Lesson Summary

The poem "The Planners" by Boey Kim Cheng presents a powerful critique of urban planners and their relentless pursuit of perfection in building and designing cities. The poet uses language and imagery to convey his negative attitude towards the planners and the construction works.

Distinctly, Cheng creates a disturbing impression of the city and the planners by describing their actions as being based on a rigid grid system and mathematical precision. The repetition of words like "plan," "build," and "fill" emphasizes the calculated and uniform nature of their work. The use of dental imagery, such as "gleaming gold" and "shining teeth," suggests an unnatural perfection that erases the flaws and blemishes of the past.

The poet strikingly expresses his dislike for the new construction works by highlighting the erasure of history and the disregard for what came before. The phrase "Even the sea draws back and the skies surrender" implies that nature itself has to give way to human intervention. The reference to "anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis" suggests that the planners use these means to make the changes painless and to create a sense of newness.

Cheng makes urbanization an excessively intrusive activity by using phrases like "knock off useless blocks" and "drilling through the fossils of last century." These phrases evoke a sense of destruction and disrespect for the past. The poet's heart "would not bleed poetry" suggests a personal rejection of the cold and mechanical approach to city development.

Lastly, Cheng uses language to present the unrelenting nature of the planners by describing their actions as never stopping. The repetition of words like "build," "will not stop," and "goes right through" emphasizes their determination and persistence. The use of the verb "erase" suggests a desire to remove any trace of imperfection.

• The poet conveys a negative attitude towards the planners and their construction works.
• Cheng creates a disturbing impression of the city with rigid grid systems and erasure of history.
• The poet expresses his dislike for the construction works and their disregard for the past.
• Urbanization is portrayed as intrusive and destructive to the past.
• The unrelenting nature of the planners is emphasized through language and imagery.