Root(ed) : a collection of poems

Root(ed) is a collection of 23 poems, accompanied by an exegesis exploring its themes and poetics. These poems are divided according to two sections— (s) and (ed), each based on suffixes to be added to the word “root.” Root(ed) was conceptualised because of a desire to go back to my roots, and make...

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Main Author: Atifa Othman
Other Authors: Boey Kim Cheng
Format: Theses and Dissertations
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/85501
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48264
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-855012020-10-15T06:34:48Z Root(ed) : a collection of poems Atifa Othman Boey Kim Cheng School of Humanities DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::Singapore Root(ed) is a collection of 23 poems, accompanied by an exegesis exploring its themes and poetics. These poems are divided according to two sections— (s) and (ed), each based on suffixes to be added to the word “root.” Root(ed) was conceptualised because of a desire to go back to my roots, and make sense of how my ethnic and cultural experiences interact with other strands of my selfhood. The poems in this collection reflect upon being composed of disconnected angles, a term borrowed by American poet Adrienne Rich. Rich writes: “Sometimes I feel I have seen too long from too many disconnected angles: white, Jewish, anti-Semite, racist, anti-racist, [...] split at the root that I will never bring them whole” (481). She describes the fragmented selfhood one feels when made up of several identities that contradict each other. This collection is based on a similar feeling of being split at the root. The poems written are fuelled by the need to reconcile the disconnected angles in my identity. Root(ed) examines the extent to which I am rooted in each part of my identity. It addresses themes of race, family, queerness and nationhood, delving into how these different strands entangle into each other and require a constant unravelling. The poems in Root(ed) thus question whether a marginalised individual can feel fully immersed in their roots, responding to the anxiety of constantly feeling trapped in a cutthroat and fast-paced world that values capitalist productivity. Master of Arts 2019-05-17T07:12:49Z 2019-12-06T16:05:00Z 2019-05-17T07:12:49Z 2019-12-06T16:05:00Z 2019 Thesis Atifa, O. (2019). Root(ed) : a collection of poems. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/85501 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48264 10.32657/10220/48264 en 75 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
country Singapore
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::Singapore
spellingShingle DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::Singapore
Atifa Othman
Root(ed) : a collection of poems
description Root(ed) is a collection of 23 poems, accompanied by an exegesis exploring its themes and poetics. These poems are divided according to two sections— (s) and (ed), each based on suffixes to be added to the word “root.” Root(ed) was conceptualised because of a desire to go back to my roots, and make sense of how my ethnic and cultural experiences interact with other strands of my selfhood. The poems in this collection reflect upon being composed of disconnected angles, a term borrowed by American poet Adrienne Rich. Rich writes: “Sometimes I feel I have seen too long from too many disconnected angles: white, Jewish, anti-Semite, racist, anti-racist, [...] split at the root that I will never bring them whole” (481). She describes the fragmented selfhood one feels when made up of several identities that contradict each other. This collection is based on a similar feeling of being split at the root. The poems written are fuelled by the need to reconcile the disconnected angles in my identity. Root(ed) examines the extent to which I am rooted in each part of my identity. It addresses themes of race, family, queerness and nationhood, delving into how these different strands entangle into each other and require a constant unravelling. The poems in Root(ed) thus question whether a marginalised individual can feel fully immersed in their roots, responding to the anxiety of constantly feeling trapped in a cutthroat and fast-paced world that values capitalist productivity.
author2 Boey Kim Cheng
author_facet Boey Kim Cheng
Atifa Othman
format Theses and Dissertations
author Atifa Othman
author_sort Atifa Othman
title Root(ed) : a collection of poems
title_short Root(ed) : a collection of poems
title_full Root(ed) : a collection of poems
title_fullStr Root(ed) : a collection of poems
title_full_unstemmed Root(ed) : a collection of poems
title_sort root(ed) : a collection of poems
publishDate 2019
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/85501
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48264
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