Big Match,1983
"Big Match,1983" reveals the destructive impact of ethnic tensions on relationships. discuss.
the poem "Big Match,1983" by Yasmine Gooneratne mainly discusses of the racial conflict and the social unrest in Sri Lanka in 1983. Gooneratne peeps in to this reality very effectively and recaptures the unpleasant memories of communal clashes and disturbances. She uses an ambiguous and suggestive title in her poem. Big match is usually a cricket game between two leading schools of a city. both teams encounter at the play ground and strikes to obtain the highest score and become winners. But here she nuances the term slightly and precisely taking the phrase as a stick topped with Sulphur. thus, the title suggests a large fire lit by a match. this quite implicitly addresses the true situation. thus, poetess takes these communal clashes to be a fire, spreading all over the island high and fast.
this conflicting situation is compared to a conflagration or arson. this is because the extremists and mobs keeps mercilessly assassinating the common masses. they are insensitive, callous and inhuman to the screams of these people, so they keep massacring and destroying the residences and property of innocent ethnic minority. the poetess evaluates this critically glimpsing the whole situation in a different light.
she speaks of how the treacherous and power-greedy politicians encourage the inhumanity in mobs. but only the innocent masses of both ethnic groups suffer as the victims of this insensible and power hungry racial conflict. the poetess cynically and ironically interprets how the politicians has used this weapon of ethnic difference hitherto. she traces out the history in her poem to present these traitorous actions of the politicians. they have begun or inflamed the coals of this hatred or revenge and now they are powerless and livid to stop these actions.
so she continues to illustrate how the innocent people suffer because of this sacrificial fire. from the ancient times Sinhala and Tamil people being the main ethnic group in Sri Lanka has build very close relationships. but due to this racial conflict they are forced to break these long term relationships and part their ways. powerful and evil forces thrusts on them to destroy their own close friends. so, when the destruction takes place, Tamils are killed by their very own neighbors.
"beneath a Bo tree in a shower of sticks and stones
flung by his own neighbors hands..."
a Tamil man is hit by stones and sticks and this too in front of a Bo tree. this symbolizes how even the religion of lord Buddha failed to save him from the upcoming threat. on the other hand he is forced to his knees because of the fatal injuries caused by the attack of his neighbor. before the start of this racial conflagration, they might have been close friends but now the neighbor is completely irrevocably motivated by unconcealed hatred and revenge. the long-lasted friendship broken, for the neighbor is impacted by racial fire. thus, the poet quite effectively illustrates how the innocents were brutally harassed and murdered by the hands of extremists and mobs and also the followers of their path. in this way, Gooneratne brings forward how the social relationships were influenced by the negative impacts of 1983 ethnic conflict.
moreover she represents a vivid picture of how the Tamils being minority suffered. for this purpose she takes a particular individual who seems to be a middle aged man with knowledge wisdom and well-refined manners. he ironically portrays his present condition to a Sinhala friend on a phone conversation.
not a dull moment, no one can complain of boredom, that's for sure...."
he expresses his fear with quite sarcasm and this generates sympathy in the reader. he lives in a house with a large library and it is obvious he loves his books very much since he offers to die before his books are burned. he has send his wife and children to safer place and now anticipating an attack from extremists. this is very pathetic because he is cut from his and their relationship is tense with fear.
"i send Padmini and the girls to a neighbor's house..."
he does not want his family to be killed so he separates them and hides them in a much safer place.
on the other hand, ordinary Sinhala people are helpless too. before this conflict they rescued their closest in times of an attack. but at this point the circumstances are vastly different that mobs insensitively murders everyone who comes to face them. but the Sinhalese are trying to find the root cause of this violent destruction and they even trace back to the history.
"powerless this time to shelter or share
we strive to be objective, try to trace
the match that lit this sacrificial fire..."
but even then they are unable to help but stare helplessly at the screams of agony of Tamils. in this way they are forced to silence while the Tamils are brutally murdered in front of them. thus, their relationships are highly impacted by these destructive deeds.
finally, Gooneratne in her poem divulges the tension forced upon the Sinhala-Tamil relationships as a result of violent and conflagarative racial conflicts. she speaks of how the whole Sri Lanka was consumed by these merciless assassinations and further reveals of how the ordinary relationships were impacted by this vast destruction.
the poem "Big Match,1983" by Yasmine Gooneratne mainly discusses of the racial conflict and the social unrest in Sri Lanka in 1983. Gooneratne peeps in to this reality very effectively and recaptures the unpleasant memories of communal clashes and disturbances. She uses an ambiguous and suggestive title in her poem. Big match is usually a cricket game between two leading schools of a city. both teams encounter at the play ground and strikes to obtain the highest score and become winners. But here she nuances the term slightly and precisely taking the phrase as a stick topped with Sulphur. thus, the title suggests a large fire lit by a match. this quite implicitly addresses the true situation. thus, poetess takes these communal clashes to be a fire, spreading all over the island high and fast.
this conflicting situation is compared to a conflagration or arson. this is because the extremists and mobs keeps mercilessly assassinating the common masses. they are insensitive, callous and inhuman to the screams of these people, so they keep massacring and destroying the residences and property of innocent ethnic minority. the poetess evaluates this critically glimpsing the whole situation in a different light.
she speaks of how the treacherous and power-greedy politicians encourage the inhumanity in mobs. but only the innocent masses of both ethnic groups suffer as the victims of this insensible and power hungry racial conflict. the poetess cynically and ironically interprets how the politicians has used this weapon of ethnic difference hitherto. she traces out the history in her poem to present these traitorous actions of the politicians. they have begun or inflamed the coals of this hatred or revenge and now they are powerless and livid to stop these actions.
so she continues to illustrate how the innocent people suffer because of this sacrificial fire. from the ancient times Sinhala and Tamil people being the main ethnic group in Sri Lanka has build very close relationships. but due to this racial conflict they are forced to break these long term relationships and part their ways. powerful and evil forces thrusts on them to destroy their own close friends. so, when the destruction takes place, Tamils are killed by their very own neighbors.
"beneath a Bo tree in a shower of sticks and stones
flung by his own neighbors hands..."
a Tamil man is hit by stones and sticks and this too in front of a Bo tree. this symbolizes how even the religion of lord Buddha failed to save him from the upcoming threat. on the other hand he is forced to his knees because of the fatal injuries caused by the attack of his neighbor. before the start of this racial conflagration, they might have been close friends but now the neighbor is completely irrevocably motivated by unconcealed hatred and revenge. the long-lasted friendship broken, for the neighbor is impacted by racial fire. thus, the poet quite effectively illustrates how the innocents were brutally harassed and murdered by the hands of extremists and mobs and also the followers of their path. in this way, Gooneratne brings forward how the social relationships were influenced by the negative impacts of 1983 ethnic conflict.
moreover she represents a vivid picture of how the Tamils being minority suffered. for this purpose she takes a particular individual who seems to be a middle aged man with knowledge wisdom and well-refined manners. he ironically portrays his present condition to a Sinhala friend on a phone conversation.
not a dull moment, no one can complain of boredom, that's for sure...."
he expresses his fear with quite sarcasm and this generates sympathy in the reader. he lives in a house with a large library and it is obvious he loves his books very much since he offers to die before his books are burned. he has send his wife and children to safer place and now anticipating an attack from extremists. this is very pathetic because he is cut from his and their relationship is tense with fear.
"i send Padmini and the girls to a neighbor's house..."
he does not want his family to be killed so he separates them and hides them in a much safer place.
on the other hand, ordinary Sinhala people are helpless too. before this conflict they rescued their closest in times of an attack. but at this point the circumstances are vastly different that mobs insensitively murders everyone who comes to face them. but the Sinhalese are trying to find the root cause of this violent destruction and they even trace back to the history.
"powerless this time to shelter or share
we strive to be objective, try to trace
the match that lit this sacrificial fire..."
but even then they are unable to help but stare helplessly at the screams of agony of Tamils. in this way they are forced to silence while the Tamils are brutally murdered in front of them. thus, their relationships are highly impacted by these destructive deeds.
finally, Gooneratne in her poem divulges the tension forced upon the Sinhala-Tamil relationships as a result of violent and conflagarative racial conflicts. she speaks of how the whole Sri Lanka was consumed by these merciless assassinations and further reveals of how the ordinary relationships were impacted by this vast destruction.
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