Countdown by Grace Chua - annotated response

Response 1 i) Through the poem, I have formed two impressions of the woman and her family life. Firstly, I have formed an impression of the woman as being rather listless. The woman seems to be very weary from her work life. By “count[ing] the hours down till the alarm-clock rings” effectively shows that the woman’s attention has wavered from her previous doings, and that she was anticipating when she could finally take a break. Thus, evidently pointing that she was sick and tired of her life which was filled with much to do. The “alarm-clock” symbolizes the beginning of a new day, marking the start and repetition of her duties. Her constant “twenty-four-hour tour of duty” also highlights that she is very busy tending to the needs of her children. By referring to herself as a “mother-ship” it prominently shows that she has lived her life not for herself, but rather for her kids, as she tends to their needs and constantly chauffeurs them from one place to another. Her inability to live a life as she wishes, as she is constrained by her mother duties, places her in a very weary position. Moreover, she sees few joys in her life, as she recounts her previous days doing with a monotonous tone, making her out to be lethargic. Hence, the impression of her as being rather listless is formed. Another impression I have formed of the woman’s family life is that it is oppressive. Due to the chaotic nature of the family life such as having to send her children to many different lessons in the “daytime”, and having many “unfinished things”, the woman is denied her own time and space to live her own life and do her own things. This forces her into a constrained position, as she has to deal with the hectic schedule of her children who are constantly busy. Her family life oppresses her into the cycle of always tending to the needs of the children. The woman also views herself as a part of space, something which is infinite and enormous with no limits, and when that is juxtaposed to her miniscule family life which only consists of her performing her mother-like duties, it poignantly highlights the large extent of oppressiveness of her family life. More so, by describing herself as a “tire astronaut” it is observed that the nature of the hectic life has left her extremely lethargic, denoting its oppressiveness. ii) By using the image of the galaxy, the poet has successfully captured my attention. The image of “star-fields leaping light years beyond time’s gravity” is particularly striking as it has beautifully encapsulated the burning hope that has been locked up in the woman as she tends to her daily chores. She refers to her current life as “dark”, portraying the gloomy aspect of it, and by longing to be “with start-fields leaping light-years beyond time gravity” points out that she still holds on to the passion for a better life. The use of the image of the galaxy to depict the woman’s hope has painstakingly captured m