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POETRY: The Planners (Appreciation)

The Planners by Boey Kim Cheng 

Appreciation of the Poem

Q. Write a poetic appreciation of the poem ‘The Planners’.
(For General Guidelines On How To Write Poem Appreciation)         Click Here

Answer:

The poem ‘The Planners’ written by Singaporean poet Boey Kim Cheng, is a powerful poem that critiques the excessive urban planning and modernization taking place in rapidly developing cities by the planners who design and control the transformation of urban spaces which seem to reshape cities without regard for history, nature, or human emotion.

The central theme of the poem is that progress is good but should not be at the loss of identity, history, and individuality. The poet highlights how constant construction, rigid symmetry, and artificial perfection erase the imperfections that give a place its soul. 

The poem is written in free verse. This style, the use of short sentences reflects, how ironically, he uses poetic freedom to critique structural rigidity. The line ‘They Plan. They Build’ shows how planners don’t listen to what people want.

The poet’s tone seems positive but in reality, it is a mix of criticism, nostalgia, and quiet anger. Simply put its Sarcasm.

Poetic devices like Alliteration, Antithesis, Personification, Paradox, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia are used. The language is simple but powerful, using everyday words to create deep emotional impact.

The poet uses strong and striking imagery which instantly clicks in our mind. Like when he compares planners to dentist also the extended metaphor of medical surgery is instantly relatable.

The message of the poem simple - Progress without emotions or respect for the past leads to emptiness. The poem urges readers to value history, the imperfections of the past, memories, and organic growth, rather than blindly chasing uniformity and material progress.

In my opinion, the poem is thought-provoking as it encourages us to pause, reflect, and question the price of progress. It shows us, how fast changes can make us forget where we came from.

Regards,

Prof. Chirag Jain

 

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