Poems breakdown for Sean:

Content Page:
Content Page Number
The Weary Blues 2-3
A valediction: forbidding mourning 3-6
The collar 6-8
The Author to Her Book 8-10
In an Artist’s Studio 10-11
The Darkling Thrush 11-13
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers 13-14
A Far Cry from Africa 14-16
The child who was shot dead by 16-17
soldiers at Nyanga
Childhood in Heidelberg 17-19
Weather Eye 19-20

*Did not find sufficient resources to analyze ‘To my father, who died’

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The Weary Blues (1926) Langston Hughes
‘The Weary Blues’ describes the performance of a blues musician playing in a club on
Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The piece mimics the tone and form of Blues music, uses free
verse, and closely resembles spoken English. The poem was written by Langston
Hughes in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of time when African-
American artists, musicians, and writers enjoyed appreciation and popular acceptance.
Lines 1-3
The first line of ‘The Weary Blues’ begins by describing the music as “drowsy” and
“syncopated.” The former is a musical term that means that the beats, accents, or
rhythm of a piece are intentionally misplaced. This specific aural landscape, coupled
with the image of a man “rocking back and forth” as he croons creates an almost
haunting image in the mind of the reader. Another thing to note is that the first few lines
establish a single, individual speaker. It’s likely the speaker is a member of the audience
at this particular concert.
Lines 4-7
This group of lines continues to add definition to the scene created in the piece. The
reader immediately learns the location of the poem’s setting, Lenox Avenue, long a
haven for jazz and Blues. The fifth line of ‘The Weary Blues’ adds to the eerie feeling
cultivated. The streets are not just lit by lights; they are lit by gaslights giving off a “pale
dull pallor.” This is also another example of how musical terms, such as “dull” are used
repeatedly to describe the night. The repetition of “He did a sway. . .” is also noteworthy.
The two lines are reminiscent of a musical refrain. They also imply a sense of
continuous movement.
Lines 8-11
Next, as hands crawl across ivory keys, we learn more about the performer and
performance. The second line is most likely a reference to segregation, which was, at
the time, a reality in the United States. Black and white are allowed to mingle in the
poem, making beautiful music. “Weary Blues” seems to be the name of the song he’s
singing, and as I mentioned, the man is playing the piano. Make special note, of that
“poor piano.” The man is not just playing, but in keeping with the piece’s tone: he makes
it “moan with melody.”
Lines 12-14
The imagery used in the next few lines is of special note. Like the “poor piano” from the
previous line, everything in the poem seems to be well-worn, bordering on decrepit. He
has a “rickety stool.” The tune he plays is “raggy.” “Musical fool” may be a reference to
the jesters and court fools of the past. Perhaps it’s implying this man is from the lower
rungs of society but entertaining the modern-day lords and ladies of New York.
Lines 15-22

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Finally, the blues man begins to sing. He sings to the speaker directly, to the reader
directly. The way he sings, in colloquialisms, thickly accented, is indicative of a member
of the poor working class. The lyrics themselves are heartbreaking. If, as Blues often is,
they are considered to be autobiographical, then the singer becomes more sympathetic.
Lines 23-30
As the song goes on, we learn more about the singer. His mournful voice matches his
tragic words, and he seems to be living in the shadow of a deep depression. Again, the
repetition of the word “thump” is used to mimic the sound of music. In this case, the
thumps are used to keep the beat.
Lines 31-35
The final four lines of ‘The Weary Blues’ create a sense of encroaching darkness. First,
the stars go out, then the moon. Finally, the music fades. I imagine the musician
trudging home through the dark and the quiet. Then, even he fades away, sleeping like
the dead. The final word, “dead” seems to be stressed. It’s possible that the poet is
implying that the subject of this work died shortly after the piece ends. It’s also
interesting that the speaker here seems to become omniscient. He or she knows what
the singer does after the set.
Structure
As previously noted, the poem uses rhyme and rhythm in interesting ways. The
composition mimics the shifting structures and patterns of Jazz music. The indented
lines are emphasized both on the page and in the reader’s mind as if they are being
sung. ‘The Weary Blues’ is written in free verse, but it contains a number of rhyming
couplets throughout. The use of the word “negro,” used at the time as a derogatory
term, serves to stress the subject of the piece as an outsider and member of the lower
class.
Historical Context
‘The Weary Blues’ is from the first collection of Langston Hughes’s poetry, titled ‘The
Weary Blues’. Hughes was a prolific writer. He wrote poetry, prose, and plays. He won a
number of awards. He was also a social activist. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, and
traveled the world working as a seaman. He eventually settled in New York, which is
where he died.

A valediction: forbidding mourning (1633) John Donne

Stanza 1
In the first stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, the speaker begins with an
image of death. He is speaking on the death of a man who is “virtuous.” Due to his good

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nature, his death comes peacefully. Donne compares dying in this instance to
“whisper[ing]” one’s soul away. There is nothing traumatic about it. “Whisper” is a
perfect example of onomatopoeia. The word sounds or resembles the noise it
represents. The dying man is not alone. There are “sad friends” around his bed who are
unable to decide whether or not the man is dead. His final moments are so peaceful that
there is no sign to tell the onlookers the end has come. They speak to one another
asking if “The breath goes now” or not.
Stanza 2
The second stanza might come as something of a surprise to readers unused to
Donne’s complicated use of conceit. Rather than explaining what the first stanza was all
about, it adds additional information. The speaker is comparing the peaceful death of a
virtuous man to the love he shares with the intended listener. When they separate they
do so without the “tear-floods” and “sigh-tempests” of the shallow. Donne’s speaker
sees the way other partners are around one another and knows his relationship is
better. He and his partner would never be so crass as to expose their emotions to the
“laity” or common people. It is something they keep to themselves. He states that it
would be a “profanation,” or disgrace to their “joy” to expose it. They will “make no
noise” and remain on the high ground above those involved in lesser loves.
Stanza 3
The third stanza introduces another image of a natural disaster, the “Moving of th’ earth”
or an earthquake. It is something unexpected and unexplained. Earthquakes also bring
along “harms and fears.” These lines have been added to emphasize the absurdity of
making a big deal over the speaker’s departure. The next two lines of ‘A Valediction:
Forbidding Mourning’ are a bit more obscure. They refer to the celestial spheres, or
concentric circles, in which the moon, stars, and planets move. Although they are
sectioned off, they still shake and vibrate in reaction to other events. Here the speaker
is describing their “trepidation,” or shaking. It is a greater shaking than that which an
earthquake is able to inflict but it is unseen, innocent. This is another metaphor for how
the speaker sees his relationship. It is not the showy earthquake but the much more
powerful shaking of the celestial spheres.
Stanza 4
The speaker returns to describing the lesser love of others in the fifth stanza. It is “Dull”
and it is “sublunary,” meaning it exists under the moon rather than in the sky. Those who
participate in these relationships are driven by their senses. The “soul” of the
relationship is based on what one’s senses can determine. Physical presence is of the
utmost importance to these loves. They “cannot admit / Absence” because it “doth
remove” the entire relationship. Everything shallow lovers have with one another is
based on touch and sight.
Stanza 5

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The fifth stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ provides a contrast to the fourth.
He returns to his own relationship and speaks of himself and his wife as “we.” They
have a “refined” or well-tuned and highbrow relationship. Their love is so beyond the
physical world that they, physical beings, have trouble understanding it. They “know not
what it is.” The next two lines reiterate the fact that the love the speaker and his wife
have is spiritual. It is more mental than it is physical. This means they are “Inter-assured
of the mind” and do not care for the “eyes, lips, and hands.” When they part these are
not the elements they will miss about one another.
Stanza 6
The sixth stanza begins with a fairly straightforward and recognizable declaration about
marriage. They might have two separate souls but now they act as “one.” It is due to
this fact that when they part, they will not “endure” a “breach, but an expansion.” Their
love will stretch as gold does when it is beaten thin. It is the same, even when pushed to
the limit. It is also important to take note of the fact that Donne chose to use gold as a
representative of their love. He recognizes the elements of his relationship in its
durability and beauty.
Stanza 7
It is at this point in ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ that the image of the compass,
as discussed in the introduction, becomes important. First, Donne goes back to his
previous statement about their “oneness.” He knows there might be some doubt of their
“inter-assured” relationship so he makes this concession. “If they,” meaning himself and
his wife, are “two” then they are the two legs of a compass. Donne speaks of his wife as
being the “fixed foot” of the device. She has a steady “soul” that remains grounded and
never makes a “show / To move.” His wife only moves if “the other do,” meaning himself.
Stanza 8
In the eighth stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, the movement of the fixed
foot is further described. Initially, it is in the center of their world, everything revolves
around it. Then, if the other leg, the one compared to Donne, decides to “roam” far into
the distance, it leans. This is the only movement that his wife makes. When he needs
her to she “hearkens” after him then straightens up again, or “grows erect” when he
comes home or returns to the fixed point.
Stanza 9
The final four lines describe the metaphor in full, just in case any part of the compass
analogy was in doubt. The speaker is very much addressing his lines to his wife. He
tells her that she will be to him the line that brings him back in. She has a “firmness” that
makes his “circle just,” or keeps it within a limited area. No matter what he does or
where he roams, she will always get him back to where he began.
Themes

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There are pervading themes of death, the celebration of love and spirituality in this text.
In regards to love, Donne spent the majority of the text trying to define what his love is
like. Donne utilizes a number of images and analogies, which will be discussed later in
this analysis, that accomplish this. By the time the speaker gets to the end, he has
come to the conclusion that no matter where he is, their love will live on.
The theme of spirituality is intimately connected with that of love. Donne’s speaker, who
is certainly Donne himself, declares the love he shares with his partner to be spiritual in
nature. It goes beyond that which ordinary people experience. This means it can
overcome any mundane barrier life throws at it.
The first lines of the text bring up death. He describes a group of friends who are
gathered around the deathbed of a “virtuous” man. They are discussing amongst
themselves when this person is going to die, and which breath might be his last. By
utilizing death to later speak on life, Donne is tapping into the tradition of Carpe Diem
poetry. These types of poems promote a way of living that keeps in mind the ever-
present prospect of death.

The Collar George Herbert

Lines 1- 9
In the first stanza of ‘The Collar’, the speaker shocks his reader by crying out, seemingly
without provocation, that he has had enough. He says, ‘“No more.”’ He will not remain in
his life any longer. The speaker will “abroad.” He asks in the following lines if it is
necessary for him to “sigh and pine.” The speaker is becoming more and more sure that
it is not his sole purpose in life to want something he cannot have. He is severely
dissatisfied with the current direction of his life and is ready to make a change.
He sees himself as being able to live in “life” and write his “lines…free, free as the road.”
There should be no restraints on what he is allowed to do or say. He sees a future in
which is life is “Loose” and resembles the “wind.” He desires to live in a world as large
as he wants it to be.
The following lines are used to ask if he must be “still in suit.” He wants to know if it is
possible for him to change his life at this time, or if he is trapped in the world he has
made around himself. The next phrase proposes one type of life he could be living, one
he cannot escape from. In this scenario, he compares himself to a plant that produces
no fruit, but only thorns on which he cuts himself. It is the blood he loses that he hopes
to use to reinvigorate himself. Perhaps he can benefit from his own present suffering.
Lines 10-18
In the next set of lines, he tries to remember if there was a point in his life in which
“there was wine.” It would have had to have been before his “sighs did dry it.” He thinks
there is no way the suffering he is going through now has always been present in his
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life. There must’ve been days before in which one could find “corn” and “wine.” These
days would be before his “tears did drown it.” To some extent, he feels as if his own
emotional state is making his already bad situation worse.
The second half of the section is made up of a number of questions. He asks if there is
any way for him to “crown” or save his year. He does not want it to be “lost to” him. The
speaker searches for “flowers” or “garlands gay” which might be used to improve his
remaining days.
Two short phrases follow; they inquire if the flowers have all been “blasted” or “wasted.”
The final two lines clarify that no, they have not. In his “heart…there is fruit” still. With
his hands, he plans to retrieve that fruit along with his happiness.
Lines 19-28
The second half of ‘The Collar’ begins with the speaker asking a number of different
things of himself. First, he wants to recover the pleasures of his past and leave behind
his “cold dispute / Of what is fit and not.” He is done wasting time worrying about what is
holy, proper, or good. These things will no longer interest him. It is his goal to leave
behind his cage and “rope of sand.”
These means of confinement that the speaker mentions were crafted by religion and by
his own hands. They were made by “petty thoughts” and turned into “Good cable” which
was able to “enforce and draw” and turn into the “law” which he obeyed.
He is no longer going to be a part of this lifestyle. He is moving on, away from his
confinement and “collar.” The final line repeats the declaration which appears at the
beginning of the poem, “I will abroad,” he will depart.
Lines 29-36
The final section of ‘The Collar’ concludes the narrator’s agitated speech and produces
a slight twist to the narrative. He continues speaking to himself and tries to boost his
confidence for the change he is trying to make. The speaker asks that the “death’s-
head” leave him alone. He does not want to be bothered by his fears. It is his intention
to “tie” them up and force them to serve his purpose.
The speech ends with a set of lines that utilize the rhyme scheme of abab. They are
used to bring the speaker back to his known reality. He describes how his “rav[ing]”
came to its climax and rather than building him up, it just brought on the voice of God.
The speaker heard “Child!” And replied, “My Lord.” Like a child, he was chastised and
brought back into the religious fold.
Summary
The poem does not conform to one particular rhyme scheme but jumps from half or
slant rhymes to full end rhymes. There are a few moments that are more consistent in

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their patterns, such as the final four lines of the poem which rhyme abab. Herbert chose
this pattern, or lack of pattern, to mimic the chaos of his speaker’s own thoughts.
The poem begins with the speaker stating that he will stand for his present life no
longer. It is time for him to make a change and he intends to resurrect the parts of
himself the lost in his youth. He will seek out real pleasures and no longer worry about
what is right and wrong.
As the poem continues, the extent of his confinement is revealed. He has crafted a
prison for himself out of his own belief. The ropes will no longer keep him and he will
utilize his fears to his own benefit. He will be a stronger man.
The final lines bring the speaker back to his religious reality. The voice of God
penetrates through his “rav[ing]” and calms his ardor. He will not do as he said he
would; he has been taken back into the fold of the church.

The Author to Her Book Anne Bradstreet

Lines 1- 6
It is clear from the title of this piece, and it is then reconfirmed in the first line, that the
narrator is speaking directly to her own book. The relationship she has with this
completed volume is not a positive one. In the first line, she refers to her book as being
“ill-form’d,” but it does not seem to be so through any fault of its own. It came from the
author’s “feeble brain.”
The speaker is disappointed in this work that she has created and feels that her own
failed intellect is the reason that she was unsuccessful. The next lines progress through
the life of this volume and how at first it remained by her side. It was close to her, almost
a part of her, like a child, until it was snatched away. This metaphor of the book being a
child, and being its mother, will continue until the end of the piece.
The book was taken from her by “friends” that were not wise enough to know what they
were doing. It is not that they wanted to do her wrong, they just didn’t know enough to
see that the book was not ready. These friends published her novel, spread it so that it
was “expos’d to publick view.” Now all the world has access to her unfinished, at least in
her mind, work. When the book was published, it did not improve. It was just as bad as
she thought it was before.
Lines 7- 12
This is made even clearer when she sees the “finished” book for the first time. She
blushed greatly upon receiving it and took it as a mother would call in her “rambling
brat.” She did not welcome this “child” home but longs cast it to the side. She still sees it
as being “unfit for light.” But it is too late now, everyone has seen and read it.

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While she might despise, or feel disappointed in, the book she wrote, it is still her own. It
still belongs to her as a disobedient child belongs to its mother. It is due to this bond that
she is going to try to improve it. She isn’t ready to completely abandon it.
Lines 13-18
The next set of lines describes the ways in which the speaker physically tries to improve
the book. While it is impossible that she is actually doing these things, they are more
likely a metaphor for how she tries to improve the text.
She tries to “wash [it’s] face,” with no improvement. She only sees the defects more
clearly. If she tried to rub a spot off, she made a bigger flaw. When she tries to fix the
book’s form and give it “even feet” it still hobbles when it runs. The speaker is also
hoping to re-cover the book in “better dress” but in her house, all she can find is “home-
spun Cloth” which is no improvement.
Lines 19- 24
In the final six lines of The Author to Her Book, after attempting to improve the book,
she sends it on its way. She knows there is nothing she can do and tells it to leave and
live among the “Vulgars” and vagabonds. She warns the book to be careful and avoid
falling into the hands of “Criticks” or critics, there it will be torn apart. The speaker
believes the best place for her writing to go is somewhere where no one knows it or
knows her. She tells it when asked, to deny having had a father. She also wants it to say
that its mother was so poor she was forced to send it “out of door.”
Structure, Themes and Tone
It presents a long stanza depicting the conversation between the poet and her recently
written book. There are a total of 24 lines in the poem. The poet uses the closed couplet
format in this poem. Each couplet rhymes as usual. So, the rhyme scheme of the poem
is AA BB CC and it goes on like this. As an example, in the first couplet “brain” rhymes
with “remain”, forming a perfect or formal rhyme. The poet uses some phrases in
brackets acting like an aside. Such an organization gives it an outlook of a dramatic
monologue written in iambic pentameter.
The most important theme of the poem is motherhood. It is a different kind of
motherhood. Here the poet is the mother and the book in the poem acts as her baby.
The poet focuses on the relationship between a mother and her child innovatively. The
main theme reflects a mother’s affection for her child. But, the representation is a little
bit different.
Another important theme of the poem is the regulation of the press. According to the
poet, an editor working at a press generally treats a book based on official regulations. It
somehow changes the quality of a literary work. That’s why when the book returns to
her after publication, she says, “Thy Visage was so irksome in my sight”.

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Another important theme of the poem is criticism. The poet presents the theme of
criticism in different ways. First of all, her friends act as the preliminary foes of her early
work. Thereafter comes the public to criticize her book and last but not least a well-
educated critic waits for his turn. So, in the last section of her poem, she says, “In
Criticks hands, beware thou dost not come”. It also reflects the poet’s revulsion with
contemporary critics.
There is a tone of admiration and love in the speeches of the poetic persona. Her tone
reflects the caressing quality of a mother’s reliable voice. The poet treats her work as
her baby. Like a mother brings her child up, she has also raised her book like a kid.
When the book comes back after publication, she treats it like a boy, having returned
from school. The tone of the poet changes in this section but the essence of motherly
touch remains the same. In this section, her tone has a teasing quality. It also reflects
the caring aspect of a mother. However, the poet uses an ironic and humorous tone
while talking about the critics and editors of her time.

In an Artist’s Studio Christina Rossetti

Lines 1-4
The speaker of ‘In an Artist’s Studio‘ begins the poem by describing what the inside of
an artist’s studio looks like. From where she is standing she can look around, and take
in each canvas that she sees as well as the way the light falls, and the obsession that
must be inherent in his practice. While looking around there is one element of the
painter’s art that sticks out most to her, the presence of a single face, repeated
endlessly throughout his studio. It is clear that this artist does not spend time painting
portraits of anyone other than “her.” She, the subject of his art, “looks out from all his
canvases.” The sitter appears in different forms throughout the work but she is always
“One selfsame figure,” whether she is “sit[ting], walk[ing] or lean[ing].” While searching
for the repeating female figure, the speaker finds her “hidden” throughout different
canvases, each time she is spotted, she is lovely.
Lines 5-8
The artist can render her differently each time he paints such as, “A queen in opal or
ruby dress.” He has painted her elegantly, like royalty, several times. She is shown in
red and white dresses. Additionally, the artist has shown her as a “nameless girl,” a
common girl, “in freshest summer-greens” and as an “angel” and “saint.” It is clear that
the artist finds every type of inspiration in his model and can perceive her in every
conceivable form. She is his muse and obsession. In the final line of this section, the
speaker states that no form in which he has portrayed her, “saint,” “queen,” or peasant
girl, is any more important or meaningful than any other. He would love her in whatever
form she took.

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Lines 9-14
In the concluding lines of ‘In an Artist’s Studio‘, the speaker makes clear to the reader
how obsessed and dependent this artist has become on his muse. She is more than just
a passing love or beautiful face, he takes sustenance from her presence and time spent
admiring her. The artist “feeds upon her face” at every hour of the day and night, and
she is always there, looking out from the paintings with “true kind eyes.” It is as if she is
looking back at him, admiring him in kind.
She is, the speaker states, “Fair as the moon and joyful as the light.” She is all things
and seems to be more important to the speaker than life itself. Although time may pass
in the artist’s life, her face and beauty will never wan as she is “waiting” around in his
studio. His paintings will never be inflicted with “sorrow” so that her face “dim[s].” She
will remain immortalized, just as he sees her, for all time.
It is important to distinguish, in the last lines of the poem, the way that the artists
perceive her, from the way she is. The speaker makes this separation clear as she
states that the way that the artist portrayed her is not the way that she is now. She is no
longer filled with “hope” that shines “bright.” She is not painted “as she is, but as she fills
his dreams.” The artist is longing for a time when things were the way they used to be,
not as they are now, and the paintings are a reminder of that time.

The Darkling Thrush Thomas Hardy

Stanza One
In the first stanza, we are introduced to the poet, in the first person, ‘I’. He is leaning on
a gate in a little wood – it’s traditionally a thinking pose, and the poem conveys his
thoughts and feelings. The bitter hopelessness of a cold winter’s evening is stressed by
the imagery: ‘Frost’, ‘spectre-gray’, ‘dregs’, desolate’, ‘weakening’, ‘broken’ and
‘haunted’ are unified and strengthened by their suggestions of cold, weakness, and
death or ghostliness. There are plenty of heavy, gloomy ‘g’ sounds: ‘gate’, ‘gray’, ‘dregs’,
and equally heavy ‘d’ sounds: ‘dregs’, ‘desolate’ and ‘day’. Even day, which might be
cheering, is described as ‘desolate’ and having a ‘weakening eye’. The only color left in
the ‘darkling’ daylight is gray. There is a tiny whisper of sound in the repeated slight ‘s’
sounds of coppice, spectre, dregs, and desolate. ‘Frost’ and ‘Winter’ have capital letters
as if their presence is the most important. The ‘strings of broken lyres’ is a classic image
of disharmony, and perhaps points to a lack of joy in the poet’s vision of life. Even the
people who have gone home to the warmth of their fires seem to have assumed a
ghostly quality, ‘all mankind that haunted nigh’.
Stanza Two
The second stanza continues the model of the former if anything in even stronger terms.
The whole past century is a ‘corpse’, the cloudy sky its tomb, and the winter wind like

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the century’s death song. The personification of the century intensifies one’s feeling that
it is a real presence. The imagery in this stanza continues and enlarges on the motif of
death contained in the first. Despite the personal, subjective start of the poem, by the
end of the second stanza, Hardy has made his mood an emblem for all life upon earth,
and he even suggests that the very life force is ‘shrunken hard and dry’, that life itself is
near to exhaustion and death. This is achieved in an undramatic, almost quiet, manner
with a slow build-up to a terrifying vision of death, driven largely by natural images.
The alliteration in this stanza intensifies the atmosphere of gloom and death. Repeated
cs link ‘century’s corpse’, ‘crypt’ and ‘cloudy canopy’. The rhymes of ‘birth’ and ‘earth’
are negated by ‘dry’ and ‘I’. Everything is seen in terms of death: ‘sharp features’ (of a
dead body), ‘century’s corpse’, ‘crypt’, ‘death-lament’, ‘shrunken hard and dry’,
‘fervourless’. It seems that it is not just the death of the old century that Hardy is
describing, but the death of the pulse of life that vitalizes and energizes him and other
people, the death of hope.
Stanza Three
In the third stanza, at the nadir of ‘The Darkling Thrush,’ the sudden hurling out of its
song by a thrush might be seen as the injection of a rather fatuous optimism into the
poem. The ‘full-hearted evensong/Of joy illimited’ is certainly a cause for hope.
The choice of bird here is what makes Hardy one of the finest poets: He chooses an
old, frail, thin, scruffy-looking thrush, not the nightingale of Miltonic and Romantic
tradition. It is an ordinary indigenous song-thrush, but one that is ‘blast-beruffled’: it has
survived the strong winter winds, that the poet had hitherto painted as brutal and
uncooperative. The ‘aged’ and ‘frail’ thrush is, perhaps facing its own imminent end, and
yet it flings its soul ecstatically upon the darkening evening. The resultant picture of an
ordinary, weather-beaten, thrush rising from the depths of the winter winds with their
‘death lament’ singing a beautiful song, is one of hope. Three run-on lines take us at full
tilt to its message: ‘joy illimited’ (unlimited). The very words with which Hardy introduces
the song are lyrical, rhythmic, repetitive, like the thrush’s song: ‘At once a voice arose
among/The bleak twigs overhead.’ In perfect iambics, each prefaced by the vowel ‘a’,
Hardy echoes the sound of the thrush’s song: ‘at once a voice arose among…’
Stanza Four
In the final stanza, the idea of religious faith is conveyed through the thrush’s ‘carolings’,
reminiscent of Christmas carols, and the ‘blessed Hope’ – hope to be one of the three
great Christian virtues, faith, hope, and charity (love). Hardy is careful not to be
sentimental about the thrush. Hardy can see no cause for joy, but he can hope, that the
thrush can see something he is unable to perceive. ‘The Darkling Thrush’ is thus finely
balanced. It suggests there may be hope, and the very sound of the thrush and its
defiance of the prevailing moods shows at the very least the existence of a tragic hope;
life may be threatened, its physical existence at risk, but its spirit is indomitable and
cannot be crushed.

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Poetic Form
The overall rhythm of ‘The Darkling Thrush’ is a regular iambic tetrameter alternating
with iambic trimeter (8 syllables in a line, with the second line in each case having just 6
syllables); it’s a ballad stanza rhythm. This regular rhythm seems to have a slow, joyless
effect and makes the pace slow. The tight rhyming gives strength and authority to the
poem, but the meter is more relaxed, giving a natural and free-flowing feeling to the
lines.
‘The Darkling Thrush’ is typical of Hardy’s work in that it shows life on Earth, human as
well as animal, existing under the iron grip of an unsympathetic force, in this case,
Nature. In praising defiance and the unconquerable spirit, it is also typical, and in its firm
unwillingness to state a clear conclusion, balancing hope and pessimism, it could stand
for Hardy’s poems and novels. The musing tone, use of natural imagery to create and
represent human moods and feelings, and the simple rhyme scheme are unobtrusive
and powerful.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Adrienne Rich

Stanza One
In the first stanza of ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,’ the speaker begins by describing the
movement of the tigers across the fabric canvas. They are prancing “across a screen” in
a “world of green”. The perfect rhymes give this poem a sing-song-like sound that is
juxtaposed against the darker subject matter. It creates a haunting atmosphere that
allows for easy contemplation of the problems of marriage. The speaker describes very
clearly how the tigers do not “fear the men beneath the tree”. They move without fear or
trepidation. It should be noted that this is a state that the artist, Aunt Jennifer, does not
know. She is not without fear as they are.
The animals are personified. Rich uses words like “chivalric” (an older term that
connects to a certain, respectful yet patronizing treatment of women) to describe them.
They are masculine, without worry, and “certain” in their actions. This makes it seem
even less likely that Jennifer will find this same strength.
Stanza Two
The speaker describes in the next stanza how quickly Jennifer’s fingers move. They
“flutter” through the movements but are without real strength. The word “flutter” evokes
the image of birds’ wings and gentle movements. Her hands find the “needle hard to
pull”. Something is weighing them down, a “wedding band”. The ring that ties her to her
husband keeps her from moving beyond who she is at that moment. It “Sits heavily” on
her hand, her mind, and her soul.
Stanza Three

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The third stanza begins with a striking move into the future. The speaker looks towards
the time in which Jennifer is going to die. These lines are enjambed, encouraging a
reader to move smoothly and quickly through the stanza. She will stop eventually as will
the movement of her hands. But, the ring will still be there. Even in death she will in
some ways be tied to her “ordeals”. As she struggles, suffers, and dies, the tigers will
continue to prance proudly on her page. They, unlike her, are “unafraid.”
Structure and Literary Devices
‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ by Adrienne Rich is a three-stanza poem that is separated into
stanzas of four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains follow a simple rhyme
scheme of AABB, with the couplets changing end sounds from stanza to stanza. While
there is evidence of metrical patterns in ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,’ it is not completely
consistent. There are sections of the poem in which Rich uses nearly perfect iambic
pentameter and moments where she moves away from it and uses trochees instead.
Rich makes use of several literary devices in ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’. These include but
are not limited to anaphora, alliteration, and imagery. The latter is quite important in this
poem. It can be seen through the description of the tigers, their landscape, and Aunt
Jennifer’s hands. Anaphora is a simple and useful technique. There is a good example
in the first stanza with the repetition of “They” at the start of lines three and four.
Alliteration is also useful, it helps to create a feeling of rhythm and rhyme even if one
does not exist. For example, “finger fluttering” in stanza two and “prancing, proud” in
stanza three.

A Far Cry from Africa Derek Walcott

Lines 1-4
The first two lines reference the Kikuyu. This is one of the biggest tribes in Kenya. There
is an interesting use of imagery here as they are described as being “as quick as flies”.
The poet talks of them being massacred, and in the fourth line, he makes a striking
comparison between the Veldt area which he considers a paradise and the fact it is
littered with corpses. Rhyme is used in the opening section with an ABAB pattern. This
might make you come to expect that to be a reoccurring pattern, but this is not the case
and this helps give the poem a “stilted edge”.
Lines 5-9
In the fifth line, we see the use of alliteration. Worms are “picked on” here, being
referred to as the colonel of Carrion. The suggestion is that where you find rotting flesh,
you find worms. He personifies them though and gives them an almost militant voice as
they exclaim ‘Waste no compassion on these separate dead!’ this gives them a
villainous quality. In the 8th line, he refers to the locals as salient, this is a clever piece
of imagery that gives the impression that these people are isolated. It also has a double

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meaning with military connotations. I think that the point the poet is trying to make is
how the colonials use their data and skew facts to portray the Kikuyu as savages. Of
course, this doesn’t tell the full story. I guess then that this whole begging section is
laden with irony, maybe even dramatic irony as an informed reader would realize that
these views aren’t an accurate description of the issues that have existed in Africa.
Lines 10-13
In the tenth line, we see a very powerful metaphor as Walcott draws on a comparison
between the atrocities being committed here and the ones committed by the Nazis
during the Second World War. At least that’s what one would assume by referring to
Jews as expendable. Once again ‘A Far Cry from Africa’ turns to imagery and the use of
nature. Here Ibises are used and their cries are referenced. According to the narrator,
these cries: ‘Have wheeled since civilizations dawn’. I feel this is probably a metaphor
for the repeated slaughter and genocide of civilizations highlighting that this is an issue
that has been prominent throughout the history of mankind. Of course, this is a
conjuncture on my part.
Lines 14-17
The next four lines follow what has come before in creating a visceral image. Walcott
uses repetition of the word beast here to cement his comparison. The suggestion here
is then that the men who carry out the atrocities may as well be animals. He then goes
on to attack religion by suggesting that man ‘Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain’.
Lines 18-21
The next four lines are really interesting. It isn’t totally clear who the “he” that is
referenced in these lines is, but I am assuming it is supposed to represent mankind. If
this is the case then the words are pretty damning here. They are described as delirious
and once again we see the word beast employed. There is once again the use of
graphic description using words like carcass and dread here to help convey the dark
and grim tone. There is a lovely piece of wordsmanship here as Walcott uses the
phrase “white peace” This is used almost as an oxymoron as the peace he is describing
is born of the multiple deaths. Just another example of the strong use of irony
throughout the poem.
Lines 22-23
This innocuous act is made powerful by being allied to the idea of “man” or perhaps
more specifically the “white man” being dismissive about what is going on. Metaphor is
used fantastically here, it is so thinly veiled as to almost be construed as sarcastic.
Lines 24-27
Once again this is very sarcastic and certainly not the view of the narrator himself who,
as we later see, wrestles with his lineage and heritage. The use of Superman helps to
date the piece and highlights that it is contemporary and that these are current affairs.

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He refers to himself as being poisoned by the blood of both. We can assume that this is
referring to his mixed heritage.
Lines 28-33
This final section of the poem brings us to the crux of the entire poem. The poet
struggles to deal with his lineage and his association between that lineage and the
atrocities carried out by those nations. By the same token, he is torn as he has an
affection for the language of his mother tongue.
Form, Tone, and Title
‘A Far Cry from Africa‘ is written in free verse. It is presented in two stanzas one
consisting of twenty-one lines and the other consisting of eleven. It does not follow a
strict rhyming pattern, although end rhymes feature prominently throughout the poem.
The effect of this is that the poem has a stilted, disjointed feel which mirrors the feelings
expressed within the poem. The rhythm is also inconsistent, although the line lengths
are similar the beats in each line alter which again adds to the sense of discord. The
poem is deeply rooted in Africa. The language used helps to make the poem feel
culturally African.
The title is in itself fairly interesting. It certainly has a double meaning. The obvious
meaning is that it is using the phrase which means that the events are “far removed”
from what you expect in Africa, but actually, I think the title is subversive and is
supposed to be taken very literally. Meaning that in Africa people are crying.

The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga Ingrid Jonker
Stanza One
In the first stanza of ‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga,’ the
speaker begins by noting that “The child,” the most important symbol throughout the
poem, is “not dead.” The child becomes a symbol of resistance and hope. The speaker
describes how this child raised his fists against his elders and screamed for “freedom,”
seeking out a new way of living. The “locations of the heart under siege” is a symbol for
the areas of Africa affected by the cruel apartheid laws of the period.
Stanza Two
The second stanza is similar to the first. The speaker notes that the child stands up to
his father and screams for justice for those lost under apartheid. The child is resisting
and pushing back against a system that was incredibly unjust and unimaginably brutal.
Images like “fists” and “blood” are ways to ensure readers understand the child’s
purpose and the passion behind his words.
Stanza Three

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The child, who is still only a symbol of resistance and change, is “not dead.” He was not
killed as other children were during protests. He does not really “lie with a bullet in his
head.” He’s going to live forever and continue his protestations. Here, the speaker is
alluding to the practice of police officers killing protestors, including children, to send a
message to the general public. The sense of freedom the child represents can’t be killed
by bullets.
Stanzas Four and Five
In the final stanza, readers can find an excellent example of anaphora. The phrase “the
child” begins six of the seven lines of this stanza. The “child” the speaker says is
everywhere at once. They are peeping through windows and becoming a man trekking
through “all of Africa.” The child is “present” at all meetings and legislation. He’s there, a
symbol of resistance and strength, always.
The poem ends with a three-word line, “Without a pass.” The child does all this without
permission, including becoming a “giant” who travels through the whole world. The
sense of freedom the child embodies goes far and wide throughout the world without
permission or any allowances. This is another way of exploring how powerful the anti-
Apartheid movement was.
Structure, Form, and Literary Devices
‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga’ by Ingrid Jonkeris a five-stanza
poem that is divided into uneven sets of lines. The first, second, and third stanzas
contain five lines, the fourth: seven, and the fifth: one. The poem is written in free verse.
This means that the poet chose not to use a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
Literary devices include enjambment, anaphora, and allusion. Enjambment: occurs
when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the
transition between lines one and two of the first stanza and lines one and two of the
second stanza. Anaphora: can be seen when the poet repeats the same word or words
at the beginning of lines. For example, “The child” starts numerous lines throughout this
poem. Allusion: occurs when the poet refers to something but doesn’t provide readers
with all the details they need to understand it. This occurs in the third stanza of this
poem when the poet mentions place names like “Langa” and “Nyanga.”

Childhood in Heidelberg Andries Walter Oliphant

Stanza One
In the first lines of ‘Childhood in Heidelberg,’ the speaker begins by noting that they
were born in a house where “ancestors / were suspended from the walls.” This is a
creative and lyrical way to allude to the pictures of their relatives that they saw daily.
Their life was so influenced by these ancestors that it was as though they were still
alive. They would, ghost-like (and hyperbolically) descend from their frames and walk
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through the house “slowly / as if strolling through a womb.” The use of the “womb”
image is suggestive of safety, childhood, and the past. The house is the womb where all
of these ancestors spent time, and the speaker now lives out their life.
Stanza Two
In the next lines, the speaker goes on to describe another portion of their home, the
roof. It’s a “vantage point for birds and pigeons.” Around the house, there is also a
gumtree and a chair where the speaker’s “name-sake sits,” or someone who they are
named after. This person is older than they are, but no other details are revealed about
how they are related. Once again emphasizing how important family and heritage are to
this speaker and their home, they note that their grandmother “lit” the “stars”
Stanzas Three and Four
In the third stanza, the tone of the poem starts to shift. The speaker notes that his father
finds “a man / with a hole in his head” every morning. This surprising turn suggests that
the area around their home is not as safe as they’d like it to be. People are dying there,
specifically, they’re being murdered. The speaker also describes, as the scene
darkness, their family packing up and leaving. At first, it seemed like “fun.” They put all
their household goods into the back of a truck and left their home. This was new to the
speaker at the time and its novel nature brought him some joy.
Stanza Five
In the fifth stanza, the speaker’s poetic language continues, and they are describing
pulling into a “toy town of match-box houses.” There, they have to make their new
home, and it’s clear that the mother and father don’t want to be there. The houses were
“lined up like tombstones in a graveyard.” This very evocative simile suggests that their
new home is filled with death or will eventually lead there. The speaker’s understanding
of what’s going on changes. He realizes why his mother “cried” as they left their true
home and arrived there.
Structure, Form, and Literary Devices
‘Childhood in Heidelberg’ by Andries Walter Oliphant is a five-stanza poem that is
divided into sets of five, six, seven, or eight lines. These stanzas are written in free
verse. This means that the poem does not conform to a specific rhyme scheme or
metrical pattern. But, this doesn’t mean the poem is without structure entirely. Readers
will find examples of repetition, with similar or related imagery occurring throughout the
poem.
Literary devices include enjambment, alliteration, imagery, and simile. Enjambment:
occurs when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the
transition between lines one, two, and three of stanza three. Alliteration: can be seen
when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. For
example, “giant gumtree” in stanza two and “sun sets” later on in the same stanza.

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Imagery: occurs when the poet uses especially interesting and effective descriptions.
For example, “ On hot afternoons / they would descend and walk silently through / the
cool passages.” Simile: occurs when the poet makes a comparison between two things
using “like” or “as.” For example, “as if strolling through a womb.”

Weather Eye Isobel Dixon

Stanza One
In the first lines of ‘Weather Eye,’ the speaker begins by noting that in summer, there’s a
very specific sound in the air, that of Christmas beetles. They make a “thin brass
shilling” that could wake you up in the heat of the day and drive you outside into the sun
and to the relative coolness of the “guava tree.” These are wonderful opening examples
of imagery that help set the tone and create an atmosphere for the rest of the poem.
Stanza Two
As the lines progress, the speaker adds more details. They note that inside, “your”
mother would start her daily routine of closing the curtains and shutters against the sun.
Finally, too hot and thirsty, “you” would come back inside. At that point, the heat was
banished, and the house would be a “cool, dark cave.” This last line is a great example
of a metaphor. The house isn’t a cave, but by describing it as one, the reader is better
able to imagine what it was like inside.
Stanza Three
In the next stanza, the speaker says that the house was like an “enclave barricaded
against light.” Shadow was the only thing welcome during those summer months in the
home. But, it was not without its warmth. There was the “pressure cooked” chugging
away all day. It aligned itself, the speaker felt, with “the steamy day.” By this point,
readers should have a good image in their mind of what the days were like for this
speaker or the “you” they’re directing their words.
Stanza Four
Now, the speaker transitions into describing the evenings after the sun has “settled” and
the crickets fill the air with their sound. This is in direct contrast to the sound of the
beetles in the morning and the rising of the sun. The speaker gets home from school,
and now, with the father in the picture, the evening routine begins.
Stanza Five
They’d open the doors to a breeze if there was one, and various sights and sounds
would play themselves out. This included the “season’s scents, the jasmine,” and
“someone else’s supper.” Despite the natural images that fill this poem, the home is

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close enough to others to be able to catch a whiff of their lives and the sound of their
voices.
Stanza Six
In the final stanza, which is one of the longest in the poem, the speaker says that the
“neighbour’s” voices could be heard when they were out “walking labradors” during the
dark evening. This was the only time of year that this was possible. Looking back on the
past, the speaker understands that the world was better-ordered and easier to
understand at that time. Now there are “chill machines” that change the rules of when
one thing can happen during a particular season. The regulation “of burning days”
changed. The final line is moving and is the first time that the speaker refers to
themselves with a first-person pronoun, “me.” They ask that they be allowed to return to
this time in their life when “you,” the person to whom they’ve been directing their words,
watched the sky and kept “things right.” This refers to the simple procedures of opening
and closing the blinds but also the rightness and simplicity of the speaker’s childhood.
Structure, Form, and Literary Devices
‘Weather Eye’ by Isobel Dixon is a six-stanza poem that is divided into sets of five, six,
or seven lines. These lines are written in free verse. This means that the poem does not
conform to a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. But, it doesn’t mean that the
poem is entirely without structure. For example, the use of half-rhymes. These occur
when the poet allows words with similar sounds, although not identical sounds, to land
close together. For example, “day” and “wake” in stanza one. Both of these words use
the same long “a” vowel sound.
Literary devices include enjambment, alliteration, imagery, and metaphor. Enjambment:
occurs when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the
transition between lines one, two, and three of stanza three. Alliteration: can be seen
when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of words. For
example, “beetles” and “brass” in lines one and two as well as “cool” and “cave” in
stanza two. Imagery: occurs when the poet uses especially interesting and effective
descriptions. For example, “filled each day with thin brass shrilling, / heat would wake
you, lapping at the sheet.” Metaphor: This can be seen when the poet makes a
comparison between two things without using “like” or “as.” For example, “the house
would be a cool, dark cave.”

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