I chose to pair these three mediums together as they all represent Singapore's growth and prosperity as a nation. The poem documents Singapore's growth from a small and insignificant island into a bustling cosmopolitan business hub. The article, which is about a speech by MM Lee, details Singapore's progress as a society and our eventual success as well as projected hopes for the future. Finally, the photograph of the HDB's latest offering, Pinnacle@Duxton, demonstrates how far Singapore's economy and infrastructure has come, with this new building taking public housing to a whole new level, indicating a high level of modernisation for our country.

Unfortunately the word clouds do not shed any light on the common themes between the article and the poem as they do not share any similar common words or phrases. I think that this is because the poem is largely written in descriptive prose form, whereby the poet chooses to use nature and flowing imagery to represent Singapore's progress as opposed to MM Lee's straightforward speech that clearly details Singapore's successes and failures. The word cloud of the poem does not shed much light on its theme as the theme is encapsulated within the words and the poem has to be read in its entirety in order for the theme to be grasped. However, the article's main themes of "Singapore" and our "economy" are brought forth in the word cloud and their recurrence clearly indicates their importance and emphasis.

I like the poem best as the images used are striking and the message is conveyed appropriately through descriptive language and carefully crafted words that paint wonderful scenes in the viewer's mind. More importantly, it documents Singapore's journey in a very interesting manner, by recounting Singapore's story through common images and stories that we can all relate to. I feel that this poem is easy to identify with as it brings up many familiar images and the imagery used further improves the reader's understanding of Singapore's growth as a nation.

I think that this pairing shows how the same idea can be conveyed through many different mediums and that be it 25 years or 100 years from now, this will not change. The interaction of themes and ideas between different mediums will continue to play a big role in art and our lives because we are constantly looking for new ways to express the same ideas to provide different aspects of understanding and comprehension.

I think that articles/photos relating to the YOG would be appropriate as it shows Singapore finally stepping onto the world stage, which indicates our success as a stable and prosperous country. I think that articles/photos depicting Singapore in the 1960s juxtaposed with present-day Singapore would also drive the message of Singapore's progress home.

The poem "The Planners" by Boey Kim Cheng challenges the ideas of this poem as it criticises Singapore's success and modernisation as having removed the soul and culture of the country.

Links

Wordles:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2297854/LKY_Article

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2297861/lion_heart



Article: http://www.pmo.gov.sg/News/Transcripts/Minister+Mentor/How+Spore+turned+improbable+into+reality.htm

Visual Image: Pinnacle@Duxton

Poem

lion heart 

 Amanda Chong 

You came out of the sea, 

skin dappled scales of sunlight; 

Riding crests, waves of fish in your fists. 

Washed up, your gills snapped shut. 

Water whipped the first breath of your lungs, 

Your lips’ bud teased by morning mists. 

You conquered the shore, its ivory coast. 

Your legs still rocked with the memory of waves. 

Sinews of sand ran across your back- 

Rising runes of your oceanic origins. 

Your heart thumped- an animal skin drum 

heralding the coming of a prince. 

In the jungle, amid rasping branches, 

trees loosened their shadows to shroud you. 

The prince beheld you then, a golden sheen. 

Your eyes, two flickers; emerald blaze 

You settled back on fluent haunches; 

The squall of a beast. your roar, your call. 

In crackling boats, seeds arrived, wind-blown, 

You summoned their colours to the palm 

of your hand, folded them snugly into loam, 

watched saplings swaddled in green, 

as they sunk roots, spawned shade, 

and embraced the land that embraced them. 

Centuries, by the sea’s pulmonary, 

a vein throbbing humming bumboats- 

your trees rise as skyscrapers. 

Their ankles lost in swilling water, 

as they heave themselves higher 

above the mirrored surface. 

Remember your self: your raw lion heart, 

Each beat a stony echo that washes 

through ribbed vaults of buildings. 

Remember your keris, iron lightning 

ripping through tentacles of waves, 

double-edged, curved to a point- 

flung high and caught unsheathed, scattering 

five stars in the red tapestry of your sky.