SATURDAY SUNDAE
The triple-decker and the double-cone
I side-swipe swiftly, suck the coke-straws dry,
Ride toadstool seat beside the slab of morgue--
Sweet corner drug-store, sweet pie in the sky.
Him of the front-flap apron, him I sing,
The counter-clockwise clerk in underalls.
Swing low, sweet chocolate. Oh swing, swing,
While cheek by juke the jitter chatter falls.
I swivel on my axle and survey
The latex tintex kotex cutex land.
Soft kingdoms sell for dimes, Life Pic Look Click
Inflate the male with conquest girly grand.
My brothers and my sisters, two by two,
Sit sipping succulence and sighing sex.
Each tiny adolescent universe
A world the vested interests annex.
Such bread and circuses these times allow,
Opium most popular, life so small and slick.
Perhaps with candy is the new world born
And cellophane shall wrap the heretic.
F. R. Scott (1944) from The CanLit Foodbook: From Pen to Palate-- A Collection of Tasty Literary Fare. Compiled by Margaret Atwood. Toronto: Totem Books, 1987.
POETIC BITES (EXCERPTS FROM RESEARCH ESSAYS)
“The time F.R. Scott touches on in the poem was a crucial period in Canadian history. World War II had just ended. Many new products and brands had come about, such as cellophane and latex. According to Canadian Geographic’s article “Visible Majorities” by Mary Vincent, “it was a time of prosperity and mass consumerism for most.””
““Saturday Sunday” focuses on the materialism of society, and we see this even in the title. While it’s a play on words for the days of the weekend, it’s also a critique of the changing interests of society. Scott warps the meaning of “Sunday” from something deeply religious and sacred, to an average cold snack enjoyed by the young.”
From left to right: Anna Phan, Untitled (2015); Haoran Hu, Untitled (2015)
ARTFUL FARE RESPONSES (RESPONSE TO ART WORK)
“Haoran Hu’s and Anna Phan’s photographs contrast each other, but line up with the tone and meaning in “Saturday Sundae.” Hu’s photo creates an image of the dream lifestyle, while Phan’s uses food as a metaphor for the reality of consumerism.
In Hu’s image, a young woman sits in a high-end apartment, eating a cake while holding a lap top. Several purses sit on the sofa, along with a bag of candy. Here, excess is trendy.
Just like Scott uses “coke straws” and “latex tintex kotex cutex,” Phan uses a brand of candy that is well known just from its appearance. The first photo is about keeping up appearances, testing out the new products. Then, there is the descent into consumerism.”
“In the third stanza, “Life Pic Look Click” refers to four different magazines that were in print at the time, magazines that offered images of the ideal woman, as they “inflate the male with conquest girly grand.” In this way, females were objectified and treated like a commodity.”
“His (Senger) photos portray a world and way of life that some youth choose to follow, paths which are viewed as being “deviant” from what we view as “normal behaviour.” The photographer portrays the first line by the way the young teenagers seem caught up in their own world. The girl stares off, appearing as though she wishes that she were somewhere else.”
STUDENT BIOS
REGINA GILL (ENGLISH) is majoring in Sociology at KPU. After completing her B.A., she is hoping to go on to become a social worker and help those caught in domestic violence through her work in the community.
HANNA NORMAN (ENGLISH) is an undergraduate student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in English. She specializes in fiction, but is also studying Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction. After graduating, she plans on becoming a novelist.
ANNA PHAN (FINE ARTS) is an undergraduate student at KPU, majoring in Information Technology. Insipred by the growing usage of technology, she has taken numerous courses related to hardware and operating systems. In the future, she hopes to share her love for computers.
DERYCK SENGER (FINE ARTS) is currently taking a general arts degree at Kwantlen University. Following completion of his general arts studies, Senger plans on working towards a Social Worker Degree. Senger believes that by helping, nurturing, and supporting our youth; we can pave a brighter future for everyone with love, compassion, and respect for one another.
HAORAN HU (FINE ARTS) is graduating this year from KPU. Haoran believes that by exploring and loving life, we can create more meaningful and impressive work of arts.