Summary of each poem:

1) Bird shooting Season by Olive Senior. ( The Child and the world)

The poem begins with persona being a child. They talk about the changes in the home when bird
shooting season begins. The child realizes that the men in the homes begin to neglect their wives and
treat them as slaves. Even though the activities are only an invitation for men, there are still to prepare
everything for the trip. “All night long contentless women stir their brews”

During the activities it is brought to the reader’s attention the contrast of boys to girls. “little boys
longing to grow up bird hunters too. Little girls whispering fly birds fly”. The young men are eager to
grow and participate in the activities with their fathers while the young girls hope that the birds escape.
It can also be seen that the poet used the symbol of birds to represent the women in the households as
they are treated as care takers for the men and not partners. This is proven when, while the men are
out, the women are to prepare everything “for tomorrows sport”.

2) Once Upon A Time by Gabriel Okara. ( childhood experiences)

In this poem the persona is a man talking to his infant child, he talks on his experiences in life and how
they have molded him into the man he is today, however not in a positive way. The persona refers to
the treatment he had received when he used to genuinely interact with persons in his community.

This poem talks on the contrast of an adult compared to that of and infant. The experiences which cause
them to no longer express their emotion because their innocence has been stripped from them.

Quotes from the poem:

 the repetition of the phrase”One upon a time”

 The constant use of the word but to contrast the life through the eyes of and adult and the eyes
of a child. “they used to laugh with their hearts and laugh with their eyes but now they laugh
with their teeth while their ice-block- cold eyes search behind my shadow”. Ice-block-cold is a
metaphore. This refers to no real emotion in the soul as the eyes are said to be the gateway to
the soul.
 Searching behind the shadow gives the idea that they see the innocence of the person and takes
advantage of them as the shadow may symbolize vulnerability.
 The first line of the poem is, “once upon a time, son” the infant is a boy.
 “they used to shake hands with their hearts but that’s gone, son” a quote that can be used to
talk about the contrast or comparison of child an adult. Also the innocence since he is to explain
it to the son.
 “shake hands without hearts while their left hand search my empty pockets” next example of
being take advantage because the innocence made the persona vulnerable to the point where
he was an easy target. By the use of the word “empty” it showed he no longer had anything to
give because all, already has been taken.
 “ for then I find doors shut on me” the persona talks on the fact allot of people would invite you
to their homes but not actually want your company or they might but after a while they would
get aggravated seeing you to the point that they would lie about even being home.
  “I have learnt to wear my face as dresses” this is a similie. The persona no longer wanted to be
used and abused so to prevent his feelings being hurt further he has masked his emotions so
that his vulnerability can no longer be taken advantage of.
 “Their conforming smiles like a fixed portrait”. Conforming means adapt. This phrase is a similie.
He used it to compare the smiles they adapt to portray for others even if not sincere to a
portrait since a portrait’s smile is permanent, cannot be changed. The persona has now adapted
himself in a way to protect his remaining innocence.
 “And I have learnt too”. The persona has now adapted himself in a way to protect his remaining
innocence.
 “I want to be what I used to be” he wants to change himself. 9 this might nit be a necessary
quotes, but it’s a good one to keep in mind)
 “Shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!” the persona has been so accustom to the life
he has adapted to that he no longer knows how to be sincere in his feelings. Or how to express
himself genuinely without feeling like he is faking. He has had on the mask of his emotion so
long that he can’t tell how his actual face looks.
 “Show me” is used repeatedly in the last stanza to express how much he wants to be his old
again. It is also ironic that the father must need his son to teach him when a parent is the one to
teach their children.

3) Little Boy Crying by Mervyn Morris (childhood experiences)

This persona like before is a father but not one expressing his experience in life but am insight of how a
father feels to discipline their child. The son had gone outside to play after his father had told him not to
go ouside because it was raining the son, not seeing anything bad of It decided to disobey his father and
still go outside. When he was caught his father struck him, causing him to cry. In the father’s head he
saw what he imagined his son thought of him (may be from experience when he ever got lix) and he
wanted to comfort his son but he knew that if he did the lesson that was to be originally taught would
be left unseen so the father masked his emotions.

The themes are: childhood and innocence

The quote that I find necessary to know is, “You must not make a play thing of the rain”

The others are:

 “Your mouth contorting in brief spite and hurt”

 “Your laughter metamorphosed into howls”
 The repetition of the word “Your” to show how he was describing how the son was prior to the
incident compared to now.
 “Hidden behind that mask” the mask is his emotion which must remain hidden if he wants his
son to understand the lessons and remain discipline.
 “You hate him” the father was imagining his son feeling like this because of his punishment.
 “The hurt your easy eyes can scald him” the son’s emotion/ tears can manipulate the father into
giving in but he can’t because the lessons is one needed to know.
 4) A Stone’s Throw by Elma Mitchell (Religion)

This poem speaks on the story of Mary Magdalene. She was doing her usual job as a prostitute when
some men had approached her and

The discussion of the name of the poem. It is a biblical illusion, it is also a pun because it means to throw
a stone and also not so far away. I believe it was meant in both the literal sense and the literal sense.
Literal: they were planning on throwing stones at her, but also they were sinners and that made it that
they were judging her while they, themselves have sinned because they got pleasure from throwing
stones at the women showing that their sins are also close to that of Mary Magdalene. Also, the men
that participated in keeping this job possible for women were not prosecuted, only the women which
proves the double standards always placed for men to never be seen as doing something wrong.

The persona of the poem were the men who captured Mary Magdalene, the Pharisees. They would go
around and attack women who made a living off of selling their bodies and stone them. When they
captured Mary Magdalene they described the pleasure they experienced off of knowing they fear she
felt around them. “It taste so good”. “Beautiful, but dead scared”.

They got pleasure from hurting her, but judged her for the job she did which was giving pleasure to
other but for money. They roughed her up and then prepared her for the throwing of their stones but
when they were about to, Jesus came. He stopped the men by allowing them to see what they were
doing was wrong, “Our eyes on ourselves.” The Pharisees left but did not drop their stones because even
though they now understand they were doing wrong things the pleasure they get from throwing the
stones at the women were far more rewarding.

The men felt entitled the touch Mary Magdalene like that because she was a prostitute as if she has no
control or no say on her body.

(The quotes are in the paragraphs above)

“We’ve got her!”

Themes:

 Discrimination
 Religion
 Appearance vs. reality
 Hypocrisy
 Oppression
 Power and powerless
 5) God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins

This poems talks about how humans do not appreciate how God made the earth for us to live on and
decided to destroy it. We do not appreciate the earth, we question God and the faith and then we
destroy the gifts he gave us to then praise man.

God’s Grandeur: the greatness of god or the impressiveness of god.

This refers to the greatness and selflessness of God, he made a world for us to stay and we treat it as if
we don’t appreciate it and some people sin but in the end he will forgive you if you ask.

The persona of the poem is the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins himself.

There was an assonance in the poem, “Trade: bleared, smeared”.

The contrast with the first stanza and the second because the first stanza talked on the destruction of
man while the second discussed the greatness of earth.

He talked about the bad on the earth and contrasted with the good on earth.

“Nature is never spent”

“Dearest freshness”

6) It is the Constant Image of Your face by Dennis Brutus (love)

This poem like the one discussed above speaks on the beauty of the poet’s island and how as much as
he loves his island and fought for it, it now has a new love that is taking over, the love for the new
woman in his life. She is becoming his first love and is sharing a place with his home land in his heart.

The poet is talking to his lover and is telling her that she is now holding a place is his heart right next to
his first love, his land. He speaks in court terms to because he feels by saying this he is committing
treason to his first love. “I can plead excuses”. He begs for the land to forgive him and not convict his
love. “Will pardon freely”. His new found lover is one that he had not looked for but still appeared as
love always does but could never fully take the place of his homeland.

“Convicts me of heart-treachery”

“My land takes precedence of all my love”

About Dennis Brutus this poet has spent time in prison fighting against his own government for the
bettering of his land.

7) South (Nostalgia) Kamau Brathwaite

8) West indies Usa paradox/ contradiction stewart Browm
9) Sonnet composed upon westminister bridge,September 3 1802 by William wordsworth
10) My Parents by Stephen Spencer
Poetry:

“people react differently to challenge.”

Write an essay in which you focus on this theme.

From the prescribed list, choose two poems you have studied and for each poem describe one challenge
the speaker faces. You must also discuss how one of the speakers react to the challenge faced. Finally..
for each poem, you must examine one devise each poet uses to explore challenges.
“Although they do not always take centre stage, Ferdinand and Miranda play a significant role in the
drama.”

Write an essay in which you describe one instant when Miranda is present and one in which Ferdinand is
present