A Fighter's Line

by Marzuki Ali

I am old and worn

And have lost all my strength
Sufferings
And the history of the fight for independence
Have forced sacrifices
That know no name
Or life
From the wheelchair of the rest of my days
I, body and energy crushed
See and cannot do much
These times are too big a challenge
For the remnants of my crippled years
The net of deceit spread everywhere
Disturbs me
In the name of justice
Wake up and form ranks sons of our ancestor
Be brave
And erect a wall of people
Stand up heirs of our freedom

I have no more voice

It is you now who should speak!
Meaning of Stanzas:
Stanza 1:
The poet once had become a soldier and he had suffered a lot to fight
for independence from invaders.
Stanza 2:
During that time, they fought with all of their will and as the
consequences now he is wheelchair bound due to the loss of energy
and he is now old enough to only be able to sit on the while writing
this poem. After years of independent, the poet sees that the people
trying to destroy themselves by engulfing into the world full of lies. The
poet says that there is nothing much he can do as these times are too
challenging.
Stanza 3:
The poet now urges new generation to fight for their freedom. First we
have to be united regardless of our races or religions and fight for the
sake of our nations country.
Stanza 4:
The poet also claims that he cannot affect others to fight for freedom
as he is old and has no will to protect the country and it is the
responsibility of the young ones to speak out their opinions.
Setting:
In this poem, there are two settings. First is in an independent
country- independent of colonial rule and any foreign control. This is
shown by the line, and the history of the fight for independence have
forced sacrifices that know no name or life. The word history tells us
that the persona is reflecting the past. The second setting is an old
man sitting on a wheelchair inside his abode- home where he sits and
ponders on the days problems. This is shown in Stanza 2 (Line
1), from the wheelchair of the rest of my days.
Themes:
1. Patriotism.
Patriotism is one of the themes of this poem. The people in this

country have made a lot of sacrifices to fight for their freedom. They
have achieved independence but now there are other threats such as
deceit. This affects the country's safety. The persona calls on the
younger generation to fight for justice and to speak up against deceit.
2. Being courageous.
Another theme is being courageous. In the past, people made many
sacrifices and fought bravely with the country's enemies for their
freedom. Now, the persona urges the younger generation to be brave
and fight against other threats in the country. He tells them to stand up
and speak with courage.
3. Unity.
In the past, people were united when they fought for independence.
Now, the persona emphasises that the younger generation who has
inherited a free country should unite to preserve their freedom. They
should stand united by building a wall of people or forming ranks
irrespective of racial, religious and other social differences. The "lines"
in the poem, A Fighter's Lines refer to the persona's lines and the lines
or ranks formed for unity. We have to be united and strong as in the
saying, "United we stand, divided we fall".
Values:
1. We must be brave to uphold justice.
The persona urges the younger generation to stand up against the
widespread lies which are rampant in society today. This 'net of deceit'
worries his as it can destroy the solidarity of the people. Therefore, he
urges them to stand united and uphold justice to preserve the freedom
and safety of the country.
2. We must be willing to make sacrifices to preserve our
independence.
In the fight for independence, the persona and other soldiers
sacrificed and risked their lives when they fought for independence.
Now, he is wheelchair-bound because he was either crippled in the
war or is now old and sick. Now, he wants the younger generation to
make sacrifices too to preserve their freedom.
3. We must be united to preserve our freedom.

The persona wants the younger generation to stand united regardless

of their differences to ensure their freedom.