Alankar(Decor) -193 Poem by Indira Renganathan

Syllogistic poetry

Syllogism is defined as the scheme of an argument.
It consists of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion based on the two,
such as Aristotle's 'men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal.'
A logical debating tool might seem an unlikely aesthetic device,
but syllogism is employed in poetry to create character, enigma and especially irony.

1 An exempted syllogism

Animals are inhumane
Man is an animal
An exception I am

I read this
You read this
'An exception I am'

- -

2 An Excused Syllogism

All doctors save lives
Mr. X is a doctor
Mr. Xsaves lives

All doctors save lives
Mr. X is a doctor
Mr. X is a vegetarian

And he has in his clinic
Words of a reconciling technique
' Medicines are made for lives
Of lives by lives'

- -

3 Then And Now

Then

All women are composed
Sita was a woman
Sita was sad all through

Note: Sita- heroine of the epic Ramayana


All women are chaste
Akalya was a woman
Chastity turned accursed into a stone

Note: Akalya-a blessed character by Rama
in Ramayana


All women are bold
Jansirani was a woman
Jansirani died young

Note: Jansirani-queen of jansi
real name-Lakshmibai

From time long and old
Women have been coy and cold
Yet sometimes bold


Now

All women are composed
Sumathi is a woman
Sumathi is sad
with a drunkard husband

All women are chaste
Asha is a woman
Asha has been sold
In the red market

All women are bold
Asha is a woman
Asha kills her husband

From time long and old
Till time nowexplored
Women have been coy and cold
Yet some times bold
- -

4A Brooding Syllogism

All doctors are gods treating
birth to death via life
Ramaswamy is a doctor
Ramaswamy is a god


All gods are doctors treating
birth to death via life
Dhanvantri is a god
Dhanvantri is a doctor

Doctor be the God
That God can not conquer Hades
God be the doctor
That doctor can not do away with Death
Never can surpass his destiny
The human
- -

5 If Moon Is A Girl

If moon is a girl
So is a girl a moon
With blemishes
By her lover's kisses

If a girl is a moon
Blemishedby lover's kisses
So is the moon a girl
Blemished by sun's kisses

- -

6 Tortoise Versus Rabbit

If thousand tortoises are equqal to one rabbit
So is a rabbit equal to thousand tortoises
And that is why the rabbit lost the game

- -

7The Crow and The Cuckoo

If the crow is black and the cuckoo reflects the crow
So is the cuckoo black

If the crow lays eggs and the cuckoo reflects the crow
So does the cuckoo lay eggs in crow's nest

If the crow does not reflect the cuckoo and
the cuckoo does not reflect the crow
So does the crow hatch cuckoo's eggs

- -

8 On Wise Men


No wise man is ignored
Some wise men are boring
Some boring wise men are ignored


No wise men aremen who are arrogant
Some men who are arrogant are men who live showy
Some men who are showy are not wise men

- -

9 An Inconclusive Syllogism

'Food is God' father tells his child
'So don't waste, He 'll get wild'

- On this advice


Major

If food is God, God is food too
If God is food, food is God too

Minor
All veggies and meat are food
All veggies and meat are God too

Inconclusive Deduction

'Do we we kill God and eat papa? '
Child asks
Father keeps mum

-

10 A Limpid Syllogism

You reap what you sow
I reap what I sow
You can't reap what I sow
I can't reap what you sow

A good seed you should sow
A good seed I should sow
You can't steal my seed and sow
Nor can I steal your seed and sow

A good seed you sow and reap good
A good seed I sow and reap good