Literature

Compiled by Jean Joubert

my sweet old etcetera

e. e. cummings

my sweet old etcetera

aunt lucy during the recent

war could and what

is more did tell you jst
what everybody was fighting

for,
my sister

Isabel created hundreds

(and
hundreds) of socks not to
mention fleaproof earwarmers
etcetrea wristers etcetera, my
mother hoped that

i would die etcetera

bravely of course my father used
to become hoarse talking about how it was
a privilege and if only he
could meanwhile my

Literature 1
 self etcetera lay quietly
in the deep mud et

cetera
(dreaming,
et
cetera, of
Your smile
eyes knees and of your Etcetera)

Typographical Innovation
3 capital letters

3 commas

no full stops

Analysis
Lines 1-6 are about the speaker’s aunt.

She understands or thinks she understands what the war is about.

Lines 7-12 are about his sister.

Made him clothing and many other things for the war.

Lines 13-15 are about his mother.

Hopes that he will die (bravely of course as an afterthought).

As if she expects him to die and only hopes he does it bravely.

Etcetera used as filter for list of clichéd statements about soldiers.

Lines 16-17 are about his father.

He wishes he could still fight for his country.

Literature 2
 Lines 18-26 are about his views.

Dreams about a girl.

He is sick of hearing about the war and wishes he could just return to his fantasies.

One of central themes = disconnection of author from everyone

Disconnection – symbolised through clever word play and use of line break: “my /
self”

Because I could not stop for death

Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

Literature 3
 We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –

Form and Meter

6 quatrains.

Does not follow a set rhyme scheme, but there are examples of perfect rhyme.
First and third lines = iambic tetrameter
Second and fourth lines = iambic trimeter

Analysis
extended metaphor - death is the speaker’s suitor

Stanza 1 starts with a rather pleasant tone.

The carriage holds death, the speaker and immorality.
Speaker can be the poet.

Personifies death as a gentleman suitor.

Stanza 2 is symbolic for the autor’s departure from life.

“slowly” - may have suffered.

The slow ride gives time to contemplate life.

Lines 6-7 show a willingness for death.

Literature 4
 Stanza 3 starts with thinking back to childhood.

Death is allowing the author to think back to her prime.

The setting sun is symbolic for her death.

The whole “process” is portrayed as gentle.

sudden shift in tone

Stanza 4 gets “dark”.

Starts to shiver (getting cold).

Underdressed in a nightgown.

Thus feels vulnerable.

Stanza 5; speaker feels seduced by death; lured.

She feels cheated by promises of immorality.

Stanza refers to her grave.

Tone of disappointment.

In Stanza 6 the speaker feels that life is going on without her.

Had a perception of an afterlife.
Alas, death was her last stop.

Eternity…

My parents kept me from children who

were rough
Stephen Spender

My parents kept me from children who were rough

Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes

Literature 5
 Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the street

And climbed cliffs and stripped by the country streams.

I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron

Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms

I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys

Who copied my lisp behind me on the road.

They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges

Like dogs to bark at my world. They threw mud

While I looked the other way, pretending to smile.

I longed to forgive them but they never smiled.

Underlined
“threw words like stones,” is a simile.

“feared more than tigers,” is a metaphor.

“muscles like iron,” is a simile.

“coarse” is a pun - can be used to describe being vulgar, or can to refer to salt’s
texture.
“like dogs,” is a simile.

Analysis
Speaker is privileged but emotionally vulnerable.
They mock and bully him physically and verbally.
He is scared.

Salt on wound: it burns.

lithe - able to move and bend easily and gracefully.

Speaker had admiration for the boys and thus tried to pretend he didn’t notice.

He just wants to be accepted.

Literature 6
 In conclusion, the boy has privileged parents who protect him. The bullies are
prejudiced against the privileged. Alliteration emphasises roughness.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act 1)

William Shakespeare

Summary
Act 1 begins with Duke Theseus of Athens preparing for his upcoming wedding to
Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. The wedding is set to take place in four days,
and there is excitement in the air.

Meanwhile, in the city, a young nobleman named Egeus seeks the Duke's
intervention in a matter of love. Egeus wants his daughter Hermia to marry
Demetrius, but Hermia is in love with Lysander. Theseus gives Hermia an ultimatum:
either marry Demetrius, face execution, or become a nun.

Hermia and Lysander decide to flee Athens and marry in secret, so they escape into
the nearby forest. They confide in Hermia's friend, Helena, who is in love with
Demetrius and decides to tell him about Hermia and Lysander's plans, hoping to win
his favor.
In the forest, the play's supernatural element comes into play. We meet a group of
amateur actors, led by the comically inept Peter Quince, who are preparing a play for
the Duke's wedding. This group includes the bumbling Bottom, who becomes a
central character in the later acts.

Act 1 sets the stage for the tangled love affairs, magical interventions, and humorous
misunderstandings that will follow in the enchanted forest. It also highlights the
contrast between the rigid, controlled world of Athens and the whimsical,
unpredictable nature of the forest, where the fairy king and queen, Oberon and
Titania, reign. These elements lay the foundation for the delightful chaos and
comedy that will characterize the rest of the play.

Character list
Theseus - The Duke of Athens, preparing for his wedding to Hippolyta.

Hippolyta - The Queen of the Amazons, soon to be married to Theseus.

Egeus - Hermia's father, who insists she marry Demetrius.

Literature 7
 Hermia - A young woman in love with Lysander, facing a forced marriage to
Demetrius.

Lysander - Hermia's love interest, who plans to elope with her.

Demetrius - A man who pursues Hermia, despite her feelings for Lysander.
Helena - Hermia's friend, hopelessly in love with Demetrius.

Peter Quince - The leader of a group of amateur actors.

Nick Bottom - A weaver and a member of the group of amateur actors.

Robin Goodfellow (Puck) - A mischievous fairy who serves Oberon, the Fairy King.

Oberon - The Fairy King, involved in magical schemes.

Titania - The Fairy Queen, in conflict with Oberon.

Riot
Casey Motsisi

In Riot by Casey Motsisi we have the theme of struggle, defiance, conflict, escape,
compassion and apartheid. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the
reader realizes from the beginning of the story that Motsisi may be exploring the
theme of struggle. Maria is struggling to get Boetikie to sleep. He is thirsty and
hungry even though he has already eaten. The fact that Boetikie is so defiant is
interesting because in many ways this mirrors what happens later on in the story at
the riot. The people at the riot are also defiant and outraged that an old man has
been killed by the bus. They are also boycotting the buses because of the sudden,
and in people’s eyes, unnecessary increase in the price of travel. The bottle of
brandy also serves to act as a symbol of escape for Maria. She finds it difficult to
raise Boetikie on her own following the loss of her husband and the reader suspects
the struggle raising Boetikie and the loss of her husband has led Maria to drink too
much. She also gets defiant when she drinks telling herself that she will not go and
collect the laundry.
If anything there is both an internal and external conflict in the story. The internal
conflict is how Maria feels about her life and how she struggles, looking after
Boetikie who is Nana’s son. While the external conflict occurs during the bus boycott
riot and the policeman being killed. The policeman plays an important role in the
story as he represents compassion and apartheid. He is unlike other policemen and
does not wish to prosecute Maria for drinking the brandy. If anything the compassion

Literature 8
 shown by the policeman to Maria may be rare, particularly at the time of apartheid.
When black South African’s were treated differently to their white counterparts.

There may be other symbolism in the story which might be important. MaSello may
be seen to represent black South Africa and the struggles that young boys and men
encountered. The police are trying to arrest MaSello’s son and MaSello is protesting
his innocence. Like a lot of young black boys or men who were arrested during
apartheid. The charges against them would have been weak and without proof. The
Policeman who tells Maria to hide her brandy bottle could be seen to symbolize the
compassionate side of an individual who knows that apartheid is wrong. After all
apartheid discriminated against people due to their skin colour. The riot in
Sophiatown acts as a microcosm of apartheid and serves to highlight just how
discriminatory apartheid was.

The end of the story is interesting as we discover that the policeman who helped
Maria has been killed in the riot. Something that affects Maria deeply. She has
witnessed the compassionate side of a white person and felt for him and was
appreciative of what he had done for her. Despite the differences in skin colour Maria
does not wish for the policeman to be dead. Regardless of how she feels about the
police. Who at the time were the enforcers of apartheid and often violent and
disregarding when it came to the feelings of those they were supposed to protect. If
anything Maria by going to bed early and Boetikie not asking for water or food are
aware that things are only going to get worse for them and their neighbours now that
a policeman has been killed. There is sure to be more riots and violence.

(McManus, Dermot. 18 August 2022. Riot by Casey Motsisi. The Sitting Bee.
http://sittingbee.com/riot-casey-motsisi/.)

The Testimony of the Fly

Mai Vo-Dinh
"The Testimony of the Fly" by Mai Vo-Dinh is a thought-provoking and imaginative
short story that offers readers a unique perspective on the world. In this story, the
narrative is seen through the eyes of a fly, and it eloquently explores the life and
experiences of this tiny creature.
The story begins with the fly recounting its existence, describing its humble birth, its
exploration of the world, and its encounters with humans. Through the fly's
observations, readers gain insight into the intricate and often unnoticed details of
everyday life. It notices the play of light on surfaces, the scent of flowers, and the
comings and goings of people.

Literature 9
 It witnesses an oath between a boy and a moneylender. The moneylender later tries
to lie to the court as to not hold up his side of the bargain. Alas, the boy tricks him
into saying something false about the fly’s positioning, insinuating that it was on the
moneylender’s nose. The moneylender is lured into correcting the boy, thus
confessing that the interaction in fact did happen.

Lamb to the Slaughter

Roald Dahl

"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl is a short story about a woman named Mary
Maloney who seems like a devoted wife to her husband, Patrick. However, when he
unexpectedly tells her he's leaving her, she becomes upset and hits him with a
frozen leg of lamb, killing him. To cover up her crime, she cleverly manipulates the
evidence by cooking the lamb and serving it to the police officers who come to
investigate.

The story's message is about the unexpected and dark sides of human nature. It
explores how someone can react in extreme ways when faced with betrayal and how
appearances can be deceiving. Dahl also uses dark humor to highlight the absurdity
of the situation and the lengths to which people might go to protect themselves.

Literature 10