Conversation by Danton

Analhyn Amantil

I. Background of the Author

a. Professor Danton Remoto has been teaching for more than 30 years. He has taught at
universities in the United States, Malaysia, and the Philippines. He was educated at Ateneo
de Manila University, Rutgers University (USA), University of Stirling (UK) and the University
of the Philippines. He has been a scholar of the Ford Foundation-Asian Scholarship
Foundation, the British Council, and the Fulbright Foundation. He is a novelist published by
Penguin Random House, the world’s biggest publisher. His novel, Riverrun, has been chosen
by bookriot.com as one of the “five most highly anticipated books by an Asian author in
2020.”

II. Background of the text

a. The poem incorporates a free verse style Danton Remoto wrote it with continues proses with no
meter or rhyme and as one of the essence of postmodernism

III. Title

a. Conversation- people are trying to recall and reminiscing their lives and somehow console one
another of what is remaining important for them life. It is this imminent fact that in a glimpse of
hope against hope, one has to say goodbye and face death.

IV. Summary of the poem

a. isolated people who seek companion, place and acceptance group themselves in a conversation
to at least feel their existence and spend the remaining days of their lives in the comfort of their
 fellows whom also have the same condition “patients and people whom have association with
such disease.

V. Imagery

a. The poem is a compelling hit-the-mark warning of whoever lives a pervasive life may suffer the
consequence itself. The “cue stick” reminds us that life on the board’s secret pocket has an end
and is fast approaching and once it hits anyone (ivory ball) then death comes

VI. Figures of speech

a. The beginnings of love rich and red as the felt on the board- This figure of speech entails the
description of their lives as they portrayed their love here as rich and red.

VII. Sound

a. Our voices rise and fall- this clearly stating how the author wants the reader hear how this circle
of people with the same standing in life having their heartfelt talks to each other.

VIII. Rhyme

a. The Poem is a Near Rhyme also known as slant imperfect this rhyme is from with words that are
similar, but in fact sound different. -
b. I believe that the poem does not use any pattern to create a rhyming word for the reader to
read. But instead he uses a free verse poem to deliver its master piece.

IX. Rhythm
Conversations

(For my friends at the HIV workshop)

And / so /we /talk, al/ways/ rea/dy /to /hit /us,

drive/ us /down the/ boards/ sec/ret po/cket

out /words /try/ing/ to/ cap/ture
co/vered /with /net.
pain/ ca/ro/ming

like/ the /balls /of/ i/vory.

Out/ voi/ces/ rise And/ fall

as /we /sit /in / circle

tra/cing /our o/ther /lives,

the/ be/gi/nings of/ love rich /and /red

As/ the/ felt /on/ the/ board.

But /poised/ in /the /air

We/ al/ways/ re/mem/ber

The/ cue /stick with /one/ swift /stroke