CURRICULUM GRADE 12 DIRECTORATE

NCS (CAPS)

ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE

GRADE 12 LITERATURE

JUST IN TIME (JIT) P2

REVISION DOCUMENT
SEPTEMBER 2023
Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

INTRODUCTION

This booklet aims to assist the educator to conduct intensive revision/teaching in

preparation for the National Senior Certificate Examination. The content and strategies will
improve the candidates’ performance in English Home language if the educator serves as
the mediator of this resource.

JIT REVISION RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT TEAM – SEPTEMBER 2023

NAME SCHOOL DISTRICT

Radeshree Naicker Protea Secondary School Umlazi District
Kumreshni Pather Kharwastan Secondary School Umlazi District
Monica Ramraj Merebank Secondary School Umlazi District

Edited by: Mrs O. Maharajh

Deputy Chief Education Specialist | Languages

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

Content Page
Aspect/Topic Page No
Let us revise Prose
1. Sonnet 130 4
2. The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga 5
3. At a Funeral 6
4. Poem of Return 7
5. Talk to the Peach Tree 8
6. Prayer to masks 9
7. This winter coming 10
8. Solitude 11
9. The morning sun is shining 12
10. It is a beauteous evening, calm and free 13
11. Fernhill 14
12. Shipwreck 16
Let us revise Prose
13. Life of Pi 17
14. Othello 31
15. Hamlet 43
16. Revising Li of Pi through a rap 52
17. Revising Hamlet through a rap 55
18. The Picture of Dorian Gray 57
19. The Crucible 62
20. The literary essay– Hamlet 67
21. Answering a contextual 69
22.Examples of Poetry Questions and answers
• Umlazi District Preparatory Examination English HL P2 70
• Umlazi District June Examination English HL P2 75
• Pinetown District Preparatory Examination English HL P2 80
• Pinetown District June Examination English HL P2 85
23. Acknowledgements 90

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 Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

POEM 1: SONNET 130

SONNET 130 – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
1 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
2 Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
Title: Poems were not given titles –
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
used the first line of the poem.
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know Message: Criticism of the unrealistic
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound: beauty standards – satire.
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go,
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: Theme: Beauty is in the eye of the
13 And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare, beholder – External vs Internal
14 As any she belied with false compare. beauty.

Mood: Playful/humorous/teasing
Imagery: Repetition occurs in lines 2 (red) and 4
(wires). This emphasises the importance of the colour Structure: Shakespearean Sonnet: -
and texture – the idealised Petrarchan woman had 3 quatrains - Rhyming couplet and
blood-red lips and golden, luscious hair. L2 Simile: red volta ABABCDCDEFEF
coral is polished so coral lips connote unimaginable
beauty however, the speaker disagrees that his Summary: Shakespeare uses
mistress’ lips can compare to coral. L3 Cliché: This negative comparisons to describe
woman's skin is not the cliched white. Instead, the the uniqueness and beauty of his
speaker calls it "dun,"–grey. An atrophy (the natural loved one. He does not need to
order of words is inversed) occurs in lines 6 and 7. exaggerate her looks. She is perfect
Hyperbole– all of the comparisons are exaggerated. to him. Although he seems critical
L4–this metaphor compares her hair to black wires and rude in the first 12 lines, the
which goes against the stereotype of beautiful women reader realises+ that he is, in fact,
having soft flowing hair. sincere in his love for his mistress.
● In the second quatrain, the speaker says he has seen
the roses damasked - a pattern of mixed colours, but
In the couplet however, the speaker
his mistress’ cheeks do not remind him of them at all.
declares by heaven; he thinks his
Her cheeks are pale. This emphasises that his mistress
love is rare; and valuable. He does
lacks the youthful blush of pink cheeks. Furthermore,
not need unrealistic comparisons to
he concedes that her breath reeks; and is less
declare his genuine love for her. In
delightful than perfume. This is deliberately shocking
being so brutally honest, he has
and offensive, but he is also emphasising she is just an
ironically given her a heightened
ordinary person, she is human. ● In the third quatrain,
beauty, simply because he does not
he admits that, though he loves her voice, it can never
dote on her outward appearance.
be compared to music which has a far more pleasing
sound and is better than the sound of her voice. He
has never seen a ‘goddess’; his mistress is unlike a
goddess as she lacks the graceful movements of a
goddess.

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 Just in Time Revision
POEM NO 2: THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY SOLDIERS AT NYANGA
THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY
SOLDIERS AT NYANGA – INGRID JONKER
1 The child is not dead
2 the child raises his fists against his mother
3 who screams Africa screams the smell
4 of freedom and heather
5 in the locations of the heart under siege
6 The child raises his fists against his father
7 in the march of the generations
8 who scream Africa scream the smell
9 of justice and blood
10 in the streets of his armed pride
11 The child is not dead
12 neither at Langa nor at Nyanga
13 nor at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
14 nor at the police station in Philippi
15 where he lies with a bullet in his head
16 The child is the shadow of the soldiers
17 Lines 1-2
on guard withallusion - their and
guns saracens children cannot die.
batons
18 the child is present at all meetings and legislations
19 the child peeps through the windows of houses and
20 into the hearts of mothers
21 the child who just wanted to play in the sun at
22 Nyanga is everywhere
23 the child who became a man treks through all of
24 Africa
25 the child who became a giant travels through the
whole world
L1-2 The child raises both his fists against his
mother. It shows this innocent child’s keen
desire for freedom and justice. “fist” – symbol of
resistance and revolution. Lines 3-5 growing
sense of freedom in everyone’s heart from his
scream. It breaks through the fences. The “heart
under siege” is a reference to a person who is
oppressed or segregated from the mainstream.
Lines 6-10 Repetition of L2. This time, the child
raises his fists against his father. It portrays the
march of South Africans against the “pass laws”.
In one of these demonstrations at Sharpeville,
several children were killed. L3– poetic persona
talks about the child’s scream that depicts his
desire for justice and blood. L10–Jonker uses a
synecdoche. Here, the term “armed pride” is an
abstract idea that depicts the concrete term
“proud soldiers”.
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Title: • The Child – Symbol of all the innocent
children who were killed by soldiers under Apartheid
in SA because he only “wanted to play in the sun”. •
Shot Dead by Soldiers – emphasises the extreme
brutality of the soldiers. • The title evokes a
sympathy for the child– he is vulnerable and helpless
against the effects of Apartheid.
Structure: divided into four sections, free verse.
Tone: • expressive of firm determination
Mood: • anger • protesting, • unrelenting.
Themes: protest and resistance, police
brutality, horrors of apartheid, quest for
freedom.
L11– Repetition of L1 that acts as a refrain. It
emphasises the child’s ‘death’. He is not dead.
L13 -15, Jonker refers to Orlando, which is a
township in Soweto, South Africa. On 21 March
1960, South African police opened fire on the
protestors, killing and injuring people. L15 tells
readers that the child lies with a bullet in his
head at the Philippi police station. This image
depicts the horrific rule of the apartheid regime.
L16 -19 “shadow of soldiers”– he is walking the
same brutal path to avenge the deaths of
others like him. L17-the poet shows readers
the image of soldiers on guard with guns,
Saracen tanks, and batons. It depicts the
soldiers’ preparedness in stopping the anti-
pass protests.
The child can slip into all the meetings and
legislations. He peeps through the windows
and into the hearts of mothers, to infuse the
spirit of anger inside the mothers who were
silent. L 20 -23 The child wants nothing bigger
than their demands. He just wants to play in
the sun of Nyanga, nothing else. But, after his
death, the whole country has become his
playground. He has transformed into a man
and treks through Africa. This metaphorical
child of anger has grown to the size of a giant.
The coda at the end refers to the pass laws
which were a form of internal passport system
designed to segregate the population, manage
urbanisation, and allocate migrant labour.
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 Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

POEM 3: AT A FUNERAL The mood of the poem is

predominantly melancholic and
AT A FUNERAL – Dennis Brutus
somber, evoking feelings of
(for Valencia Majombozi, who died shortly after qualifying as a sorrow, frustration, and anger.
doctor) The poem also stirs a sense of
hope and resilience, as the
1 Black, green and gold at sunset: pageantry speaker’s call to action inspires
2 And stubbled graves Expectant, of eternity, a determination to challenge
3 In bride’s-white, nun’s-white veils the nurses gush their bounty and resist the oppressive forces
4 Of red-wine cloaks, frothing the bugled dirging slopes that cause such suffering.
5 Salute! Then ponder all this hollow panoply The tone of the poem is somber
6 For one whose gifts the mud devours, with our hopes. and reflective, as the speaker
mourns the tragic loss of
7 Oh all you frustrate ones, powers tombed in dirt, Valencia and contemplates the
8 Aborted, not by Death but carrion books of birth senselessness of her death.
9 Arise! The brassy shout of freedom stirs our earth; The tone also carries a sense of
10 Not death but death’s-head tyranny scythes our ground defiance and determination,
particularly when the speaker
11 And plots our narrow cells of pain defeat and dearth: encourages the oppressed to
12 Better that we should die, than that we should lie down. rise up and fight against the
injustice they face.

‘At a Funeral’ reflects the injustices and struggles faced by black

people during the era of apartheid in South Africa. The poem raises The’ hollow panoply’ refers to the
questions about the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the role seemingly meaningless ceremony
of resistance and activism in the face of oppression. It prompts deep with flags and speeches, which
introspection and challenges the reader to question the status quo ultimately changes nothing. Line 7 -
and strive for a more just and equitable society. The lack of a The dead are described as
structured rhyme pattern and meter contributes to the overall sense powers tombed in dirt, indicating that
of unease and unpredictability that reflects the poem’s themes of their potential is buried because of
frustration, unfulfilled dreams, and the harsh reality faced by those their deaths. Line 8 - The Pass Books
living under the apartheid regime. Line 1 - The colours represent the that symbolise the cruel apartheid
African National Congress (ANC) flag, and symbolise the struggle laws. The apartheid government is
against apartheid. The sunset symbolising death and evoking a considered even more cruel and
sombre mood is filled with darkness and sadness. deadly than death itself. The dead
The pageantry suggests a ceremonial display, which seems are described as powers tombed in
insignificant in the face of the young doctor’s death. Line 2 - dirt, indicating that their potential is
Stubbled graves refer to the neglected and untidy appearance of buried because of their deaths.
the graves, covered in dead grass stalks. The graveyard is
personified as being hungry or expectant for more bodies, The Pass Books symbolise the cruel
emphasising the inevitability of death. The term ‘eternity’ is apartheid laws. The apartheid
ambiguous, either suggesting that the dead will remain in their
government is considered even more
graves for an eternity or referring to the belief that the afterlife will not
cruel and deadly than death itself.
end. Lines 3-4 - Nurses attend the funeral wearing white veils, Understanding the symbol of
reminiscent of brides and nuns, symbolising innocence, purity, “death’s-head tyranny” is helpful: the
holiness, and new life. The frothing highlights the number of nurses
skull and crossbones insignia used
present, and the bugled dirging suggests a military funeral, with the
by the Nazis, who are regarded as
land itself seemingly mourning the young doctor. The great heroes by the South African
command Salute! signifies honouring or saluting the dead, as one regime and imitated by its people.
would a soldier. The speaker asks the reader to ponder or
The poet implies that it is better for
contemplate the implications of the funeral and death in general.
people to resist apartheid and die
rather than give up or surrender.

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 Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

POEM NO 4: POEM OF RETURN

POEM OF RETURN – JOFRE ROCHA Title: The speaker is returning to his

1 When I return from the land of exile and silence
2 do not bring me flowers.
3 Bring me rather all the dews,
4 tears of dawns which witnessed dramas.
5 Bring me the immense hunger for love
6 and the plaint of tumid sexes in star-studded night.
7 Bring me the long night of sleeplessness
8 with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.
9 When I return from the land of exile and silence,
10 no, do not bring me flowers ...
11 Bring me only, just this
12 the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break
13 with a wingless stone in hand
14 and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes.
country. At this stage he does not
know whether it is a voluntary or
forceful return.
Tone: • Regret, sadness, somber,
loss • sadness initially, building up to
anger “snaking… eyes. • Militant.
Structure: The poem has 14 lines
and but does not conform to the
strict Italian Sonnet form. (Although
there is a distinct division between
stanzas 3 and 4, separating the
‘octave’ from the ‘sestet’.) It is written
in free verse, more typical of
contemporary poetry.

Themes: • The poet captures the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity, and lost experience
• A poignant poem about the return from exile and what should be celebrated is sadness,
mourning and inevitably, anger.

L1: When – He is absolutely certain that he is going to return to his country. The land of exile and
silence – a foreign place where there is no communication – ‘silence’. He has no contact with
his family and friends. This emphasises the suffering. L2 He does not want the customary gifts
and celebrations that are normally associated with the return of a person from exile.
STANZA 2 – ‘tears’, ‘hunger’ and ‘mourning’ can be brought to ‘celebrate’ his return. ‘Bring me’-
imperative tone. The wprds ‘all the dews’ is an impossible demand. L4- dawn is personified as a
weeping witness to the tragedy that took place as a result of colonisation, exile and loss. D-
alliteration– L5–6 ‘Bring me’ – Anaphora (repetition) Immense – huge hunger for love – natural
human connection that he has missed. The speaker highlights the losses experienced due to
oppression. L7-8 ‘long’ – emphasises that their pain and suffering continued for quite some time
Bereft – to be deprived. Many young men (the sons) were imprisoned or killed. Some young men
also went into exile. They were missed by their mothers. People were worried/concerned about
the safety of their loved ones.
STANZA 3: L9-10. The repetition of the first two lines of the poem, emphasises that his return
must not be seen as a celebration. The words ’no, do not’ – forceful tone of the double negative
emphasises that he does not regard himself as a hero. L11 ‘Bring me’ – another command
(imperative) shows his insistence. only, just this – the redundancy is used to emphasise that he
wants just one thing. L12– their last wish would have been to see a changed country. The words
‘day-break’ – the start of a new day. This is symbolic of change that the people wanted. He sees
these fighters as heroes for the cause and they ‘fall at day-break’, at the beginning of their lives.
L13-14 ‘wingless stone’ – a paradox. A stone cannot fly; it is too heavy. These men never got the
chance to “cast their stone”, but paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying fighting for freedom. snaking
– connotation of something dangerous and poisonous: a tone of anger and bitterness. Their
eyes – reflect only a small part of the anger at the colonists who had stolen their land. Their
sacrifice needs to be remembered. That which made them angry enough to fight, needs to be
remembered, and that is the only “gift” he wants when he returns.
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Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO 5: TALK TO THE PEACH TREE
TALK TO THE PEACH TREE – Sipho Sepamla
1 Let's talk to the swallows visiting us in summer
2 ask how it is in other countries
3 Let's talk to the afternoon shadow
4 ask how the day has been so far
5 Let's raise our pets to our level
6 ask them what they don't know of us
7 words have lost meaning
8 like all notations they've been misused
9 most people will admit
10 a whining woman can overstate her case
11 Talk to the paralysing heat in the air
12 inquire how long the mercilessness will last
13 Let's pick out items from the rubbish heap
14 ask how the stench is like down there
15 Let's talk to the peach tree
16 find out how it feels to be in the ground
17 Let's talk to the moon going down
18 ask if it isn't enough eyeing what's been going on
19 come on
20 let's talk to the devil himself
21 it's about time
Tone: Absurd, cynical, despair, frustration
Mood: Apprehensive, anxious
Themes: Open the channels of communication.
The speaker encourages the oppressed people
to exhaust all peaceful forms of communication
for them to address apartheid. The freedom of
expression and association for black people at
the time was restricted.
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Grade 12 EngHL
The speaker wittily makes a series of rather
odd (absurd) suggestions about with whom
to discuss politics.
It is amusing to expect ‘our pets’ to be able
to answer the serious question: what do you
know of us? The absurdity creates humour.
During Apartheid there was little or no
opportunity to understand or communicate
with people from other races. One group of
people was always superior and had a
‘voice’, whilst the other had to remain silent.
Lines 7-10 are indented to show that these
stanzas are commentaries and indicates a
difference. These words must be taken
seriously. Attempts to negotiate change with
the apartheid government had failed.
Instead, more repressive measures had
been introduced to suppress the Blacks.
Communication tools have become so
warped that their original intentions have
become lost. Words have literally lost their
meaning. The language has been twisted
and used to convey lies and propaganda–
cannot be trusted. The word ‘paralysing’ –
implies that the oppression (the heat)
renders a person unable to do anything.
‘Merciless’ is symbolic of the position Black
people were in during apartheid. They were
prisoners in a harsh and unforgiving
situation.
The words ‘rubbish heap’, ‘stench’ and
‘down there’ relate to the way Black people
were regarded by the authorities: rubbish
that was to be thrown away, something that
created a bad smell or ‘stench’. The tone is
serious and the intention is to describe the
reality of the situation of Black people. The
peach tree symbolises permanence and
belonging, however, Blacks did not have
land; they were not even regarded as
citizens. ‘Moon going down’ – is symbolic of
people losing hope.
The moon is personified. Their situation is
visible to the whole world but nobody has
done anything to effectively change their
situation. There is a change in the tone in
the last three lines. There is a sense of
reluctance and helplessness – for so long
there has been no communication. He
knows that this conversation is long
overdue and needs to happen to facilitate
change.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO 6: PRAYER TO MASKS
PRAYER TO MASKS –LÉOPOLD SÉDAR SENGHOR
1 Masks! Oh Masks!
Black mask, red mask, you black and white masks,
2 Rectangular masks through whom the spirit breathes,
3 I greet you in silence!
4 And you too, my lionheaded ancestor.
5 You guard this place, that is closed to any feminine
laughter, to any mortal smile.
6 You purify the air of eternity, here where I breathe the air
of my fathers.
7 Masks of markless faces, free from dimples and wrinkles,
8 You have composed this image, this my face that bends
over the altar of white paper.
9 In the name of your image, listen to me!
10Now while the Africa of despotism is dying – it is the
agony of a pitiable princess,
11Like that of Europe to whom she is connected through
the navel –
12Now fix your immobile eyes upon your children who
have been called
13 And who sacrifice their lives like the poor man his last
garment
14So that hereafter we may cry ‘here’ at the rebirth of the
world being the leaven that the white flour needs.
15 For who else would teach rhythm to the world that has
died of machines and cannons?
16 For who else should ejaculate the cry of joy, that
arouses the dead and the wise in a new dawn?
17 Say, who else could return the memory of life to men
with a torn hope?
18 They call us cotton heads, and coffee men, and oily men.
19 They call us men of death.
20 But we are the men of the dance whose feet only gain
power when they beat the hard soil.
L1- ‘apostrophe’, an address to and object or spirit. This
address is a prayer to the masks suggesting the reference
of the masks as symbols of race and skin colour. Senghor
suggests that these masks are spirits of nature, linked to
the winds that blow from the four directions. L3- he greets
them with silence, as if listening to what the mask-spirits will
whisper to him on the wind. L 4–5 The poet introduces his
family's guardian animal, the lion, symbol of aristocratic
virtue and courage. In lines 6 and 7, – implications of long
tradition and patriarchal power. The lion guards the ground
that is forbidden to women and to passing things. L 8-10
speaks of the masks as idealised representations of
previously living faces. The masks eliminate the mobile
features and signs of age in the faces of the living
ancestors, but in doing so outlive their death. Gives shape
to the face of the poet bent over the page and writing his
prayer to the masks. He appeals to them to listen to him, for
he is the living image of those masks to whom he is writing
a prayer. L 11-12 contrast the glorious past of Africa, when
vast black-ruled empires spanned the continent, and the
present, in which the peoples of Africa have been
subjugated by the imperial conquests of European nations.
The "pitiable princess" symbolises the nobility of traditional
Africa, and her death represents the suffering and the
9
Grade 12 EngHL
Title: prayers – appeal to a higher
power/ancestor – positive connotation. masks
– traditional masks as worn in African culture
/to hide real emotions / hide true intentions.
The title implies a ‘thank you’ to those
wearing the masks.
Structure: • The short sentences emphasise
the speaker’s intent. The speaker addresses
the masks. • The (rhetorical) questions are
answered by the speaker at the end of the
poem. The speaker uses the personal
pronoun ‘you’ to engage the reader.
THEMES: Honouring our ancestors
strengthens us. The poem concludes with a
renewed sense of vigour, signifying that
honouring the past helps us in the present.
TONE Pity,Grief,Praise, Respect, Reverence
Oppression, Hope and Suffering
Message: Awareness of the effects of
colonisation and pride in one’s heritage.
decline of traditional African culture and
the loss of political power Lines 12-13 The
masks are called to witness the sad
history of modern Africa. L14 The poet
prays to the magic spirits of the masks to
help speed the rebirth (umbilical cord
connecting Africa to Europe in L11).
Implicitly, reviving the ancestral spirits of
the masks will help sever the ties of
dependence which can help Europe to a
more life-affirming use of its material and
scientific wealth, just as the brown yeast is
necessary for making bread from white
flour. L 17-18 –develop the idea that Africa
will provide the life-impulse to a Europe
that is oriented toward mechanical values,
materialist gain, and war. It is the rhythm
of African music and dance that can
change the thud of machines into
something better. A reborn Africa will bring
hope where there has been despair, and
death. L19-20–Senghor refers to the
exploitation of Africa for its raw materials
and to European conceptions of black
Africans as a source of cheap labour
viewing the black African as a fearful
image of death. These new Africans
absorb the powers of the natural spirits
through the rhythm of dance, music, and
poetry.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO: 7 THIS WINTER COMING
This Winter Coming Karen Press
1 walking in the thick rain
2 of this winter we have only just entered,
3 who is not frightened?
4 the sea is swollen, churning in broken waves
5 around the rocks, the sand is sinking away
6 the seagulls will not land
7 under this sky, this shroud falling
8 who is not frightened?
9 in every part of the city, sad women climbing onto buses,
10 dogs barking in the street, and the children
11 in every doorway crying,
12 the world is so hungry, madam’s house is clean
13 and the women return with slow steps
14 to the children, the street, the sky tolling like a black bell;
15 these women are a tide of sadness
16 they will drown the world,
17 who is not frightened?
18 on every corner men standing
19 old stumps in the rain, tombstones
20 engraved with open eyes
21 watching the bright cars full of sated faces
22 pass them, pass them, pass them,
23 who is not frightened?
24 into the rain the children are running
25 thin as the barest twigs they kindle a fire
26 to fight the winter, their bare bodies
27 a raging fire of dead children
28 and the sky collapsing under centuries of rain
29 the wind like a mountain crying,
30 who is not frightened of this winter
31 coming upon us now?
Stanza 1: Somebody is walking in the rain. ‘thick’ –relates
to the very heavy rain. The weather creates a dull, gloomy
mood. L2: times ahead will be challenging. L3: Rhetorical
question: emphasis that everybody is fearful/expectation of
difficult times. Stanza 2 At first glance, the stanza is
describing the speaker’s observation of the natural
environment. However; the imagery, sound devices and
diction suggest an atmosphere of hostility/destructiveness.
L 4-6: “sea swollen” alliteration, reference to the stormy
seas. ‘broken waves” –waves that are crashing on the
rocks. “sand is sinking away”- The sinking of the sand is
symbolic of a world in which one’s sense of stability is
eroded. L7 metaphor. The clouds are compared to a cloth
that is used to cover dead bodies. This implies possible
death/harsh times. L8 Repetition –emphasis on the fear.
Stanza 3: moves from an observation of nature to an
analysis of the social texture of the city. Describes the
return of domestic workers to their families. The stanza
emphasises the inequality created by the apartheid policy
which also segregated the areas where people could live.
L 9 – 11: Atmosphere of unhappiness and gloom.
10
Grade 12 EngHL
STRUCTURE: Lack of punctuation, capital
letters and break from the conventions of
writing poetry is a characteristic of protest
poetry. The poet addresses the issue of the
social, economic and political effects of the
system of apartheid through the use of
imagery of nature.
TONE: Repressed anger, Undertone of
rebellion, Defiance, Fear experienced by
people during apartheid.
MOOD: Fearful, anxious
THEMES: The effects of apartheid - The
desire for change • Impending danger -
social upheaval.
L12: Hyperbole –reference to people who
had to neglect their own families to take care
of other people. L13 – 14: women return to
their homes exhausted. Their children are on
the streets unprotected and neglected “sky is
tolling like black bell” – Simile. The sound of
the storm is compared to the bell that rings
when a person has passed away. L15 –16
Metaphor: the movement of the women is
compared to the movement of the sea.
Reference to their strength, power and
influence which has been underestimated.
L17: Repetition– emphasis on people being
fearful. Stanza 4 Focus: men. Describes the
despair and dehumanisation of the men.
Reinforces a social divide, in which the
lifestyle of the privileged few is juxtaposed to
the deprivation of the masses. L18 -20: The
men are devoid of feelings. They “see” but do
not feel. Metaphor – “stumps of trees” L 21 –
23: cars that pass by. Some people have
luxuries. Focus of stanza: children. The rain
is related to something life-giving, while the
rest of the poem presents its negative
connotations L24 – children are not afraid of
the storm. L25 – Simile –children are
thin/undernourished. Compared to twigs
which are thin/fragile. L26 -27: The children
start a fire, on a deeper level reference to
their resistance to apartheid. L26 -27:
Children will sacrifice their lives in the fight
against apartheid. L28 – 29: The sky will be
seen after years of oppression. Children are
compared to winds of change–catalysts to
changes in society. L30 -31: The children will
end the Winter meaning that they will rise up
and fight.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO 8: SOLITUDE
SOLITUDE – ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
1 Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
2 Weep, and you weep alone.
3 For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
4 But has trouble enough of its own.
5 Sing, and the hills will answer;
6 Sigh, it is lost on the air.
7 The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
8 But shrink from voicing care.
9 Rejoice, and men will seek you;
10 Grieve, and they turn and go.
11 They want full measure of all your pleasure,
12 But they do not need your woe.
13 Be glad, and your friends are many;
14 Be sad, and you lose them all.
15 There are none to decline your nectared wine,
16 But alone you must drink life's gall.
17 Feast, and your halls are crowded;
18 Fast, and the world goes by.
19 Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
20 But no man can help you die.
21 There is room in the halls of pleasure
22 For a long and lordly train,
23 But one by one we must all file on
24 Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Solitude” means a lonely place/being alone or away from other
people. ‘Solitude’ can imply a state of being alone by choice. It
can also mean isolation and loneliness. The speaker states
certain universal truths – ‘laugh, and the world … you weep
alone’. The poem speaks of the universal human condition in
sharing joy and ‘good times’ but that a person is alone/solitary in
their tough times/sadness. Line 1 tells the reader that if one were
to laugh then the world would ‘laugh with you’. Happiness within
oneself creates happiness in others. ‘World’ – synecdoche (a
figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole
or vice versa) for people. In line 2 she adds a more complicated
dimension to the relationship between humans and society. Here
she describes the opposite emotion, sadness displayed through
weeping. People do not flock to the side of someone who is
upset, perhaps for fear it too may be shared. In lines 3-4 the
speaker argues that the earth (which is personified) has so much
trouble and sadness. The earth seems so consumed with trouble
that it is unable to help. However, happiness ‘mirth’ is rare, so
the earth must ‘borrow’ happiness from elsewhere. If you were
to ‘sing’ then the ‘hills’ would ‘answer.’ You will receive a
response from the world or society, and happiness would be
multiplied. in contrast, if you were to ‘Sigh’ (sad) it would be ‘lost
on the air’”. The sound and the emotion dissipate without anyone
acknowledging or repeating it. In Lines 10-12 the word ‘They’
(excludes the speaker/reader) emphasising how the
people/world want nothing to do with your suffering. In lines 13-
16 the extended metaphor highlights how everyone wants to
share as much of a person’s happiness as possible.
11
Grade 12 EngHL
FORM/STRUCTURE
This poem follows a strict structure. The
three stanzas consist of 8 lines each and
the same rhyming pattern is used
throughout. The first two stanzas focus on
attitude, behaviour and actions. The last
stanza focuses on the end of one’s life
and suggests a particular approach to
deal with this inevitability.
TONE
On the whole, the tone is
melancholic/sad/depressed. Although
the poet reminds us that happiness is
possible (this is the connotations of words
and phrases like “laugh”, “sing”, “rejoice”,
“nectared wine” and “halls of pleasure”)
the poet contrasts these words and
phrases with their opposites (“weep”,
“sigh”, “be sad”, “life’s gall” and “narrow
aisles of pain”.
MOOD
Solemn, Thought-provoking
(a ‘full measure’ of ‘nectared wine’) but
they will be forced to experience their
sadness (‘life’s gall) alone. The speaker
presents her final set of comparisons
between a happy life and a sad one and
the reactions they provoke. She uses
another comparison: a ‘feast’ (celebration)
can bring people together. In lines 17-18
the poet argues that if you do not
participate in life and happiness (if you
“fast”), people will ignore you, they will not
want to spend time with you. In lines 19-24
the speaker says that literally, we all go
through the process of death alone, but
also implies that withdrawing from others is
a metaphorical death. Death is a solitary
venture. Happiness is compared to a
house with big rooms that can hold many
guests where people enjoy having parties.
Pain is compared to a ‘narrow aisle’ which
implies a corridor that people have to move
through alone as it is small and restrictive.
Irony – Simple level – We are all alone in
our suffering/grief but on a complex level –
there is a commonality in a sense that
every person has to endure this so we are
united on that common ground.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO 9: THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING
THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING – Olive Schreiner
1 The morning sun is shining on
2 The green, green willow tree,
3 And sends a golden sunbeam
4 To dance upon my knee.
5 The fountain bubbles merrily,
6 The yellow locusts spring,
7 Of life and light and sunshine
8 The happy brown birds sing.
9 The earth is clothed with beauty,
10 The air is filled with song,
11 The yellow thorn trees load the wind
12 With odours sweet and strong
13 There is a hand I never touch
14 And a face I never see;
15 Now what is sunshine, what is song,
16 Now what is light to me?
In lines 1-2 the speaker reflects on the beauty of the morning.
The repetition of ‘green’ reinforces the beauty of nature,
emphasising the intensity of the colour of the willow tree. Green
is a colour that is associated with life, synonymous to freshness,
lush vegetation and health. The sun is also symbolic of life.
Lines 3-4 The personification of how the sun blesses the earth
and provides joy and entertainment reinforces the beauty of the
morning and helps create a mood of joy/enjoyment /happiness.
It is a benevolent sun ‘golden’ that causes happiness and has
connotations of riches and wealth and beauty . Lines 5-8
expands on the beauty of nature on a sensory level. The
personification in line 5 gives the fountain the human quality of
being joyful and reinforces the mood of happiness /
cheerfulness. L 3-4 The personification of how the sun blesses
the earth and provides joy and entertainment reinforces the
beauty of the morning and helps create a mood of joy/
enjoyment /happiness/ cheerfulness. It is a benevolent sun
“golden” that causes happiness and has connotations of riches
and wealth and beauty. The personification in line 5 gives the
fountain the human quality of being joyful and reinforces the
mood of happiness / cheerfulness. The idyllic view of the
beautiful morning reinforces the sense of well-being and
happiness. The word ’spring’ relates to the energy inherent in
and adds vibrancy to elements of nature. This idea is amplified
by the description of ‘brown birds’ in line 8. The onomatopoeic
word “bubbles” is a happy sound. The repetition of ‘and’ (line 7)
alludes to the spontaneous expression of emotions and
reinforces the beauty of the speaker’s surroundings. The
alliteration in line 7 (The repetition of the ‘l’ sound: life and light)
gives a sense of freedom in the happy morning. The singing of
the bird is joyous ‘…happy brown bird sing…’ The birds are
singing about ‘life and light and sunshine’. This contributes to
the idea that the natural world is celebrating life.
12
Grade 12 EngHL
FORM/STRUCTURE
A 16-line poem made up of 4 distinct parts. In
line 1-4 she discusses the sense of sight, 5-8
hearing and 9-12 smell. All these senses
enjoy the morning with the sun shining. There
is a regular rhyme scheme and rhythm
throughout lines 1-12. The last four lines
deviate from this pattern. This ‘break’ in
pattern increases the impact of the
unexpected contents of the last four lines.
The joyous/cheerful tone (lines 1-12) creates
a celebratory mood as the speaker admires
the bustling beauty of nature in the morning.
In lines 13-16, the mood changes to a
sombre one as the speaker expresses the
loss associated with human experiences. The
last 4 lines change to a tone of despair,
negativity, sadness, hopelessness.
Lines 9-12 - the earth is personified
wearing the beautiful clothing. Every part
of the world is covered (clothed) and
‘filled’ with a beauty that makes the poet
happy. The trees are also full of flowers
and the sense of smell is used to show
how their smell is pervasive. ‘Sweet and
strong’ – the alliteration is used to
reinforce the strength of the smell. The
sibilant ‘s’ in ‘song’, ‘sweet’ and ‘strong’
contribute to the lyrical quality of the
poem. This poem celebrates the beauty,
sounds and smells of Nature. Lines 13-16
- The poet’s tone changes, the word
“never” indicates that she will not be able
to see the person she loved again. The
speaker changes to a tone of sadness
despondency/grief hopelessness when
reflecting on the loss that she has
suffered. She ends the poem with a
rhetorical question, asking what is the
point of experiencing a beautiful, natural
morning if there is no one to share it with.
Themes: She highlights the various
elements that make the morning so
beautiful, but then she changes direction
and asks, rhetorically, what is the
purpose of a beautiful morning if it cannot
be shared with anyone.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM 10: IT IS A BEAUTEOUS EVENING, CALM AND FREE
IT IS A BEAUTEOUS EVENING, CALM AND FREE – William
Wordsworth
1 It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
2 The holy time is quiet as a nun
3 Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
4 Is sinking down in its tranquility;
5 The gentleness of heaven is on the sea:
6 Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
7 And doth with his eternal motion make
8 A sound like thunder–everlastingly.
9 Dear child! dear girl! that walkest with me here,
10 If thou appear untouched by solemn thought
11 Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
12 Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year,
13 And worshipp'st at the Temple's inner shrine,
14 God being with thee when we know it not.
In line 1 the atmosphere is very peaceful and tranquil. A person
is completely at ease; no worries or stress. In line 2
Personification and simile add a religious element to the poem.:
‘holy time’ (the evening) is compared to a Nun that is quiet as
she is in prayer. She is close to God. She loves God. The word
‘Breathless (line 3)’ emphasises the silence. Just as the nun is
‘breathless with adoration’ so does the feeling of this time and
place take away the poet’s breath with awe at the beauty of
God’s creation. The speaker links the beauty of Nature to God,
the creator of Earth and its beauty. As the sun sets it seems to
become a large orange-red ball and the colours of sunset
stretch out across the horizon. This adds to the serene,
peaceful atmosphere. Heaven seems to watch over the sea
below. Figuratively God is watching over the world. ‘Listen!’
(L 6) is a command and the exclamation mark intensifies it and
indicates the excitement of the speaker. A very quiet moment is
broken by this imperative order. The poet wants his companion
to be an active participant in the scene. ‘mighty Being’. Literally
it refers to the sea. Figuratively it refers to God. The capital
letter in Being implies that although the speaker is referring to
the sea, the capital letter links the sea to God, the Almighty
Being. Both the sea and God are ‘awake’ and ‘eternal’ and
neither stop moving. Simile (line 8) breaking waves sound like
thunder indicates power of nature and God. The thunderous
sound of waves contrasts with the calm and quiet of lines 1-3.
The dash creates a pause and emphasises the word which
follows – everlastingly. Without the pause there would not be
such a strong emphasis. It is the end of the octave but it
indicates that God’s creation, and, by inference, God, is forever.
The words ‘motion make’ (alliteration) emphasises the
thunderous sound of the sea.
13
Grade 12 EngHL
This is a Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet
consisting of 14 lines. The octave (first
8 lines) describes the breath-taking
beauty of the scene. The sestet (last 6
lines) serves as the speaker’s
comment on the beauty and spirituality
of the scene. He addresses his
companion (his daughter) directly in
the sestet and acts as a commentary
of the speaker’s understanding of the
spirituality of life in general. The
ABBA rhyme pattern of an Italian/
Petrarchan sonnet is evident.
TONE: Amazed/awe/tranquility respect
MOOD: Meditative/Calm/serene
Dear child! dear Girl! (L 9) the speaker
expresses his love and adoration for his
daughter. Even if she is not touched by
the beauty of the scene, it does not
mean she is removed from God or less
spiritual (lines 10-11). ‘In Abraham's
bosom’ (Metaphor) refers to heaven:
Like a father holds a baby to protect it,
the girl is unknowingly protected by
God. God is always present to protect
her.
‘The Temple's inner shrine’ – Reference
to nature: even if she does not express
devotion to God or spend time in a
physical place of worship (like a church),
God is always present in nature. The
assonance (repetition of the ‘e’ sound in
being, thee, we) emphasises God’s
presence. God is with you, even if you
are not aware of it.
Just in Time Revision September 2023
POEM NO 11: FERN HILL
1 Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
2 About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
3 The night above the dingle starry,
4 Time let me hail and climb
5 Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
6 And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
7 And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
8 Trail with daisies and barley
9 Down the rivers of the windfall light.
10 And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
11 About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
12 In the sun that is young once only,
13 Time let me play and be
14 Golden in the mercy of his means,
15 And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
16 Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
17 And the sabbath rang slowly
18 In the pebbles of the holy streams.
19 All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
20 Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
21 And playing, lovely and watery
22 And fire green as grass.
23 And nightly under the simple stars
24 As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
25 All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
26 Flying with the ricks, and the horses
27 Flashing into the dark.
28 And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
29 With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
30 Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
31 The sky gathered again
32 And the sun grew round that very day.
33 So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
34 In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm
35 Out of the whinnying green stable
36 On to the fields of praise.
37 And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
38 Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
39 In the sun born over and over,
40 I ran my heedless ways,
41 My wishes raced through the house high hay
42 And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
43 In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
44 Before the children green and golden
45 Follow him out of grace,
46 Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
47 Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
48 In the moon that is always rising,
49 Nor that riding to sleep
50 I should hear him fly with the high fields
51 And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
52 Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
53 Time held me green and dying
54 Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
L1-2 Describes his blissful delight when he was a child
who enjoyed nature. He recalls how he enjoyed living in
wild nature, playing under the apple trees. L3-4 Time is
personified as a parent that allows him to do things.
14
Grade 12 EngHL
Despite the strict rhythm, there is no
specific form to this poem. The poem is
song-like in its rhythm. The poem can be
divided into two parts: the first 3 stanzas
are related to the poet’s experience as a
child and the last 3 stanzas focus on the
awakening in the child which signifies the
loss of innocence.
Tone: reflective tone throughout the poem.
He indicates the transition from child to
adult as well as the interactions with Time.
Joyful/fervent/emotional/ecstatic/rhapsodic:
it is a hymn of praise to youth and
innocence. Final stanza: the tone changes:
melancholy at the lost and irretrievable
days of childhood, nostalgic tone.
L 7-9 Metaphor – Compares himself to a
lord. This place made him feel like royalty.
Windfall – an apple blown down from a
tree or a large amount of money arriving
unexpectedly (fortune/luck). Metaphor –
Light –a river filled with riches.
He was honoured by all the inhabitants of
the area. Metaphor – compares himself to
a prince STANZA 2 L 10-11 He continues
to revisit his happy childhood in a series
of flashbacks. He is famous among
country people and he is master of the
animal world. L12-14 As he was young,
he felt everything around him was just as
young including the sun under which he
played freely and merrily. L 15-16
Metaphor – compares himself to a hunter
and herdsman. The child imagines that he
was the hero. L 17 It is as if the very
streams sing a song of praise to God (in
the sound of the water running over the
pebbles) in the beauty and glory of this
rural childhood.
STANZA 3 L 19-21 The child is still
speaking, gushing on his past memories.
He has no cares and no worries. The lovely
sun is now running as autumn days are
shorter. The harvest is done. The
haystacks stand in piles as high as house
(Simile). The chimneys do not send smoke
out in the air, but music that he liked. L 22-
24 His playfulness and innocence are
reinforced. L 25-27 As the child drifts off to
sleep, he imagines that the entire farm is
carried away into ‘dreamland’ by the owls
whose call is heard in the night. He felt
blessed, happy and free. The flash is the
light of awareness and signals the loss of
paradise, freedom, and innocent bliss.
Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

STANZA 4 L 28-30 The waking child is symbolic of maturity. Personification. He wakes up to the
sound of the rooster crowing. With the dew – time has passed. It is now winter. Winter is
symbolic of the end of his childhood and innocence. The reference to Adam and his maiden
refers to the Garden of Eden and creation of Man. L 31-33 the sun was shining brightly that very
day– symbolic of his growing up; he was no longer a child. Birth of the world/the first light in
Eden. L 34-36 spinning place – The Earth. ‘the whinnying green stable’ – Onomatopoeia –
sound of horse. Brings the scene to life. As the sun shines, all creatures wake up to glorify
nature. This creates a mood of reverence.

STANZA 5 L 37-38 He felt honoured/like royalty. pheasants –He felt as if the animals were his
friends and they loved him L 39-40 The speaker recalls with a sense of regret and intense
nostalgia that he was "in the sun born over and over / I ran my heedless ways" when he was
young. He admits that he was “heedless” as a child and how the farm gave him all that he
needed and made him feel complete.
LINES 41-43 His wishes seem to be fulfilled as quickly as the stacks of hay grew high in the
house. The sun bathed him with its warmth and light and he felt free looking at the blue sky.
sky blue trades – activities. He was too occupied to care that time was passing by and did not
realise that his childhood paradise would end. He felt time is kind and loving and he could hear
its morning music and singing.
LINES 44-45– children who were still young and naïve. They did not have any worry and were in
complete harmony with time. The child-speaker talks proudly and happily about his adventures
in Fern Hill farm. grace – indicates a fall from grace or innocence and suggests he has moved
from a state of perfect union to an awareness of reality. The embrace of reality brings with it
regret and a loss of freedom. Follow him – This is symbolic of Adam and Eve leaving Eden. His
carefree world has been left behind.

STANZA 6 L 46-47 The speaker returns to the present. The child becomes and adult and leaves
behind the innocence of his past. Nothing I cared – emphasises his complete freedom in his
childhood. lamb white days – symbol of innocence and purity. Time is personified. He is aware
of Time. Time is guiding him and leading him until he loses the carefree attitude of the child.
shadow – something negative/unpleasant is introduced and honoured him as they wandered
around the happy and merry house of Fern Hill. Gay – happy/playful. The house is personified to
reflect how the child felt about the house. It was lively and happy. new – the birth of the world.
L 48-51 He felt that all nights are bright with the moon, which is always rising. Literally, even
when he is going home after nightfall, he could hear the swallows flying high over the fields.
Figuratively – How he goes to sleep without worries. All he thinks of is to wait for the morning so
that he would have another playful and joyful day. And wake to the farm forever fled – Maturity
and the "chains" of adulthood came all too quickly for the speaker and he laments the lost days
of his youth. He accepts that once childhood is left behind there is no going back unless the tool
of creating is used. Only then can an individual tap into the joy and freedom experienced in
childhood and even then, the joy is brief.

L 52-54 Oh – A cry of regret, sorrow. This is the turning point at which the child-speaker
disappears and adult steps in to tell us about the experience of waking up from the dream of
childhood memories: the farm becomes "childless"; that is, barren and fallow. Time is longer
kind or gentle but is leading him to the end which the child was unaware of. Time and
experience have put him in bonds (chains) and he is their prisoner. The simile "like the sea"
shows the vastness of his feelings, but also the depth of his despair. The lightness, ease and
joys of the days of innocence are gone for ever, and never to return. In their place, the speaker,
now an adult, is living through the harshness and hardships of the days of experience and
awakening. The use of the verb “sang” creates hope: The losses can be captured through his
memories. The green and golden joy of childhood and the shadowy sorrow of maturity become
the joy of art (poetry). In this manner, the loss to time is not total; it is possible to use art to
recapture the happiness of innocent youth. He feels that Time has betrayed him

15
 Just in Time Revision September 2023
Poem No 12: The Shipwreck
The Shipwreck Emily Dickinson
1 Glee! The great storm is over!
2 Four have recovered the land;
3 Forty gone down together
4 Into the boiling sand.
5 Ring, for the scant salvation!
6 Toll, for the bonnie souls, --
7 Neighbour and friend and bridegroom,
8 Spinning upon the shoals!
9 How they will tell the shipwreck
10 When winter shakes the door,
11 Till the children ask, ‘But the forty?
12 Did they come back no more?’
13 Then a silence suffuses the story,
14 And a softness the teller’s eye;
15 And the children no further question,
16 And only the waves reply.
STANZA 1 L1: an exclamation (!) or statement of
happiness and excitement. ‘GLEE’ is capitalised,
placing emphasis on a tone of rejoicing. ‘the great
storm is over!’– an exclamation (!) /statement that
the mighty storm has ended. There is a sense of
relief and a need for celebration. Tone of joy and
celebration is successfully conveyed in L1.
Ironically, this jubilation is short-lived. L2: Four have
returned to the land; Only 4 have survived the
shipwreck and made it onto the land. L3: Forty have
all drowned, no escape/no hope for these 40
people. ‘gone down’ – euphemism for died. L4:
swallowed up into the depths of the sea. ‘the sand is
churning violently in the/raging, sea. L4 increases
the horror of the situation, invokes intense grief.
STANZA 2 L 5: ‘Ring’, - onomatopoeia – sound of
the local town bell announces the survivors returning
home. ‘for the scant salvation!’ – exclamation (!) of
gratitude and thanks for the limited (few) survivors.
Only 4 – the minimal number of survivors bring even
greater sorrow. L6: —the ringing of the church bell
connotes a funeral bell sounding slow and stately.
The comma– a pause at the impact of the senseless
loss of lives. ‘—indicates further devastation. The
dash (-) provides an explanation of who those
‘bonnie souls’ were. L 7: They are given an identity
which personalises the departed as members of the
community. ‘Bridegroom’ – denotes a newly married
gentleman, evoking additional shock for his grieving
widow. The anticipation of a glorious future for this
newly-married couple has been short-lived. L 8: -
The departed were swept and tossed around
mercilessly, helplessly fighting their fate in a
desperate situation. ‘upon the shoals!’ - in the
shallow waters–sorrowful and tragic loss of lives.
Grade 12 EngHL
FORM AND STRUCTURE Comprises 4 stanzas. Each
stanza contains 4 lines each. Rhyme scheme follows a
strict pattern: abcb/defe/ghih/jklk Characteristic of a
ballad, without the refrain between stanzas. Stanza 1
and 2 focus on the optimistic response to the news of
the survival of 4 people in a shipwreck. Stanzas 3 and 4
focus on grieving and mourning the loss of 40 innocent
lives in the same shipwreck. Dickinson uses rhythm and
rhyme (consistent use of syllables per line) to give the
poem a regular pace, lending it a somewhat lyrical style.
TONE Joyful/Celebratory/Sombre/Sad/Melancholic
MOOD Shifts from joy (stanzas 1,2) to sorrowful and
depressing (stanzas 3,4)
THEMES Grief, Mourning, Death and Loss Survival
Nature Realism –Brevity of life
STANZA 3 L9: How will the story of this shipwreck
be narrated? L 10: ‘Winter’ is personified. ‘Shakes
the door’– conveys the harsh, cold and cruel
nature of Winter. L11: The children are curious
and enquire what became of the 40 victims lost at
sea? L12: The shock of the tragic reality weighs
down heavily upon the children. There will be no
return for the 40 who drowned.
STANZA 4 L 13: – implies no explanation can be
given. The children are aware of the intensity of
sorrow, as the story is recounted. The pace slows
down. A disturbing, deathly silence spreads as
the tale of the shipwreck is told, as listeners
process such grave loss. The Mood is
depressing. The Tone is mournful. Silence
suffuses – the use of Sibilance (letter ‘S’)
heightens the sadness L 14: – refers to the
person narrating the story to the children.
‘softness’ – refers to pathos (sense of pity) The
‘teller’ is deeply sorrowful and overcome with
grief. L15: No answers can be effectively given to
the searching questions of the children. They too,
understand and experience the pain and difficulty
of the adults, in coming to terms with tragic loss
of 40 people. Evokes a tone of mournfulness and
melancholy. L 16: Waves – are Personified.
Reiterates the silence of the adults and children.
No words will suffice, not even old, empty clichés
can bring comfort and solace. Anaphora --
Repetition of ‘AND’ at the beginning of lines
14,15,16 –effectively conveys the sense of
hopelessness that persists.
16
Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Graphic representation of Life of Pi
AUTHOR’S NOTES
In 1996 the visiting writer is struggling to sell books in Canada Restless, he flies to Bombay,
India, to work on a novel about Portugal. The novel lacks "that spark that brings to life a real
story." Discouraged, the visiting writer travels to the town of Pondicherry, the former capital of
French India. At a coffeehouse he strikes up a conversation with an elderly man. The man, Mr.
Adirubasamy, tells the writer he has a story that will make him "believe in God." He tells the
writer there was once a zoo in the Pondicherry Botanical Garden and refers the writer to the
story's main character. The writer nervously calls the main character, Pi Patel, an Indian man
living in Toronto, Canada.

In 1954 Pondicherry enters the Union of India. A portion of the Pondicherry Botanical
Garden is set aside for a zoo, which Pi's father runs. Academic studies at the
University of Toronto and religious practice have helped his healing.

Pi describes time spent recovering in a hospital in

Mexico. Pi explains the origins of his unusual
name. Francis Adirubasamy, whom Pi called
Mamaji (an Indian term of affection). Mamaji, a
former competitive swimmer, taught young Pi to
swim. Mamaji had visited pools worldwide and
describes the Piscine Molitor in Paris (the pool
after which Pi is named).
Pi feels that a zoo environment provides animals
with food, shelter, routine, and protection from
enemies. Animals often stay in zoo enclosures
even if they can escape.
Piscine Molitor Pool

Pi is being teased
“Pissing”. When he moves to a new school, he trains the
teachers and his classmates to call him “Pi.” The name
sticks.
It links closely how repetition can be used to train
humans, not only animals.
Pi describes his favourite biology teacher – Mr Satish
Kumar – as having a geometric build. Mr Kumar is
interested in the biology of animals, which displays his
scientific background. Although Pi has strong religious beliefs, he appreciates his
teacher’s faith in science – and sees him as a “brother with a different kind of faith”.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Later Pi meets another Mr Satish Kumar – the Muslim
baker/Imam – who introduces Pi to Islam. Pi loves the
simplicity of the Muslim prayer and becomes a practising
Muslim. He now embraces 3 religions – Hinduism,
Christianity, and Islam.
Father teaches Pi the art of good zookeeping. Pi learns
the importance of keeping boundaries with animals. He
learns of the dangers of anthropomorphising animals.
Father teaches Pi about the brutality of animals and
humans by showing them the killing of a goat by the tiger Mahisha. All of this is
preparation for what comes in Part 2– where he has to deal with the various
animals as well as learn to co-habit with the tiger.
Pi explains that he believes that zoos are not horrible
environments for animals.
Pi describes the case of a female black leopard that
escaped from a Switzerland zoo. The leopard remained
undetected in the Swiss winter for two months. This proves
to Pi that escaped animals are only "wild creatures seeking
to fit in."

"Richard Parker still preys on his mind," the writer says. But Pi continues to talk and
regularly cooks meals for the writer, although the food is too spicy for his taste.

Pi explains that a lion tamer in a circus succeeds by establishing his authority

over the lions. Animals are usually hostile because of "social insecurity". The circus
trainer can tame an animal by using tricks such as an authoritative posture and gaze.
In Part Two, Pi establishes this relationship with Richard Parker as he takes the
responsibility of meeting the tiger’s basic needs.

Pi notes the lion with the lowest social standing

in the pride—the "omega animal"—is easiest to
train. "Socially inferior" animals will make better
efforts to befriend their keepers.

The visiting writer observes adult Pi's home, which he describes as "a temple." Pi
has shrines to the Hindu god Ganesha and to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, a
Christian icon. His home is decorated with images of other Hindu gods, a Bible, a
crucifix, a cloth with Arabic writing, and a prayer rug.

Pi describes how he went to a Hindu temple with his Auntie Rohini at a young
age. Pi describes the symbols, rites, and images that define his Hindu faith.

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Just in Time Revision
Pi relates his story of how he became a Christian. At age 14 he goes on a family
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
vacation to Munnar and finds a
Christian church. He's amazed by the
church's beauty but confused by the
sacrifice associated with Christianity.
Over time he gets to know Father
Martin, the welcoming parish priest. He
decides to become a Christian as well as
a Hindu.

Pi discovers Islam
when he is 15. He
explores the Muslim
quarter of his town
and meets a baker. When the baker follows the Muslim call to
prayer, Pi is intrigued watching him pray. He compares Muslims
kneeling for prayer to Christians kneeling at the cross. Pi continues
to visit the baker and learns more about Islam. The baker, named
Mr. Satish Kumar, is a Sufi or Muslim mystic.

Adult Pi imagines atheists and agnostics on their deathbeds. Pi thinks the agnostic
misses "the better story" because of reliance on facts over imagination.

Teenage Pi hides his practice of three faiths from his

parents. Mr. Patel is secular, priding himself in his
modern views. Mrs. Patel and Ravi are indifferent to
religion. One day Pi is at a seaside walkway with his
family. The family runs into a Christian priest, a Hindu
pandit, and a Muslim imam all at the same time. The
three "wise men" have all seen Pi in their places of
worship. The three men get into a heated argument over
whose faith is superior. They insist Pi pick one
religion. Pi says he just wants to love God.

Ravi gently mocks Pi for his practice of three faiths at once. Despite Ravi's mocking
he does seem to care about Pi, and Pi admires his older brother. After the meeting
on the esplanade, Pi is rejected by all three places of worship.

Teenage Pi tells his father he'd like to be baptised and receive a prayer rug. His
parents tell him he can only pick one faith. Pi compares religions to nations.
People can have residencies in multiple countries, why not residencies in multiple
faiths? Pi receives a prayer rug, which he loves. He prays outside, ignoring his
family's curious looks.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
The local government of Pondicherry is
overtaken by Mrs. Gandhi in 1976. Pi’s father
worries for the future of his zoo and the future
of India. Mr. and Mrs. Patel agree to move to
Canada. They want a better life for
themselves and their children.

The visiting writer meets Pi's wife. She's a

pharmacist who, like Pi, is Indian. The writer
never noticed Pi was married. Pi is a shy man
who hides what's precious to him.

Mr. Kumar the baker comes to visit Pi at the zoo. They run into Mr. Kumar the teacher.
Both men feed the zebra (an animal the baker has never seen before). Animals can
come to unusual living arrangements, if necessary, explains Pi, through a process
called zoomorphism—where an animal treats another animal as one of its own
kind.

The writer and Pi look through Pi's photo albums. Pi has many records of his
wedding, his college graduation, and his student life. But he has few photos of his
childhood in India and none of his family. Pi points out Richard Parker in one hazy,
black-and white zoo photo. Pi can't remember what his mother looks like, and he's
distressed.

The Patels sell the zoo. They need to find homes for all the animals at other zoos
around the world. Pi and Ravi don't want to move to Canada. Many of the zoo
animals are finally sold to enthusiastic Americans.

Pi's family embarks on a Japanese cargo ship named the Tsimtsum, headed for
Canada, on June 21, 1977. Adult Pi imagines his mother's sadness upon leaving.

The writer is visiting Pi's house when he notices a teenage boy he's never seen
before—Pi's son Nikhil, who goes by "Nick." The writer notices other residents for
the first time, too. Pi has a dog, an orange cat, and a young daughter named Usha.
As Pi and his daughter talk lovingly, the writer notes, "This story has a happy
ending".
Pi and his family left India on a
Japanese cargo ship called
the Tsimtsum, departing on June
21st, 1977. Four days later, the ship
sinks. Pi has to endure the pain of
the loss of his family. After that
event, Pi is in the lifeboat,
screaming for Richard Parker to
swim to the boat. Pi throws a life
buoy, then an oar, to try to save
Richard Parker, who finally makes it
on board. Pi does not reveal that
Richard Parker is an animal until the final paragraph. Pi has second thoughts about
being on board with a tiger – and jumps into the sea.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Pi recounts the events before the sinking
of the ship – there had been problems
with the engines and a storm. Pi is
thrown overboard by the Chinese
sailors. He lands in a lifeboat – and only
later realises that he was being used as
a “scapegoat” (they had seen the hyena
in the lifeboat). A zebra then lands in the
lifeboat – which causes the boat to fall
into the water. Pi cannot see Richard
Parker on the boat; there are sharks in
the sea around him; Pi is clinging onto
an oar. Only later does he realise that there is a hyena in the lifeboat– as well as the
zebra and the tiger.

Orange Juice, the orang-utan arrives floating

on the bananas, Pi retrieves the net holding the
bananas – which he puts to good use later.
[We will soon understand the immense love he
shows her– she is the animal metaphor for his
mother. In the second story that Pi recounts in
Part 3 – there are 4 people on the lifeboat:
The Taiwanese Sailor (Zebra); the Orang-
utan (Pi’s mother); the evil French cook
(hyena) and the tiger Richard Parker (Pi’s
alter-eghe epic battle between the orang-utan
and the hyena is detailed. Sadly, she is killed
by the hyena.

The tiger had been sea-sick for the past 3 days and had now arisen. Pi has two
adversaries now – the hyena and the tiger. We learn that Richard Parker’s name was
supposed to be “Thirsty”. Pi is currently parched and craving water to quench his
thirst. Pi’s will to live has kicked in – and he decides to put “Thirst before Tiger”. Pi
is able to locate the locker where he finds stores of life-giving water to quench his
thirst. He now has survival rations (biscuits; chocolates, solar stills, gaffs, a notebook,
a compass – and other basic survival aids). This, along with his faith in God, is all he
has to negotiate the Pacific, the hyena, and the tiger.

Pi builds a raft using the lifejackets

and oars – as he has a will to
survive. Richard Parker arises! [In
other words, Pi’s willingness to
survive – enables him to create a
powerful alter-ego. He chooses to
be a tiger as the tiger was the most
powerful animal in the zoo…]
Richard Parker kills the hyena. [In
the second story, Pi kills the French
cook who had decapitated his

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
mother]. Pi/Richard Parker – eats the rat. [symbolic of Pi’s change from
vegetarianism to eating meat to survive]. Pi uses the raft to separate his animal side
and human side.

He hears Richard Parker “prusten” which expresses friendliness. Pi goes through the
survival manual and works at establishing an alpha relationship with Richard
Parker. Pi continues his quest for survival and works at improving the raft with a
mast and canopy.
Pi attempts to fish, using his shoe as
bait. He tries and fails to catch a sea
turtle. Pi must feed and give water
to Richard Parker if he wants to
survive. He is struck in the face by a
flying fish. Pi throws it to Richard
Parker hoping to tame him with
rewards, but the flying fish swerves
away from the tiger and back into the
ocean. A school of flying fish, chased
by dorados, strikes the ship. Richard
Parker eats his fill. Pi takes one to kill it for bait. A lifelong vegetarian, Pi has never
killed a living thing before.

Pi realises both he and Richard Parker urgently need

fresh water. He checks the solar stills, which have
filled with water, and tends them carefully so they will
produce more. As Pi tosses fish to Richard Parker,
he thinks the lifeboat resembles a zoo enclosure with
specific territories. He estimates he has spent a week
at sea since the Tsimtsum sank.

Pi tells the reader of other castaways who survived

long periods at sea. He himself survives 227 days, over seven months—longer
than any other castaway he mentions. Pi's daily ritual on the lifeboat includes
prayers; inspecting the lifeboat, raft, and food stores; resting; fishing; and
observing Richard Parker. Pi describes his physical transformation on the lifeboat.
His clothes wear away, and painful boils appear on his body.
Over time Pi becomes a better hunter
and fisher. He loses his anxiety about
killing and pays attention to the habits of
fish. Turtles are easy to catch, and he
captures and butchers many.

Pi grows accustomed to sleeping for

only an hour at a time. Richard Parker
naps frequently, and Pi gets to know the
tiger's sleeping habits. When Pi sees
lights in the distance that he thinks are ships, he sends off rocket flares. The
flares smell like cumin, reminding him of Pondicherry.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Pi's first time butchering a turtle is a challenge. He gathers the blood to drink
himself, then tosses the rest of the turtle to Richard Parker, who consumes it
quickly. Pi knows he must show Richard Parker who is in the dominant character.
Pi shares the steps he takes to establish his authority
over Richard Parker in the form of advice to anyone who's in
his predicament. On a calm day at sea, he rouses Richard
Parker and provokes an intrusion into Pi’s territory. Once
Richard Parker encroaches on Pi's area, Pi blows the
whistle and trips the sea anchor (his
lifeboat). Richard Parker begins to
associate a border intrusion with
seasickness. Eventually, Pi can
control him with only the whistle.
To protect himself from
Richard Parker during
training, Pi makes a
shield from a turtle
shell. Richard Parker
knocks Pi into the water during his first four
attempts. The fifth attempt is successful. Pi
knows Richard Parker doesn't want to attack
him—animals avoid violence if they can. Pi
keeps a diary. He compresses time in his
diary; "several days, several weeks, all on one page."

At sea Pi adapts Hindu, Christian, and Muslim rituals to his unusual circumstances.
Though the rituals comfort him, he finds it difficult to love in his despair.
Pi sings "Happy Birthday" to his mother on what he believes to be her birthday. Pi
cleans up after Richard Parker. When the tiger
tries to hide his faeces, Pi can tell the animal
is nervous around him. Pi takes Richard
Parker's faeces in his hand and blows the
whistle as an act of authority
As his rations run out, Pi eats anything he
can get his hands on. He even attempts to eat
Richard Parker's faeces. Pi's feet and ankles
swell, and his body deteriorates.
Despite the constant despair, small things like
a dead fish can make Pi happy. Pi sees sharks daily and the first shark on the boat
fights with Richard Parker until the tiger kills the shark. Pi can't get much meat from
the large animal and catches smaller sharks in the future.

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Just in Time Revision
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Although Pi caught many dorados, he
remembers one that flopped onto the boat.
Starving, Pi prepares to eat it. Richard
Parker is also starving and moves to attack Pi.
Though Pi knows Richard Parker is close
enough to kill him easily, he stares into the
tiger's eyes and holds the gaze for as long
as possible. Finally, Richard Parker retreats.
Pi has established his dominance
permanently.

Pi knows his survival is hard to believe. He

survives in part because he's the source of
food and water for a weak Richard Parker. Pi
diligently maintains his solar stills. During rain he
fills every bucket available. Despite his work he
and Richard Parker barely have enough drinking
water. Richard Parker eats more than Pi does,
and Pi is dismayed to find himself eating like
an animal, as quickly as possible and without
discernment.

One cloudy afternoon the sea swells rise to heights Pi has never seen before. The
boat dips up and down until Pi has nearly drowned. After the storm Pi assesses the
damage. The raft is gone. He's lost all the whistles but one, which is crucial to his
survival.

One day Pi sees a whale close to the lifeboat. He continues to observe whales,
dolphins, and a handful of seafaring birds with awe.
In a downpour, lightning strikes near the boat. Pi is astounded at the closeness of
the lightning, which makes the sky turn white. He's nearly hit. He praises the gods
he worships. Pi sees a ship, a large oil tanker, approaching. He cries out to Richard
Parker, "We're saved!" Pi begins to imagine Canada and his waiting family. Then he
realises the ship is bearing down on him and will pass without seeing or hearing
him. After the ship leaves Pi tells Richard Parker he loves him, and he'll never give up
getting them to land and safety.

When he wants to escape, Pi wets a rag with sea water and drapes it over his face.
He calls the rag his "dream rag" because the oxygen restriction it provides gives him
visions, trances, and memories. Pi passes time quickly this way.

The lifeboat runs into some trash, and Pi looks through

it for something he can use. He finds an empty wine
bottle, and the scent from an abandoned refrigerator
disgusts him. Pi writes a message in the bottle
explaining his circumstances. He tosses the bottle into
the sea.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Pi begins to sleep more. Pi shares the last pages of his diary at sea where he describes
losing energy, dealing with changes in weather, and contemplating his approaching
death. He runs out of ink after writing "I will die today" in his diary.

Pi worries for Richard Parker's health. They

are both eating slowly. Pi's eyes begin to sting
and ooze with pus, and soon he's temporarily
blinded from malnutrition. He hears a voice
asking if someone's there. Certain he's
hallucinating, he and the voice begin to
talk about their favourite foods. While Pi
describes vegetarian food, the voice
fantasises about meat in many forms,
including calf's brains and beef tongue. Pi thinks the voice must be the carnivorous
Richard Parker. He asks the voice if he's ever killed a man—the voice replies he's
killed a man and a woman to preserve his own life. Then Pi notices an accent
belonging to a Frenchman, who is also blind. -They meet and embrace. The blind
Frenchman moves to kill Pi Instead, Richard Parker kills the Frenchman. Pi
grieves, though he knows his own life has been saved.

Pi raids the Frenchman's boat for supplies and finds food; his vision returns.
Seeing the dead body of the Frenchman on the lifeboat, Pi reluctantly uses his arm for
bait. This takes place when Pi claims to be temporarily blind and even considers the
fact that he is hallucinating, yet each day Pi prays for the Frenchman's soul.

At sea he comes upon

an island—a forest of
brilliant green trees.
An ecstatic Pi brings
the boat to land. He
eats some of the
algae covering the
island and drinks
fresh water. He
encounters a huge
population of meek
and curious meerkats
who behave
unusually—for instance, the meerkats bring dead fish ashore. One night Pi
decides to sleep in a tree. He's surprised when the meerkats scurry up the trees.
Sometime later, Pi discovers a tree growing green fruit. He takes a piece of fruit
and peels it only to discover the fruit is leaves wrapped around a human tooth. Pi
unwraps more teeth. He realises—to his horror—the island is carnivorous and is
also killing the fish.
He won't stay trapped on the island just so he can live in comfort. He sees the
island for the illusion it is. He also wants to protect Richard Parker from harm,
so in a way he makes a sacrifice by leaving. After a challenging landing, Pi reaches
Mexico. He's weak and has trouble getting off the boat.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Richard Parker jumps over Pi to reach land and
walks away without looking back, leaving Pi
forever. A group of humans finds Pi. Locals
take care of Pi and feed him. The next day a
police car brings him to a hospital. Pi thanks
everyone who cared for him upon his return and
helped him put his life back together.

The visiting writer introduces Mr. Okamoto and

Mr. Chiba. They are the officials in the
Japanese Ministry of Transport who were informed of Pi's arrival as the single
survivor of the Tsimtsum. The officials plan to drive from California to Tomatlán,
Mexico, to meet Pi. But Mr. Okamoto misreads the map and mistakenly drives to
Tomat, a California town. The officials take 41 hours to travel to Tomatlán. Their
car breaks down twice, and they're exhausted when they arrive. The visiting writer
explains he's about to share the transcript from Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba's three-
hour interview with Pi Patel. He'll print portions in a different font to indicate spoken
Japanese.

Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba introduce themselves to Pi. They've seen the lifeboat
and agree when Pi says he had a terrible trip. They offer him a cookie. After Pi tells
the officials his story, Mr. Okamoto says in Japanese, "He thinks we're fools."

Mr. Okamoto tells Pi they don't believe his story. He claims bananas don't float and
could not have held up an orangutan; Pi proves them wrong. They also find the
algae island impossible to believe.

Mr. Okamoto points out no

one has found a trace of the
tiger in Mexico, and Pi
couldn't have survived in a
lifeboat with one. He also
defends the existence of the
blind Frenchman and the
presence of meerkat bones in
the lifeboat.

Pi tells his new version.

The ship sank, and he landed on a lifeboat with three other people—his mother, a
cook, and a young sailor with a broken leg. The cook amputates the sailor's leg,
saying the amputation will save his life. But the cook wants to use the leg for bait.
Pi's mother accuses the cook of gorging on their available supplies. The sailor
dies, and as Pi and his mother look on in horror, the cook eats the sailor's body. Pi
starts to feel a tenderness toward the cook. Then the cook kills Pi's mother in a
scuffle over a sea turtle. Pi watches from the raft. The next morning Pi fights with the
cook, kills him, and then eats his flesh. Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba discuss the
story privately.

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

They notice the people in the second version parallel the animals in the first—the
orangutan is Pi's mother, the zebra is the sailor, the cook is the hyena, and Pi is
the tiger. Mr. Okamoto asks Pi if the cook mentions a mechanical or structural failure
or foreign object as the cause of the Tsimtsum's wreck. The officials agree on the
story with animals. Pi responds, "And so it goes with God."

The visiting writer shares Mr.

Okamoto's official report on
the Tsimtsum's wreck. Mr.
Okamoto poses some
theories of the wreck's cause
in his report but concludes
the cause is impossible to
determine. He adds Pi's
survival is "an astounding
story of courage and
endurance," a story that
stands alone in the history of
shipwrecks. Finally, Mr. Okamoto mentions Pi crossed the sea with a tiger.

Checklist of key elements

Key elements to which you should align your teaching. This list is
not exclusive or prescriptive and should be used in conjunction with other salient
aspects in the analysis of the novel Life of Pi.
1. The concept of an allegory.
2. Foreshadowing
3. Alter ego
4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
5. Pavlov’s Theory of Conditioning
6. Indicators of ‘evidence’
7. Pondicherry as the territory in India where Piscine grew up
8. Find the association of Isaac Luria’s theory of cosmogony to the perpetuation
of life after the sinking of the Tsimtsum
9. Significance of studying the three-toed sloth
10. Memento mori
11. Misinformed perception that animals are not happy living in a zoo
12. How does the circus trainer train lions?
13. Brain over Brawn
14. Flight Distance
15. Father teaches Ravi and a Pi a lesson- about the otherness of animals–
Mahisha

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
16. Territoriality
17. Anthropomorphism
18. Zoomorphism
19. Polytheism
20. Atheism
21. Agnosticism
22. State of Emergency
23. Routine and ritual
24. Social Rank and hierarchy, alpha, beta and omega
25. Dry yeastless factuality vs the better story
26. Adult Pi’s heavily stocked cupboards.
27. Pi’s strategy to forge a new identity
28. Symbolism of Pi’s name
29. Pi’s biology teacher: Mr Satish Kumar
30. The role of Aunty Rohini
31. Pi finds Christianity– Father Martin
32. The Muslim mystic
33. The three wise men: Pi is forced to choose one religion
34. Link to Robinson Crusoe
35. ‘entire childhood memorialized in four…photographs’: fading memories
36. Family will sail like Columbus to America
37. The sinking of the Tsimtsum
38. Pi is used as a scapegoat
39. A zebra then lands in the lifeboat
40. Richard Parker is encouraged to swim
41. Orange Juice floats on a bunch of bananas
42. The ecosystem of animals in the boat
43. Battle between the orangutan and the hyena
44. Pi feelings: Hope vs. despair (The tanker)
45. Animal metaphors
46. The death of the zebra
47. Richard Parker’s sea-sickness
48. Naming of Richard Parker vs. Naming of Pi.
49. Pi builds a raft: symbolism of the raft
50. Pi’s willingness to survive – enables him to create a powerful alter-ego.
51. Richard Parker kills the hyena
52. Survival strategy: Vegetarianism to eating meat
53. Pi finds food and water in the locker
54. Pi goes through the survival manual
55. Works at establishing an alpha relationship
56. Improving the raft with a mast and canopy

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Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
57. Flying fish
58. Killing of the dorado
59. Pi is able to manage Richard Parker by means of a whistle
60. Observe that Pi is moving towards selfhood. He develops a routine
61. Pi suffers from exposure
62. Pi is forced to kill turtles and experiences challenges
63. Using the Turtle Shell as a shield
64. The solar stills
65. Spiritual parallel/Dependence on Faith
66. Pi sees a light: False hope
67. The dream rag
68. Abandoned refrigerator- message in a bottle *Trash Island*
69. Pi and Richard Parker lose their vision
70. The appearance of the blind Frenchman
71. The beauty of the whales and dolphins
72. The storm at sea
73. Algae Island
74. Richard Parker’s unceremonious departure
75. Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba's three-hour interview with Pi Patel.
76. The second story
77. Personal note about Pi: few castaways have survived as long as he did, and
none of them did so ‘in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.’
78. The sustained symbolism of water

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Useful Quotations for educators
● ‘Life is so beautiful that death that death has fallen in love with it, a
jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can.’
● ‘animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity.’
● ‘zoos are longer in people’s good graces. Religion faces the same
problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.
● repetition is important in the training not only of animals but of
humans.’
● ‘in that elusive, irrational number with which scientists try to
understand the universe, I found refuge.’
● ‘There is ‘no sound reason for believing in anything but our sense
experience.’
● ‘Atheists will go as far as the legs of reason will carry them – and
then they leap.’
● ‘memory is an ocean and he bobs on its surface.’
● ‘His house is a temple.’
● ‘But religion is more than rite and ritual.’
● ‘Love. That was Father Martin’s answer.’
● ‘The presence of God is the finest of rewards.’
● Lack imagination and miss the better story.’
● ‘Mr and Mr Kumar were the prophets of my youth.’
● ‘lack imagination and miss the final story.’
● ‘there were there all along, but I hadn’t seen them because I
wasn’t looking for them’
● ‘nature forever holds surprises.’
● ‘I am a person who believes in form, a harmony of order.’
● ‘His paws were like volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica.’
● ‘To be a castaway is to be at a point perpetually at a circle.’
● ‘You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm all you
already know.’
● ‘the island was Gandhian.’
● ‘It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to
start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I
dare say, even wholeness.’
● ‘Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act
of love.’

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Othello
Let us revise the plot of Othello.
Othello is a military general who works for the state of Venice. He is not from Venice. He is a Moor
meaning he's from North Africa, so he's in a very unusual position. He is an important figure in
Venice but he is perceived as an outsider. Othello elopes
with a young Venetian woman named Desdemona
however her father Brabantio disapproves of the marriage.
Roderigo and Iago are discussing Othello’s secret marriage
to Desdemona. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, and
he is angry that Iago didn't tell him about the marriage In
Venice. Roderigo complains to Iago that, despite the money
he has given Iago to help him woo Desdemona, she has
eloped with the General.
Iago responds that he too hates Othello, for whom he
works as a standard-bearer (ancient). Othello chose Cassio,
rather than Iago, to be his lieutenant. Iago’s hatred runs quite deep since he believes that unlike Cassio,
he has experience of leaving squadron in the field at war. Unike Cassio who is a Florentine, Iago is a
venetian and lastly three great men of the city spoke on Iago’s behalf but Othello simply responded
that he has chosen his lieutenant.
The two men go to the home of Desdemona's father, the senator Brabantio, and rouse him with graphic
descriptions of his daughter having sex with the Moor describing Othello as being lustful.
Brabantio, enraged, follows Roderigo who leads
him to the inn at which Othello and Desdemona are
staying. Cassio informs Othello that the Duke has
summoned him on some ugent matter. Brabantio
accompanies Othello to see the Duke. In front of
the Duke, Brabantio accuses Othello of having
used witchcraft to seduce Desdemona.
Othello responds that it was stories of his
exciting life history and military bravery that won
Desdemona.
When summoned, Desdemona supports Othello's story. The Duke then sends Othello to lead a fleet of
Venetians to defend Cyprus from a Turkish attack. Desdemona accompanies him.
Iago is selfish and manipulative. He reassures Roderigo that he will still win Desdemona in the end,
then privately admits that he's just using Roderigo for money while he plots his own revenge. When the
Venetians arrive in Cyprus, the governor Montano reports that a storm at sea has drowned the Turkish
fleet, eliminating the military threat.

Iago quickly hatches a plan to make Othello believe that

Desdemona has been unfaithful to him with Cassio.
That night, while Othello and Desdemona go to bed to
consummate their marriage, Iago succeeds in
getting Cassio drunk. He then goads Roderigo into
provoking Cassio. A brawl starts. Someone sounds the
alarm and Othello arrives to find out what is happening.
Iago minces his words so that he does not reveal his
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plot to demote Cassio. Othello believes that Iago is being a loyal friend to Cassio and is reluctant
to reveal Cassio’s role in the brawl. Othello therefore removes Michael Cassio from his post for being
drunk and disorderly. Iago is promoted as the lieutenant.

Meanwhile, Iago convinces Cassio to approach Desdemona to try to get Othello to reinstate him.
Cassio asks her to help him mend his relationship with the General and have him reinstated as
lieutenant. Desdemona is happy to help him because she knows him and thinks he's a loyal friend of
Othello's.

Iago then uses Desdemona's requests that he be merciful to Cassio to make Othello suspect that
Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Othello, takes the bait, repeatedly praising Iago for his
honesty. Desdemona comes in to tell him people are waiting for him to come eat with them and he says
he has a headache she tries to wrap his head with her handkerchief and he pushes it away and she
drops it. After they leave Emilia picks up the handkerchief because Iago has asked her to
steal it. She goes to Iago and says that she has something for him. He is impatient and asks her to
hand it over and tells her to leave. This displays the lack of respect he shows his wife and other
women. Later, when Desdemona accidentally drops a handkerchief that Othello had given to her
as a love-token. Emilia gives it to Iago, who had long asked her to steal it for him. Iago then
plants it in Cassio's room.

Othello, upset, demands that Iago show him

proof of Desdemona's infidelity. Iago responds
that he has heard Cassio fantasise lewdly
about Desdemona in his sleep and that he
has seen Cassio wipe his mouth with
Desdemona's handkerchief.
Othello promotes Iago to the status of lieutenant
and orders him to kill Cassio within three days.

Othello asks her for the handkerchief.

Desdemona, who had been searching for the
handkerchief, admits she can't find it. Othello
storms off. Meanwhile, Cassio asks Bianca to make a copy of a handkerchief he's recently found in his
room, because he admires it.

Iago continues to spur Othello's jealousy.

When he reports that Cassio has admitted to
sleeping with Desdemona, Othello falls into an
epileptic fit. Iago urges Othello to hide while he
questions Cassio about Desdemona. In fact, he
asks Cassio about Bianca, causing Cassio to
laugh. Watching from afar, Othello grows
increasingly furious believing that Cassio is
responding to questions about Desdemona.
Then, Bianca shows up, and throws Desdemona's handkerchief at Cassio, accusing him of having it from
another whore, which makes it look like Michael Cassio took it from Desdemona and gave it to his
prostitute. Othello perceives this as the ocular proof that he was looking for. After Cassio and Bianca

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leave, Iago easily persuades Othello to kill Desdemona. Iago promises to take care of Cassio
himself. Roderigo complains to Iago saying that Iago has been taking his gold and jewels and
promising to deliver them to Desdemona but he's no closer to sleeping with Desdemona than
before. Iago gets his trust back and convinces him that the best way to win Desdemona is to
kill Michael Cassio. He then convinces Roderigo that if Cassio were to die, Othello would have
to remain in Cyprus, leaving Desdemona in Venice for Roderigo. Iago instructs Roderigo to wait
outside Bianca's house that night and kill Cassio when he
leaves.

A nobleman named Lodovico arrives from Venice with letters

from the Duke removing Othello from command and putting
Cassio in charge of Cyprus. While Othello is reading the letters
in front of
Lodovico,

Desdemona and others he gets angry at

Desdemona and hits her, shocking everyone.
Othello accuses Emilia of helping Desdemona
cheat then calls Desdemona a whore.

That night, Iago sets Roderigo up to kill Cassio

as planned. When Cassio exits Bianca's house,
Roderigo attacks him; both are wounded.
Overhearing Roderigo's cries for help, Othello believes that Cassio is dead and is impressed by
Iago's loyalty. Meanwhile, Iago goes to Bianca's; finding Cassio wounded, he stabs Roderigo,
killing him (and thus assuring that his secret will
not be revealed). Iago then calls the others,
including Bianca, whom he arrests, accusing
her of having conspired with Roderigo. While
this is going on, Othello arrives at Desdemona's
chamber.

Enchanted by her beauty, he nonetheless

resists her pleas to spare her life, and he
smothers her with a pillow. Emilia arrives to tell Othello that Roderigo is dead and Cassio alive,
when she hears Desdemona's dying cries.

When Emilia demands why Othello has killed Desdemona, Othello explains how Iago proved to
him that Desdemona slept with Cassio. As Montana, Iago, and Gratiano, a relative of Brabantio's all
arrive, Emilia accuses Iago of lying and explains that she stole this from Desdemona at her husband's
behest. Othello attacks Iago. In the uproar, Iago stabs and kills Emilia, then flees. Montano and
Gratiano disarm Othello, then chase down Iago.
When he is dragged back in their custody, Othello
wounds him before being disarmed again. Letters found on
Roderigo's corpse reveal the full extent of Iago's plots; he
himself refuses to explain himself. Othello draws a hidden
dagger and, after a speech, kills himself.

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OTHELLO CHECKLIST: COVER THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS

ASPECT
1. Setting Venice, Cyprus
2. Plot overview Iago agrees to help Roderigo to find an approach
• Iago’s manipulation of Roderigo to win Desdemona’s love. However, he never
fulfills his promises, betraying him instead. Iago
uses Roderigo to destroy Cassio's reputation and
career.
In Act 1, Iago uses Roderigo's love for
Desdemona against him, manipulating him into
participating in his scheme to ruin Othello. This is
where the story began. Shakespeare crafts a
cunning, yet honest character for the viewers.

How does Iago continue to manipulate Roderigo

at the end of the act?
How does Iago continue to manipulate Roderigo
at the end of the act? Iago tells him to sell
everything and bring back the money.

• Iago’s reasons for hatred towards
Othello
He says that he hates Othello because Othello
passed him over for a promotion to lieutenant,
choosing Cassio, who he claims is much less
qualified, instead of him. He also claims that he
suspects that his own wife, Emilia, has cheated
on him with Othello, making him a cuckold.

• Desdemona’s elopement Dramatic Elopement. One of Venice's most

eligible debutantes, Desdemona, daughter of the
esteemed Senator Brabantio, has been secretly
married. The amazing news is true: she has
eloped to get married against the wishes of
her father.
• Brabantio’s reaction Brabantio reacts to the marriage of Othello and
Desdemona with shock and disbelief. As well as
harbouring racial prejudices towards Othello, he
simply cannot believe that his daughter would go
against his wishes.
.
• Jealousy (In Othello, the hero succumbs to jealousy
when Iago convinces him that Desdemona
has been an unfaithful wife – in the end, Othello
murders his wife and then kills himself.) It is
interesting that Iago uses jealousy against

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Othello, yet jealousy is likely the source of Iago's

hatred in the first place.
The rapid development of the actions in
Shakespeare's play reveals Othello's gradual fall
from grace as a result of his growing jealousy.
At the end of the play, Othello realises his naivety
and lack of confidence in his wife's innocence and
fidelity.
4. Themes
• Jealousy Jealousy motivates the central conflicts of
Othello: Iago's resentment of Othello, and
Othello's suspicion of Desdemona. Iago is
immediately revealed as a jealous character: in
the first scene, he complains that Cassio has
been promoted instead of him even though “I am
worth no worse a place”.

• Manipulation Shakespeare's Othello, the concept of taking

advantage of someone through manipulation
leads to unnecessary, horrible events. Using
the character of Roderigo, Iago manipulates him
into doing everything he wants. At the beginning
of the tragedy, Iago and Roderigo are talking
poorly about Othello.
• Betrayal Characters: Iago, Cassio, Desdemona
Othello and Roderigo both endure a crippling
betrayal at the hands of the sinister Iago. Iago
betrays his General Othello by trying to ruin
his relationship with Desdemona through a
series of devious acts designed to get
revenge on Othello for not promoting him to
Lieutenant.
• Love & Honour He wants Desdemona to marry one of the
white men he chooses for her, but she falls in
love with Othello and secretly marries him.
This is our first encounter with honour, actually
dishonour. Desdemona has betrayed her father
and has been dishonest when she escapes with
Othello.
For much of the play, Othello resists, ignores,
or seems indifferent to the racism that dogs
him. But eventually he internalizes Iago's and
• Racism others' idea that his Blackness makes him
barbarous. This belief, as much as his conviction
of Desdemona's guilt, allows Othello to kill his
wife.
5. Symbols The handkerchief, a gift to Desdemona from
• Handkerchief Othello, symbolises so much more than a mere
token of affection. To Othello, the
handkerchief symbolises fidelity and the act of
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• Willows tree song
• Colour green- Jealousy
• Darkness & Light
• Images of old animals and
demons.
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
giving it to Desdemona represents a promise that
he will be true to her, and a request that she stay
true to him.
The symbolic meaning of the willow tree is
essential for the image of the character. Being a
symbol of a woman left by her lover, willow is
the reflection of Desdemona. As a physical
embodiment of grief, it helps readers understand
the innocence of Othello's wife.
The Green-eyed monster represents jealousy.
Darkness could represent solely the interracial
relationship between Othello and Desdemona,
but to the deep reader, it is also shown that light
represents purity and truth, whereas the dark
represents stealth, negativity, and fear.
When he describes Othello's match with
Desdemona he uses crude animal imagery, an
old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe he
informs the senator (I. 1.87–8); his daughter has
been covered with a Barbary horse (I.1.110); the
couple is making the beast with two backs.
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Let us get to know the main characters
Name of Character traits
character
Othello Brave man, courageous
soldier. He has courage,
intelligence, the skill of
command, and the respect of
his troops.
He believes that men should
be transparent and as honest
as he is. He has a vulnerability
to being easily manipulated
and trusting too quickly.
Insecurities are derived from
his race and from the
perception that he is an
outsider. Othello is insecure
about his appearance and
age.
Othello's jealousy impedes
his ability to distinguish
between reality and
appearance.
September 2023
Quotations linked to the description
The Duke of Venice talks about
Othello describing his valorous nature,
"Valiant Othello we must straight
employ you against the general
enemy Ottoman" (1.3:48-49).
“Certain, men should be what they
seem”
(3.3:134).
Haply for I am black,
And have not those soft parts of
conversation
That chamberers have; or for I am
declined
Into the vale of years (3.3:267-269)
"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster, which
doth mock
The meat it feeds on."
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Grade 12 EngHL
Textual Evidence/ Structuring an argument/Reinforcing your point
The word valiant, reiterates that the Duke of Venice perceives
Othello as being courageous and considering it is the Duke of
Venice who spoke these esteemed words, it adds credibility to the
assertion that Othello is indeed a highly-respected General of the
army of Venice. The tone of his voice, 'we must' also describes the
urgency of this mission showing how without a doubt Othello is the
only man for the job. It describes how Othello even though he is
black, has the respect of a noble white in the court.
Othello’s initial trust in the integrity and honesty of men is
highlighted in that he is easily manipulated by Iago who Othello
believes to be honest. As an honest man himself, he has no reason
to doubt Iago when Iago starts to allude to Desdemona’s infidelity.
It is ironic that although he believes that men should be honest,
with minimal trepidation he trusts Iago yet displays an
unwillingness to trust his own wife.
He is not a native of Venice, he is Moor. Othello is easy prey to
insecurities because of his self-consciousness about being a racial
and cultural outsider. Othello speaks on the colour of his skin,
making it into a symbol for his lack of sophistication and
attractiveness. This leads to doubts that Desdemona could love him;
how he sees himself influences how he views Desdemona's love.
It is ironic that Iago warns Othello about the ill-effects of jealousy
when his ultimate aim is to ignite an uncontrollable and enraged
jealousy in Othello. When Othello is overcome by jealousy, he
does become beast-like, falling into epileptic fits that rob him of the
ability to speak intelligibly.
 Just in Time Revision September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL

Name of Character Quotations linked to the description Textual Evidence/ Structuring an argument/Reinforcing your point
character traits
Iago Exhibits “But I will wear my heart upon my Iago is confessing to treacherous acts and saying that by wearing his
character traits sleeve. For daws to peck at: I am not heart upon his sleeve, or truly exposing himself, opening himself up, he
of duplicity what I am.” (1.1.64-65) would be inviting crows to peck away at him. So he will keep his true
emotions and intentions hidden.
Amorality Let us be conjunctive in our revenge Iago displays his amorality in that he intentionally misleads Roderigo
against him. If thou canst cuckold him, into believing that he may win Desdemona’s love. Roderigo in his
thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. foolishness believes that if he gives Iago Iago it may expedite their
There are many events in the womb of plan. His plan to cuckold Othello by making it appear that Cassio and
time which will be delivered. Traverse, Desdemona are engaged in an illicit affair further reinforces his lack of
go, provide thy money. We will have morals. He knows that Roderigo lusts after Desdemona and is angry to
more of this tomorrow. learn that she is married Othello. Iago encourages Roderigo to believe
(1.3.410- 415). that by participating in Iago’s plot, he might have the chance to have an
affair with Desdemona
IAGO Iago's manipulations are revealed in his soliloquies and in his dialogue.
Hah? I like not that. Rhetorical strategies are continually used to get a point across or to
OTHELLO manipulate another. Iago uses many devices to put false accusations
Manipulation What dost thou say? into Othello’s head. Iago uses rhetorical question, imagery, and
IAGO sarcasm. He questions Othello and makes him think the worst between
Nothing, my lord; or if—I know not what. Cassio and Desdemona. Last his sarcasm creates the assurances
OTHELLO Othello needed to be duped.
Was not that Cassio parted from my wife? Further evidence of manipulation
IAGO He lies consistently, making up a dream of Cassio's. Iago's ultimate
Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think goal is to destroy Othello by making him doubt his wife. If others
it, That he would steal away so guilty-like, become "enmeshed" in the lies, Iago has no concern.
Seeing your coming.
OTHELLO
I do believe ’twas he. (3.3:34-41)

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Name of Character Quotations linked to the description Textual Evidence/ Structuring an argument/Reinforcing your point
character traits
Cassio makes this comment to Iago after greeting Emilia with a kiss.
Cassio Sophisticated Tis my breeding He intends to signal that he did not mean any disrespect by kissing
and respectful That gives me this bold show of another man’s wife but that this sort of behaviour is simply part of the
to female courtesy. (2.1.) good manners he is used to displaying. He might also be commenting
characters on manners in his native Florence being different from what would be
expected in Venice. The quote is significant because it shows how
Cassio’s gallant and possibly even flirtatious behavior could be open to
misinterpretation, a weakness Iago will later exploit.
Brave, Iago says of Cassio: "He hath a daily The quote refers to the level of everyday attractiveness (not just
benevolent beauty in his life, / That makes me ugly. physical, but also in character and personality) that Cassio possesses.
and honest This line shows Iago's insecurity It shows that even Iago understands
the depth of the contrast between his character and how he is
perceived by others and that of Cassio’s.
Morally Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost Cassio says these lines in shame and sadness after Othello has angrily
upright, has a the immortal part of myself and what chastised him and stripped him of his position. Although not physically
moral remains is bestial. (2.3.) hurt, Cassio knows he has lost his public image and the respect of
compass Othello, both of which pain him. The quote shows how much value
Cassio places on his honour and reputation, and how he would never
willingly do something shameful.
Low alcohol I have very poor and unhappy brains for Here Cassio explains to Iago why he needs to carefully moderate how
tolerance level drinking. (2.3.) much alcohol he consumes, since he has a weak tolerance and rapidly
becomes very inebriated. Cassio thinks Iago is a trusted friend who will
look after him and make sure he does not get into trouble. Iago,
however, deliberately uses this information against Cassio, getting him
very drunk and setting him up to be involved in a fight.

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Name of Character Quotations linked to the description Textual Evidence/ Structuring an argument/Reinforcing your point
character traits
Desdemona Shows I am hitherto your daughter. But here's Desdemona makes it clear to her father, who has come to take her
assertiveness my husband, back from Othello for he believed that Othello has stolen her daughter
initially And so much duty as my mother show'd with the help of witchcraft, that even if she is his daughter, she would
To you, preferring you before her father, have to deny him of allegiance as her loyalty now lies with her
So much I challenge that I may profess husband. Her father does not want to believe this but Othello defended
Due to the Moor, my lord. himself by explaining how Desdemona had approached him and asked
him to retell his stories full of adventure and valour in the battlefield.
Loyal friend, Do not doubt, Cassio, Here, Desdemona cheerfully reassures Cassio that she will bring about
embodies love But I will have my lord and you again a reconciliation between him and Othello. The quote shows that at this
As friendly as you were. (3.3.) point Desdemona feels confident in her relationship and sure that she
can persuade her husband to share her perspective. The quote is an
example of dramatic irony in that Desdemona thinks she is being kind
and helpful, but has no idea that she is about to fall victim to the trap
Iago has laid.
Desdemona’s Othello says, "And bade me, if I had a Desdemona idolises her husband, Othello. For Desdemona, Othello
love for Othello friend that loved her, I should but teach represents an exciting, adventurous future and a tacit rejection of the
is rooted in her him how to tell my story, and that would Venetian society in which she was raised. Part of Othello's attraction is
attraction to woo her. Upon this hint I spoke. She his identity as a warrior—he is a dangerous man who has survived
his stories of loved me for the dangers I had passed, many adventures on the battlefield.
adventure and I loved her that she did pity them.
This only is the witchcraft I have used.
Here comes the lady. Let her witness."
(1.3.163)
Desdemona is When Emilia asks her, “O, who hath Desdemona remained a submissive character throughout the play,
passive, meek done this deed?” In response to Emilia’s most notably in her willingness to take credit for her own murder.
and question Desdemona’s last words are,
submissive. “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. / Commend
me to my kind lord. O, farewell”.
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Desdemona ‘s I think the sun where he was born Drew all Desdemona insists to Emilia that Othello is not a jealous man.
naïvety such humors from him. (3.4.) She makes a playful reference to Othello’s origins, suggesting
that the sun in his native land made him impervious to
jealousy, and therefore he is an exception to the typical
Venetian tendency to be suspicious of women’s behaviour.
The quote shows Desdemona’s naïve and trusting nature,
since she does not realize just how jealous her husband is
capable of being.
Emilia
Unconventional “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; She is a sharp contrast to the soft and complacent
only to a certain To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They Desdemona. This line, spoken by Emilia, is a metaphor which
extent belch us.” expresses her resentment at men. Emilia views men as
abusers, and it is from this view that her metaphor arises, one
in which women are chewed up and devoured and belched
back up again. Emilia reveals a sharp-eyed and self-aware
perspective on how women are often vulnerable to abuse at
the hands of their husbands
Obedient and “my wayward husband hath a hundred times When Desdemona accidentally drops her handkerchief, Emilia
trusting of her Wooed me to steal it” (3.3.). seizes the opportunity to pick it up, noting that “my wayward
husband husband hath a hundred times / Wooed me to steal it” (3.3.).
She shows only a small amount of suspicion as to what Iago
plans to do with it, and accepts his refusal to tell her. These
actions suggest that Emilia, at least initially, is at best passive,
and at worst unbeknowingly complicit in Iago’s schemes.

When Iago wants to set up the appearance of inappropriate

behaviour between Cassio and Desdemona, he decides that
“my wife must move for Cassio to her mistress” (2.3.) and
shortly thereafter Emilia facilitates a meeting between
Desdemona and Cassio, and encourages her
mistress to advocate on behalf of Cassio.

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Emilia also She chastises Othello for doubting his wife’s Even though she is in a highly dangerous situation, alone with a
shows courage virtue, scolding him “If you think other/ Remove man who has just proven himself capable of murder and might
and self- your thought” (4.2.). When she realises Othello well kill her in order to conceal his crime, she lashes out at the
assurance has killed Desdemona, Emilia immediately wrongful killing of her mistress.
lashes out at him, stating “Thou dost belie her
and thou art a devil” (5.2.). Even though she is
in a highly dangerous situation, alone with a
man who has just proven himself capable of
murder and might well kill her in order to
conceal his crime,
Bravery As she realises the role her husband has played
in bringing about Desdemona’s death, Emilia
insists on exposing Iago’s plot, stating in front of
everyone that “your reports have set the murder
on” (5.2.184). Iago repeatedly threatens her and
tells her to be quiet, but Emilia insists that “I will
speak as liberal as the north” (5.2.). Emilia dies
hoping that her final bravery will redeem her
previous silence and obedience: “So come my
soul to bliss, as I speak true” (5.2.), but her
death also shows that within the world of the
play, there is no promise of a happy fate for a
woman..

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HAMLET
A SUMMARY OF THE PLOT OF HAMLET

1. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is home from school to mourn the

death of his father, King Hamlet, who has died two months
earlier. Hamlet is disgusted by the marriage of his newly widowed
mother, Queen Gertrude, to his Uncle, King Hamlet’s brother,
Claudius, who now has the throne.

2. Shortly thereafter, a ghost has appeared to guards on

nightly watch as well as Hamlet’s good friend, Horatio, who
thinks the spirit has a likeness to the former King Hamlet.
When prompted to speak by Horatio, the ghost will not.
Horatio asks Hamlet to wait for the ghost and see if it will
speak to him. The ghost of his father beckons Hamlet to
follow him and reveals that his brother Claudius poisoned
him in the ear. Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s murder.

3. Meanwhile, Laertes, son to the King’s advisor

Polonius is set to return to France. Before he
leaves, he tells Ophelia, his sister, to be weary of
Hamlet’s affections towards her. Polonius gives
Laertes advice on how to act abroad and orders
Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. .

4. Hamlet’s sanity begins to be questioned by all.

Claudius and Gertrude are both concerned; Polonius
suggests it is Ophelia’s rejection of his advances.
Claudius and Polonius decide to spy on Hamlet and
Ophelia. Claudius further employs Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern, two childhood friends of Hamlet, to spy
on him further. Hamlet quickly realises their
intentions.

5. A troupe of players happens to be in town and Hamlet utilizes the actors to

determine the validity of his father’s murder. He will have them perform the very act
of murder, killing a king through poison in the ear, which the ghost has claimed. He
asks Horatio to watch Claudius’ reaction throughout the play. While the court is
watching, Claudius is enraged and leaves the play convincing Hamlet that he is the
murderer.

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6. Hamlet comes upon Claudius in the chapel, kneeling down to

pray. He considers killing him then
and there, but since Claudius is in
mid-prayer, and will therefore go to
heaven if he dies, Hamlet decides to
wait until Claudius is committing
some sin, so that he will go to hell
like Hamlet’s father before him.

. 7. Hamlet meets
Gertrude in her room and
an argument ensues.
When he hears Polonius
who is hiding behind the curtain shout for help, he stabs him
thinking it is Claudius. The ghost appears to Hamlet to
refocus him on the task of killing Claudius.

8. Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, whose father’s lands were seized by the late King,
decides to head to Denmark. Claudius demands that Hamlet, Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern head for England. Claudius has sent a letter with them ordering
Hamlet’s execution during the trip. While at sea, however, Hamlet discovers his
planned murder and switches the orders, causing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to
be executed. Hamlet returns to Denmark.

9. Meanwhile back at Elsinore, Ophelia has gone mad with grief. Laertes returns
from France and learns it was Hamlet who has killed his father, Polonius. Claudius
suggests that Laertes duel with Hamlet and poisons the tip of Laertes foil for a fatal
blow. If Laertes loses the duel, Claudius will put poison into a drink for Hamlet.
Gertrude enters and announces that Ophelia has drowned.

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10. In the graveyard, Hamlet reminisces on a friend of

his whose skull he has found. When the processional
arrives with Ophelia’s corpse, Laertes and Hamlet argue.
A duel is scheduled.

11. During the fight, Gertrude accidentally drinks from the poisoned chalice and dies.
Hamlet is wounded with the poisoned sword, but in a scuffle, the foils are switched
and Laertes is also wounded with the poisoned foil. In dying, Laertes confesses
Claudius’ plot to kill Hamlet. Hamlet stabs Claudius and Hamlet dies asking Horatio
to tell his story. The Norwegian forces arrive at Elsinore, and Prince Fortinbras
seizes control of Denmark.

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DRAMA: HAMLET
CHECKLIST: COVER THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS
ASPECT
1. Setting
2. Plot overview
• The guards have spotted
the ghost.
King Hamlet is dead.
• Hamlet is informed about
the ghost
• Polonius advises Ophelia
to stay away from Hamlet
• Hamlet meets the ghost
• Polonius spies on Hamlet
and Ophelia’s
conversation
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Elsinore, Denmark
The play begins on a cold night with the changing of the
guard. King Hamlet has died, and his brother Claudius has
taken the throne. However, for the past two nights, the
guards (Francisco and Bernardo) have seen a restless ghost
resembling the old king wandering the castle grounds. They
inform Hamlet’s friend Horatio of what they've seen.
The next morning, the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude, the
wife of the late king, takes place. When the room clears,
Hamlet soliloquizes on his disgust at their union, which he
views as a betrayal of his father at best and, at worst, incest.
Horatio and the guards enter and tell Hamlet to meet the
ghost that night.
Meanwhile, Laertes, the son of the king's advisor Polonius, is
getting ready for school. He says goodbye to his sister
Ophelia, who is romantically interested in Hamlet. Polonius
enters and lectures Laertes extensively on how to behave at
school. Both father and son then warn Ophelia about Hamlet;
in response, Ophelia promises to no longer see him.
That night, Hamlet meets the ghost, who claims to be the
ghost of the king—Hamlet's father. The ghost says that he
was murdered by Claudius, that Claudius put poison in his
ear while he slept, and that Gertrude slept with Claudius even
before his death. The ghost orders Hamlet to avenge the
murder, but not to punish his mother. Hamlet agrees. Later,
he informs Horatio and Marcellus, one of the guards that he
will pretend to be mad until he can get his revenge.
Polonius sends a spy, Reynaldo, to France to keep an eye on
Laertes. Ophelia enters and tells Polonius that Hamlet
entered her room in a mad state, grabbing her wrists and
staring wildly into her eyes. She also adds that she has cut
off all contact with Hamlet. Polonius, certain that Hamlet is
madly in love with Ophelia and that it was Ophelia's rejection
that put him in this state, decides to meet the king to concoct
a plan to spy on Hamlet in conversation with Ophelia.
Meanwhile, Gertrude has asked Hamlet’s school friends
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to try to figure out the cause of
his madness. Hamlet is suspicious of them, and he evades
their questions.
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• Hamlet’s delay
• Hamlet’s antic disposition
• The Mousetrap play
• The accidental death of
Polonius
• Hamlet is sent to England
• Ophelia is driven to insanity
• Laertes seeks revenge
• Hamlet returns to England
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
Soon, a theatre troupe arrives, and Hamlet requests that the
following night they perform a certain play, The Murder of
Gonzago, with a few passages inserted written by Hamlet.
Alone on stage, Hamlet voices his frustration about his own
indecisiveness. He decides he must figure out if the ghost is
truly his father or if it is a specter leading him to sin without
reason. Because the play depicts of a king who kills his
brother and marries his sister-in-law, Hamlet believes that the
performance scheduled for the next night will make Claudius
show his guilt.
Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia as she
returns the gifts he gave her. They become confused when
Hamlet spurns her, telling her to go to a nunnery. Claudius
concludes that the cause of Hamlet's madness is not his love
for Ophelia, and decides that he should send Hamlet away to
England, unless Gertrude can figure out the true cause.
During the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, Claudius
stops the action just after the scene in which poison is poured
into the king's ear. Hamlet tells Horatio he is now certain that
Claudius murdered his father.
In the next scene, Claudius attempts to pray in church, but
his guilt prevents him from doing so. Hamlet enters and
readies himself to kill Claudius, but stops when he realizes
that Claudius might go to heaven if he is killed while praying.
Gertrude and Hamlet have a bitter fight in her bedchamber.
When Hamlet hears a noise behind the tapestry, he stabs the
intruder: it is Polonius, who dies. The ghost appears again,
rebuking Hamlet for his harsh words against his mother.
Gertrude, who cannot see the ghost, becomes certain that
Hamlet is mad. Hamlet drags Polonius’s body offstage.
Claudius, fearing for his own life, orders Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to bring Hamlet to England. Claudius has
prepared letters telling the English king to kill Hamlet when he
arrives.
Gertrude is told that Ophelia has gone mad with the news of
her father’s death. Ophelia enters, sings a number of strange
songs, and speaks of her father’s death. Soon, Laertes
enters and demands to know about Polonius. When Claudius
tells Laertes that Polonius he is dead, Ophelia enters with a
bundle of flowers, each one symbolic. Laertes, upset by his
sister’s state, promises to listen to Claudius’s explanation.
A messenger approaches Horatio with a letter from Hamlet.
The letter explains that Hamlet snuck onto a pirate vessel
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• Claudius’s plot to kill Hamlet
• Hamlet learns about
Ophelia’s death
• The duel between Hamlet
and Laertes
• Claudius’s plot is
revealed
September 2023 Grade 12 EngHL
that attacked them; after they parted, the pirates mercifully
agreed to take him back to Denmark in return for some
favors. Meanwhile, Claudius has convinced Laertes to join
him against Hamlet.
A messenger arrives with a letter for Claudius from Hamlet,
announcing his return. Quickly, Claudius and Laertes plot
how to kill Hamlet without upsetting Gertrude or the people of
Denmark, with whom Hamlet is popular. The two men agree
to arrange a duel. Laertes acquires a poison blade, and
Claudius plans to give Hamlet a poisoned goblet. Gertrude
then enters with news that Ophelia has drowned, reigniting
Laertes’s anger.
While digging Ophelia’s grave, two gravediggers discuss her
apparent suicide. Hamlet and Horatio enter, and a
gravedigger introduces him to a skull: Yorick, the old king’s
jester whom Hamlet loved. Hamlet considers the nature of
death.
The funeral procession interrupts Hamlet; Claudius, Gertrude,
and Laertes are among the entourage. Laertes jumps into his
sister’s grave and demands to be buried alive. Hamlet
reveals himself and brawls with Laertes, exclaiming that he
loved Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers could. After
Hamlet’s exit, Claudius reminds Laertes of their plan to kill
Hamlet.
Hamlet explains to Horatio that he read Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern’s letters, rewrote one demanding the beheading
of his former friends, and swapped the letters before
escaping on the pirate ship. Osric, a courtier, interrupts with
news of Laertes’s duel. At the court, Laertes takes up the
poisoned blade. After the first point, Hamlet refuses the
poisoned drink from Claudius, from which Gertrude then
takes a sip. While Hamlet is unguarded, Laertes wounds him;
they grapple and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own
poisoned blade. Just then, Gertrude collapses, exclaiming
she has been poisoned. Laertes confesses the plan he
shared with Claudius, and Hamlet wounds Claudius with the
poisoned blade, killing him. Laertes asks for Hamlet’s
forgiveness, and dies.
Hamlet asks Horatio to explain his story and declares
Fortinbras the next king of Denmark, then dies. Fortinbras
enters, and Horatio promises to tell the story of Hamlet.
Fortinbras agrees to hear it, declaring that Hamlet will be
buried as a soldier.
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NAME OF CHARACTER TRAITS TEXTUAL EVIDENCE/LINK

CHARACTER
2. CLAUDIUS lustful, lecherous, incestuous Lustful- it is evident that Claudius would
have pursued an adulterous relationship
with Gertrude.

conniving, shrewd, treacherous, Usurped the throne murdered his brother-

unscrupulous, cunning poured poison in his ear while King Hamlet
slept in the orchard, pretends to show
deceptive, corrupt concern for Hamlet during his mourning
stage, refers to him as ‘son’.

“Will you be ruled by me’ This quote is from

calculating/manipulative, selfish
the conversation Claudius has with Laertes
about the plot to kill Hamlet. This plan is only
hatched to serve his own purpose. He
pretends to be an ally but is clearly
manipulating Laertes to serve his own
needs.

Murdered his brother in order to become

power hungry/ambitious King and will do anything to keep this title –
this demonstrates a clear lack of morals and
values

“My fault is past. But O, what form of prayer

Remorseful Can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul
murder’?”

Claudius is alone when he begins to confess

his sins by praying to god. He says that his
mistakes are in the past, and now he is
asking for forgiveness. God is the only figure
that Claudius actually openly accepts his
mistakes too, proving that though he may
Morally weak have lost his connection with God at some
point, the connection is still there.
Attempts to repent but it is only for a brief
period. Kneels down to pray but not long
after that he is involved in devising a plan to
ship Hamlet off to England with a letter
instructing his murder.

suspicious Suspicious and uneasy about Hamlet’s

behaviour, feels his life and Kingship is
under threat – he resorts to devious plans to
protect himself

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NAME OF CHARACTER TRAITS TEXTUAL EVIDENCE/LINK

CHARACTER
3. POLONIUS Meddlesome Attempts to listen in on a conversation between
Hamlet and Gertrude. Sets his daughter up to
hold a conversation with Hamlet while he
eavesdrops with Claudius

garrulous Evident in his conversation with Ophelia and

Laertes with regards to the advice he offers
them (Ophelia about love and Laertes about his
journey through life).

Exploits his daughter to lure Hamlet, sends

Untrustworthy/hypocritical/ Reynaldo to follow Laertes.
self-centred/self-serving Gives his children advice about life yet acts in
unscrupulous ways

Reads Hamlet’s love letter to Ophelia to the

King and Gertrude- Betrays his daughter- the
love letter is her personal property

Her quick and hasty marriage to Claudius

reflects her thoughtless nature. She does not
4. GERTRUDE Cruel, lustful, self-absorbed consider what impact her decision to marry
Claudius will have on her son.

She is blindly led by Claudius.

The ghost of King Hamlet insinuates that
Claudius is an ‘adulterate beast’- this is
suggestive of Gertrude’s immoral behaviour.

Focuses on herself and her happiness and is

negligent in her role as a mother. Oblivious to
Hamlet’s mental state.
Does not offer adequate support to Hamlet in his
mourning stage but tells him to stop grieving for
his father. Easily manipulated by Claudius.
Makes no utterance about Guildenstern and
Rosencrantz spying on Hamlet.

Listens to Polonius’s speech about Hamlet’s

Lacks judgement
madness.
Never questions Claudius at the beginning of
the play. Redeems herself at the end of the play
when she cautions Hamlet about the poisoned
wine.

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5. OPHELIA Fragile, innocent, naïve,
obedient, gentle
Loyal, trusting
6. HORATIO Loyal, trustworthy, calm,
resolute, rational,
honest, moral integrity
7. LAERTES compulsive, fiery, irrational
caring, protective
Grade 12 EngHL
Easily manipulated and exploited by her father,
used as bait to lure Hamlet into a conversation.
Does not react harshly to Hamlet’s ‘get thee to a
nunnery speech’- her fragile spirit is broken by
his abrasive speech.
Remains loyal to both her brother and her father
with regards to the advice given to her
True and loyal friend to Hamlet. Expresses
genuine and sincere care for Hamlet.
Hamlets reveals his intention of the Mousetrap
play to Horatio, tells him how he returned to
England after being shipped off by Claudius,
wants Horatio to live to tell the tale of the life he
endured.
Serves Hamlet with a sense of duty, loyalty and
love.
He becomes a pawn in Claudius’s plan to kill
Hamlet.
He wants to seek revenge for the murder of his
father at any cost.
Claudius channels Laertes’s seething anger in
the direction of the plan he has devised to get
rid of Hamlet.
Laertes cares deeply for his sister and advises
her to reject Hamlet’s declarations of love. He
does not want his sister’s honour to be stained.
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Let us wrap up our revision of Life of Pi through a rap …

Life of Pi
The narrator is restless,
Looking for inspiration.
Francis Adirubasamy
Helps with this deliberation.
He offers a story which will make the narrator
believe in God
A tall order for one who finds this odd.

Pi is located in Canada
And so begins an unusual story
One that is and isn’t filled with worry.

Pondicherry Zoo is where young Pi lived

An innocent, vegetarian kid.

Aunty Rohini introduces him to Hinduism

A religion of colour and symbolism.
Father Martin tells a story of love,
God’s ultimate sacrifice from above.
Mr Satish Kumar relates the religion of brotherhood,
Community spirit and doing good.
All in all, Pi finds these religions connected,
But, not even three wise men find three religions effective.

The atheist biology teacher, Mr Kumar is a reminder of science and all its wonder
Young Pi sees the beauty in logic and faith and continues to ponder.

A journey to Canada is brought about by political instability

Brave travellers full of curiousity and ingenuity.

But alas the Tsimtsum is laid to rest

A watery grave for animals and humans at best.

Young Pi survives after being thrown into a lifeboat

Animals provide company, it’s no joke.
Left with a tiger, zebra, hyena and orangutan…
Who could have even conceived this plan?

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The hyena eats the zebra and kills Orange Juice

But is ended by Richard Parker once loose.

Alone with a tiger Pi decides to tame the beast

He uses food, an orange whistle and water to say the least.

Our vegetarian kid is no more

Biting fish tails and drinking turtle blood
He becomes a strange sight for sure.

Faith and routine become his guiding light

A sense of optimism that isn’t always bright.

A dream rag serves as a welcome distraction

From hunger, thirst and protraction.

A chance encounter with a blind sailor

Makes blind Pi seem a bit insaner
Richard Parker saves Pi’s life during the crazy encounter.
When he is almost eaten by a starved surmounter.

Starved for human contact and quite sad

Pi makes the decision to not be mad.
However, he continues his descent into humanity
When he consumes strips of the blind man’s vanity.

An algae island appears out of thin air

A strange apparition that is soil, insects and pests bare.
Meerkats are the only signs of animal life
An Eden bringing food, water and no strife.
Pi trains Richard Parker to jump through a hoop
Life seems perfect, an idealistic loop.

However, the island is a cannibal

Everything else goes downhill.
A set of teeth is the deciding factor
In Pi’s decision to leave and not be a protractor.

Mexico becomes the saving land,

But Richard Parker leaves without a look from the sand.

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Pi relates a tale of 227 days at sea

A feat unlike anyone’s cup of tea.
The Japanese officials treat the story with disbelief,
Pi offers another story which is not a treat.

The French cook, Taiwanese sailor and Pi’s mother, Gita

Are the new characters in this tale of woe.
A story of cruelty, cannibalism including survival in toe.

The officials run parallels between the animals and humans,

An observation that can’t be proven.
The sailor is the zebra, the French cook is the hyena.
With the maternal orangutan being Gita.
If all the animals are accountered for
A revelation hits them like a door.
Richard Parker must be Pi.
An alter ego, definitely no lie.

Young Pi’s tale ends quite sadly,

However, everything doesn’t end so badly.
Adult Pi proves a survivor.
A new country, a family and home
Proves an excellent reviver.

This rap summarises the content of the novel Life of Pi.

Written by Mrs Simi Moodley- Clairwood Secondary School

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Let us wrap up our revision of Hamlet through a rap …

Hamlet

Hamlet was in Denmark because of the death of his father

However, his mother was quick to marry another.

Angry, disappointed, and frustrated

He is then told about his father's ghost which has
apparated.

Horatio, his true friend accompanies him to this strange reunion

A ghost? A visit with one no longer human?
Hamlet is then face to face with a tale of murder, woe and deception
Of his uncle Claudius' incestuous, murderous conception.

Vowing revenge, young Hamlet pretends to be mad

And claims an antic disposition which doesn't sound so bad.
Unsure of whether it's evil ghost or murdering kin
His indecision makes Claudius more suspicious and in a spin.

While Ophelia proves, for a while, a welcome distraction

She serves as further proof of female’s dependence on others, their inaction.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern become the king's spies

Quick to profit from Hamlet's perceived lies.

A mouse trap reveals the king's guilt

However, "prayer" saves the murderers built.

A visit to Gertrude's quarters proves fatal

For the eavesdropping, interfering Polonius, part of the king's parastatal.

Young Hamlet is England bound

Off to his death without a sound?
But Hamlet becomes determined
Full of new energy and confidence
He sends R and G to their deaths,
a sign of Providence?

Laertes demands justice

For a father killed and sister wronged
But alas buries a sister before long.

Hamlet returns to England and sees a funeral procession

A fight ensues, Hamlet professes his love for Ophelia,
a small concession.

A duel is concocted by Claudius

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Poison tip and poisoned wine

This all sounds very contrived.

When at last the duel begins

Gertrude is the first to be Death’s win
She is followed by Laertes,
Perhaps death reuniting kin?
Claudius is killed because of his deception
Who could have asked for a better reception?

Poor Hamlet is the last to die

The brave prince, his father avenged, and Horatio is left to cry
Fortinbras arrives and is rewarded
The title of king, something he is surprised to be awarded.

Hamlet, the tale of tragic destiny

A prince cast into a path of necessity.
An unweeded garden no more
Denmark is restored to times of lore.

This rap summarises the content of the play Hamlet.

Written by Mrs Simi Moodley- Clairwood Secondary School

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

A Quick overview of The Picture of Dorian Gray
In the stately London home of his aunt, Lady Brandon, the well-known artist Basil
Hallward meets Dorian Gray. Dorian is a
cultured, wealthy, and rather attractive
young man who immediately captures
Basil’s artistic imagination. Dorian sits for
several portraits, and Basil often depicts him
as an ancient Greek hero or a mythological
figure. When the novel opens, the artist is
completing his first portrait of Dorian as he
truly is, but, as he admits to his friend Lord
Henry Wotton, the painting disappoints him
because it reveals too much of his feeling
for his subject. Lord Henry, a famous wit who enjoys scandalizing his friends by
celebrating youth, beauty, and the selfish pursuit of pleasure, disagrees, claiming
that the portrait is Basil’s masterpiece. Dorian arrives at the studio, and Basil
reluctantly introduces him to Lord Henry, who he fears will have a damaging
influence on the impressionable, young Dorian.
Basil’s fears are well founded; before the end of their first conversation, Lord Henry
upsets Dorian with a speech about the transient nature of beauty and youth. Worried
that these, his most impressive characteristics, are fading day by day, Dorian curses
his portrait, which he believes will one
day remind him of the beauty he will
have lost. In a fit of distress, he pledges
his soul if only the painting could bear
the burden of age and infamy, allowing
him to stay forever young. After Dorian’s
outbursts, Lord Henry reaffirms his
desire to own the portrait; however,
Basil insists the portrait belongs to
Dorian.

Over the next few weeks, Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian grows stronger. The
youth becomes a disciple of the “new Hedonism” and proposes to live a life
dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. He falls in love with Sibyl Vane, a young actress
who performs in a theatre in London’s slums. He adores her acting; she, in turn,
refers to him as “Prince Charming” and refuses to heed the warnings of her brother,
James Vane, that Dorian is no good for her. Overcome by her emotions for Dorian,
Sibyl decides that she can no longer act, wondering how she can pretend to love on
the stage now that she has experienced the real thing. Dorian, who loves
Sibyl because of her ability to act, cruelly breaks his engagement with her. After
doing so, he returns home to notice that his face in Basil’s portrait of him has
changed: it now sneers. Frightened that his wish for his likeness in the painting to
bear the ill effects of his behaviour has come true and that his sins will be recorded
on the canvas, he resolves to make amends with Sibyl the next day. The following
afternoon, however, Lord Henry brings news that Sibyl has killed herself. At Lord

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Henry’s urging, Dorian decides to consider her death a sort of artistic triumph—she
personified tragedy—and to put the matter behind him. Meanwhile, Dorian hides his
portrait in a remote upper room of his house, where no one other than he can watch
its transformation.
Lord Henry gives Dorian a book that describes the wicked exploits of a nineteenth-
century Frenchman; it becomes Dorian’s bible as he sinks ever deeper into a life of
sin and corruption. He lives a life devoted to garnering new experiences and
sensations with no regard for conventional standards of morality or the
consequences of his actions. Eighteen years pass. Dorian’s reputation suffers in
circles of polite London society, where rumours spread regarding his scandalous
exploits. His peers nevertheless continue to accept him because he remains young
and beautiful. The figure in the painting, however, grows increasingly wizened and
hideous. On a dark, foggy night, Basil Hallward arrives at Dorian’s home to confront
him about the rumours that plague his reputation. The two argue, and Dorian
eventually offers Basil a look at his (Dorian’s) soul. He shows Basil the now-hideous
portrait, and Hallward, horrified, begs him to repent. Dorian claims it is too late for
penance and kills Basil in a fit of rage.

In order to dispose of the body, Dorian employs the help of an estranged friend, a
doctor, whom he blackmails. The night after the murder, Dorian makes his way to an
opium den, where he encounters James Vane, who attempts to avenge Sibyl’s
death. Dorian escapes to his country estate. While entertaining guests, he notices
James Vane peering in through a window, and he becomes wracked by fear and
guilt. When a hunting party accidentally shoots and kills Vane, Dorian feels safe
again. He resolves to amend his life but cannot muster the courage to confess his
crimes, and the painting now reveals his supposed desire to repent for what it is—
hypocrisy. In a fury, Dorian picks up the knife he used to stab Basil Hallward and
attempts to destroy the painting. There is a crash, and his servants enter to find the
portrait, unharmed, showing Dorian Gray as a beautiful young man. On the floor lies
the body of their master—an old man, horribly wrinkled and disfigured, with a knife
plunged into his heart.

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Symbols in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Setting

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Important Concepts

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Let us meet some of the main characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray

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A Quick overview of the plot of The Crucible by Arthur Miller

In the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts, a group of girls goes
dancing in the forest with a black slave named Tituba. While dancing, they are
caught by the local minister, Reverend Parris. One of the girls, Parris’s daughter
Betty, falls into a coma-like state. A crowd gathers in the Parris home while rumours
of witchcraft fill the town. Having sent for Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft,
Parris questions Abigail Williams, the girls’ ringleader, about the events that took
place in the forest. Abigail, who is Parris’s
niece and ward, admits to doing nothing
beyond “dancing.”
While Parris tries to calm the crowd that
has gathered in his home, Abigail talks to
some of the other girls, telling them not to
admit to anything. John Proctor, a local
farmer, then enters and talks to Abigail
alone. Unbeknownst to anyone else in the
town, while working in Proctor’s home the
previous year she engaged in an affair
with him, which led to her being fired by
his wife, Elizabeth. Abigail still desires
Proctor, but he fends her off and tells her
to end her foolishness with the girls.

Betty wakes up and begins screaming. Much of the crowd rushes upstairs and
gathers in her bedroom, arguing over whether she is bewitched. A separate
argument between Proctor, Parris, the argumentative Giles Corey, and the wealthy
Thomas Putnam soon ensues. This dispute centres on money and land deeds, and it
suggests that deep fault lines run through the Salem community. As the men argue,
Reverend Hale arrives and examines Betty, while Proctor departs. Hale quizzes
Abigail about the girls’ activities in the forest, grows suspicious of her behavior, and
demands to speak to Tituba. After Parris and Hale interrogate her for a brief time,
Tituba confesses to communing with the devil, and she hysterically accuses various
townsfolk of consorting with the devil. Suddenly, Abigail joins her, confessing to
having seen the devil conspiring and cavorting with other townspeople. Betty joins
them in naming witches, and the crowd is thrown into an uproar.
A week later, alone in their farmhouse outside of town, John and Elizabeth Proctor
discuss the ongoing trials and the escalating number of townsfolk who have been
accused of being witches. Elizabeth urges her husband to denounce Abigail as a
fraud; he refuses, and she becomes jealous, accusing him of still harbouring feelings
for her. Mary Warren, their servant and a part of Abigail’s circle, returns from Salem
with news that Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft but the court did not pursue
the accusation. Mary is sent up to bed, and John and Elizabeth continue their
argument, only to be interrupted by a visit from Reverend Hale. While they discuss
matters, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to the Proctor home with news that
their wives have been arrested. Officers of the court suddenly arrive and arrest
Elizabeth. After they have taken her, Proctor browbeats Mary, insisting that she must
go to Salem and expose Abigail and the other girls as frauds.
The next day, Proctor brings Mary to court and tells Judge Danforth that she will
testify that the girls are lying. Danforth is suspicious of Proctor’s motives and tells
Proctor, truthfully, that Elizabeth is pregnant and will be spared for a time. Proctor

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persists in his charge, convincing Danforth to allow Mary to testify. Mary tells the
court that the girls are lying. When the girls are brought in, they turn the tables by
accusing Mary of bewitching them. Furious, Proctor confesses his affair with Abigail
and accuses her of being motivated by jealousy of his wife. To test Proctor’s claim,
Danforth summons Elizabeth and asks her if Proctor has been unfaithful to her.
Despite her natural honesty, she lies to protect Proctor’s honour, and Danforth
denounces Proctor as a liar. Meanwhile, Abigail and the girls again pretend that
Mary is bewitching them, and Mary breaks down and accuses Proctor of being a
witch. Proctor rages against her and against the court. He is arrested, and Hale quits
the proceedings.
The summer passes and autumn arrives. The witch trials have caused unrest in
neighbouring towns, and Danforth grows nervous. Abigail has run away, taking all of
Parris’s money with her. Hale, who has lost faith in the court, begs the accused
witches to confess falsely in order to save their lives, but they refuse. Danforth,
however, has an idea: he asks Elizabeth to talk John into confessing, and she
agrees. Conflicted, but desiring to live, John agrees to confess, and the officers of
the court rejoice. But he refuses to incriminate anyone else, and when the court
insists that the confession must be made public, Proctor grows angry, tears it up,
and retracts his admission of guilt. Despite Hale’s desperate pleas, Proctor goes to
the gallows with the others, and the witch trials reach their awful conclusion.

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Themes and symbols

Themes, in any setwork, are vitally important.
They give us insight into morals and lessons learnt in the novel. A story's themes are part
of the reason for the author writing the novel. Themes get the author's message across to
the reader.

Integrity vs. Reputation

Good versus Evil

Ignorance

Religion

Power

1. Integrity vs. Reputation

Integrity is what you think of yourself and how you judge yourself, while reputation is how
others see you. John Proctor struggles with the battle between integrity and reputation; he
initially does not stop the witch trials because he values his reputation in the community;
however, at the end of the play, John states, "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have
another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!.. I have given you my soul; leave me
my name!” At the end, it is a combination of reputation and integrity that leads John to do what
he believes is the right thing. Many other characters place reputation before integrity, Paris and
Danforth being two of these such characters.

2. Good versus Evil

The people of Salem believe as much in the devil as they do in God. Miller seems to believe in
a more progressive idea of these two extremes, that nothing is completely evil, nor completely
good. The people of Salem however cannot see the continuum, only the extremes, which leads
to an all-or-nothing approach to judgement and goodness.

3. Ignorance

The people of Salem in 1692 were not as medically advanced as we are today. They were
ignorant of many things that we take for granted. For example, a woman giving birth to more
than one baby who died before it was a day old. In today’s era of medical enlightenment,
autopsies would be done, but even before that, multiple scans are done of the baby in utero to
assess the foetus’ development. And so, a birth defect can normally be either predicted,
diagnosed and have doctors on hand at the birth to medically intervene or at least explain. In
Salem of 1692, they had no such knowledge and were ignorant and blamed the occult for such
happenings.

Further, when the Doctor could not explain Betty and Ruth’s altered states after being caught
dancing in the forest, it was immediately assumed to be some kind of demonic possession or a
‘stroke of hell’ again. In today’s medical enlightenment, there would be many more medical
tests completed and theories tested before assuming occultic interference.

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4. Religion

Religion was such a huge part of the lives of the people of this time. The Salemites left England
for America due to religious persecution. They saw themselves as modern-day Israelites
leaving Egypt (England) for their promised land – America.

They had a government system of Theocracy that combined church with the state, where the
Minister of the church was also the Mayor of the town.

Their lives were dedicated to survival and God.

A holiday from work meant more time to be spent in prayer. They even had men whose duty
was to travel the town during church and take the names of people not in church to the
magistrate.
Even education was mainly so that people could read the bible for themselves.

5. Power

Those who do not have it, want it and those who do have it want to keep it and increase it. The
girls, as some of the least powerful in society, want to hold on to power when they get it.

Paris and Danforth especially do not want to give up the power that they wield. This is why
when Paris finds the girls dancing, he goes along with Abigail’s lies and supports them.
However, when Danforth finally realises the truth, he does not stop the proceedings.
(Sidebar: Their reputation is also tied to this concept). Furthermore, when the Doctor could not
explain Betty and Ruth’s altered states after being caught dancing in the forest, it was
immediately assumed to be some kind of demonic possession or a ‘stroke of hell’ again. In
today’s medical enlightenment, there would be many more medical tests completed and
theories tested before assuming occultic interference.

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Let us get to know the characters

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WRITING OF A LITERARY ESSAY (using the PEEL method)

What does PEEL stand for?
P = Point: start your paragraph with a clear topic sentence that establishes what
your paragraph is going to be about. Your point should support your essay argument
or thesis statement.
E = Evidence/Example: here you should use a piece of evidence or an example
that helps to reaffirm your initial point and develop the argument.
E = Explain: next you need to explain exactly how your evidence/example supports
your point, giving further information to ensure that your reader understands its
relevance.
L = Link: to finish the paragraph off, you need to link the point you’ve just made back
to your essay question, topic, or thesis.

Topic: Hamlet is a character of many contradictions.

Step 1: Writing an introduction. A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with
a general statement about the text/theme or character (if the aforesaid is a part of
the topic) using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a
commonly held idea about the text and show how your essay will contradict it or
zoom in on a particular device on which you intend to focus.
Paragraph 1
A general statement about the text.
The drama Hamlet is underpinned by inner conflict, chaos and corruption.
Write a statement about the character that addresses a part/parts of the topic
Hamlet finds himself amidst chaos and conflict in Denmark after the death of his
father.
The aim or intention of the essay
This essay will prove the thesis statement that Hamlet is a character of many
contradictions.
Step 2 Body
Identify 2/3 well substantiated arguments and follow the PEEL method to structure
your argument.
Paragraph 2
Point – Hamlet’s first reaction when he learns of his father’s murder is one of violent
revenge upon Claudius
However is subsequent actions do not live up to these resolutions.
Evidence from the text- the ghost commands him to revenge his ‘most foul and
unnatural murder’ He resolved to act ‘with wings as swift as meditation’.
Link- he feels he has to do something but does not know precisely what to do.

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Paragraph 3
Point- Hamlet begins to procrastinate/delays- there is no response to the ghost’s
command of revenge. The antic disposition allows him to act without restrain but it
may also be viewed as a form of delay.
Evidence from the text - Hamlet is guilty of ‘thinking too precisely on the event’
He is not sure if the ghost is a force of evil or revealing the
truth.
He deliberates and feels the need to establish the truth
before proceeding with any action.
Hamlet curses his own inaction- contemplates suicide/death
‘to be or not to be’.
The ghost does present Hamlet with a mass of contradictions, he says that the
murder of a relative is most unnatural but does ask Hamlet to revenge his murder
and that implies killing Claudius.
‘The plays the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king’- a plan of action
that Hamlet is ready to embark on.
Link – Hamlet wanted to spring into action after the revelation of murder. He was
enraged that his father a noble and virtuous man was robbed of his life while the
treacherous Claudius has the throne. The idea of the antic disposition created a way
for him to exist amongst those he could not trust.
Perhaps it was Hamlet’s only response (feigned madness) to his predicament.
Paragraph 4 Conclusion
General statement rounding of your argument:
State how the essay has explored the topic and proved that Hamlet is indeed a
character of many contradictions due to his nature and circumstances in Denmark.

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Strategies to be used to be used in unpacking the contextual answers.

ENG HL P2 2019 NSCQUESTION 11: HAMLET – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION

Read the extract below and then answer the questions that follow.
OPHELIA
I shall the effect of this good lesson keep
As watchman to my heart. But good my brother 11.1 Refer to lines 1–2: 'I shall the …
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
to my heart.'
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles like a puffed and reckless libertine Explain the 'lesson' to which Ophelia is
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, referring. (3)
And recks not his own rede.
Enter Polonius Step 1
…
LAERTES Ask yourself what does the
(Rises) Farewell, Ophelia, and remember well instructional verb require?
What I have said to you.
To explain means to provide details, to
OPHELIA reveal relevant facts, to make a
'Tis in my memory locked, situation more clear.
And you yourself shall keep the key of it.
They embrace Step 2
LAERTES
Farewell. Ask yourself what are the key words
Laertes off in the question?
POLONIUS
What is't, Ophelia, he hath said to you? The key word is the ‘lesson’. Ophelia
OPHELIA makes reference to the advice given to
So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet. her by her brother Laertes.
POLONIUS
Marry, well bethought. Step 3 Read the lines and place the
'Tis told me he hath very oft of late extract in context in order to
Given private time to you, and you yourself
understand ‘the lesson being
Have of your audience been most free and bounteous.
If it be so, as so 'tis put on me, referred to.
And that in way of caution, I must tell you,
Laertes spoke to his sister about
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour. Hamlet’s love for her before he
What is between you? Give me up the truth. undertook a journey to France. He
OPHELIA advised her not to take this declaration
He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of love seriously as Hamlet was merely
Of his affection to me. trifling with her affections and it will not
POLONIUS
Affection, pooh! You speak like a green girl
be an everlasting love. Her warned her
Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. that Hamlet was a Prince and free to
Do you believe his 'tenders', as you call them? marry who he wanted to.
OPHELIA
I do not know, my lord, what I should think.
POLONIUS
Marry, I will teach you. Think yourself a baby,
That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly,
Or (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,
Running it thus) you'll tender me a fool.

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Poetry revision- Let us practice for the NSC examination

Refer to the following poetry questions that were extracted from the Umlazi
District English HL Preparatory Examination

QUESTION 1: ESSAY QUESTION

AT A FUNERAL – Dennis Brutus

In the poem ‘At a funeral’, the speaker depicts the hardships and sacrifices of those
who fought for freedom.

With close reference to diction, imagery and tone, critically discuss the validity of
this statement. (10)

Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 250–300 words
(about ONE page).

Your response should include the following points:

• Valencia Majombozi, was killed by Apartheid forces during the Sharpeville

Massacre; the speaker pays tribute to this young female doctor.
• The elaborate display ‘pageantry’ is indicative of how they honour the
individual. The funeral ceremony was dignified with an extensive display of
colour (‘black, green and gold’– these are the colours which represent the flag
of the resistance movement. These words are used to make a bold statement
that the death of the young female doctor will motivate the oppressed to
strengthen their resistance towards the apartheid government. This
‘pageantry’ is for a fallen hero who was killed while fighting for her freedom.
The reference to ‘pageantry’ conveys the speaker’s respect for the deceased
who symbolises the irrepressible and formidable spirit of the young people
who fought against oppressive laws.
• The line ‘In bride-white, nun's-white veils’ represents the purity and highlights
that these freedom fighters are innocent victims of the brutality of the
apartheid system.
• The speaker mourns the loss of a young person who had enormous talent
and potential which have now gone to waste. She has become a symbol of
resistance to the harsh apartheid laws that restricted the freedom of Black
people in South Africa.
• Throughout stanza 1, there is a melancholic mood as the speaker joins the
other mourners in paying their respects to the deceased.
• The tone in stanza 1 is calm and reverent which is in keeping with the
• speaker’s admiration for the deceased. However, in stanza 2, there is a huge
shift in tone as the speaker makes a strong political statement and renews his
commitment to the fight for freedom in South Africa. His tone is commanding
(‘Arise’), agitated (‘enraged’) and contemptuous (‘carrion books of death’) that
represent, the Pass laws which dictated the lives of Black people and
restricted their freedom of movement by making it compulsory for them to
carry Pass books at all times.
• The speaker stresses that humans were reduced to dead flesh (“carrion”),
which is tagged and includes certain information. From the moment of birth,

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Black persons were given this Pass Book, so that they would cease to be
human beings.
• Thus, they would become ‘carrion’ or dead flesh, which ties in with the notion
of abortion. The symbolism of ‘death's-head tyranny’ is reminiscent of the
power of the Nazis in Germany who were extremely powerful in destroying
their opposition.

• The ‘scythe’ alludes to the grim reaper that represents death. Their army
tanks that rolled through the streets of Berlin with the insignia of skull and
crossbones were cheered wildly by their supporters. The speaker suggests
that similar methods were employed by the Apartheid regime to suppress
opposition to their policies.

• The final line of the poem, ‘Better that we should die, than we should lie down’
is ominous as the speaker is motivated by the deaths of all those who have
sacrificed their lives in the struggle against Apartheid. He honours the bravery
of those who have fought selflessly against the injustices perpetrated by the
Apartheid regime, which was responsible for the destruction of the lives,
dreams and hopes of the people who protested against these unfair laws.

QUESTION 2: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION

THIS WINTER COMING - Karen Press

2.1 Refer to lines 1–3: ‘walking in the thick rain … not frightened?’.
How is the mood established in these lines? (2)

2.2 Refer to lines

Refer 4–5:
to lines ‘The
4–5: seasea
‘The is swollen … sinking
is swollen away’.
… sinking away’. (2)
Account for the speaker’s tone in these lines. (2)
Account for the speaker’s tone in these lines.
2.3 Refer to lines 9–12: ‘in every part … madam’s house is clean’.
Discuss
Refer the effectiveness
to lines of the part
9–12: ‘in every juxtaposition
… madam’sin these lines.
house is clean’. (2)

2.4 Refer to lines

Discuss the30–31: ‘Who is of
effectiveness notthe
…juxtaposition
coming uponinus now?’
these lines. (3)
Critically comment on the suitability of these lines as a conclusion to
theRefer
poem.to lines 30–31: ‘Who is not … coming upon us now?’ (3)

[10]
Critically comment on the suitability of these lines as a conclusion to the poem. (3)
Answers

[10
2.1 The words ‘thick rain’ is an indication that the winter rain is heavy and
relentless. A foreboding, despondent mood is created through the harsh, bleak
weather conditions in winter. The speaker is entering a period filled with fear,
hardships and death under the prevailing state of emergency.
[Award 1 mark for identifying the mood, 1 mark for the discussion.] (2)

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2.2 The tone is fearful/sombre/sad/uncertain/despairing/anxious/solemn.

The metaphor of the sea as ‘swollen churning in broken waves’ highlights the
destructiveness of the ocean depicting it as not peaceful or serene. The danger
of the sea alludes to the impending danger that the people will face.
[Award 1 mark for identifying the tone, 1 mark for the explanation.] (2)

2.3 The line ‘sad women climbing buses’ highlights the difficulties, unhappiness and
hardships of the black women. ‘The children in every doorway crying’ shows
that these mothers work tirelessly whilst neglecting their own homes and
families. The line ‘madam’s house is clean’ reinforces a life of comfort and ease,
pleasure and satisfaction (the privileged whites in society), at the expense of
Black people. As a White person, ‘madam’ is unaffected and undeterred by the
current ‘state of emergency’ in the country, whilst the black domestic workers
are enduring suffering, pain, poverty and hardship. This contrast is highly
effective in highlighting the disparity in the experiences /lifestyle of whites and
black South Africans.
[Award 3 marks only if the juxtaposition is well-discussed.] (3)

2.4 ‘Who’s not frightened … now?’ is a rhetorical question that reminds us

throughout the poem of the prevailing fear which is caused by the State of
Emergency in 1986 in South Africa. The concluding lines are effective as they
create a sense of urgency as the time is “now”, for the children are the future
agents of change in the liberation struggle. Their determination to fight the
oppressors aggravate a more urgent sense of fear shown by the use of the
word ‘now’. At first the anaphora of one line in the conclusion it is extended to
two lines, this highlights that the winter/ danger/unrest/violence is about to arise.
it is ominous and serves as a warning of the imminent danger.
[Award 3 marks only if a critical discussion is included.] (3)
[10]
QUESTION 3: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION

THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING – Olive Schreiner

3.1 Refer to lines 1–4: ‘The morning sun … upon my knee’.

How is the mood established in these lines?
(2)

3.2 Refer to lines 13–14: ‘There is a hand … face I never see;’.

Account for the change of tone in these lines.
(2)

3.3 Refer to line 9: ‘The earth is clothed with beauty’.

Comment on the effectiveness of the image in the context of the poem.

3.4 Refer to lines 15–16: ‘Now what is sunshine … light to me?’. (3)
Critically comment on the suitability of these lines as a conclusion to this poem.

[10]

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Answers

3.1 The words ‘morning sun is shining’ and ‘golden sunbeam’ have positive
connotations, it creates a happy joyful mood. These lines paint a glorious
picture of joy and delight. Nature is glowing (“shining”, “golden”) in her
perfection, a splendid display of colour (‘green, green’). The repetition of the
word ‘green’ emphasises the vibrancy of nature and the personification of the
sunbeam dancing has connotations of life and joy adding to the mood of
happiness. (2)

[Award 1 for the identification of the mood. 1 mark for the discussion thereof.]

3.2 The tone and mood change from joyful and celebratory to one of grief and
sorrow. Although the speaker states that Nature is beautiful and to be
celebrated, her grief is larger than that. She does not find solace in the
beauty. Lines 1-12 describe the morning in splendour and glory. However,
lines 13-14 are sharply contrasted as the speaker’s tone changes to sadness
and despair. It is apparent that the absence of a loved one (‘hand I never
touch’, ‘face I never see’) brings misery and heartache. Therefore, not even
the radiance of the morning can bring solace nor replace the deep void and
sense of loss. (2)
[Award 2 marks for one idea well-discussed. The change in tone must be
clear.]

3.3 The earth is personified as a person being fully adorned, draped and dressed
attractively. She is pleasantly appealing. The word ‘dressed’ gives an
indication that this beauty/ contentment happiness may only be on the surface
drawing a contrast with the pain and suffering that lies deep within human
beings. It is evident that the beauty of nature is in contrast with the pain of
loss and grief. However, this becomes meaningless in light of the loss and the
sense of emptiness the speaker feels.

[Award 3 marks for two ideas fully discussed. Award 3 marks only if the
effectiveness of the image is discussed.] [Credit alternate valid responses] (3)

3.4 Yes. The rhetorical question challenges the reader to reflect on whether it is
possible to enjoy the beauty of the world around us in the face of pain, grief
and sorrow. The speaker alludes to the fact that the outward physical beauty
is forever jaded and tinged with our inner sorrow and misery. Pain dwells with
us and is a reality of life, despite beauty surrounding us. There is a tone of
sadness as she questions the purpose /value of this beauty if she cannot
share it with her loved one. The speaker points out that all the beauty in nature
is of no value in this situation. She finds no solace in her beautiful surroundings.
In fact, the beauty of the scene is in contrast to her own depression, even the
light of the morning sun cannot bring her happiness. There is someone whom
she has lost and this loss induces a depression that no lovely day can lessen.
OR
[No. Accept answers on merit.]
[Award 3 marks for Two well- developed ideas. A critical discussion must be
included.] (3)

[10]
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QUESTION 4: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION

IT’S A BEAUTEOUS EVENING, CALM AND FREE – William Wordsworth

4.1 Refer to line 1: ‘It is a beauteous evening, calm and free’.

How is the mood created in the above line? (2)

4.2 Refer to lines 2–3: ‘The holy time is quiet … with adoration’.
Account for the speaker’s use of the image in these lines.
(2)
4.3 Refer to lines 5–8: ‘The gentleness of heaven … like thunder–everlastingly’.
Comment on the effectiveness of these lines in highlighting the speaker’s
appreciation for the beauty of God’s work.
(3)
4.4 Refer to lines 9–14: ‘Dear child! dear girl! … we know it not’.
Critically discuss how the diction in these lines conveys the speaker’s view of
the girl.
[10]

Answers
4.1 The words ‘calm and free’ creates a peaceful, quiet, tranquil and serene
atmosphere.

[Award 1 mark for identification of the mood, 1 mark for the explanation.] (2)

4.2 The speaker compares the evening to the prayer time of a nun who is
silent or breathless as she is completely absorbed in her prayer. This
comparison emphasises the silence and tranquillity of the evening.

[Award 2 marks for a clear account on the use of the image.] (2)

4.3 This indicates that just like God is eternal, the ocean continues forever. The
‘greatness of heaven’ emphasises the power of the divine that makes the
beauty of nature possible. The ‘mighty being’ is an indication of God’s power,
that determines the constant movements of the waves. The speaker states
that God makes this thunderous sound ‘everlastingly’. The ‘sound like
thunder’ is the sound of the ‘sea,’ which the speaker is asking the child to
listen to. This shows the link that exists between the power of nature and the
power of God.

[Award 3 marks for two ideas fully discussed.] (3)

4.4 “Dear child! dear girl!” is said in a loving tone. He expresses his love and
adoration for his daughter. The speaker views the girl as pure, innocent and
closely connected to God. Just as a father holds his precious child close to
protect and cherish him/her, the girl is unknowingly protected and cherished
by Abraham as one of God’s children. Furthermore, the mention of
‘Abraham’s bosom’ is in reference to a place of comfort in the afterlife.
However, in the sestet, the speaker suggests that the girl feels God’s comfort
all the time. ‘The temple’s inner shrine’ refers to a sacred site that is only
accessible during certain ceremonies. The speaker suggests that the girl has

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access to this special sanctuary, thereby indicating that she has a close
connection with God. By stating that ‘God being with thee when we know it
not’ he means that the girl experiences the presence of God, unlike adults
who do not have this connection.

[Award 3 marks for a clear discussion of these lines with the use of
appropriate diction.] (3)
[10]

Refer to the following poetry essay question that was extracted from the
Umlazi District June English HL Examination

SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED

QUESTION 1: ESSAY QUESTION SONNET 130 – William Shakespeare

In this sonnet the speaker expresses his admiration for his loved one in an
uncomplimentary manner.
With close reference to diction, imagery and tone, critically discuss the validity of this
statement.
Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 250–300 words
(about ONE page).

Answer should include the following points:

● Sonnet 130 challenges those poets during Shakespeare’s time, who used
hyperbole when describing those they loved. Shakespeare is making fun of the
clichés of love poetry. He satirises society’s concept of ideal beauty.
● In the first twelve lines it seems as if he is “insulting” his lover because she does
not meet the expected standards of beauty.
● This sonnet compares the speaker’s lover to other aspects of beauty, but never
ascribes any of these qualities to his loved one: Her eyes are “nothing like the sun”
to emphasise the fact that his lover’s eyes are not bright. In this simile, the sun
creates the image of something bright and shiny. The woman’s eyes are just
plain/ordinary or nothing special.
● The poet’s use of the imagery of coral which is coral-pink to highlight that
mistress’ lips are far from red.
● The juxtaposition of the words ‘white’ and ‘dun’ effectively highlights that the
complexion of her breasts, when compared to snow, is dull.
● ‘If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head’- this metaphor compares her hair
to black wires which goes against the stereotype of beautiful women having soft
flowing hair.
● In the second quatrain, the speaker says he has seen the colours red and white,
'roses damasked' - a pattern of mixed colours, but his mistress's cheeks do not
remind him of them at all. Her cheeks are pale. This emphasises that his mistress
lacks the youthful blush of pink cheeks.
● Furthermore, he concedes that her breath 'reeks' and is less delightful than
perfume. This is deliberately shocking and offensive, but he is also emphasising she
is just an ordinary person, she is human.

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● In the third quatrain, he admits that, though he loves her voice, it can never be
compared to music which 'hath a far more pleasing sound' the sound of music is
better than the sound of her voice.
● He has never seen a 'goddess' his mistress is unlike a goddess that floats or
glides when she walks. She lacks the graceful movements of a goddess.
● In the couplet however, the speaker declares 'by heaven,' he thinks his 'love as
rare' and valuable. Although he seems critical and rather rude in the first 12 lines, the
reader realises that he is, in fact, sincere in his love for her. He does not need
exaggerated and unrealistic comparisons to declare his genuine love for her. In
being so brutally honest, he has ironically given her a heightened beauty, simply
because he does not dote on her outward appearance.
● The speaker’s tone is ironic, sarcastic, mocking. In the last two lines his tone
changes and he is more adoring/loving/ full of praise towards her, turning the
traditional conceit around using satire.
(Credit valid alternate responses) [10]

QUESTION 2
POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION
'THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY SOLDIERS IN NYANGA' – Ingrid
Jonker

Questions
2.1 Why does the poet make reference to ‘The child’ in the title? (2)

2.2 Refer to line 2: ‘the child raises his fists against his mother’.
What does this line convey about the child’s attitude towards the struggle for
freedom? (2)

2.3 Discuss the effectiveness of the concluding line of the poem (line 23). (3)

2.4 Refer to lines 20–22: ‘the child who just wanted to play…travels through the
whole world’.
Critically discuss how the imagery in these lines contributes to the tone of the poem.
(3)
[10]

Answers
2.1 ‘The Child’ is a symbol of all the innocent children who were killed by soldiers
under the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The title evokes a sympathetic response.
A child is vulnerable and helpless against armed soldiers. It highlights the cruelty and
senselessness of this death. The child’s death has inspired others to take up the
cause of freedom and has given new energy to the struggle against apartheid. The
child is therefore a symbol of the growing sense of freedom in the hearts of South
African who fight against the Apartheid system.
(Award 2 marks for one well-developed idea.) (2)

2.2 A raised fist is a symbol of political solidarity. The child therefore shows this
support/loyalty to the fight against apartheid by raising his fist. It conveys the child’s
passion and determination to attain freedom and justice. /The ‘fist’ is a symbol of

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resistance and revolution that can end the pain of African people, which shows that
the younger generation will not be passive./The clenched fist reflects the child’s
defiance to the apartheid laws and his allegiance to the fight for freedom.

(Award 2 marks for one well-developed idea) (2)

2.3 The use of the words ‘Without a pass’ as a concluding line effectively conveys
the irony in that, movement was restricted without a pass yet now that the child is
dead, he has emancipated himself from being bound to the pass as he moves freely
through the world. The Pass System resulted in the death of the ‘child’, causing him
to become a symbol and he is now able to cross borders and continents unrestricted.
[Award 3 marks only if the effectiveness of the image is discussed.]
[Award only 1 mark for an explanation of the comparison.] (3)

2.4 The speaker’s tone is one of anger/determination/anguish. The tone can also be
described as militant. The child is depicted as an innocent victim as all he wants is to
be carefree and ‘play in sun’. His death therefore reinforces the brutality of the
apartheid regime which evokes anger. The child ‘became a man’ as he had taken on
the responsibility of fighting for freedom and only in his death is he able to move
freely through Africa. As a symbol of the fight for freedom, the child will inspire ‘all of
Africa’ as the anger spreads through the continent. ‘The child will become a giant’ -
larger than life. This highlights the massive/colossal/major influence on the growing
sense of freedom, justice and resistance by all those who are oppressed. The words
‘through the whole world’ implies that the child’s death will have a global effect, many
countries will protest against the brutal and unjust system.

[Award 3 marks only if there is a critical discussion on imagery and tone] (3)
[10]

QUESTION 3
POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION
'TALK TO THE PEACH TREE' – Sipho Sepamla

3.1 Account for the speaker’s tone in lines 1–6. (2)

3.2 How does the repetition of ‘Let’s talk’ enhance your understanding of the central
message of the poem? (2)

3.3 Refer to lines 11–12: ‘Talk to the paralysing heat … mercilessness will last’. By
referring to the diction in the above lines, discuss the speaker’s attitude towards the
plight of the people. (3)

3.4 Refer to lines 13–14: ‘Let’s pick out items ….stench is like down there’. Comment
on the effectiveness of the image in the context of the poem. (3)

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Answers
3.1 The tone is sarcastic/humorous/cynical/conversational even though the
underlying message is serious. The poet highlights the unconventional ways in which
political affairs were discussed and the difficulties of dialogue in South Africa under
Apartheid rule./ The literal actions are absurd: to suggest that talking to the afternoon
shadow, the birds and cats about politics creates humour.

[Award 1 mark for tone and one mark for the explanation.] (2)

3.2 The repetition of the ‘Let’s talk’ highlights the need of current dialogue after
restriction under the apartheid rule. Black people were voiceless and forced to
remain silent. Hence the repetition emphasises the urgency for black people to be
able to express themselves as serious communication is needed between the two
race groups. [Award 2 marks for one distinct idea.] (2)

3.3 The word ‘paralysing’ symbolises the oppression, ‘the heat’ symbolises the
oppressors that renders a person powerless to act/unable to do much. The word
‘merciless’– suggests the lack of empathy and compassion by the oppressors for the
suffering of the oppressed. We are reminded that the black people were prisoners in
a harsh and unforgiving environment. As a result of this ruthless/heartless/brutal
treatment as well as the stripping of their power, the speaker is sympathetic towards
the hopeless plight of the black people. [Award full marks only if reference is made to
diction and attitude] (3)

3.4 The image of Black People seen as rubbish/trash/dirt, collectively in a heap,

relates directly to the way they were regarded by the authorities. They were
dehumanised and treated as dirt that was to be thrown away/discarded. This
metaphor is extended to encompass the bad smells associated with dirt as the
people are described as having a stench/stink. This vivid imagery effectively
epitomises the inhumane and cruel and treatment they received during the Apartheid
era and the lack of esteem/ regard/importance/value in which they were perceived.
[Award 3 marks only if a comment is made.] (3)

[10]
QUESTION 4- POETRY CONTEXTUAL QUESTION
PRAYER TO MASKS – Léopold Sédar Senghor
4.1 Refer to line 3: ‘I greet you in silence!’.
How does this line convey the speaker’s attitude towards his ancestors? (2)

4.2 Refer to line 8: ‘You have composed this image . . . altar of white paper’.
Discuss the significance of this line in the context of the poem. (3)

4.3 Refer to line 20: ‘But we are the men of the dance… beat the hard soil’. Explain
how this line contributes to the mood of the poem. (2)

4.4 Refer to lines 10–11: ‘Now while the Africa of despotism . . . connected through
the navel’. Critically comment on the effectiveness of the image used in these lines.
(3)
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Answers
4.1 A prayer is sometimes a silent/secret appeal; here the speaker is appealing to
the masks (ancestors). His silence is indicative of the awe, respect and the
reverence in which he holds the ancestors therefore he cannot address them
directly.

[Award 1 mark for the identification of the attitude and 1 mark for the explanation] (2)

4.2 This line reveals the submission/subservience/subjugation/suppression of the

African people during Colonisation. The white paper represents the policy/oppressive
laws/dictatorial rule/legislation. The word ‘altar’ refers to a place of worship. The
speaker refers to the ‘white paper’ as an altar, over which he bends/shows
reverence. The words ‘this image’ refers to the face of the speaker which was
‘composed’/created by his ancestors, yet he is now forced/compelled to obey these
restrictive laws.
[2 distinct points fully substantiated - 3 marks; must include the imagery and context
of colonialism in Africa] (3)

4.3 The concluding line adds to a mood of optimism and hope that is created in the
poem for the rebirth of Africa post-colonialism. The words ‘dance’ and ‘beat’ convey
the idea of building a sense of pride and identity in one’s heritage/the word power
conveys the idea of strength/resilience which consolidates the mood of optimism and
hope.
[1 mark of the identification of the mood and 1 mark for the explanation] (2)

4.4 The image of death and life is important – The colonisation of Africa is
dying/Africa is gaining independence. This change (death) is brought about by
severing of ties with European powers. However, Africa is still dependent on Europe
for employment, as a child is dependent on the mother for nourishment/sustenance.
This image is revealed through the ‘navel’ attachment (life/birth) of the umbilical cord,
which nurtures the child, but eventually there will be a detachment and
independence will be attained, as Africa, relied on Europe, before becoming
independent. This image further reveals the interdependence of Europe and Africa
as Europe relied on Africa for raw material and cheap labour. (3)

[2 distinct points fully substantiated –3 marks; 2 points mentioned –2 marks]

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Refer to the following poetry questions and answers: Extracted from the
Pinetown District Preparatory English HL P2 Examination

SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED POETRY

QUESTION 1
ESSAY QUESTION- THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING
The poem illustrates that true happiness is real only when shared.
With close reference to imagery, tone, and structure, discuss how the speaker
conveys her message. [10]
Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question.
Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and
understanding of the poem.

Focal Points
• The speaker praises the awesome beauty of nature around her as the sun is
shining. She highlights the various elements of nature that make the morning so
beautiful but then, abruptly changes direction and asks rhetorically, what is the
purpose of a beautiful morning if it cannot be shared with anyone – highlighting her
loneliness.

• Sensory imagery is used to capture and paint a vivid picture of nature in all its
splendour in the morning:
- Sense of sight – ‘The reader is able to rejoice in the beauty of bright colours:
‘golden sunbeam’, ‘green willow tree’, ‘yellow locusts’ golden sunbeams’, ‘clothed
with beauty’
- Sense of hearing – ‘fountains bubbles merrily’, ‘air is filled with song’
- Sense of smell – ‘trees load the wind with odours sweet and strong’
All of which add to the scene of contentment, peace, abundance of nature.
The mood created is one of cheerfulness, exuberance and joy.

• Personification is used to allow elements in nature to express joy and happiness:

E.g., The sun sends the sunbeam to ‘dance’ on her knees; fountains choose to
‘bubble’ merrily. The imagery conveys the harmony in nature, all elements
collaborating/ conspiring to create an uplifting mood almost as if to cheer the
speaker.

• The use of anaphora (repetition of the same word ‘The’ at the beginning of lines
1,2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11) effectively conveys the speaker’s gushing admiration of
nature. The tone from lines 1 – 12 is happy, cheerful and peaceful. From lines 13 –
16 it changes to a tone of sorrow and bitterness. The speaker is filled with despair
because she has lost someone precious to her. The juxtaposition between the
beauty, abundance and joy of nature, and the immense loss suffered by the speaker

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is poignant and contribute to the sad tone of the poem. Repetition of the word ‘never’
(lines 13 and 14) indicates that there is no possibility of her being able to touch / see
her child/ loved one ever again which adds to her despair and emphasises the finality
of death.
• A tone of bitterness creeps in as she questions the purpose and meaning of the
beauty of nature if she cannot share it with a loved one. She finds no solace in it –
in fact the beauty of the scene is jarring, as it is in stark contrast to her melancholic
emotional state. The loss she has suffered has induced a depression that nothing in
nature can lessen.

• The poem is written in lyrical form – structured as 2 stanzas, each consisting of 8

lines. There is a regular rhyme scheme and rhythm throughout lines 1 – 12. This
pattern comes to a sudden end in the last 4 lines. The poet does not make this a
separate stanza which might have alerted us to the change to come. Instead, she
has slipped it into the second stanza with no advance warning of the radical shift /
change ahead. This break in pattern of the happy sing-song verses increases the
jarring impact of the unexpected contents on the reader.

• The rhetorical question concluding the poem highlights her loneliness and
heartache and forces the reader to question the purpose and meaning of this
beautiful morning which brings no sense of resolution or closure. It tells us how
bereft the speaker feels. She is heartbroken and inconsolable. All the beauty in
nature is of no value to her if she has no one to share it with.
(Credit valid alternative responses) [10]

QUESTION 2
The Shipwreck
2.1 Refer to lines 1 – 2: “Glee! The great… the land”. Account for the joy conveyed
by the word ‘Glee!’ (2)
2.2 Refer to lines 5 – 6: “Ring … souls.” Discuss the contrast found in these lines.
(2)
2.3 Refer to lines 7 – 8: “Neighbour … shoals!” Comment on the effectiveness of the
imagery in the context of the poem. (3)
2.4 By close reference to the diction used, critically discuss the mood that is created
in stanza 4. (3)
[10]
Answers
2.1 The people express relief that the terrible storm is over.
They celebrate the arrival of four people who survived the shipwreck.
(Award 1 mark for each reason) (2)

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2.2 The town bells are ringing in a joyous celebration of welcoming the four survivors
of the shipwreck – happiness for the salvation of the four. However, the bell tolls for
the forty victims who lost their lives. ‘Tolls’ refers to the slow, repetitive ringing of the
church bell announcing a funeral. There is sorrow and mourning at the loss of 40
loved ones who perished in the shipwrecked.
(Award 2 marks if the contrast between joy and sorrow is conveyed) (2)

2.3 The people who drowned were close to the speaker and community – as
highlighted in the relationships she speaks about – ‘neighbour, friend and
bridegroom’. The loss is personal and heartbreaking and the pain intense.
The image of their bodies ‘spinning’ or tossed around helplessly at the mercy of
the sea currents, being pushed onto the shallow parts of the sea is morbid /
gruesome. It graphically conveys the violence, chaos, devastation and power of
the storm and the turbulent waves and the helplessness/ hopelessness of man
against the forces of nature. It leaves the reader shocked / stunned / sympathetic.
(Award 3 marks only if the effectiveness is discussed) (3)

2.4 The final stanza deals with the response to the question posed by the children
in the previous stanza: ‘But the forty? Did they come back no more?’
The question leaves the adults stunned into silence – ‘a silence suffuses the
story’.
The alliteration – repetition of ‘s’ sound (sibilance) is effective as it slows down
the pace of the poem and heightens the sadness of the loss of lives.
The disturbing silence spreads as the listeners process the tragic loss creating a
depressing mood. The loss of words emphasise the depth of the tragedy.
‘softness the teller’s eye’ – conveys a sense of pity / pathos – as the ‘teller’ is
deeply sorrowful and overwhelmed with grief.
Again the effective use of alliteration – repetition of the ‘s’ sound (sibilance) –
evokes deep despair and the sombre mood of the teller.
The children understand it is a difficult topic to talk about and experience the pain
and difficulty of the adults in coming to terms with the tragic loss and therefore
have ‘no further question’. They too are speechless.
There are no explanations or answers to this catastrophe. No words will suffice.
Not even old, empty meaningless cliches or platitudes can bring comfort and
solace. The uncomfortable silence is only disturbed by the sound of waves in the
background. The waves are personified – they ‘reply’ – conveying the idea that
nature, which is unstoppable and powerful, has the final say.
The use of anaphora (repetition of ‘And’ at the beginning of lines 14, 15 and 16)
effectively conveys a sense of hopelessness and loss, doom and depression,
gloom and grief that persists.

(Award 3 marks only if there is a critical discussion) (3)

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Question 3
It is a beauteous evening, calm and free - William Wordsworth
3.1 Refer to lines 1 – 2: “It is a …as a Nun”
What impact does the beautiful evening have on the speaker? Support your by
referring to specific diction. (2)
3.2 What impression of nature is created in line 5: “The gentleness of heaven broods
o’er the Sea.” Refer to specific diction in your answer. (2)
3.3 Refer to line 6. Critically comment on the poet’s effective use of punctuation in
this line. (3)
3.4 How does the poet use the sestet of the poem to help convey the message he
wishes to convey? Support your answer by referring to diction and imagery. (3)
[10]
Answers
3.1 The beauty of the sight leaves the speaker awestruck. He is overwhelmed by the
tranquillity / peace he feels and the magnificence of the evening.
He uses the words “Beauteous”, “calm” and “free” to capture this – the beauty, the
serenity, the absence of any worries. // The evening seems to take on religious
proportions when he refers to the evening as “the holy time” and mentions the Nun
at prayer.
(1 mark for impact and 1 mark for support from lines with a comment.) (2)

3.2 The impression created is that there is harmony in nature. The word “brood” has
connotations of “protectiveness” (like the hen and her chicks). If the sky broods
over the sea, the connection between the elements of nature is emphasised – the
sky seems to be watching over the sea.
(One idea well-developed) (2)

3.3 The punctuation is very effective. The exclamation mark creates the imperative
tone which conveys the speaker’s urgent appeal to his “companion” to engage
with the beauty of the evening in order to appreciate it and, through it, to appreciate
God’s power. The capital B of “Being” indicates that this could be a reference to
God, and not just the sea. The speaker wishes to emphasise God’s presence and
his might – his “eternal motion”, like the sea.
(Reference must be made to BOTH for full 3 marks. If one reference to punctuation
is made and discussed well, award 2 marks.) (3)

3.4 In the sestet, he comments on the child’s “indifferent” reaction to the scene –
“untouched by solemn thought”, but acknowledges that despite this she is still
very much “divine”, filled with faith and wonder. She “liest in Abraham’s bosom” -
is in touch with God and has her place in heaven.She does not have to react the
way the speaker does to show her connection with nature and with God.

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The speaker realises that God is ever present, although we may not necessarily be
aware – “God being with thee when we know it not”.
Essentially, the speaker’s message is that children, in their innocence, are in touch
with God, nature and God’s creation – more so than adults who are conscious of
God.
(Learners must reference the sestet, with a comment on the message for 3 marks)
(3)
[10]
Question 4
At a funeral – Dennis Brutus
4.1 Refer to line 2: “And stubbled graves: expectant of eternity” (2)
4.2 Suggest reasons why the speaker refers to the funeral as “hollow panoply”
(line 5) (2)
4.3 Refer to lines 5 – 6: “Then ponder all … with our hopes.” (3)
4.4 Consider line 12 of the poem: “Better that we … should lie down.”
Comment critically on the effectiveness of the final line in the context of the poem as
a whole. (3)
[10]
Answers
4.1 The impression created of the graves is that they are untidy / unkempt /
neglected
(“stubbled”), but at the same time they are waiting, “expectant”, of the bodies that
will lie there permanently.
(1 mark for a comment on the appearance of the graves and 1 mark for a comment
on the “expectant of eternity”.)
(2)
4.2 The funeral was an elaborate, splendid display – a great deal of pomp and
ceremony with the formalities, but he views all this as empty / meaningless
“hollow” as it cannot bring back the dead or compensate for the tragic loss of life.
( A comment on both “hollow” and “panoply” is required for 2 marks) (2)

4.3 The tone is one of sadness and despair.

The talents or “gifts” of the person who has passed on are simply greedily eaten by
the dirt. This image of the mud that “devours” conveys the harsh reality of death.
The hopes or dreams of the person and the community are halted and devoured
along with the body.
(1 mark for tone and two for comment on diction) (3)

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4.4 It is effective as the speaker encourages the oppressed to stand together and
fight, rather than simply surrender / submit (“lie down”) to their oppressors. The
speaker uses “we” as he shows his commitment to the struggle. The options he
presents are simply conveyed through the words “Better that …” and “than that …”,
so ,in effect, he is saying there is only one choice. In the context of the poem the line
is significant as the speaker highlights the problem of oppression, the need to
“Arise!” and refers to “Freedom” stirring earth. The final line serves to encourage
people that the struggle is worth it.
( Must refer to context for 1 mark and then 2 marks for discussion of line ) (3)
[10]

Refer to the following poetry questions and answers: Extracted from the
Pinetown District June English HL P2 Examination

SECTION A: POETRY
Question 1: Essay Question:
In “Poem of Return”, the speaker expresses his feelings of sadness and loss
at the thought of his return from exile.
In an essay of 350 words, discuss how successful Rocha is in capturing these
emotions. You must refer to tone, diction and imagery in your answer.
The speaker is very successful in expressing his emotions.
His home during exile is “a land of exile and silence” indicating that he was unhappy
there and felt removed from the pain and suffering in his motherland. His “suffering”
was different – loneliness, guilt.
This, in turn, makes him feel guilty for not fighting for freedom as his countrymen did,
hence his instruction “do not bring me flowers”. Flowers are associated with
celebrations and appreciation – he feels he does not deserve this; he is no hero.
He requests to be reminded of why he went into exile – the “tears of dawn which
witnessed dramas”. This image (personification) conveys how the suffering was
witnessed and felt by nature too – the alliteration of the harsh “D” adding to constant
pounding brought about by the struggle.
The speaker highlights what he missed while away with the “immense hunger for
love” and “tumid sexes in star-studded night” – need for human interaction /
connection/ and romance.
Throughout the poem, the speaker uses the imperative tone – this is to re-inforce
what he does not want or expect as he is no hero, but the reminders he does need –
“the immense hunger for love” and the mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons”.
These images of isolation and loss fill him with immense sadness. He wishes to
share in the loss and pain of those who suffered and fought for freedom.

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In the final stanza he uses diction such as “only” and then the redundant “just” to
emphasise his only desire which is “the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break”. In
this line he recognizes the sacrifice that those who fought for freedom made – their
lives. Their “last wish” would have been change in our country.
The image of “a wingless stone” shows the sadness the speaker feels that these
people did not live to see their dream come true / take flight. The tone then becomes
a little more ominous / angry with a reference to “a thread of anger snaking from their
eyes.” “snaking” suggests something dangerous or poisonous. The speaker wants to
remember why these people fought and for what reward.

QUESTION 2

Sonnet 130

2.1. Refer to line 1: ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.’
What impression of the speaker’s beloved is created by the phrase ‘nothing like
the sun. (2)

2.2. Refer to lines 11-12: I grant…the ground.’

Account for the reference to ‘goddess’ in these lines. (2)

2.3. Consider lines 5-8: ‘I have …reeks’.

Comment on the effectiveness of the sensory image in the context of the poem.
(3)
2.4. Refer to lines 13 – 14: ‘And yet…compare’.
Critically discuss how the speaker’s tone reinforces the central idea of the poem.
(3)

[10]
Answers

2.1 The sun is an image of something bright, beautiful and shiny. However, this
simile negates this idea. His beloved’s eyes are the opposite of bright and shiny. The
impression created is of someone plain and ordinary, not special.
(2)
(Award 2 marks only if impression is discussed)

2.2 The speaker is critical of / mocking (Petrarchan) poets who glorify / idealise
their loved ones with exaggerated, unrealistic comparisons (even with a goddess). /

He admits that his beloved does not float or glide elegantly like a goddess when she
walks. Instead, she ‘treads’ on the ground. ‘Treads’ suggests heavy, plodding,
clumsy movement, thus emphasizing that she is not perfect, but an ordinary person
with flaws. (2)

(Award 2 marks for one idea)

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2.3 The image of roses appeals to the sense of sight, conveying a sense of beauty,
delicate colour and splendour. However, he deliberately downplays her complexion
as being pale in comparison to the rose – emphasizing that she is not the perfect
female model / beauty that the conventional / Petrarchan poets would falsely
idealise.

The image of perfumes appeals to the sense of smell. He admits some perfumes are
more fragrant than the smell of her breath, which ‘reeks’. ‘Reeks’ suggests a strong
unpleasant odour. The description is deliberately shocking/ offensive to emphasise
that she is an ordinary human with shortcomings and flaws.

(Award 3 marks for a complete discussion of either image.) (3)

2.4 Tone: sincere, genuine, authentic, complimentary

‘And yet’ introduces a change / shift from his satirical anti-compliments which
exaggerate her imperfections. He swears ‘by heaven’ to prove his sincerity. He
believes that his mistress is wonderful, special, unique- ‘rare’ as any woman who
was ever misrepresented (‘belied’) by exaggerated / lofty/ comparisons or lies (‘false
compare’). Unlike other poets (who he mocks by using exaggerated anti-
compliments), he embraces her flaws and loves her just the way she is. His love is
not based on outward / physical appearances but on connection and emotion,
demonstrating his sincerity.

(Award 1 mark for tone and 2 for the critical discussion) (3)

[10]

QUESTION 3

The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga

3.1 Refer to the title. What impression of the soldiers is created by

the words ‘shot dead’? (2)

3.2 Account for the contradiction found in line 1: ‘The child is not dead.’ (2)

3.3 Refer to lines 2 – 3: ‘the child…smell’.

Discuss the effectiveness of the diction in creating the mood of the poem. (3)

3.4 Despite the sadness, the poem is a celebration of hope.

Discuss the validity of this statement by referring to the imagery and/or diction
in lines 21 – 25: ‘The child…a pass.’ (3)

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Answers
3.1. ‘Shot dead’ creates an impression of brutality / callousness / ruthlessness /
mercilessness against helpless, vulnerable, innocent children during
Apartheid.

(Award 2 marks for one idea.) (2)

3.2 The apparent contradiction is that the child died physically but he still lives on
in the hearts of all Africans. He becomes a symbol of resistance / defiance /
innocence and hope. He becomes a symbol of every innocent child robbed of
growing to his fullest potential.

(Award 2 marks for one idea) (2)

3.3 The repetition of strong emotive words like ‘screams’ convey the distress and
anger of the child (the younger generation) and a sense of urgency and
desperation of the oppressed people.

‘Raises his fists’ conveys the militant attitude of the child, rebelling / raging
against his circumstances. He feels betrayed/ frustrated/ let down because he
has been forced to endure brutality instead of being protected and nurtured by
the older generation. The older generation was too submissive / did not fight
hard enough.
Raised fists suggest resistance, defiance, fierce protest and rebellion.
Mood: hostility/ aggression/ defiance/ urgency

(Award 1 mark for mood and 2 marks for critical discussion) (3)

3.4 The poem does end on a note of hope, optimism and confidence.
The poet desperately longs for a better future. The final stanza effectively
illustrates the disparity between what life should be living in freedom to
maturity, and the harsh, unjust reality of the apartheid era.

The image of the child playing in the sun creates a carefree, innocent world
without violence and bloodshed. ‘Treks’ and ‘travels’ suggest freedom without
restrictions and confinement of the pass laws. The child is allowed to mature
to adulthood, travel, and make a significant impact on the world. The image of
a ‘giant’ indicates that the child is now grown to his fullest potential. This
contributes to the mood of hope.

The isolated last line literally stands out drawing attention to itself and
emphasizing the message. It creates the wonder of a utopian / perfect future
where people are free to be full human, without having to be restricted by
apartheid laws (pass laws).
(Award 1 mark for mood and 2 marks for critical discussion). (3)

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Question 4
This winter coming – Karen Press
4.1. Refer to the title. Explain the two interpretations of “winter” in the poem. (2)

4.2. Comment on the repetition of the rhetorical question “Who is not frightened?”
throughout the poem. (2)

4.3. Refer to line 15. What is the effectiveness of the metaphor, ”these women are
a tide of sadness” in the poem as a whole. (3)

4.4. Refer to lines 18 - 22: “on every corner…pass them” How has the poet
managed to convey the idea of the social divide that exists in the country?
Support your answer by referring to specific diction. (3)
[10]
Answers
4.1 A reference to the actual season of winter and the icy conditions AND a
reference to the changes that will come in the country through a period of violence /
uprising. The figurative could simply be the death of the old order.
(1 mark for literal and 1 mark for figurative.) (2)

4.2 The repetition emphasises the idea that all South Africans are afraid; no-one
escapes the uncertainty of what might happen in the country because it will be linked
to uprising. (2)
(ONE well-developed idea. Award 1 mark if the learner links fear to literal winter)
4.3 In this metaphor the women are likened to a tide. A high tide is linked to the
ocean which is huge, all-encompassing and overwhelming. The sea can drown
anything. In the same way, their sadness is so vast it cannot be contained. It drowns
and consumes them and others.
In the context of the poem, it is relevant as these women represent the oppressed –
those who suffer and feel helpless to change their situation. Their sadness is
extreme. (3)

4.4 The oppressed are described as old stumps in the rain. They wait endlessly for a
car to stop and an offer of work to come their way. The stumps are, in turn,
compared to Tombstones – an impression of death and despair is created.In
contrast, the oppressor is seen in “bright cars” and they have “sated faces” – this
indicates their wealth, contentment. There are no visible signs of suffering, and they
simply pass by without noting the men. (3)
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Acknowledgements

1. Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement Grade 10–12 English HL

2. Jit Grade 12 English HL 2021
3. Jit Grade 12 English HL 2022
4. KZN DOE English Home Language P2 Resource Pack 2019
5. Simi Moodley Clairwood Secondary School
6. Step Ahead 2 English HL 2020
7. Umlazi District English HL Preparatory Examination June P2 2023
8. Umlazi District English HL June Examination P2 2023
9. Umlazi District Resource 2023: The Crucible
10. www.gettyimages.co.za

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