Puppet

A Poem by zainul

We are losing the sense of right and wrong

Acting governs life

We are losing conscience

Puppet lacks honor

© 2012 zainul

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A.A.

I chanced to run across this poem when I was looking for a subject for my 'Stylistics' assignment this week. Although I sincerely dislike analysing poetry in this manner, I'll post what I came up with for the sake of 'perspective'. By all means, delete it if you wish to.

Thank you for a thought-provoking read.

Stylistic Analysis

The use of three short sentences to convey a poem means that every facet of these sentences must hold significance. The choice of title, first of all, sets up a frame of reference from which the whole poem draws its meaning. The kind of 'acting' a puppet engages in of a very particular sort - different from that associated with a stage-player, for example - characterised by the fact that a puppet is always directly controlled by something else. These two signifiers used in conjunction seems to diminish the stature of the 'actor' in line 1 by suggesting that he is controlled, which conflicts with the semantic meaning of the first line, which is that the actor, through his acting, is in control of life.

If something is controlling 'acting' that is not 'life', we can infer that the poem is suggesting that there is a controlling force beyond 'life', and we can infer something about the nature of this force from the final line. To say that a puppet lacks honour is to say that the puppet is not behaving honourably, which is to say that the puppeteer lacks honour as well. That is, the force which is driving 'Puppet' is not a benign one, or else 'conscience' would not be needed. The poem posits a dark force that pervades our actions and controls our lives.

In making this statement, we have taken it for granted that the poem is speaking about us - that it is our 'acting' that governs life, that human beings in general are losing conscience, and that it is we who are being controlled like puppets - but there is evidence to support this view. To begin with, there are no other agents capable of 'acting' whose actions could be said to 'govern life': the forces of nature, for example, are impersonal; the forces of the animal kingdom, ineffective. Furthermore, 'conscience' is notoriously the property of human beings alone, and to say that 'we are losing conscience' can only refer to those who possess it in the first place. It is reasonable to suggest that the poem is speaking about humanity as a whole.

The use of 'Puppet' as a proper noun in the last line adds another dimension to the poem. This suggests that 'Puppet' is a living entity who does not possess the quality 'honour', which is closely linked by semantics with the quality 'conscience', which human beings are said to be losing. This affiliation implies that 'we' - humanity in general - are becoming 'Puppet' as we lose honour/conscience.

It is important to recognise that there is a subtle distinction in meaning here between becoming 'Puppet' and becoming 'puppets'. That is, 'Puppet' suggests a single, self-contained entity, whereas 'puppets' denotes a plurality. The idea of plural 'we' becoming plural 'puppets' is not difficult to grasp; 'we are becoming puppets' is a straightforward metaphor, commonly taken to mean that we are being controlled. The formation 'we are becoming Puppet', however, adds to this meaning in that it implies that the different parts of the plurality that makes up 'we' - in this case every human being - are merging into a single self-contained entity called 'Puppet'. There is a fusion, a loss of individual existence, going on.

Drawing all of this together, it becomes possible to say that the poem is about human beings and the forces that control them. It suggests that having 'honour' and 'conscience' are two of the fundamental qualities of an individual human existence, and we become a controlled and homogenous mass - 'Puppet' - if we lose them. The poem could be interpreted as a warning, for although it consists only of three direct statements, the only creatures able to interpret it possess as a characteristic the will to an individual existence (i.e. the will to live). This poem implies that the possibility of this existence is diminishing, and that human beings will not be able to fulfil their drive to live if things keep on going the way that they are. The implication is this something needs to be changed.

Posted 12 Years Ago

Thank you for a thought-provoking read.

Stylistic Analysis

The use of three short sentences to convey a poem means that every facet of these sentences must hold significance. The choice of title, first of all, sets up a frame of reference from which the whole poem draws its meaning. The kind of 'acting' a puppet engages in of a very particular sort - different from that associated with a stage-player, for example - characterised by the fact that a puppet is always directly controlled by something else. These two signifiers used in conjunction seems to diminish the stature of the 'actor' in line 1 by suggesting that he is controlled, which conflicts with the semantic meaning of the first line, which is that the actor, through his acting, is in control of life.

If something is controlling 'acting' that is not 'life', we can infer that the poem is suggesting that there is a controlling force beyond 'life', and we can infer something about the nature of this force from the final line. To say that a puppet lacks honour is to say that the puppet is not behaving honourably, which is to say that the puppeteer lacks honour as well. That is, the force which is driving 'Puppet' is not a benign one, or else 'conscience' would not be needed. The poem posits a dark force that pervades our actions and controls our lives.

In making this statement, we have taken it for granted that the poem is speaking about us - that it is our 'acting' that governs life, that human beings in general are losing conscience, and that it is we who are being controlled like puppets - but there is evidence to support this view. To begin with, there are no other agents capable of 'acting' whose actions could be said to 'govern life': the forces of nature, for example, are impersonal; the forces of the animal kingdom, ineffective. Furthermore, 'conscience' is notoriously the property of human beings alone, and to say that 'we are losing conscience' can only refer to those who possess it in the first place. It is reasonable to suggest that the poem is speaking about humanity as a whole.

The use of 'Puppet' as a proper noun in the last line adds another dimension to the poem. This suggests that 'Puppet' is a living entity who does not possess the quality 'honour', which is closely linked by semantics with the quality 'conscience', which human beings are said to be losing. This affiliation implies that 'we' - humanity in general - are becoming 'Puppet' as we lose honour/conscience.

It is important to recognise that there is a subtle distinction in meaning here between becoming 'Puppet' and becoming 'puppets'. That is, 'Puppet' suggests a single, self-contained entity, whereas 'puppets' denotes a plurality. The idea of plural 'we' becoming plural 'puppets' is not difficult to grasp; 'we are becoming puppets' is a straightforward metaphor, commonly taken to mean that we are being controlled. The formation 'we are becoming Puppet', however, adds to this meaning in that it implies that the different parts of the plurality that makes up 'we' - in this case every human being - are merging into a single self-contained entity called 'Puppet'. There is a fusion, a loss of individual existence, going on.

Drawing all of this together, it becomes possible to say that the poem is about human beings and the forces that control them. It suggests that having 'honour' and 'conscience' are two of the fundamental qualities of an individual human existence, and we become a controlled and homogenous mass - 'Puppet' - if we lose them. The poem could be interpreted as a warning, for although it consists only of three direct statements, the only creatures able to interpret it possess as a characteristic the will to an individual existence (i.e. the will to live). This poem implies that the possibility of this existence is diminishing, and that human beings will not be able to fulfil their drive to live if things keep on going the way that they are. The implication is this something needs to be changed.

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