The planners

In the poem The planners the writer illustrates the dehumanization of man and
nature. The poet shows the planners as demonical creatures that dont give importance to
man and nature accept their materialistic growth. The poet reflects the central theme of
urban problems and questions, the loss in the loss in the simplicity in the natural state of
man. He brings out his disparaging attitude and opinions about the planners by means of
structure, diction and literary devices.
The poet gives away his castigation criticism towards the planners by means of
structure. The poem is written in a free verse form with the intention of portraying his
rebellion towards the planners for transforming the city into a robotic stance. The
paragraphing of the poem seems to be disordered which denotes the disjunction of body
and mind of the people who are suffering from the transformation of humanity. It further
brings out the presence of claustrophobic atmosphere in the city. The poet is of the opinion
that mechanization and robotic existence doesnt favor creativity, but ushers the growth in
conformity and regimented growth. The structure of the poem is out of order. The first
stanza with nine lines, the second stanza with fourteen lines and the last is left with only
four lines. This fluctuation is number of lines in the each stanza is an attempt to give a
picturesque view of the divergence of lifestyle before and after the planners. He highlights
that the natural space required for the growth is rigorously restricted, making the humans
to be pushed into the concrete jungles like caged animals. The poet has used the structure
of the poem to bring out his hatred towards the planners.
The poet uses the diction as a means by which he brings out the theme of the loss in
simplicity of man. The poet talks about dehumanization occurring in the urban areas, which
are facing rapid growth and development in a short span of time. The author has used the
word they in they plan and they build refers to the nameless creatures in the society,
which has brought about the construction of city. The poet out here gives an idea of
aggression whereby man or a couple of men have imbibed the absolute power to control
the phenomena of life forces and defy all that is natural. He is trying to bring out their
insignificance in the society; also he is trying to their hunger for economic dominance and
their highlights their supreme power and authority to make or break the future of a
flourishing city. The image of dentistry with associated images of violence and mechanical
perfection is brought in symbolically by the phrase erase the flaws. The poet is of the
opinion that erasing the flaws is not entirely natural and it is the part of human life, thus it
becomes an aspect by which the poet bring out the his sarcasm about the fact that the
planners can demolish everything old and antique and replace it with new pieces to bring
out perfection. The word alignment portrays the presence of perfection and
synchronization. The poet is trying to depict that all the building are in aligned with the road
making a perfect access to traffic and other desired points in the city. The poet uses
various quotes in his poem and order to depict his hatred and the soullessness in the city.
The poet brings out perilous attitude towards the planners by means of various literary
devices like alliteration, hyperbole and personification. The poet brings out his derision
towards the planners methods through the alliteration in the phrase permutation and
possibilities. The plosives out here signify the presence of poets frustration towards the
planners. The word permutation from the preceding phrase signifies the mathematical
equation and theory, which has lead to a construction of futuristic high, rises. The word
possibilities, out here, signifies the juncture of old and new mathematical theories, which
can bring out the plan required for making a perfect planned city. The poet has also used

the plosives in the words like gaps, gleamed, plugged, and gold which signifies the
rather hyperbolic idea of aggression. It further elucidates his frustration towards the
planners for the construction of concrete jungles. The grace of mathematics is a
personification since it resembles a human trait. This phrase becomes the poet aspects by
which he presents his derision towards the planners cynical attitude. The sibilance in the
phrase sea draws back and skies surrender reveals the imagery of reclamation of land
and the construction of high rises seem to surrender the sky and the sea to the potent
power of human aspiration and greed. In this way using literary devices Boey Kim
Cheng effectively brings out the presence of a claustrophobic atmosphere in the city.
In conclusion the poet is bringing the disparaging attitudes toward the planners for creating
a city, which seems to be congested with technology. The poet also highlights the
overpowering of technology over nature and the aggrandized intensity of technology in our
lives.