"Aku" (meaning "Me") is a 1943 Indonesian-language poem by Chairil Anwar. It reflects his individualistic nature and vitality.
"Aku" (meaning "Me") is a 1943 Indonesian-language poem by Chairil Anwar. It reflects his individualistic nature and vitality.
Kalau sampai waktuku | If my time has come |
Anwar first read "Aku" at the Jakarta Cultural Centre in July 1943. [1] It was then printed in Pemandangan under the title "Semangat" ("Spirit"); according to Indonesian literary documentarian HB Jassin, this was to avoid censorship and to better promote the nascent independence movement. [2] "Aku" has gone on to become Anwar's most celebrated poem. [3]
Indonesian writer Muhammad Balfas notes that one of Anwar's contemporaries, Bung Usman, wrote "Hendak Jadi Orang Besar???" ("So You Want to Be a Big Person???") in response to "Aku". [4] Balfas suggests that Usman was greatly irritated by the "vitality and new way of life" that Anwar showed in the poem. [4]
According to Timorese scholar of Indonesian literature A. G. Hadzarmawit Netti, the title "Aku" emphasizes Anwar's individualistic nature, while the temporary title "Semangat" reflects his vitality. [5] Netti analyzes the poem itself as reflecting Anwar's need to control his environment and not be shaped by outside forces, emphasizing the first two stanzas. [5] According to Netti, through controlling his environment, Anwar is able to better protect his freedom and individualistic nature. [6] Netti sees the final line as reflecting Anwar's pride in his individualistic nature, finally surmising that Anwar would have agreed with Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. [7]
Indonesian literary scholar Arief Budiman notes that "Aku" reflects Anwar's worldview, that others should not care for him as he does not care for others. [8] Budiman also notes that the third and fourth stanzas reflect Friedrich Nietzsche's view that suffering makes one stronger. [9]
Chairil Anwar was an Indonesian poet and member of the "1945 Generation" of writers. He is estimated to have written 96 works, including 70 individual poems.
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