The Apple Appetite, Les Pommes de Terre)

Abstract

Both poems in this submission use my transnational experiences to illustrate the enduring impact of British colonialism on Malaysia. First, the poem “The Apple Appetite” uses the imagery of apples, which symbolise wisdom in Western culture, to explore the colonial supremacy attached to certain types of English pronunciation. Depicting the issue of pronunciation through the act of ingestion, I gesture towards the interiorisation of, and increasing desire for, values moulded by British colonialism. Second, the poem “Les Pommes de Terre” continues to draw on the imagery of apples to convey the lasting influence of colonialism. The French term “les pommes de terre”, which refers to potatoes, literally translates to “apples of the soil” (“les pommes” means “apples”). With that, by contrasting the soil-covered potatoes in Malaysia with the potatoes as smooth as apples in the UK, I illustrate how my time in the UK has influenced my perception, which at times conflicts with Malaysian culture.