Grand dad did you breathe

before air cons were invented

was it hard staying
alive without modern inventions?
grandma werent you flustered
as you fluttered with paper fans?
could you communicate before
faxes and long distance calls
became basic necessities?

MEANING
In the first stanza, the poet asks his grandparents how they lived their lives in a world void of
technology. He asked his grandfather if it was difficult to have fresh air without air
conditioners. Then he asks his grandmother whether she felt uneasy using a paper fan to
cool herself down on a hot day. He also asks his grandmother how she got in touch with her
friends and relations without faxes, long distance calls and other means of communication,
thanks to the advancements in technology.

Grandchild, we lived
before your age. Because
of our ignorance,
we did not know
pollution, stress, traffic jams
destruction of forests, streams and hills
we feared God and nature
now nature fears you and
Money is your new God.

MEANING
In the second stanza, the poets grandparents answer his questions. The reason why they
did not experience pollution, stress, traffic jams, and the effects from the destruction of
forests, streams and hills is because there simply werent any. The word ignorance
illustrates the fact that they had no knowledge of those things. His grandparents added that
they still fear God and respect the beauty & magnificence of Mother Nature. But now,
nature is under threat from the atrocities of human beings who plunder its riches because
of their greed for money & power. In other words, people have become extremely
materialistic and place wealth above everything else, including the Almighty.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS POEM:
1. Children do not realise their grandparents lived peacefully in a world without technology.
They think modern devices are a must for one to live a comfortable life, and this is not true.

2. The effects of modernization negatively affects our lives our health & lifestyle in more
ways than one.

3. People nowadays have forgotten about their moral & religious obligations when it comes
to preserving nature. They would do anything to be rich.
STANZA 1
Grandchild questions
his / her grandparents
STANZA 2
Grandparents
address his / her
questions
HEIR CONDITIONING (POEM FORM 2)
Copy the notes below in your Literature exercise book.