laureate in 1985, which was
awarded as recognition for his contributions to literature.

A. Samad Said introduces a new form of literary style in his works which
marked uniqueness in his writings and poems. He is a sharp observer, and
records his observations in writing, paying attention to minute details and
narrative accuracies. This has enabled him to produced literary works that
mirror real life situations and dramatic experiences. His novel "Salina"
provides detailed descriptions of life and the human dimensions. Most of
his literary works relate to human experiences in society and provides
socio-cultural dimensions, into the lives of the ordinary peoples. Many of
his literary works have been translated into English and other languages.
His literary works are well-received and appreciated for their remarkable
literary richness.

General Introduction

Poets are generally interested in putting across their ideas through their
poems. They do this through their observations and based on their
experiences. They wish to share their perceptions and experiences with
people or the readers. They use words to bring out the human dimensions
and what they go through in their lives. These are rich experiences that
make readers become aware of some issues and concerns.

In the poem, The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said, the persona makes some
observations and expresses his feelings of what is happening. The
persona shares his or her feelings and concerns.

Subject of The Poem

The poem relates to pollution and issues concerning the environment. The
subject of the poem is the preservation of the environment for future
generations. The environment is everyone's concern and there is a need
for everyone to protect the environment.

Theme of The Poem

The theme of the poem relates to the general idea or ideas running
throughout the poem. A poem may have one or more themes depending
on the subject of the poem the persona deals with and the experiences the
persona undergoes. There are several themes in the poem "The Dead
Crow". The themes are :

 The pollution of the environment

 The need for preservation of nature
 The dangers of modernization
 Awareness for the need for balanced development
Tone of The Poem

The tone of the poem refers to the feelings, attitudes, perceptions and
experiences of the persona. It also relates to the mood of the persona
(angry, sad, upset, disappointed, regretful, sarcastic, etc). These feelings,
attitudes and perceptions are expressed either directly or indirectly.

In "The Dead Crow", the persona feels angry and disappointed. He feels
regretful that the environment is taken for granted. The persona asks
"Why should we suffer like this?" The poet is cynical when he says: "I
want the damn fools to leave the forest alone."

People are suffering because of the polluted environments. The persona

demands for clean air, forest to be left alone, trees to grow, rivers to flow
freely and the earth to be covered with grass. The persona hopes for a
better and cleaner environment for the people and future generations.

Moral Values

The poem deals with pollution and the environment. Environmental

problems and pollution are happening everywhere. The persona notices
that a crow is dead in the drain, 'an old is gasping for air', a baby having
difficulty breathing, and a crowded clinic. The environment is a threat to
animals and people. The persona is fearful that the would no longer be
clean, forests would be destroyed, rivers being polluted and cannot flow
freely, trees are not allowed to grow and are felled, and the Earth is no
longer green. The persona is worried that there would be nothing left for
future generations to appreciate the beauty of nature if the damage to the
environment continues.

From the poem "The Dead Crow" we learn that, it is important to protect
the environment. We cannot allow modernization to rob us of the
environment and nature. We need to preserve nature (the environment)
for the good of the people and for future generations. We should be proud
of the natural heritage and protect it.

We should learn to take care of the environment and carry out

development in a balanced manner without destroying the fauna (animals)
and flora (forests, trees, earth) and nature (rivers, atmosphere). Thus, we
need to play our part in the preservation of the environment and in
reducing pollution.

Language

Poets use language to make the presentation of the poem more interesting.
They use language to engage the readers' senses and imagination. Poets
use different styles to express their ideas, feelings and experiences.

Style refers to the unique features of a piece of poem, which differs from
other poems. Poets use a particular style, which allows them to gain
readers' interest and appreciation for their poems. In "The Dead Crow"
the poet (A.Samad Said) makes use of two stanzas to express his feelings
and share his experiences.

In "The Dead Crow" the poet uses the following words, phrases or
sayings that are commonly used. The poet also uses imagery (words,
phrases or expressions) which works on our senses. Our senses are
engaged through the use of particular imagery and we, as the readers feel
the experiences, as if we too are part of the experiences or events. We
also feel the emotions or moods of the persona, as we read the poems.

Imagery : Words and phrases used in the "The Dead Crow"

Sense of sight : 'a dead crow' 'drain' 'post office' 'old man' 'baby' 'clinic'
'earth covered with grass'
Sense of hearing : 'crowded clinic' 'rivers run free'
Sense of smell : 'a dead crow'

The poet uses words to state that people are suffering because of the
polluted environment. He uses words or phrases like 'an old man gasping
for air' and 'a baby barely able to breath' (in Stanza 1) to show the
seriousness of the problem of pollution.

In Stanza One, the poet uses the word "He" to refer to someone (a male;
as it could be a young man, a boy, and adult or an old man). The poet tells
what the person sees (the dead crow, and the suffering of the people, both
young and old). In Stanza Two, the poet uses the word "I" and becomes
involved in the poem. The poet, states what he wishes to see, and what
should not be done. The poet uses the word "want" showing us that the
persona is making demands. His demands are: 'clean air', 'leave the forest
alone', 'trees to grow', 'rivers run free', 'earth covered with grass'.

The poem "The Dead Crow" relates to observations someone makes on

what is happening and the persona's demands for a cleaner and better
environment for the people and future generations. The poet uses the
words "forests", "grass" and "trees" (in Stanza Two) which relate to the
environment. We get the impression of a green environment.

The poet uses a dead crow as a symbol. In literature, symbols relate to the
use of objects, animals or human experiences or socio-cultural aspects to
mean something. The eagle is often seen as a symbol of freedom and
strength. Red symbolises danger. Green would mainly refer to the
environment.

The dead crow is used to show that the issue of pollution needs to be
taken seriously. A crow is a scavenger which lives on the carcasses of
animals or carrion, rubbish, and left-over food. If a scavenger like a crow
could be found dead, then something is seriously wrong with the
environment. The poet also uses the suffering of the people, who find it
difficult to breath, to show the seriousness of the problem of pollution.
There is an urgent need to protect the environment.

Glossory

1. gasping - wanting or needing something very badly

2. barely - in a way that almost does not happen or exist
3. suffer - to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of
something
4. damned - to show annoyance or disappointment
5. covered - placed something over or in front of something in order
to hide or protect it
6. politicians - people who are concerned with politics
7. dignity - a sense of your own importance and value

Additional words:
1. issues - important topics or matters that people discuss, problems
that draw people's attention
2. concerns - are matters that cause people to worry or fear
3. cynical - showing a negative attitude that things would not turn out
well
4. imagery - words that create pictures in one's mind, words that
engage one's senses
5. observation - watching or noticing something carefully
6. symbol - the use of objects to represent ideas and meanings
7. scavenger - an animal that looks for food in waste or rubbish, or
eats dead animals
8. carcasses - dead bodies of animals
9. carrion - the flesh of decaying animals