Heir Conditioning by M.

Shanmughalingam
Grand dad did you breathe
Before air cons were invented
Wasn't it hard staying
Alive without modern inventions
Gandma weren't you flustered
As you fluttered with paper fans
Could you communicate before
Faxes and long distance calls
Became basic necessities?
Grand child 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
(source, Literature component form 1-3)
Summary
The poem talks about the differences on the ways of living of two different generations. The poet uses an interesting way of a question and
answer session between a grandchild and his/her grandparents. The child questions his/her grandparents on how they could live without all
the necessities they todays generation could not live without such as air cons, fans, faxes and telephones. The grandparents replay one
after another that even though the necessities were not yet invented to comfort them, they could live in comfort as their life were free from
pollution, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forests, streams and hills. They warn their child that there is a price to pay when they do not fear
God and appreciate nature. They have made money as their God and nature fears them because of the rapid pace of development and the
destruction of the beautiful environment.

Stanza 1
In the first stanza the author questions on how in the past people managed to survived without modern invention such as air conditioning,
hand phones and fax machines
Stanza 2
In the final stanza the author question on how future generations will live due to today's living standard. The author blames himself (his
generation) for all the polutions that occur today and the destruction of mother nature. The highest power today accordint to the author is
money and it controls everything (god like)
Theme
1. Technology Brings More Harm
It may seem that we are living in comfort with all the technology that keeps on improving, but we do not realize the harms that the technology
has brought us. The grandchild thinks that it is impossible for their grandparents to live in comfort with the help of technology. The child does
not realize that because of the technology itself, the world becomes hotter and that is the reason why some technologies are created to blind
humans with the fake comfort that the technologies bring them. For example, electric fans and air cons. Technological advancements have
other setbacks such us pollution, stress, traffic jams, and destruction of forests, rivers and hills.
2. Fear
The older generations were God-fearing people and respected His creation nature. However, todays generation does not fear God. On the
contrary the poet says that now nature fears you and money is your new God. This indicates that the younger generation has become more
materialistic. They do not care for nature but gives priority to riches and money rather than practicing good values such as preserving Gods
creation.
3. Importance of Preserving Nature
God created nature to preserve life. In stanza 2, the poet gives the consequences of not preserving nature -pollution, stress, traffic jams,
destruction of forest, streams and hills. Humans seem not to aware that the more pollution they make, the more they need to preserve the
nature. In paving the way for development, forest and hills have been destroyed and streams have been polluted. This has destroyed the
natural habitat of many species of animals and plants which help to retain balance in our ecosystem

Exercise 1 Heir Conditioning

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
Column A

Column B

1.

Flustered

necessary

2.

Communicate

strain

3.

Basic

unawareness

4.

Breathe

inhale

5.

Flutter

damage

6.

Ignorance

agitated

7.

Destruction

wave

8.

Stress

be in touch

Exercise 2 Heir Conditioning

Circle the CORRECT answer.
1. In stanza 1, the phrase hard staying alive without modern inventions refers to ______________.
1.
being alive
2.
staying at home.
3.
using modern inventions
4.
difficulty of living in the past time
B. To the persona, paper fans caused his grandmother to be _____________.
1.
excited
2.
confused
3.
flustered
4.
tired
B. If something is a necessity, it is ______________.
1.
unnecessary
2.
essential
3.
expensive
4.
valuable

4.

4.

4.

4.

How did people in the past regard nature?

A. With fear and respect
B. With love and peace
C. With indifference
D. With disrespect
Health problems have increased today as a result of _____________.
A. ignorance
B. stress and pollution
C. modern inventions
D. a higher population
When forests are cut down, _______________ is taking place.
A. progress
B. urbanization
C. deforestation
D. agriculture
Mans actions today are ______________.
A. protecting nature
B. destroying nature

protecting wildlife
making life healthier
The theme of the poem is _____________.
A. the present life is simple and peaceful
B. a high price is paid for progress
C. people today are much happier
C.
D.

4.

D.

people today are rich