This poem is really interesting to me as it has brought my memory back to all the challenges that I have gone through education since I grew up in my home country. I am saying that I could be witnessed now the good experience of being educated and all the negative experiences which was alsmost lead to failure towards my studies.
However, through reading this poem I can understand where the author’s perspective is. This poem is truly reflecting of a Tongan education clasroom in similar to a Samoa society in which the author is trying to convey. The loss of traditional cultures and knowledge due to westernisation. As I read through the poem, this part kept my attention “Mama and Papa grew poorer and poorer and my kidnappers grew richer and richer I grew whiter and whiter”. Applying to myself as an educator back in Tonga I grew up in a poor family and so my parents faced a lot of financial hardship so that to pay our fees and all school requirements. Although it was hard for my parents to cope with these hardships in life, but it was pretty worth it as I managed to complete my tertiary level before we migrated to New Zealand. So here am I developing skills and a learning a lot more here at universtiy and hopefully to make success in the next couple years.
siosianatvke 