Sad I Ams – Trevor Millum

Original text Meaning (Malay)

I am
the ring
from an empty Cola can Saya ialah
the scrapings Penutup dari tin Cola
Stanza 1
from an unwashed porridge pan Sisa dari kuali leper yang belum dicuci
the severed arm Lengan mainan ‘Action man’ yang sudah patah
of last year’s Action Man.

I am
the envelope
on which the gum is gone
Saya ialah
the sellotape
Sampul surat yang tidak ada gam
where you can’t find the end
Selotep yang tidak dapat dibuka
the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip
Stanza 2 Stapler yang tidak ada isi
the dried-up liquid paper
Liquid paper yang sudah kering.
that mars instead of mends
yang merosakkan bukan memperbaiki
the stamped addressed reply
Surat balas yang kamu lupa kirim
that you forgot
to send

I am
Saya ialah
the battery in which no charge is left
Bateri yang tidak lagi berfungsi
the starter motor which remains inert
Motor starter yang tidak bergerak.
the tyre on which the tread is worn
Stanza 3 Tayar yang bunga sudah haus
the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark
Sparking plug yang tidak ada percikan
the carburettor choked by bits of dirt
Karburetor yang dipenuhi kotoran
the chromium trim from which the shine has gone.
Chromium trim yang tidak lagi bersinar.

I am Saya ialah
a garden Taman
overgrown with weeds Yang penuh dengan rumpai
a library book Buku perpustakaan
Stanza 4 that no one ever reads Yang tidak ada orang membaca
a stray Haiwan liar
which no one thinks to feed Yang tiada orang ingin memberi makanan
the piece of good advice Nasihat
which no one seems to need. Yang tiada orang ingin mengetahui.

Themes:

Rejection

The persona feels that he/she is not wanted by anyone. They compare themselves to many unwanted things like
the broken action man, toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip, worn tyre, etc.
The lack of Appreciation

People do not appreciate the things that are once useful for them. People do not try to fix their toy, they do not
make the chromium trim shine again, they do not clean their garden, they do not read the books in the library.
More importantly, they do not listen to other people’s advice.

Moral Values:

We should stay positive in life.

We should learn to appreciate the things around us.
We should learn to listen to people’ advice.
We should be confident to ourselves.
We should be grateful for what we have.

I try to make things as simple as I can,

If you have any questions, drop them in the comment box below, we will get back to you asap.
Happy Learning , Happy Teaching.

In the first stanza, the poet is describes himself as the things that are usually thrown away because they have
become useless to the owner:-the ring of the can is usually thrown away after we open the can; the scrapings
should be cleaned when the pans are put to wash –nobody wants to keep the dirt on the pan! And finally -when
the toy’s arm is broken- the ‘action’ figure toy becomes distorted- next year a new action figure would become
more popular.
In the second stanza, the poet is now describing used things that cannot be used any longer. They are: the
envelope where the gum doesn’t stick- perhaps it is an old envelope; Sellotape that is old or not marked where the
end is impossible to find; stapler that has no place to attach the bullets- thus, it has become not functional; spring -
less bulldog clip: one without spring would not be able to function; liquid paper that is dry; and an envelope that
he had already put the stamp on but had forgotten to post.
Similar to the earlier stanzas; the third stanza also describes things that have become useless to the owner. They
are however, concerned with parts of the car: Battery that needs to be charged- it shows that the car cannot be
driven; starter motor which does not work; tyre has no threads anymore- it becomes dangerous to drive with such
tyres as they have no grip; Spark plug that does not work-the engine of the car would not start if the plugs do not
function; carburettor that needs to be serviced before it can be used and chromium plating which is not shining!
In the final or fourth stanza, the poet describes things that are not paid attention to such as: the garden that is not
taken care of which is full of weeds- which implies that no one has cleaned the garden; a library book which is
probably outdated that no one wants to borrow it; an animal such as a stray dog that no one takes care of and
finally good advice that no one heeds.

Literal Meaning
In the poem, there are things that we do not want to keep or use any longer. The persona says he is comparable to
disposable household things and food. The metal ring from an empty drink can, the broken part of an old toy or
food scrapings from a pot which are disposed daily. Some things have no value if they are not workable or in their
original state. An envelope with no gum is not sealable. Sellotape that cannot be peeled off, a stapler without a
staples, a bulldog clip without a spring or a dried-up liquid paper is of no use. The persona feels neglected like the
stamped address reply, that the writer forgot to send out. When things are not maintained and taken care of, they
become unworkable. The persona feels that way like a flat battery. A starter that cannot ignite, a bald tyre, a non-
working spark plug, a dirt-choked carburettor and a dull-looking chromium trim. A car with these parts is of no use
to the owner and the persona feels the same way. The persona feels like a neglected garden, a library book that is
not read, a stray that is not fed or an advice that is totally ignored. Basically, he feels rejected, useless, not cared
for and has no place within the family and society. The persona could be an orphan in an orphanage.
Read stanza 1 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.

a. In stanza 1, what does the pesona compare himself with?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

b. Where do we find the things mentioned in this stanza?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________(1 mark)

c. Why do you think the porridge pan is dirty?

__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

d. What could have caused the arm of Action Man to be severed? Give two possible reasons.

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

a. In stanza 2, why can’t the envelope be sealed?

___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

b. State the literary device used for the phrase ‘the gum is gone’.
____________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

c. How would people feel if they could not find the end of Sellotape?
_________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

d. What is the main characteristic of the things mentioned in the poem that makes the
persona relate to it? Why would he feel this way?
 i. The main characteristic:
_____________________________________________________(1 mark)
ii. Reason:
_____________________________________________________(1 mark)
a. In stanza 3, what happened to the carburettor?
____________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

b. How do we describe the battery that has no charge left?

_____________________________________________________________ ( 1mark)

c. Why is the tyre discarded?

_____________________________________________________________(1 mark)

d. What should we do to the things that we do not want anymore? Give two possible
suggestions.

Suggestion 1: ________________________________________________( 1 mark)

Suggestion 2: ________________________________________________( 1 mark)

a. In which age group do you think the persona is in?
___________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

b. If you see a stray animal, what would you do?

______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________( 1 mark)

c. What does the phrase ‘the piece of good advice which no one seems to need’
mean?
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________(1 mark)

d. List down two moral values that you have learned from the poem.
 Moral value 1: ____________________________________________________________(1
mark)
Moral value 2: ____________________________________________________________(1
mark)
Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
a.Who most probably owned the Action Man?

_____________________________________________________________(1 mark)

b. In stanza 2, what category of things is mentioned by the persona?

_____________________________________________________________(1 mark)

c. What does the persona mean when he said that he is like the garden with overgrown
weeds?
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________( 1 mark

d. Who do you think the persona is? Give a reason for your answer.

__________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________(2 marks)

Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.

a. In stanza 1, which word tells us that the arm of the Action Man is broken?

______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

b. Give the meaning of the word ’inert’?

______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

c. Why do you think no one wants to take the advice?

_____________________________________________________________(1 mark) d. What

evidence would you give to say that the pesona could be an orphan?

__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________( 2 marks)
Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.
a. What do people do with used things around the house that they do not need any
longer ?
_______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

b. In stanza 2, what has happened to the stamped addressed reply?

_______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

c. Why do you think no one has ever read the library book?

_______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

d. Explain the line ‘that mars instead of mends’. How do we prevent liquid paper from
drying-up?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________(2 marks)