Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Lion Heart by
Amanda Chong
- S
- The history of
Singapore from an
admirative and
patriotic point of
view: the writer's
- Retells the creation of Singapore
by a Mer lion, now Singapore's
symbol
- P
- Show how proud Chong
is of her city state and
people
- Theme
- Patriotism
- Uses of symbols
such as the flag
- "five stars in the red
tapestry of our sky"
- Love
- Make Singaporeans
proud of their city state
by retelling their origins
- I
- admirative
- Throughout the
poem, the mood is
quite admirative,
which shows that
the writer is proud
of her city state
- This enhanced by the
description of the mer lion
(metaphor of the
singaporeans) who is
described using the lexical
field of treasure or precious
things "emerald glaze", "scales
of sunshine"... His physical
power is described using
words with a positive
connotation like "conquered"
or "summoned"
- Patriotic mood
- highlighted by the use
of traditional words,
and the flag
- T
- S
- Chronological order of
how the merlion
established the country
which emphasizes the
idea the writer is proud
of Singapore's history
and why it has become.
- 8 stanzas => made up of 6
verses each except: 6th +
7th ones => 3 verses +
last stanza => only
contains 2 verses =>
Implies that Singapore's
future is being built step
by step
- No particular rhyme
scheme (free verses)
=> symbolizes
Singapore’s change
- L
- “Five stars in the red
tapestry of our sky” =>
refers to Singapore’s flag =>
emphasizes the writer’s
devotion to her country
- Powerful verbs are used to
describe the merlion
(“conquered”,
“summoned”)=> depicts his
strength => shows the
admiration of the writer
- Use of traditional vocabulary:
“Keris”=> Malay or Indonesian
dagger with a wavy blade +
“blumboat”=> small boat carrying
food for sale => emphasizes the
idea of patriotism and the fact that
the writer is proud of her city state
- All the words have a
positive connotation
=> shows how much
the writer is proud of
her country
- Vocabulary of
treasure: “ivory
coast”, “scales
of sunshine”,
“emerald glaze”,
“golden sheen”
- Lexical field of nature
(stanza 4): "saplings
swaddled in green" =>
show the beautifulness
of Singapore
- I
- Use of Metaphors
- “Seeds arrive”=>
represents the
humans coming and
developing on the
island
- “iron lightning” =>represents
Singapore, the city of skyscrapers
which conveys how strong and
powerful the city state is
- Personification
- the lion = represents the
strength, the courage, and the
unity of Singapore => “You
conquered the shore, the ivory
coast”=> helps raising the
emotion as the reader is
engaged in the poem more
easily => helps the text be
more vibrant and alive =>
creates a sense of patriotism
- M
- The sentences are about
the same length (2-3
verses long) => steady
rythm through the poem
=>also enhanced by the
numerous uses of comas
- S
- Sibillances
- “saplings swaddled”
(stanza 4) “saplings
swaddled” (stanza 4)
- => time passes as
young trees grow
- Alliterations
- “throbbing humming
bumboats” (stanza 5)
- => mimics the sound of
waves crashing against
the boats’ flank
=>phonological effect of
busy shipping =>
suggests the sea is the
life blood of Singapore
- “oceanic origins”
- => creates a movement +
draws attention to the
verse => shows the pride
of Chong to have a such
close relationship with
the sea due to her origins
- S
- In summary, the poem "Lion Heart" by Amanda Chong is a strongly patriotic poem about Singapore
and its history. The poem is about a the emblem of Singapore, a merlion with supernatural powers
who rose from the ocean and walked onto the land that is now Singapore to create the city/state.
The poem encourages people to remember their origins.The poem is divided in 8 stanzas all 6
verses except the 6th and 7th which are only 3 verses and the last stanza which is 2 versus.
- The merlion, which is the main character of the poem, is described using strong and powerful verbs
insisting on it's power. All the vocabulary has a positive connotation suggesting the author looks at
Singapore and it's history with happiness and admiration. There is also a lot of literary techniques
like metaphors (ex: "seeds arrive") and imagery (ex: the image of the lion) which enhance the
themes and ideas portrayed by the poet. Also the sibilance and alliterations that are present in the
poem help create a cohesive and easy flowing piece of writing. I can finally say that Chong has
succeeding in creatong a patriotic poem dedocated to her city state by showing how proud she is
and how all Singaporeans should be of their history and nation