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Mobile Photography/Art – Saturday Poetry – ‘I Believe’ by Brucellish K Sangma’

I am introducing a new section, simply titled, Saturday Poetry. Each Saturday I will publish a poem and I will also try to link a mobile photography image, that has been uploaded to our Instagram hashtag #theappwhisperer during the week.

Today, I am publishing ‘I Believe’ by Brucellish K Sangma. I Believe is a poem by a Garo poet, Brucellish K Sangma. It is a translation from the original Garo poem, Anga Bebera’a into English by the same poet. She is one of the eminent poets among the Garo women poets. She often translates her own poems from one language to another.

THEMES:

Capabilities of Human Beings:

The poem I Believe depicts the theme of the uncountable capabilities of man and his dreams and achievements. The poet believes a human being can rise to great heights, endure a number of hurdles and reach their goal. In the first stanza, the poet says that a human being can throw a pebble upwards, pierce through the heaven and watch the angels play. This actually means that humans can achieve the most difficult and sometimes even the unachievable goals. At a spiritual level, it means raising our conscience to a higher point and becoming one with God.

In fact, the poet wants to say that human beings can conquer all parts of the universe if they believe in themselves, use their capabilities and work diligently. She means to say that humans can conquer all the three realms of the earth- the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the hydrosphere. The poet also believes that humans can make this world heaven-like and themselves like angels.

Feminist Reading:

The poem I Believe has been written by one of the eminent Garo poets and activists, Brucellish K Sangma. The poem voices the concern about dreams and aspirations of a woman in a male-dominated society. A number of restrictions are imposed on women in a patriarchal society. Such a society is male-centred and they subordinate women in all domains in their life: familial, religious, political and economical. The woman of today wants to free herself from such a society and achieve her dreams. She wants to reach the sky, dive into deep oceans, and conquer all the three realms of the earth. The poet believes today’s women like the poet can achieve her goals.

STYLE:

Simplicity rules the poems of Brucellish K Sangma. It is a translation from the original Garo poem, Anga Bebera’a into English by the same poet. The poem consists of six stanzas and the poet has taken ample care to use appropriate English words to convey her theme and message. The poem is composed in free verse i.e. it has no rhyme scheme and no regular pattern of rhythm. It should be noted that each stanza is a single sentence.

ANAPHORA:

Anaphora is a figure of speech in which there is deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of verses, paragraphs, clauses or sentences. Anaphora is frequently used in Bible and in poetry strongly influenced by Bible. In this poem I Believe, ‘I believe’ has been used repeatedly in the beginning of each stanza (except stanza 6) to convey the feelings, dreams and aspirations of the poet.

HAIKU:

A Haiku is a traditional poetic form , which originated in Japan. It is three-line poem with a total of 17 syllables. This poem I Believe consists of six stanzas, each comprising of three lines. The different stanzas are put together through the central theme which runs throughout the poem. It is for this reason that the poem resembles the Japanese Haiku.

CUMULATIVE LISTING:

I Believe has used the technique of Cumulative Listing. It is technique which involves a kind of accumulation of broadly similar ideas. The device is used to emphasize the main idea of a poem.

Each stanza begins with the phrase ‘I believe’ and enlists a number of things that the speaker is capable of doing. Thus, the ideas, if put together can be seen forming a list or catalogue.

SYMBOLISM:

Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities. The entire poem, I Believe, though written in simple and lucid words, has symbolic meaning.

Some of the symbolism are listed below:

“I believe I can soar heights

Touch the silky clouds

And feel the stars” (Stanza 2): Here, heights symbolize ‘sky’ meaning space without limit. ‘stars’ symbolize the list of achievers.

“I believe I can dive

Right into the depths

And swim with the sharks” (Stanza 3): Here, ‘depths’ symbolize the ‘ocean of life’ and ‘sharks’ symbolize the hurdles and difficulties faced in life. The poet believes she can cross all hurdles that come on her way and achieve success.

“I believe I can claw into the earth’s belly

Pick up the priceless gems

And adorn myself with them” (Stanza 4): ‘claw into the earth’s belly’ symbolize putting in labour and hard work to achieve something. ‘Priceless gems’ symbolize the resources available on earth- metals, minerals and precious stones. ‘Adorn’ means to enrich oneself with this resources.

 

(This wonderful analysis was provided by Beamingnotes.com – really fabulous website).

I have matched @angie.lambert – Angie Lambert’s imageConsiderations with this poem. You can follow her on Instagram here

To view the others we have published in this section, go here.

Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]

One Comment

  • Angie Lambert

    This is so touching to find this morning, Joanne. Poetry is a form of art that I honor and enjoy. Mobile storytelling is an artful expression of visual emotion. I’m so appreciative to not only share in this forum, but also to enjoy the creations from other artists. Thank you for all you do for all of us, Joanne. Happy Saturday poetry! xo