an afternoon nap�by Arthur Yapp�1977
The title makes� the reader think �of a peaceful experience. �Why did the author choose this title?
-2nd generation Singaporean poet�and painter�-guarded his privacy zealously
2
Free verse�4 quatrains�1 quintrain�all lower case
the ambitious mother across the road�is at it again. proclaiming her goodness�she beats the boy. shouting out his wrongs, with raps�she begins with his mediocre report-book grades.
4
Irony
The mother’s claims of goodness and ambition are the opposite of her actions toward her son.
Caesura
Makes us notice the line right before and after: not the first time and another positive image of the mother.
Alliteration/Consonance
The rolling rapid “R” sounds add to her furious state as she hits (raps) him repeatedly.
Plosive Alliteration
The booming plosive alliteration reveals anger of the mother
enjambment
The first two lines hurl us across the page as we wonder what this ambitious mother is doing.
enjambment
enjambment
enjambment
“
she strikes chords for the afternoon piano lesson�her voice stridently imitates 2nd. lang. tuition,�all the while circling the cowering boy�in a manner apt for the most strenuous p.e. ploy.
5
Sibilance
The “s” hisses with sinister anger “striking,” “stridently” and “strenuous.”
Alliteration
The hard guttural sounds reinforce the harshness of the mother as she seems to be the bully, circling her prey.
Allusion: 2nd lang. tuition
In Singapore, everyone speaks two languages. English (Singlish) and one of three “mother-tongues”: Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil. She may be mocking her son, mimicking his poor speech in his 2nd language (which would have been English).
Metaphor
Mother’s voice is compared to his 2nd language teacher’s
The piano lesson is compared to the most strenuous game in PE
“
swift are all her contorted movements,�ape for every need; no soft gradient�of a consonant-vowel figure, she lumbers�& shrieks, a hit for every 2 notes missed.
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verb
Meaning to mimic, make fun of. The mother doesn’t miss an opportunity to mock “ape” her son.
sibilance
Shows the mother’s uncontrolled anger: She is “swift” in her physical beatings, and “shrieks” in her verbal abuse.
“NO”=what she isn’t
A “soft gradient” indicates a gentle incline. A “consonant-vowel” might be a term of endearment like “ma” which she is not. Her motherly figure is distorted by her anger, which is quick and harsh.
“
his tears are dear. each monday,�wednesday, friday, miss low & madam lim�appear & take away $90 from the kitty�leaving him an adagio, clause analysis, little�pocket-money
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Internal rhyme
“dear” means both beloved and costly. The tears he shed have cost him immensely
asyndeton
The lack of conjunctions propel the poem forward, but also juxtapose what the teachers take and what they leave.
kitty
Suggests that the family has to scrimp and save for the son’s lessons.
Shortest line of the poem. Why?
Alliteration
“miss” and “madam” and “low” and “lim”
He feels small and not good enough
“
8
the embittered boy across the road�is at it again. proclaiming his bewilderment�he yells at her. shouting out her wrongs, with tears�he begins with her expensive taste for education.
the ambitious mother across the road�is at it again. proclaiming her goodness�she beats the boy. shouting out his wrongs, with raps�she begins with his mediocre report-book grades.
Last stanza
First stanza
Parallel structure/Juxtaposition
Pun: $90 is how much his education costs, but it has also been expensive in the emotional and physical abuse to him.
How does the parallel structure relate to the theme of the poem? What function does it serve as a literary device?