SUICIDE NOTEby Janice Mirikitani

THE POEM

THE POET

THE SUMMARY

THE THEME

THE Q & A

THE POSTER

GROUP MEMBERS

NOOR SHAKILA AHMAD SHAH AKALILI NABILA JASRI

AZIDAH AMIR SHAMMEY TEY

NUR AIN JUNIAN ZELA ZULFIKAR

NORHIDAYU ROSMAN

How many note written…ink smeared like birdprints in snow.

not good enough not pretty enough not smart enough

dear mother and father.I apologize

for disappointing you.I’ve worked very hard,

not enough hardharder, perhaps to please you.

If only I were the son, shoulders broadas the sunset threading through pine,I would see the light in my mother’seyes, or the golden pride reflected

in my father’s dreamof my wide, male hands worthy of work

and comfort.

Suicide Note

I would swagger through lifemuscled and bold and assured

drawing praises to me like currents in the bed of wind, virile

with confidencenot good enough not strong enough not

good enoughI apologize

Tasks do not come easilyEach failure, a glacier

Each disapproval, a bootprintEach disapPointment ice above my river

So I have worked hardnot good enough

My sacrifice I will dropbone by bone, perched

on the ledge of my womanhoodfragile as wings

not strong enough

It is snowing steadilySurely not good weatherFor flying – this sparrow

Sillied and dizzied by the windOn the edge.

Not smart enough.I make this ledge my altar

To offer penance.This air will not hold me,

The snow burdens my crippled wings,My tears drop like bitter clothSoftly into the gutter below.

Not good enough not strong enough not smart enough

choices thin as shavedIce. Notes shredded

drift like snowon my broken body,

covers me like whispersof sorries.

Perhaps when they find methey will bury

my bird bones beneatha sturdy pine

and scatter my feathers like

unspoken song

over this white and cold and silent

breast of earth

Third generation of Japanese American.

Born on 5th February,1942 in Stockton, California.

Parent’s name: Ted and Belle Anne Matsuda

Mirikitani.

Married to Reverend Cecil Williams in 1982.

Daughter’s name: Tianne Tsukiko Miller from

previous marriage.

THE POET

CAREERS :

Work as a poet, editor, anthologist, teacher, choreographer and political activist.

WRITINGS:

I Have Something To Say About This Big Problem: Children of The Tenderloin Speak Out (1989)

Ayumi : A Japanese American Anthology (1980)Awake in The River (1978, reissued in 1982)Shedding Silence (1987)

CHOREOGRAPH:

A Tribute to King.Who Are Among The Missing.Lonnie’s SongRevealing Secrets, Releasing Fear.

STUDIES:

Received B.A cum laude from University of California at Los Angeles in 1962Graduated for creative writing at San Francisco State University

SUMMARY

In this Suicide Note poem, the main character of the poem is a female, shows

the reader what is it like to be into the mind of somebody who wants to commit suicide.She apologizes to her parents, people who she thinks has a high expectations for her, thus she gives reasons on why she is going

to commit suicide.

The girl believes that if she cannot achieve enough perfect grade, then there is no

point for her to stay alive.According to the line “not good enough,

not pretty enough, not smart enough”, we can see her thoughts on why she wants to

die. By reading the poem few times, we could understand that she wants to die because her grades were not perfect

enough.In the end, she apologizes to her parents for not being the perfect person for her

parents.

High expectations are not always could be achieved perfectly.

As we can see, the girl apologizes perfectly to her parents by writing the suicide note as she

cannot be perfect enough in her grades.

Approaches the subject of death and family.

Instead of fighting against death, the girl welcomes it and write a note as an apology to

her parents.

THEME

Disappointment

An Asian American college student was reported jumped from her dormitory and death due to the feel of disappointment for her results which is less than a perfect 4.0. She be able to

wrote a suicide note which contained an apology to her parents for not get a good

grade.

THE POSTER

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9

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Q & A

Janice Mirikitani has worked in various professions EXCEPT

A. editorB. choreographer

C. School principal

QUESTION 1

QUESTION 2

Who is the persona in the poem?

A. A son B. A teacher C.A student D. A writer

What is the subject matter in the poem?

A. DeathB. Expectation

C. Disappointment D. Regretful

QUESTION 3

QUESTION 4

“not good enough not pretty enough not smart enough”, “not good enough not strong enough not good enough” shows the persona is

A. DespairedB. Sad

C. Frustrated D. Inferior

Why was the persona offer a penance?

A.the persona had sinned against her parents

B. the persona was not a manC.the persona failed to meets perfectionD. the persona did not worked hard

QUESTION 5

QUESTION 6

The persona was apologising to her parents because

A. The persona was not a manB. The persona was disobedient

C.The persona did not achieved her parents’ standardD.The persona did not served them well

The persona compare herself as a

A. Bird that has fragile wingsB.Sparrow that is not important, has less attentionC.Chicken that has wings but cannot

fly

QUESTION 7

QUESTION 8

Why was the persona stated that “Each disappointment, ice above a

river”?The ice is referred to the persona, whenever she was disappointed,

similar to the ice, she will melt like the ice on a river then end up to feel

hopeless (give up).

QUESTION 9

This air will not hold me” proved that the persona was

Convinced that nobody is going to support her. She believed that she

was neglected, no one will care about her.

QUESTION 10

Persona decided to kill herself to escape from all her pain. Describe

the persona characterisation.Selfish, narrow-minded, easily

despair, low self-esteem …

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