ASSIGNMENT 3

POETRY
2020

POEM: KIDNAPPED
POET: RUPERAKE PATAIA

NAME: RACHNA LAL

ID: 20200450
GROUP: 5
TUTOR: MS SERA LOCKINGTON
1. Explain the title of the poem. Do you think the title is relevant or appropriate? Give a reason for your
answer. (3 marks)

The title of the poem is “Kidnapped”, as one reads the title of the poem they may understand that poem is
about someone who has been forcefully and unwillingly taken from a place. It conveys that someone is
unwilling to go to a certain place and are abducted and forced to follow the instruction given against their
will.
Yes, I think the title is relevant because it makes the readers wonder what will the poem be about, it
emphasizes that the persona is unwillingly removed from his comfort place and located in a place where he
is uncomfortable. After reading the poem it makes sense why the poet stated the title the poem Kidnapped
because the poem depicts that the persona was kidnapped from his cultural and traditional lifestyle and
placed in a colonized and a western environment. When western influence came about they drew the pacific
islanders towards it forcing them to follow the modern lifestyle and education, according to the poet
Ruperake Pataia he termed this influence as kidnapped, because he believed that pacific islanders have been
kidnapped from their cultural lifestyle and placed in a western-influenced environment that resulted in them
to go through a loss of cultural identity.

2. Write a paragraph discussing the subject of the poem or what the poem is about. Refer to the poem to
support your answer. (4 marks)
To begin with, the poem kidnapped by Ruperake Pataia conveys the message about western education and
how it has some negative impacts on the pacific islanders. The poet draws the attention to readers by stating
that the persona going to school has been kidnapped, because the thinks that he is forcefully sent to school
and taught western education as stated in the poem by Ruperake Pataia.
“One day I was
kidnapped by a band
Of Western philosophers
armed with glossy-pictured…”
The above quotation explains that colonization and westernization have forced children to study western
education, the poet stated pacific islanders are kidnapped from their cultural lifestyle and forced to study
western education by western philosophers and through this, his cultural and traditional teachings have been
faded away and through the influence of westernization pacific islanders are tending to wave away the
traditional aspects of life and are welcoming western aspects. The poem also emphasizes how parents face
difficulties to send their children to school for western education because they want the best for their
children and just because of that parent's struggle and sacrifice to pay the school fees.
“Mama and Papa loved
their son and
paid ransom fees
each time”
The above quotation stated by Ruperake Pataia conveys that western education costs a lot, but parents are
willing to pay any cost to provide education to their children so that they can have a successful future and it
is only possible through western education.
“Each time
Mama and Papa grew
poorer and poorer
and my kidnappers grew
richer and richer
I grew whiter and
whiter”
The above quotation by Ruperake Pataia is the best depiction of westernization over traditional and cultural
lifestyle. “mama and papa grew poorer and poorer” explains the struggles parents go through to pay for the
school fees and even give up their savings to send their child to school, it depicts that pacific islanders are
very keen about their child education. As educators receive the fee they get “richer and richer” and the line
“I grew whiter and whiter” explains that the poet is now having modernized thoughts and starting to leave
the cultural lifestyle behind and adapting to the western lifestyle it states that through this the persona is
going through a loss of his cultural identity and he is not even holding on to his cultural value instead he is
becoming “whiter”.

To sum up, the main subject of the poem kidnapped is westernization over cultural values and how western
influence is taking over the pacific islanders' life. The poet conveys that western education as imprisonment
as stated in the poem “on my release fifteen years after” states that the persona was unwillingly dragged into
western education and in this process he lost his own cultural identity.

3. What is the tone or the mood of the poem? Quote words or phrases from the poem to support your
answer. (3 marks)
The tone of the poem kidnapped by Ruperake Pataia is critical because throughout the poem the poet
criticizes western education system and also expresses how he has been forced to go through the western
education system against his will, he is also angry because in this process he is losing he’s cultural values.
He blames westernization for the loss of his traditional culture. Colonization and westernization have a huge
influence over the pacific islanders which made cultural lifestyle fade away. The poet criticizes western
education system because the poet blames colonization for the loss of he’s cultural values. In the poem the
poet Ruperake Pataia stated:

”Mama and Papa grew

poorer and poorer
and my kidnappers grew
richer and richer
I grew whiter and whiter”

The above quote explains that the poet criticizes western influence that has took over the personas life and
just because of western education system cost a lot the parents struggles to pay for the necessities required
that enables the child a enter the education system. The poet also stated that “my kidnappers grew richer
and richer”because the poet refers the kidnappers to the western educators and portrays western education
comes with a high cost that is demanded. In a way the poet condemns western education for demanding
large sum of money that is causing the parents in the pacific islands to become poorer and poorer. The poet
implies that the western education has abducted him from his cultural lifestyle and forced him to follow a
new lifestyle that made him lose his cultural teachings, traditional language and ancestral heritage.

“Guevara pointed a revolution

at my brains”

The above quote expresses that the persona was forced to study and he was tired and frustrated and its brain
couldn’t handle the pressure. western education was new to him and it got difficult for him to cope up.
At the end of the poem the poet describes his graduation as being released fifteen years after.

“a piece of paper
to decorate my walls
certifying my release”

The above quote expresses that the poet was not happy being graduating and receiving a certificate instead
he was happy that finally he got freedom from studying things that were never part of this culture. The
above quotation also has a critical tone in it because the poet criticizes western education for just giving him
a piece of paper and that’s all he got after studying all those years and also lost his own cultural identity,
because in the western education system cultural aspects are not included for the pacific students to get
exposure to.The poet states his certificate as a piece of paper because he feels angry about having to spread
so much time and money in school and learning a foreign language and lifestyle and all he gained was a
diploma but lost so much which was part of him, his cultural identity was lost. Towards the end of the poem
it conveys an emotional tone as well because the poem stresses how parents face struggles to send their
children to school to get a formal education.
4. List down at least 2 examples of figurative language used in the poem. How effective are these figures
of speech? Quote from the poem to illustrate your answer. (5 marks)

The first example of the figurative language used in the poem Kidnapped by Peruke Pataia is repetition,
Ruperake Pataia used multiple repetitions such as the poet repeats certain phases like “poorer and poorer”,
“richer and richer” and “whiter and whiter” those phases are repeated to have more emphasis and grabs
the readers attention. Certain phrases are repeated because it carries important messages behind it.

The effectiveness of the figurative language is that it helps to highlight important messages, it also creates an
emotional attachment with the readers and the poet. It helps readers to understand the impacts of
colonization and western type of education over cultural values that make the pacific islanders lose their
cultural identity and behave like westerners. As the phase “poorer and poorer” stresses the emphasis on
how parents in the pacific island struggle to send their children to school and because of that all their savings
are used up. Certain phrases are repeated so they can create a sympathetic relationship with the readers and
the poet. The second phase that is used in the poem is “richer and richer” that certain phase lets readers
understand that western education is extremely expensive and parents have to pay whole sum money to the
educator so that their child can get a formal education. And lastly the effectiveness of the phase “whiter and
whiter” explains how western education and western influence has taken over the persona, now he has
modernized thoughts and has forgotten about his cultural values and he isn’t even marginalized between his
cultural and western lifestyle instead he lost all his cultural values and is becoming westernized (”whiter”)

The second example of figurative language used in the poem Kidnapped is irony. Irony has a sarcastic tone
and it relates the main subject of the poem with other statements that conveys the same message.
Throughout the poem irony is used such as.

“One day I was kidnapped by a band of Western philosophers…”

The effectiveness of the figurative language used in the above statement is that it sounds more like that the
persona was physically kidnapped by the band of western philosophers but instead intends to explain that the
persona was removed form his cultural lifestyle, although the persona was not physically kidnapped instead
mentally and emotionally he was kidnapped by western influence.

“…paid ransom fees each time”

The above statement also uses the figurative language irony, because the word “ransom” is used that
conveys that the persona is kidnapped and the kidnappers are demanding a sum of money to free the
persona, but the poet uses that word the portray that going to a western school requires a large sum of fees
and the poet explains the situation and relates it with the actual abduction. The poet conveys that school fees
have to be paid that would free him from that class or term so that he would enter the next level and quickly
finish his education.
“On my release fifteen years after”

The above statement uses irony as the figure of speech and its effectiveness is that it helps the readers
understand what the persona is feeling, the poet expresses his going to school as being in a prison and finally
after fifteen years after he got released that portrays to the readers that western education takes years to
complete and without completing the studies the persona wouldn’t free himself, in those fifteen years the
persona did not have a chance to learn or experience his cultural values and through that the poet cultural
values, aspects, believes and norms were decayed.
5. How did you feel after reading the poem? Give reasons for your answer. (3 marks)

After reading the poem Kidnapped by Ruperake Pataia, it made me feel sentimental and sympathetic
towards to poet because the poem expresses that how colonization and westernization have influenced the
poet and because of that he is losing his cultural values and aspects, he has forgotten about his cultural
teachings. I feel like pacific islanders are the most vulnerable to the impact of westernization where it caused
them to wash away their indigenous cultural values. The poem made me realize that there are some negative
impacts of western education on the people of the pacific. After reading the poem I can empathize with the
poet Ruperake Pataia and the message he is trying to convey, throughout the poem Pataia does not only
expresses his feelings towards westernization and western education but also conveys all the struggles faced
by the parents to send their children to school for formal education. I strongly feel that due to colonization
and westernization pacific islanders are leaving behind their indigenous values. Moreover, I also feel like
western education is something the poet wouldn’t run away from as it was necessary and he was forced to
do so. Maybe that might be one of the reasons why the poet titled the poem Kidnapped. Pacific islanders
prefer to send their children to go through formal education so they would a better future. But the students
feel like they are pressured to study a foreign lifestyle and values which are alien to them, but yet they are
made to follow the instructions given. That’s why I feel like at the end of the poem Ruperake Pataia
mentioned him being graduating as released fifteen years after stating that he is finally free and has the
freedom to do things his way and no one will be forcing him to do things against his will.
6. How relevant is the poem to your life or your society? Explain your answer. (2 marks)

The poem kidnapped by Ruperake Pataia is relevant to my society because the poet is from Samoa and is a
pacific islander and Fiji is also part of the pacific island, I believe almost all issues faced by the poet is
somewhat we in Fiji experience. Westernization and western education have influenced my society as well
where people here are also experiencing cultural loss and tending to move towards western lifestyle because
of colonization. In the poem Ruperake Pataia stated

“Each three-month term

they sent threats to
my Mama and Papa”

The above statement stated by the poet Ruperake Pataia is relevant to my society because here in Fiji
teachers send letters to the parents informing them for the parent-teacher meeting each term end to discuss
the child's academic performance. It has become a necessity in our society for all children to go through
formal education. Situations expressed by the poet is relevant in real life, parents struggle to pay for the
school fees, buy school uniforms and all required necessities demanded so that their child does not face any
difficulties and acquires the knowledge provided by western education to have a brighter future and better
jobs because western education and western lifestyle promises to have a successful future and that’s what
parents want for their children, that’s why not only in the pacific but worldwide everyone emphasizes
western education but in this process they leave behind their cultural teachings and I believe this is what is
happening in my society where the people are giving more importance to westernization and not realizing
they are losing a part of them, their indigenous values are lost and time has came that our younger
generation does not have any idea about their cultural backgrounds, teachings and values because
throughout their childhood they were never exposed to their cultural lifestyle instead taught a foreign
lifestyle.