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³Are You Still Playing Your Flute´ is a beautiful poem written by Zurinah Hassan. She was
born on 13th June, 1949, at Alor Star, Kedah. She obtained her basic degree B.A (HONS) from
USM, followed by her M.A from UPM and finally PhD from Academic of Malay Studies of UM.
Zurinah Hassan is a talented writer, trainer and teacher. She taught in SM Sains Johor, Kluang
(1987-2007) and currently teaches in SMK Canossian Convent, Kluang. She has achieved a few
awards such as S.E.A. Writer¶s Award (Anugerah Penulisan Asia Tenggara), Pujangga Tidak
Bernama, Hadiah Satera Perdana (1994/1995), Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi (Hadiah
Buku Perpustakaan Negara (2002/2004) and Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi (Hadiah
Sastera Perdana (2002/2003). She loves to share about her teaching experiences and continuous
personal and professional development.


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Zurinah Hassan

Are you still playing your flute

Free verse





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Repetition
-In this poem the question ³Are you still playing your flute?´ is repeated three times.Each time,
the question is asked in a different tone.
-The word µmy¶ repeated in stanza 3, line 5-7. This emphasises how the persona care for people
who are close to her.

Personification
- Portrays human suffering
-µthe sick rice field¶
-µthis world is too old and bleeding¶
Metaphor
- sick rice field (stanza 2, line 3)
-The word µsick¶ is used to describe the rice field. This gives us an idea that the rice field is barren.

Symbol
-Flute is a symbol of solace or comfort. Flute musical instrument was chosen because this is the
closest to nature.

Imagery
± e.g. µblown by the wind¶, µdepth of my heart¶

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This poem is told from a first person point of view, where the persona, reminisces her feeling of
guilt, missing the beautiful melody of the bamboo flute played by her beloved long ago.?At first
glance it was like love poetry as much use of the words soft and romantic. However, the soft and
romantic words used for the flute player is just a style of the poet to express all the disturbing
thoughts. She later questions and wonders if the flute is still being played now, as the village is
now under populated and the paddy field is in deplorable state. She mentions that, nowadays,
relaxing and savoring the beauty of nature is a rare luxury. In the final stanza, she questions for
the third time, whether her beloved is still playing the flute. This time around, she admits that
she couldn¶t help but on the contrary, she feels guilty to be thinking of their love at their difficult
times. The hardships portrayed here are unemployed young men, people disunited by politics and
a µdying¶ world.

"

-Family commitments??
Example in poem that derive the theme:

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In these lines, the poet mentions about the brother who is unemployed, his/her people who
were disunited and the poet friend who are killed. This shows how much the poet care for
the family.
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-Priorities in life
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The poet starts the poem by asking whether the flute player is still playing his flute as others are
moving forward, giving priority to what is important for the life such as work. When the
community had start giving priority to work, they move out from the village to find a good job at
the city. ?
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-Neglect of one¶s duties
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-Adapting to changes. This is inevitable. We need to adapt to all kinds of social, economic and
political changes. In this whole poem, the flutist is a loof to changes happening around him.

-Love and appreciate the arts.


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The poet really note the way the flute is played. This shows how the poet appreciate the art
and how deep the interest towards art.

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-We should be aware of our family commitments and carry them out properly.
-Everyone has priorities in, life and we should know what is important and what is not.
-Following a hobby is good but there is a time for work and a time for play
-Everyone needs to take responsibility to the changes that take place in life and act accordingly.

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