The story that I have read is 'The Shoemaker and the Elves' by Jacob Grimm and

Wilhelm Grimm while the poem chosen is ‘In The Midst of Hardship’ by Latiff Mohidin. ‘The
Shoemaker and the Elves’ is about a poor shoemaker who gained help from two elves who
completed the shoes he left unfinished. ‘In The Midst of Hardship’, as the title suggest,
illustrates the hardship that a family in a village is facing after a big flood.

Based on the story, The Shoemaker and the Elves by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
I do not adhere to a few things illustrated in this story. I feel that the shoemaker was being
irresponsible for his own responsibilities. After experiencing the miracle where his unfinished
shoes were completed overnight for the first time, I realised that the shoemaker did not make an
effort to find out how it happened immediately, but took advantage of the opportunity. He
continued to receive praises and money excitedly for others’ hard work. His customers were
willing to pay “double the price” (page 8) because the shoes were so beautifully made. The
shoemaker’s act was very dishonest, and can be considered as cheating in the business field. If
I were to be his customer, and if I were to find out that the shoes I paid for was a work of others,
I would have felt swindled from my trust towards the shoemaker. Thus, I have learned that it is
not a pleasurable act to take advantage of others. By doing so, it will not bring me far in life as it
is just a temporary way out for the problems I may face.

In my opinion, the elves are nevertheless cunning as well. The elves were “poorly
dressed and had no shoes” (page 14). The shoemaker and his wife decided to sew some
clothes and shoes for them in return of their favour. They left them overnight similarly to how the
shoemaker leaves his unfinished shoes every night. After putting on the clothes and shoes
made for them, the elves “were never seen again” (page 16). Although some might see that the
elves were helping the shoemaker as an act of kindness and selflessness, I personally feel that
they were only doing so as a cover up to gain something in return. This is contrary to the saying
‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’. The elves could have continued to help out if they were
really concerned of the shoemaker’s lacking. This is interchangeable to an experience of mine
where I was being ignored by a person I called my best friend after gaining what she wanted
from the relationship I had with another party. The feeling of betrayal never left me for a very
long time. I feel that the story behind this is about growth. I have learned to be able to do things
for myself eventually, because I cannot rely on someone completely for the rest of my life. The
elves were doing the shoemaker’s work for him, but when they left he had to pick it up again.

On the other hand, the message conveyed in the poem, ‘In the Midst of Hardship’ by
Latiff Mohidin held me close to my heart. I feel that the theme of this poem is not the hardship
itself but how the family handles it. I am drawn towards their optimism in the midst of their
struggles when the poet describes, “but on their brows, there was not a sign of despair” (stanza
1, line 6 & 7). It is impressive for me that they returned home at dawn in soaking-wet clothes
that are all torn with bruises and cuts all over their body. However, their faces did not show any
sign of hopelessness and despair that would normally be expected. As I flashback to the year
2015, where water rationing was happening in my state, I was already grumbling of the
uneasiness I felt throughout the short period of time even though it was a scheduled water cut.
Through the poem, I have learned to be more grateful of the comfortability that I enjoy in the
present and not to take for granted of the necessities I have around me.

Besides, another major element that I found in this poem is the love in the family. This is
shown when they were “desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found”
(stanza 2, line 6 & 7). This has pondered me to see how they are different from many people,
including myself, who are materialistic. Although the albino buffalo is a rare species of the
buffalo family, the family in the poem accepted it as it is. I started to reflect upon myself as the
poet conveys the hardship that they endured and even though they were “between bloated
carcasses” (stanza 2, line 4) because of the flood, they were still searching for the buffalo. After
reading this poem, the sense of guilt arises in me where I used to ignore and despise animals
that look dirty and disease-infected while I adored animals that are good looking and clean. The
selflessness of this family sparked the awareness in me of the fact that all living-thing should be
treated equally no matter how their appearances may be.

In light of both the story and the poem, I should learn to accept problems in life with a
positive outlook. It means that although I am facing problems, I should not complain. Instead, I
must attempt to face it courageously and solve whatever problems I have in hand. Failure is a
part of growing up. When facing failures, I shall not despair.