Name : Indah Windy Khoerunisa

NIM : 2001382
Class : 3A2-English Literature

Constructing A Story Based on A Poem “Question to Self”

The poem entitled "Question to Self" I think was written by a student. I got that
conclusion from the first paragraph where it says "another brain on the campus", which
means she is a person who is currently studying at a campus. In addition, another proof that
the writer is a student is that she describes what a student usually does, seen in the verse
"filling my days with taps on a keyboard,
blinding computer screen,
writing what's already been written,
doing what I am told without question”.
This poem tells about a woman who is confused about her future. She is confused
about her dreams, and she wonders, is the path she is taking now the one that will lead him to
success? And also, what I see from this poem is that she disagrees with the idea that just
going to college and having a degree doesn't mean we've achieved what we set out to do.
Evidence that strengthens this statement is in the second stanza of this poem which reads
"Alas, my mother is not a wise man.
As a woman who was taught to observe and absorb,
she sent me off to college,
hoping I would come home with a degree, a corporate job, and a man to start a family with.
Complete with two adorable children and a pension plan.
One day I learned to say no,
she knitted her eyebrows and said,"
And actually, she doesn't seem to know what her goal is, she doesn't have a dream and just
follows her parents' orders to continue her studies, as can be seen from the quote
“"WHAT" do I want to be?
anxiety cripples me each time the thought crashed my mind,
Scattering the trains, leaving a wreckage."
As a reader, I can feel what the writer feels. She was feeling anxious, restless, and
afraid of the situation that befell her at the moment. She doesn't know what she wants to
achieve in the future, while she has to fulfill his parents' demands. She is forced to live a life
that does not know where it will lead. It is very relevant to most teenagers, where they have
not found their purpose in life while they have to go down a path that is not what they want.
The problem and the essence of the incident that befell the writer is confusion and anxiety in
determining her dream.