POETRY

STUDYGUIDE

Elsabé Steyn and Carla Somerset-Attewell

ENGLISH FAL
GRADE 12

2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 3

What to focus on when you study a poem 3

How to answer questions about figurative language 4

How to answer open-ended questions 4

Glossary of literary terms 5

Mood and tone words

7
 Poet or speaker’s purpose 9

Understanding question words used in question papers 9

Table of contents for Literature Exam - P2 11

Poem 1: The lake isle of Innisfree William Butler Yeats 12

Poem 2: Inversnaid Gerard Manley Hopkins 21

Poem 3: Hard to find Sinesipo Jojo 31

Poem 4: Sonnet 73 William Shakespeare 39

Poem 5: Reciprocities Cathal Lagan 49

Poem 6: What life is really like Beverly Rycroft 57

Poem 7: The slave dealer Thomas Pringle 69

Poem 8: You laughed and laughed and laughed Gabriel Okara 82

Poem 9: On the grasshopper and cricket John Keats 94

Poem 10: The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwine Chris Mann 100

INTRODUCTION
To get the most of this study guide you are advised to do the following:
 Know your poems well. There is only one official note available for the prescribed poems; you
can expect questions that we have not even considered in class. You need to develop the ability
to think critically and logically, and then analyse and interpret what you have read or what the
question expects of you.
 Study the literary terms included in this Study Guide. Make sure you know what these terms
mean and what their purpose is. Why did the poet use them? What did he want to achieve?
 The importance of doing the homework activities on your own (without the help of someone
else) cannot be over-emphasised. These questions have specifically been formulated to help
you practise your skills in answering exam questions. Practice makes perfect.
 Unfortunately, we do not have any old exam papers we can use for Poetry; this is the first time
these poems have been prescribed.
WHAT TO FOCUS ON WHEN YOU STUDY A POEM
Ensure that you can comment/elaborate on:
• The setting of the poem. Mention both the physical setting of a poem, the place where the action
takes place, and the time it takes place – it is often necessary to mention the historically setting.
• The type of poem: Shakespearian Sonnet, Italian sonnet, Lyrical poem, Protest poem, etc.
• Structure of the poem – What to comment on?
• Number of stanzas; number of lines; rhyme scheme or lack of it (free verse); use of
punctuation (enjambment).
• Title of poem:
• Is the title appropriate/effective or not? Why? Why not? Ground your answer in the text.
• Word meanings: You must know the meaning of EACH word as it is used in the context of the
specific poem – many questions revolve around the ability to explain a word, phrase or line in
your own words.
• Literal/Figurative: You must be able to explain both the literal and figurative meaning of a
word, phrase or sentence.
• Spot the Theme: Theme is the underlying message or an idea the poet wants to carry over.
When you are given a theme, you must explain how it is developed in the poem or a part of it.
• Identify the sound device used:
• Name the sound device: alliteration/assonance/sibilance/onomatopoeic.
• Explain what the effect of its use: Is it used to link and emphasise a certain idea, or is it all
about the specific sound effect?
• Be prepared to answer questions on the use of punctuation marks – identify the punctuation
mark and explain the reason why it is used or the effect its use has.
• An irony question – the common factor is a discrepancy of some kind between what the
situation appears to be, and what it is really is – take care to explain both sides.
• You must be able to identify and justify the speaker’s state of mind in the poem or a specific part
of it. The writer’s state of mind is affected by both the mood and the tone of a poem.
• Tone and Mood:
• Tone is how the speaker/poet feels about his subject.
• Mood is how the poet or speaker wants the reader to feel when he reads the poem.
• Identify tone:
• Tone refers to the language used by a speaker or poet to prompt a specific emotional
effect on the reader. The reader must bear in mind that the writer is in a certain frame of
mind while writing – and this has an influence on the choice of language and the
vocabulary that is used.
• To pick up on the writer’s feelings you must ‘listen’ to what he says and how he says it.
• You are asked why this tone is appropriate in this part of the poem, or why the speaker
uses this specific tone.
• There is often a change in tone as the poem progresses – be alert as comparative
questions are often asked about this change.
• The tone of a poem may be described using a variety of words such as serious, playful,
humorous, formal, informal, angry, satirical, ironical or sad, or any other kind of
appropriate adjective.
• Identify mood:
• Mood is the feeling or atmosphere the reader experiences when he reads the poem. It is
what the author wants the reader to feel while reading. Mood is influenced by the setting,
through the tone of a text and the writers state of mind.
• The mood of the poem may be described using a variety of words such as idealistic,
romantic, realistic, optimistic, gloomy, imaginary or mournful.
HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

The comparisons - Simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole

Use the IDE method:

I Identify the figure of speech – mention what it is: simile/metaphor/personification

D Describe the two things compared. Say what is compared to what. Be specific.

E Explain why the poet or author has made the comparison, what has he achieved in doing so?

The most common question here is to identify the figure of speech and then to explain why it is relevant
in the poem – make sure you ground your answer firmly in the text.

HOW TO ANSWER OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

Open-ended questions are asked in EVERY poem: the examiner makes a statement and asks you to
discuss your view on it.

Sometimes you need to respond with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ and a ‘agree’ or ‘don’t agree’. State clearly what
your point of view is, then go ahead to substantiate the point you have made by giving an example,
explain it and ground your answer in soundly in the text (link).

P Point
E Example
E Explain
L Link
NOTE: A combination answer will be accepted, provided that you do not contradict yourself.

GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS

When used effectively, these literary devices help readers appreciate, interpret and analyse a literary
work. Below is a list of literary devices you need to know:
alliteration - The deliberate repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words. It is used to achieve a special sound effect or to emphasise an idea, thought or action
= by linking the words.
antithesis (contrast) – Something that is the direct opposite of something else to emphasise or stress a
specific idea.
apostrophe - The direct address of a person, or a lifeless object, either present or absent. It creates a
sense of immediacy and a closeness between the writer or speaker and the person addressed. The use
of apostrophe draws the reader into the poem and makes it more personal.
assonance - The repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds to achieve a particular sound effect. Its
use often affects the pace of a poem and communicates the tone or mood of a poem.
atmosphere – The prevailing emotional atmosphere or feeling created by a piece of writing. It also
emphasises the mental and emotional state (mood) of the writer.
free verse – There is no set rhyme scheme or set meter patterns.
conflict – It involves a struggle between two opposing forces, like two characters (external conflict) or it
involves opposing emotions within a character himself (internal conflict).
connotation – The meaning that is implied by a word because of its emotional and imaginative
associations - the figurative meaning.
consonance – The recurrence of similar-sounding consonants within a sentence or phrase.
Consonance is used by writers to communicate rhythm and flow. (Alliteration is a subtype of
consonance that requires the similar sounds to be placed at the beginning of closely connected words.
couplet - Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. Shakespeare’s sonnets end in rhyming couplets.
denotation – It is the literal or dictionary meaning of a word.
diction – The poet’s choice of words and how it is organised.
ellipsis – It is a set of three dots that shows the omission of a word or a phrase. It is often used to
indicate that the speaker has on purpose, left a sentence or thought incomplete; it creates a pause and
makes the reader think; it implies that the list continues, or it often introduces a change in thought.
emphasis (or stress) – The special importance or attention that is given to an idea, thought, or feeling
by using things like alliteration, repetition, specific meter, etc.
enjambment – No punctuation at the end of a line of poetry, the sense/idea of a line is carried over into
the next line or lines without interruption. It increases the rhythm and helps to create speed of
movement; it is often used to express urgency or excitement.
elision – It means ‘leaving out’. If a poet wants a line in a poem to be read in a certain way, he leaves
out a letter or letters, to get the most suitable rhythmic effect.
euphemism – It is used to make something scary, unpleasant, or offensive, sound more acceptable
(death = passed away or passed on).
extended metaphor – The comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of
lines in a poem.
figurative and/or literal meaning/language – Literal language is the use of words to mean exactly what
they say. He drives like my granny means exactly that. BUT He runs like a greyhound should not be
understood in a literal way. It implies that he runs very fast – figurative meaning.
foreshadowing – It is a warning or indication of what is to come. It is a sign of impending disaster and
heightens the tension.
hyperbole – A deliberate exaggeration or overstatement used either for emphasis or for ironic effect.
The poet states that a person or thing is much larger/stronger/more beautiful than he/it really is - mostly
used for emphasis.
inversion – The deliberate change in the normal word order of a line of poetry for the sake of rhyme or
emphasis; emphasis/stress is put on a word or idea by placing it at the end or the beginning of a line.
irony – This takes various forms, the common factor is a discrepancy of some kind between what the
situation appears to be (or should be), and what it really is like. Both ideas must be explained.
 Verbal irony refers to the use of a statement that is opposite or deliberately differs from what the
speaker really wants to say.
 Dramatic irony describes a situation in a play in which the audience (or some of the characters)
has more knowledge of the dramatic situation than the characters acting it out at that stage.
 Situational irony involves a situation in which something happens that is not supposed to happen.
There is therefore a discrepancy between what should be and what is.
metaphor – The figure of speech that describes a person or object by referring to something that is
considered to have similar characteristics (a comparison without the use of as or like). The purpose of
the metaphor is to emphasise or reveal this similar characteristic.
metonymy - That figure of speech in which the thing referred to is identified by mentioning something
associated with it; a poet might refer to the ocean as the ‘deep blue’, or a king as ‘the crown’.
meter - The division of poetic lines into stressed and unstressed syllables to create a rhythm by the
repetition of similar accented patterns (called ‘feet’). Shakespeare’s poems are written in iambic
pentameter = five pairs of syllables with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
monologue – A single character presents his thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a poem. In Macbeth we
use the word soliloquy. A soliloquy is an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when alone on stage,
the purpose is to expose these thoughts to the audience.
mood - The feeling or atmosphere the author creates for the reader in a poem or other literary work. It is
what the author wants you to feel or experience emotionally while reading a poem/play.
octave – The first eight lines of a sonnet; a stanza or poem of eight lines.
onomatopoeia – The use of words whose sound matches or imitates the sound associated with what is
named. It is essentially an auditory device; the naming of a thing/action by imitation of natural sounds
(‘buzz’ or ‘hiss’).
oxymoron – Two contrasting words next to each other to emphasise a point: an ‘open secret’.
paradox – A seemingly absurd of contradictory statement which initially seems to be self-contradictory
or contains an absurdity, but which reveals its rationality when investigated.
paraphrase – To rewrite the original text in your own words/in modern English.
parenthesis – A word or a phrase placed between two parts of a sentence, the sentence would be
grammatically complete without the parenthesis. Its purpose is that of providing additional information – it
is normally placed between dashes, brackets or commas.
parody – deliberate exaggeration to make fun of, or a mockery of an idea.
personification – when the characteristics of humans are given to lifeless objects. The name of the
‘thing’ which is personified is often written with a capital letter.
point of view – The perspective from which a story is told (first person, third person)
quatrain – A four-lined stanza.
repetition – A rhetorical device that repeats the same word, sound, phrase or line a few times to make
an idea clearer or more remarkable.
rhetorical question – A question is asked not to be answered, but to emphasise a point. A reply is not
expected as it is normally obvious or the poet himself sometimes supplies the answer. It attracts the
instant attention of the reader; it makes the reader think about what is asked.
rhyme – The repetition of the same sound or similar sounds at the ends of two or more lines of poetry -
‘love’ and ‘dove’ – prefect rhyme as all the sounds after the consonant are the same.
You must be able to identify the specific rhyme scheme used: abba abba cdcdcd.
rhythm - It is the sense of movement that is created by emphasis and meter, tempo or pace and pause.
Its use must be integral to the meaning and tone of the poem: a fast-moving rhythm sounds very
inappropriate in a poem about death. A light, fast-moving rhythm suggests excitement. A steady, regular
rhythm could be an indication of orderliness and control.
sarcasm – It is the use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising somebody or something
but is insulting him or it. It is personal, bitter, spiteful and intends to hurt.
sestet – The second part of a sonnet; or a stanza of six lines.
satire – The use of humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s weaknesses
or vices. The intention it to point out this weakness or foolishness humorously or contemptuously, aiming
at correcting the faults and follies mentioned by exposing them.
setting – The place and time in which a poem is set. The setting often establishes the atmosphere or
mood that pervades a poem.
simile – The figure of speech that explicitly compares two things or people, usually considered to be
different, using the words like or as - ‘as brave as a lion’.
structure - The format of a poem. The physical organisation of a poem in sections or stanzas, patterns
of rhyme and rhythm.
symbol - A physical object is used by a writer to represent an idea: the sun symbolises life, majesty and
power; water symbolises life; a dove symbolises peace.
synecdoche - That figure of speech in which a part of a thing is mentioned to refer to the entire thing or
person (‘Let’s go for a drive, I have a new set of wheels’).
tautology – The needless repetition of an idea - ‘fast sprint’. Used for the sake of emphasise.
theme – The message or central idea of a poem or a stanza/line.
tone – The attitude that a speaker or writer displays towards the person or thing addressed or described
– the writer’s feelings.
transferred epithet – It is a figure of speech in which an adjective dramatically qualifies a noun other
than the person or thing it describes. A transferred epithet often involves shifting a modifier from the
animate (living) to the inanimate (non-living) object - as in the phrases ‘cheerful money’, ‘a careless
match’, ‘sleepless nights’.
understatement - To mention or describe something in a way to make it seem less important, less
serious or not as bad as it really is. The effect is that it emphasises the idea.
word play or pun – Using two or more different meanings of a word in the same sentence or stanza.
It is also a play on two words, identical or similar in sound (‘bear’, ‘bare’) but totally different in meaning.
It is often used for comic effect.

MOOD AND TONE WORDS

Commonly used Mood words:

Mood is the emotional atmosphere of the text. It is created by means of setting, attitude and
descriptions. Mood is the feeling or atmosphere the author creates for the reader in a poem or other
literary work. It is what the author wants the reader to feel while reading.

melancholy/gloomy/mournful/sombre/sad
idyllic/peaceful/tranquil/calm
imaginative/fanciful
romantic/erotic/amorous
mysterious/secretive/perplexing
ominous/gloomy/threatening/foreboding
restless/agitated/troubled
light-hearted/entertaining/lively/ cheerful
ecstatic/elated/joyful
sympathetic/consoling/comforting/sensitive
discontentment/anger/annoyance
suspenseful/enthralling/electifying
lonely/desolate/isolated/destitute
nostalgic/longing/yearning/sentimental
confident/bold/fearless
optimistic/cheerful/hopeful/idealistic
grave/serious/solemn
relaxed/serene/tranquil
pessimistic/gloomy/despondent/fatalistic
contemplative/reflective/thoughtful/pensive
warm/welcoming/friendly/pleasant
harmonious/agreeable/amicable/peaceful
intimidating/daunting/mencing/terrifying
hopeful/optimistic/confident/enthusiastic

Commonly used Tone words:

Tone is the feeling the writer intends to get across through his work, his attitude towards a specific
situation = what the writer feels. Tone is expressed through the words and details the author selects.
To determine the author’s tone, you must notice how these words and details are used within the
writing. Tone can be heard in someone’s voice because of the WAY in which the person expresses
himself.
absurd silly, ridiculous
ambivalent undecided, having mixed emotions, unsure, doubtful, indecisive
amused entertained, finding humour, entertained
angry enraged, annoyed, incensed, exasperated, threatening, menacing
apathetic indifferent, unconcerned, disinterested, emotionless
arrogant haughty, conceited, self-important, acting with superiority
bitter resentful, discontented, indignant, disgruntled, strong animosity, hostility.
compassionate sympathetic, warm-hearted, showing pity, empathetic, sensitive, loving
 complex complicated, intricate, having many varying characteristics
condescending patronising, scornful, disdainful, haughty, snobbish, showing superiority
cynical distrustful or scornful of the motives or virtues of others, bitterly mocking
detached uninvolved, having no interest or feelings, objective
distressed upset, agitated,anxious, distraught, tormented, discomfort, extreme anxiety
earnest sincere, showing deep feeling, seriousness, solemn, humourless
gentle considerate, kind, mild, tender-hearted, compassionate, humane,
incredulous doubtful, disbelieving, sceptical
indignant angry, angered by something unjust, mean, unworthy
intimate personal, close, near, friendly
ironic wry, paradoxical, an unexpected opposite meaning in words or events
irreverent lacking respect,disrespectful,disdainful, scornful, contemptuous
joyous extremely happy,cheerful, exuberant, jubilant
loving affectionate, compassionate, showing intense, deep feeling
malicious spiteful, desiring to harm others, malevolent, hostile,vindictive
mocking ridiculing, imitating, making fun of someone in a cruel way, derisive
nostalgic yearning for the past, homesick, wistful, reminiscent
objective factual, uninfluenced by emotion or personal prejudice
optimistic positive, believing in positive outcomes
outspoken frank, candid, spoken without reserve
pathetic pitiful, useless, wretched
pessimistic tending to take the worst possible view of a situation
playful fun-filled, full of good spirits, humorous, jesting
reverent respectful, showing deep respect and esteem
righteous morally just, morally right, guiltless
sentimental emotional, showing special feelings for (possibly romantic)
serious earnest, not funny
straightforward direct, frank, honest
sympathetic understanding
uneasy lacking security, lacking comfort
unfeeling hard-hearted, unyielding, unsympathetic,callous,uncaring, unsympathetic
vindictive revengeful, spiteful, bitter, unforgiving,vengeful, resentful,unrelenting

POET OR SPEAKER’S PURPOSE

Purpose is the reason an author writes about a specific topic. An author writes to share a main idea
about a topic. Make sure you know what the writer’s purpose is, it makes it much easier to respond to
questions once you have figured this out.

One of the three following purposes will drive a main idea: to inform, to entertain, and to persuade:
 To inform – to give information about a subject. Authors with this purpose wish to provide facts
that will explain or teach something to readers.
Example: Pain is a normal part of a physical process that lets us know something is wrong.
 To entertain – to amuse and delight; to appeal to the reader’s senses and imagination. Authors
with this purpose set out to captivate or interest the audience.
Example: ‘Yes, I have gained weight. I weighed only eight pounds when I was born.’
  To persuade – to convince the reader to agree with the author’s point of view on a subject.
Authors with this purpose may give facts, but their main goal is to argue or prove a point to
readers.
Example: The death penalty is deeply flawed and should be abolished.

NOTE: An author may have a more specific purpose in mind other than to inform, entertain, or
persuade. The following chart shows examples of specific purposes.

General and Specific Purposes

To inform To entertain To persuade

To analyse To amuse To argue against

To clarify To delight To argue for
To discuss To frighten To convince
To establish To criticise
To explain To inspire (motivate a change)

UNDERSTANDING QUESTION WORDS USED IN QUESTION PAPERS

Question words How you need to respond to the question

Account for Explain, clarify = give the reasons why something is the way it is. Tell the story of
what happened.
Analyse Break down an issue into its component parts, discuss them and show how they
interrelate. Apply your critical thinking skills to answer these questions.
Comment on the Analyse and assess; give your opinion on an issue and explain it in a clear, logical
effectiveness of … manner.
Say why a particular point or image has impact and give reasons and/or examples
to justify your opinion; give your emotional and intellectual response to the text.
This may also require an agree/disagree/or partially agree response.

Compare Explain why and how things are either similar to or different from each other.
Justify your choice. Examine qualities of character/s to discover similarities or
differences.

Contrast Say how things differ from each other/explain the differences.
Describe Give a detailed and logical response to the question. Say what a thing looks,
tastes, smells, sounds or feels like; spell out the main aspects of an idea or topic, or
the sequence in which a series of things happens.
Discuss Talk about how words or ideas have been used in the text, giving good examples to
support your point of view. You may wish to give both sides of an issue, analyse
carefully, and present points in favour and against an issue/point, then draw your
own conclusion - provide evidence from the text.
Evaluate Discuss how effective some aspect of the writing is, in context, in your opinion;
assess and criticise.
You must present a careful assessment/judgement of the problem, stressing both
merits and limitations. You are weighing and giving your opinion based on the
evidence from the text.
Explain Give a reasoned account. It is important that you clarify and interpret the material
you present. In such an answer it is best to state the ‘how’ or ‘why’, reconcile any
differences in opinion, and, where possible, state causes. The aim is to make plain
the circumstances which give rise to whatever you are examining, for example:
Explain the irony in Ross’s words; Explain the irony in the title of the poem.
Justify Express valid reasons why you have (or the writer has) accepted a particular
interpretation or reached some conclusion.
Give adequate grounds for a decision or conclusion you came to by supporting it
with sufficient evidence and argument.

Identify Give the name of the figure of speech, sound device, the tone, mood, state of mind,
before you describe or explain it.
Motivate Give reasons for, with supporting examples. Explain your point of view then back
up your opinion with evidence from the text.
Prove Demonstrate the truth of something by offering indisputable evidence and/or a
logical sequence of statements leading from evidence to conclusion.
State Say clearly what you mean, or what the main point of the topic or text are.

Substantiate Provide evidence to support or prove the truth of what you have stated/said.
Support your point of view with clear references to, or quotations from the text.
Explain either how things happened, or how they are connected in a cause-and-
effect sense; it may imply ‘compare and contrast’.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR LITERATURE EXAM - P2

SECTION A: NOVEL

Answer ANY ONE question.

QUESTION NO. MARKS

MARKS
 1. Cry the Beloved Country 35

2. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 35 Not to be considered – Not part of what we do!

SECTION B: DRAMA

Answer ANY ONE question.

3. Macbeth 35

4. My Children! My Africa! Macbeth to be done – Questions 3.1 and 3.2

35

SECTION C: SHORT STORIES

Answer the questions set on BOTH extracts.

5.1 Short Story 1 18

5.2 Short Story 2 17 = Not to be considered – Not part of what we do!

35

SECTION C: POETRY

Answer the questions set on BOTH poems.

6.1 Poem 1 18

6.2 Poem 2 17 = Poetry to be done – Questions 6.1 and 6.2

35

CHECKLIST
 Answer questions from ANY TWO sections. NB!! NO choice - like in Afrikaans!
 Tick () the sections you have answered.

NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS TO TICK ()
SECTIONS QUESTION NO ANSWER

A: Novel 1-2 1

B: Drama 3-4 1 

C: Short Stories 5 1

D: Poetry 6 1 

NOTE: Ensure that you have answered questions on TWO sections only. Those indicated above.
POEM 1: The lake isle of Innisfree - William Butler Yeats

The lake isle of Innisfree – William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, 5
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; 10
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

VOCABULARY LIST:
Word Basic meaning in context of the poem

arise stand up or get up; a return to a better or prior life

cabin a small wooden shelter or house in a wild or remote area
clay and wattles a framework of thin sticks woven over thicker poles, which
is plastered to build a primitive hut
hive a structure where bees live, honeybees typically build their
hive in a dark, dry place, such as in a tree hollow
bee-loud buzzing loudly with the sound of bees
glade a clearing or open grassy space within a forested area
dropping slow descending or falling vertically; slow means gently;
gradually but steadily from above
veils something that covers, conceals or obscures. Here, the
speaker refers to mist/fog which blankets the island in the
mornings. This term is often used to describe head
coverings, particularly those worn for religious reasons.
cricket a small insect, which makes loud, short noises by rubbing
its leathery wings together (only males)
glimmer a faint or wavering light
glow a steady radiance of light
linnet a small, brown bird in the finch family, with a reddish breast
and forehead.
lake a large area of water surrounded by land
lapping gently but repeatedly breaking against something - in this
case, the island’s shore - usually producing a soft
splashing sound
shore the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body
of water
 roadway the part of a road intended for vehicles, in contrast to the
pavement
pavements a raised, paved path for pedestrians at the side of a road
heart’s core innermost being, the deepest part of the heart (centre of
feeling)

ABOUT THE POET:

 William Butler Yeats, a prominent Irish poet, writer and playwright was born in Dublin, Ireland on
June 13, 1865, he died January 28, 1939, at the age of 73, just a few months before the outbreak
of the Second World War.
 In 1867 his family moved to London where he spent the middle years of his life.
 He often accompanied his mother on her visits to her parents who lived in Sligo on
the west coast of Ireland. Innisfree is a real place near the coast of Ireland. It is not
inhabited and is on Lough Gill, a lake in County Sligo. This is where the young
Yeats spent a lot of time as a child and the idyllic memory remained with him
forever.
 Yeats’s first book The wanderings of Oisin and other poems, was published when
he was twenty-three and he continued to produce books and plays until his death.

BACKGROUND TO THE POEM:

 The world of Yeats’s early poems was mainly one of personal daydreams.
 He wrote this poem while living in crowded, dirty, smog-filled London, a time when he described
himself as being ‘very homesick’. It appears in the volume The Rose which was published in
1893. His homesickness centred round Sligo: he longed to return to the seclusion of the Irish
countryside.
 Yeats said he got the idea for the poem as he was walking down Fleet Street in London, and
heard the sound of a water fountain in a shop window. It reminded him of the lapping of the lake
water at Innisfree, and it set a train of thoughts into motion about getting away from it all.
 The poem expresses the speaker's longing for the peace, tranquillity and simplicity of the Irish
countryside, while he was living in London. The ideal world the speaker imagines does not
involve wealth or glamour, however he imagines that all his physical and spiritual needs will be
satisfied there.
 The poet feels a consistent urge to go to Lake Isle of Innisfree. In the depth of his heart, he can
hear the sound of the lake waters hitting the shore. It is as if the lake itself is calling him. This
indicates that he wants to escape from the artificial life of the city, into the peaceful surroundings
of nature.

TYPE:
 Lyrical Poem (written from the first person’s point of view).
 Lyrical poetry refers to a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker's
personal emotions and feelings.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem consists of three four-line stanzas, or quatrains.
 Each stanza consists of one long sentence, divided in half by a semicolon at the end of its
second line.
 Almost every line is also end-stopped and the full stop that concludes each stanza. In fact, all the
lines but one - line 9 - are end-stopped. This use of enjambment emphasises the continuous urge
that the speaker feels to go to Innisfree.
  The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef, the meter is loosely iambic.
 The poem is divided into three parts: In the first stanza, the speaker imagines building a
meaningful life on the island; in the second, he imagines what it might be like to experience its
divine energy; and in the third, in the present moment, the speaker remains trapped in a state of
longing in the city where he currently lives.

SETTING:
 Given Yeats’s biography it would be fair to interpret the setting as late-19th-century London.
 However, in the poem itself, the speaker simply states, ‘I stand on the roadway, or on the
pavements grey’. Thus, the setting could reasonably be any city.
 The majority of the poem takes in the speaker’s mind - he relives/imagines the dreamlike beauty
and tranquillity of the uninhabited island of Innisfree.

TITLE:
 The poem gets its title from a very small, uninhabited island within Lough Gill, a lake in the county
of Sligo, Ireland.
 This is where Yeats spent his summers as a child; an experience that had a profound influence
on him.
 However, Innisfree represents more than a physical location within the poem. It symbolises an
ideal image of nature, peace and tranquillity. It embodies a deep spiritual fulfilment that city life
cannot offer. The mere memory of Innisfree is responsible for the speaker’s mood of nostalgic
escapism.
 He longs to build a simple life on Innisfree, finding peace by living in harmony with nature.
However, it becomes clear that ties to city life prevent the speaker from realising this dream.

THEMES:
 Harmony between Man and nature - Contrast between life in London (Nature versus
Civilization) and the peace and tranquility offered by nature. The speaker seems to feel that
nature soothes, heals and strengthens minds that are perplexed/bewildered by earthly cares.
 Peace/Tranquility of Nature - in contrast to the unfulfilment experienced in the city. The speaker
wants the readers to experience the natural environment without human involvement. It is a place
to find peace and connect with the world on a deeper, spiritual level. The isolated nature of the
island that he is longing for is also an important element of his happiness. It is an escape from
noisy city life. This revelation signals that despite the innovations and excitement that may come
from urban living, there is something disconnecting and alienating about it as well.
It's clear that the speaker yearns for peace. He is not currently in a place where he feels peace,
neither physically nor emotionally. The imagery Yeats provides about the nature of Innisfree is in
direct contrast to the hard ‘pavements grey’ that the speaker is revealed to be standing on. The
imagery hints that it is only in nature that a true, deep peace can be achieved.
 Longing for escape – he feels trapped in his current situation, he longs to escape the ugly
reality of city life and return to the beauty and tranquillity of nature. It portrays a daydream that
many people have: that of retreating from the bustle of the world to the peace and quiet of the
country. His childhood experiences and travels to Innisfree are only imagined.
While the poem is largely written in the present tense, it contains allusions to the past and
declarations of the future. The line ‘I will arise and go now’, declares a future intention that seems
immediate. However, the final stanza of the poem reveals that the speaker is quite far
from Innisfree and in an urban environment with ‘pavements grey’. This hints at the fact that he
feels somewhat alienated and lonely amid the bustle of a city.
  Nature and spirituality – The speaker fantasises about building a solitary, peaceful life on the
uninhabited island of Innisfree. While providing a dreamy, picturesque view of the island, the
speaker also emphasises the incompatibility of its virtues with modern life - a return to nature
offers unique spiritual rewards. Nature provides a restorative place to which human beings can
go to escape the chaos and corrupting influences of civilization.
 The relationship between nature and civilization. The speaker lives in the city, but he yearns
to live in nature on Innisfree. He declares forcefully that he will have some peace there, the
implication is that life in the city is far from peaceful. The desire to lead a simple, peaceful life
presents the speaker’s dislike of the monotony and rush of city life.
The description of nature’s purity contrasts to the tainted quality of civilization/urban life.

TONE AND MOOD:

 nostalgic/dreamy/tranquil/calm/relaxing/wistful/longing
 The repetition of the word ‘peace’ creates a sense of calm. Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace
of soul - it is all that he seeks for to feel satisfied/complete.
 The mood becomes joyful as the speaker imagines leaving the city and retreating to a natural
environment. However, at the same time it creates an atmosphere of disillusionment, as it is
simply not attainable, it remains a daydream.

SYMBOLS:
 Innisfree symbolises inner freedom; a simple life offered by proximity to nature; living in peace
and harmony with nature; the beauty of nature; it embodies a deep spiritual fulfilment that city life
cannot offer.
 The cabin built of sticks symbolises a simple lifestyle, a humble way of living, self-reliance and
living off the land, in harmony with nature. It suggests that a humble way of life is key to achieving
spiritual fulfilment.
 Light appears briefly in line 7, where the speaker describes it flickering at midnight and glowing
with a purple hue at midday. Light can be seen as a symbol of nature's divine wisdom; it is a
longstanding symbol of truth and clarity. Here, it can be interpreted as spiritual enlightenment.
 The ‘roadway’ and ‘pavements grey’ symbolise the ugliness and boredom of urban life.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

The speaker expresses his intention to get up and go to a small island, called Innisfree, in Ireland. On
this island, he wishes to build a modest cabin out of clay and bundled twigs, and live off the land,
surrounded by natural sounds.
He believes that this setting will provide him with the much-needed peace, which will emerge slowly as
the hazy mist of the morning descends on earth.
The speaker repeats his intent to go to Innisfree, explaining that all day and all night he imagines hearing
the lake’s waves breaking on the island’s shore – it lives deep within his heart.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:
The speaker expresses his determination to leave the city and go to Innisfree. He wants to build a small
hut, provide in his own simple needs and live in idyllic isolation.
Line 1: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

 ‘I will arise and go now’ - The poet quotes from the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:18), he
was the younger son who left his home, wasted his inheritance, and when he was penniless and
desperate, he decided to return to his father.
 These biblical overtones bring to mind the prodigal son’s sense of relief when he decided to leave
his chaotic, unhappy life and return to his childhood home – a place of serenity and simplicity.
There is a close parallel between the Prodigal Son and the speaker: both are homesick, and they
both find themselves in a situation that they regard as intolerable.
 The use of a biblical phrase also suggests that the speaker has a spiritual connection with
Innisfree. It is a place where he finds peace in the same way that people find peace through a
religious experience.
 This statement, showing the speaker’s conviction and determination: ‘I will arise …’, becomes a
refrain in the poem – it is repeated in Stanza 3. Note, however, that the speaker is not actually
going to Innisfree but merely stating his intention to go. At this stage he simply daydreams about
it and imagines what will happen if he does go there.
 The poem focuses on Innisfree as a place of escape and inner peace for the speaker; he
believes that all his physical and spiritual needs will be met there.
 The verb ‘arise’ does not only mean get up and go somewhere, in the speaker’s case, go to
Innisfree. It might also refer to a change back to a life of goodness after living a life of sin (to get
back up after having given in to sin/fallen) – like in the case of the Prodigal Son.
 Note the effect of the use of the verb ‘will’ (instead of shall), it shows great determination of both
the Prodigal Son and the speaker. In the speaker’s case the need seems to be more urgent. He
wants to escape now (immediately), while he is in the present, standing in the busy, noisy city,
amid the traffic and the crowds.

Line 2: And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:

 He wants to build a small cabin, constructed in the traditional way, using a framework of thin
sticks woven over thicker poles, and then plaster or seal it with mud.
 Note the use of inversion – ‘And a small cabin build there’ rather than ‘and build a small cabin
there,’ it emphasises the small size of the modest cabin.
 ‘there’ – Innisfree in contrast to here, his current location - the city.
 The c-alliteration links the words ‘cabin’ and ‘clay’ and emphasises the simplicity of the rural hut
he plans to build. It is an indication of the pastoral life he plans to lead.

Line 3: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
Line 4: And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

 The speaker goes on to describe the life he will lead on the island. He will be completely self-
sufficient, having planted nine rows of beans and keeping a hive for bees (to have honey).
 Line 4 introduces the second repetition of ‘and’. The first ‘and’ starts the list of what he will do
when he gets to Innisfree, the second and third (line 5) ‘and’ introduce his wish to live alone and
his perception of how life on the Island will make him feel.
 The fact that he wants to ‘live alone’ proves that he craves solitude more than anything else. It
seems as if he rejects the noise and hustle and bustle of the modern world.
  The image ‘bee-loud glade’ describes an open space in a forest that is filled with the buzzing
sound of bees. The ‘glade’ (or meadow) is so quiet the sound of the buzzing bees is deafening.
 The h-alliteration imitates the droning sound of the bees - onomatopoeia.

STANZA 2:
In this stanza the speaker pictures the pastoral tranquillity of Innisfree and expresses his deep longing
for the peace which he believes he will enjoy there. This atmosphere of quiet contentment will reign
throughout the day and night, enhanced by the sounds and sights characteristic of the island.

Line 5: And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Line 6: Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

 The speaker becomes so focused on going to this peaceful paradise that he abandons the future
tense (‘shall have’) and uses the present tense (‘comes’) instead. It is as if he imagines himself
being there at this very moment.
 The opening line of the second stanza affirms the speaker's need for solitude and inner peace.
He believes that the peace he craves will be found at Innisfree, as the island is saturated with an
atmosphere of calmness/serenity and silence.
 The repetition of the word ‘peace’ in line 5 highlights/emphasises his need for peace and the fact
that he believes this sense of peace will be continuous – from ‘morning’ to night-time (‘the cricket
sings’)
 The word ‘some’ implies a great deal of; it suggests much more peace that he currently
experiences.
 Note the use of the word ‘drop’: It means to come down or descend freely from a higher place.
 This implies that peace descends from above / as if from heaven, the place of perfect peace,
happiness and tranquillity. This peace will descend slowly, which means gently, gradually but
steadily or progressively.
 The repetition of ‘dropping’ emphasises both the consistent and the gentle, soothing nature of
this peace.
 ‘veils of the morning’ – this is a metaphor which describes the early morning mist that covers the
island as a veil covering the face. On the island the mornings are blanketed in a thick, heavy
mist/fog.
 This image can also be seen as personification, morning is like a person who wears a veil to hide
him- or herself, or for religious purposes.
 ‘cricket sings’ – This peace will reign from early morning, till the evening when the male crickets
start chirping - crickets are mainly nocturnal.
 Crickets symbolise good luck and prosperity, this idea links with the soul-saving peace the
speaker so desperately seeks/needs.

Line 7: There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

Line 8: And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

 The opening word ‘There’, refers to the island and what he imagines life on the island to be like.
 Midnight is described as ‘all a glimmer’. The word ‘glimmer’ means to shine faintly with a
wavering light. It describes a moonlit night filled with twinkling stars that illuminate the island even
at the darkest time of the night.
 ‘purple glow’ - The word ‘glow’ means a steady radiance of light and heat. In this context it means
very brightly coloured. It refers to the strong, colourful, glaring light of the sun at noon.
  ‘purple glow’ might also refer to the heather plants (purple-flowered plants that grow abundantly
on the island) that are reflected in the lake at noon. The connotations of the colour purple –
royalty, majesty and wealth – suggest the magnificence and splendour of the view.
 The sounds in this stanza are soft and slow, creating a sense of peace and calm.
 The last sound that introduces the evening is ‘the linnet’s wings’, it refers to the birds flocking to
the trees to roost for the night.
 Yeats has chosen to imagine the sound of the linnet’s wings, rather than the birdsong itself. Even
though the linnet is known for its beautiful song, Yeats has chosen to conjure up a place that is
so quiet that even the whirr of these tiny birds’ wings can be heard.

STANZA 3:
By the third stanza we discover the speaker’s current location; he is in a large city, where there are busy
roads and sidewalks. Even while he is far away from Innisfree, it continues to live in his ‘deep heart’s
core’ - in his inner heart/innermost being.

Line 9: I will arise and go now, for always night and day
Line 10: I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

 Stanza three starts with a repetition of the opening line. This refrain, ‘I will arise and go now’,
strengthens his overriding urge and longing to go to Innisfree. This repetition intensifies the mood
of wistful nostalgia. ‘always’ = never-ending.
 The speaker repeats the resolution that he will go to Innisfree. However, at the end of the poem
he is still in the same place, this creates an underlying tone of sadness in the poem.
 The speaker says he will go to Innisfree without delay (’now’), because he hears, in his mind, day
and night, the lake water beating on the shore and making gentle, splashing sounds.
 Note the enjambment - no punctuation to end line 9, it carries on into line 10 at an almost
breathless pace – intensifying his urge to get to Innisfree as soon as possible.
 The l-alliteration and assonance in the line 10 emphasise the tranquillity of the scene that is
described. These sounds have an onomatopoeic effect as they imitate the rhythm and the sound
of the water washing against the shore with a soft, gentle, splashing sound.
 The l-alliteration and assonance emphasise the tranquil, soothing atmosphere of the island.
 Of course, because the speaker does not really hear the water, we should think of this auditory
image as a metaphor for his strong, persistent desire to leave for Innisfree as soon as possible.

Line 11: While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

Line 12: I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

 The speaker describes himself as standing ‘on the roadway, or on the pavements grey.’
Throughout the poem, Innisfree is described as ‘there’. It becomes clear that his actual location is
not Innisfree but the city, the speaker is still stuck in the same position as when the poem started
– the city.
 The roadway and pavements represent the negative qualities of urban living - overcrowding,
pollution and noise – those things that keep the speaker from finding spiritual fulfilment. Indeed,
the plain pavement is a harsh, dull image in comparison with the colourful peacefulness that
characterise the island and the gentle, soothing splash of lake water.
 This is the kind of ‘world’ he wants to escape from – the hustle and bustle of city life which
stands in direct contrast to the beauty, peace and tranquility of the natural world.
  In other words, modern society interferes with the speaker’s search for internal of peace. With the
repetition of the phrase ‘I will arise and go’ as well as ‘and go’, the speaker expresses a deep,
persistent desire to get up and leave the city.
 ‘roadway’ and ‘pavements’ are examples of metonymy and synecdoche – they refer to the city.
 ‘pavements grey’ – the inversion here emphasises the bleakness of the city.
 The antithesis or contrast created between the drabness of the city and the bright colours of the
island intensifies both the beauty of Innisfree and the bleakness of the city.
 Similarly, the implied sounds of traffic on the highways and sidewalks contrast with the peaceful
sounds of bees, crickets, and linnets.
 The speaker hears the murmur of the lake water in his heart, not in his head, while he stands on
the busy roadway or on the pavement in the city of London. The call of the murmur of the lake is
irresistible so he feels he must go to Innisfree.
 Since the word ‘heart’ already means ‘core’ or centre, the speaker suggests that Innisfree lives in
the very heart of his heart. This suggests that this is a place within his mind and soul – a place he
is emotionally attached to.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – LAKE ISLE OF INNESFREE

Read the poem carefully and then answer the questions which follow. The number of marks allocated to
each question serves as a guide to the expected length of your answer.

1. Complete the following sentence by filling in the missing words.

Write down only the correct word next to the question number.

tranquility boring lyrical yearns

drabness idyllic nostalgia irritation

In this (a) …poem, the speaker (b) … to leave the city and go the (c) …… of Innisfree. Innisfree
becomes symbolic of an (d)…. place and the mood is one of (e) … (5)

2. Describe the setting of Stanza 1. (2)

3. Refer to Stanza 1. Using you own words, explain what the speaker wants to do once he arrives
at Innisfree? (3)

4. Refer to ‘I will arise and go … to Innisfree,’ (line 1)

Explain the effect of the repetition used in this line. (2)

5. Refer to stanza 1. The speaker’s greatest need at this stage is to be alone.

Quote TWO consecutive words to prove this statement. (1)

6. Refer to lines 1-2 (‘I will …. Wattles made’)

(a) Identify the tone the speaker would use in these lines? (1)

(b) Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? (2)

7. What is the speaker’s state of mind in stanza 2?

Substantiate your answer. (2)

8. Refer to line 6 (‘veils of the morning’).

 (a) Identify the figure of speech used in this phrase. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in this poem. (2)

9. Refer to line 7 (‘There midnight’s all … a purple glow’).

(a) Explain where ‘There’ is. (1)

(b) Refer to the poem as a whole.

Prove, by quoting a line, where ‘here’ is for the speaker. (1)

10. Quote TWO separate phrases from the first two stanzas that are auditory images. (2)

11. In the context of the poem, the ‘the veils of the morning’ refers to:
A a cloth
B a barrier
C mist
D drapes (1)

12. Refer to stanza 2.

Explain why the following statement is FALSE.

Crickets start chirping early in the morning. (1)

13. Refer to line 10.

(a) Identify the sound device used in this line. (1)

(b) What is the function of the sound device as used in this line? (2)

14. The speaker in The lake isle of Innisfree can be pitied.

Discuss you view. (3)

15. One of the themes in The lake isle of Innisfree is longing.

Discuss this theme. (3)

16. The poem successfully conveys the speaker’s deep emotional attachment to the
Innisfree.

Discuss you view. (3)

POEM 2: Inversnaid - Gerard Manley Hopkins

Inversnaid - Gerard Manley Hopkins

This darksome burn, horseback brown,

His rollrock highroad roaring down,
In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam
Flutes and low to the lake falls home.

A windpuff-bonnet of fáwn-fróth 5
Turns and twindles over the broth
Of a pool so pitchblack, féll-frówning,
It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning.

Degged with dew, dappled with dew

Are the groins of the braes that the brook treads through, 10
Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern,
And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn.

What would the world be, once bereft

Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet; 15
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

VOCABULARY LIST:
Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

Hopkins adapted many Scottish dialectic words to use in this poem. Several words, especially
compound-words, are highly unusual or even invented by the poet.
darksome dark and gloomy

burn a stream (in Scottish dialect)

rollrock highroad the path of the stream is like a main road downhill, it rolls over
rocks and even rolls rocks down with it
coop enclosed hollow, an enclosure

comb a rippling stretch of water; water flowing or running freely

In coop and in comb
fleece of his foam
flutes
windpuff-bonnet
In coop and in comb: in low and in high parts of the stream’s
bed.
‘fleece’ refers to the wool of a sheep, which is soft and furry in
texture, much like the foam on the water.
to make a shape like the flute or stem of a long-stemmed glass -
The meaning is from the architectural meaning of ‘flute’ as a
noun: a long groove going down a carved stone column. Water
divides into lines as it falls over a ledge or rock shelf.
It might also refer to making a whistling sound like a flute - the
musical instrument = sound water makes when rushing downhill.
froth which sits like a hat lightly on the water and is created by
 the wind
fawn-froth some fawn-coloured froth (light yellowish-brown): the water is
probably muddy
twindles meanders. A combination of twists, winds, and dwindles.

broth a soup

fell-frowning frowning threateningly; the high hills (‘fells’) seem to frown down
on the pool of water. They cover it with such shade that the
water seems ‘pitchblack’ in colour.
Despair hopelessness, misery, despondency

degged sprinkle, a Scottish dialect word which means to water a plant

dappled marked with spots or rounded patches; covered with spots of

colours that are lighter or darker than the main colour

tread to walk or proceed along

groins slides/slopes; the word suggests the body curves of the hillside

braes hills; hillside along a stream

wiry resembling wire in form and texture
heathpacks clumps of heather(low evergreen shrub with small bell-shaped
pink or purple flowers), characteristic of heaths and moorland

flitches patches or streaks; clumps

bonny pretty

beadbonny made beautiful (‘bonny’) by being beaded with berries. Refer the
lovely red berries of ash tree in autumn.

ash a type of tree

bereft lacking or deprived of something, normally associated with the

loss of a loved one.

ABOUT THE POET:

• Born at Stratford, Essex, England, on July 28, 1844, Gerard Manley Hopkins is regarded as one
the Victorian era's greatest poets.
• He attended college in Oxford in 1863 and studied Classics. While studying at Oxford he became
a Roman Catholic and qualified as a Jesuit priest (1868) – this decision estranged him from his
family.
• At that time, he vowed to ‘write no more...unless it were the wish of my superiors.’ He believed
his creativity prevented him from wholly devoting himself to God.
• Less than a week after his conversion Hopkins made a bonfire, burnt all the poems he had
written to date and did not write any poetry again for the next seven years - until 1875.
• He was then asked by his religious superior to write a poem to commemorate the sinking of the
German ship, the Deutschland which was wrecked during a storm at the mouth of the Thames
River. 157 people died, including five Franciscan nuns who had left Germany due to harsh anti-
Catholic laws. This inspired one of his best poems: The Wreck of the Deutschland.
 • However, none of his poems were ever published during his lifetime. His work was so uniquely
different that it was not appreciated in his lifetime.
• Thirty years after the death of Hopkins, in 1918, his friend Robert Bridges published an Anthology
of his poems.

HOPKINS’S POETY:
• Hopkins is one of the greatest 19th century poets of religion, nature and of melancholy.
• His poems are often in praise of God, celebrating God’s glory through His works. He believed
that God’s glory and goodness could be seen in the natural world.
• Hopkins is famous for ‘playing’ with language. He invented new words and gave known words
new meanings. Some of the compound words in this poem will not be found in a dictionary, but
they make perfect sense when you read them, like ‘rollrock’ (line 2).
• He also uses words from the Scottish dialect, like ‘burn’, ‘fell’ and ‘degged’.
• One of his major innovations was a new metrical form, called ‘sprung rhythm’. This rhythm adds a
unique beauty and flowing quality to his work
• Sprung Rhythm: He took the traditional meter of the English sonnet form, which is iambic
pentameter (five groups, or feet, of two syllables; each foot consisting of an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed one). He then introduced extra unstressed syllables to the line, extending
its length.

ABOUT THE POEM:

 Hopkins visited the area of Inversnaid once when he took a break from his priestly duties in that
area. He described this visit to Inversnaid in a letter to a friend: ‘I hurried from Glasgow one day
to Loch Lomond. The day was dark and partly hid the lake, yet did not altogether disfigure it but
gave a pensive or solemn beauty which left a deep impression on me’.
 Inversnaid was written in the autumn of 1881, soon after this visit. It is an enchanted recreation of
wild nature, and a plea to preserve it; Inversnaid seems especially relevant today.
 The poem was written at the height of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, which was beginning
to destroy the countryside. The poet makes a very urgent appeal that such places, as described
in the poem, should not be destroyed forever by man’s search for wealth at any cost.
 In this poem Hopkins tries to capture the energy of the fast-flowing stream in the rural landscape
of Inversnaid. He makes use of several important sound devices and other techniques to capture
the true essence and energy of the stream.

SETTING:
 The poem was written in the autumn of 1881, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in Europe.
 It is set in the village of Inversnaid on the east bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
 Set amongst the hills and mountains of the Scottish Highlands, Loch Lomond is one of the
country’s largest lakes. Water races down the hillside, flows powerfully down rocks and over a
waterfall, and then eases into many pools filled with froth - Inversnaid Falls is one of the largest
waterfalls in the area.

TITLE:
 The poem’s title is derived from the village of Inversnaid on the east bank of Loch Lomond in
Scotland.
 It describes a stream that races down over rocks to the lake in that area.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem consists of four four-line stanzas (quatrains) that each has two rhyming couplets.
 These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of aabb ccdd eeff gghh.
  The first three stanzas are single sentences, but the last stanza contains two sentences.
 The first three stanzas depict a lively and exciting picture of Nature in our minds and the final
stanza is a plea that this natural beauty should be preserved.
 Hopkins makes use of sprung rhythm in this poem = he stresses the important part of words, and
this will then be surrounded by any number of unstressed syllables. In this way he lengthens and
manipulates the length of his lines.

THEMES:
 Natural wonder: Hopkins celebrates the grandeur and magnificence of God’s creation; he
reasons that such places should be left untouched and unchanged.
 Wildness: Nature at its best, unspoilt by mankind, what is natural is what is best (even weeds).
 Peace: The purpose of life, living as God intended us to, close to nature.
 The future: Hopkins makes a plea to humanity to preserve nature for future generations to enjoy.
Hopkins despairs for the future of nature and expresses the wish that it will live on forever.
 Depression and despair: Although Hopkins celebrates the vigour and beauty of the natural
world, there is a sense that darkness and depression are ever present. That feeling might well
arise from the fact that man will not make an effort to care for/protect and conserve nature as
pleaded for in the poem.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The tone of the poem is one of admiration and celebration of nature.
 At first the tone is light-hearted when the speaker describes the fast flowing stream, but then in
line 7 and 8 it becomes despondent /hopeless /disheartened when he realises that this beauty
might not last forever and might be spoilt by mankind.
 In the last stanza the tone is pleading and a little anxious. The speaker is appealing to the
reader/mankind to protect nature and not allow it to be destroyed.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

Inversnaid is a celebration of the sheer beauty of the rugged Highland landscape in autumn. The poem
describes a stream in the Highlands of Scotland.
The first stanza describes the stream tumbling over rocks as it rushes downhill towards a lake; in the
second stanza he compares the froth that gathers on top of the water in a little pool to a light brown hat;
and in third stanza the language of the poem becomes gentler and the tone more positive. The focus
shifts slightly as the poet now describes the landscape around the stream.
The poem ends as the poet wonders what would become of the world without such natural beauty and
wet, wild landscapes. He pleads for the preservation of nature.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA ONE:
This stanza describes the stream tumbling over rocks as it rushes downhill towards the pool/lake.

Line 1: This darksome burn, horseback brown,

Line 2: His rollrock highroad roaring down
  ‘darksome’, meaning dark or gloomy, refers to the brownish colour of the water in the stream that
rushes down to the lake.
 For Hopkins the ‘darksome burn’ also represents all the areas of the wilderness in the world that
could be vulnerable to man’s influence.
 The stream (‘burn’) is described as ‘horseback brown’. This suggests that the water is a deep
dark brown colour – maybe because it is in the shadow, or because it is carrying particles of dirt.
The poet’s visit to this area was in autumn of 1881 – Loch Lomond area gets ±17-20 days of rain
per month – water runs down to streams, carrying mud/dirt along with it, which also makes the
stream brown.
 It flows fast/powerfully downstream over the waterfall to the pool below. The repetition of ‘r’ and
‘o’-sounds convey the rush and roar of the water as it tumbles over the rocks. It is a strong, lively
stream of water coming down.
 Alliteration of the ‘b’ (line 1) and ‘r’ (line 2) also stresses the immense power and energy of the
water.
 Metaphor: ’horseback brown” – The speaker compares the stream’s fast movement and vigorous
energy to a wild horse galloping downhill at great speed.
 The stream is personified in line 2. The speaker refers to it as if it were a male person, describing
‘His rollrock’ and ‘his foam’ – line 3.
 ‘rollrock’ – The poet invented the word to describe the movement of the water over the stones. It
is a combination of the words ‘rock’ and ‘roll’ to emphasise the speed of the stream flowing
downhill over the rocks, so fast that some rocks are even dislodged and rolling down with the
water. The stream roars down the highroad of rocks.
 The words ‘roaring down’ have an onomatopoeic effect too; it not only imitates the speed but the
sound of the stream too.

Line 3: In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam

Line 4: Flutes and low to the lake falls home.

 The stream is now calmer than in lines 1 and 2. The alliteration of the ‘c’, ‘f’ and ‘l’-sounds
emphasise the peacefulness of the lake.
 The stream flows into a hollow (‘coop’) and there is a great deal of foam on the surface, it is light
tan in colour. It is gently circling as in a whirlpool.
 The energy of the stream is now ‘cooped up’ in a rockpool and the water gently ‘combs’ over the
rocks. Whether it is confined by the surrounding rocks or running freely, the water is described as
moving energetically. The water splits/ is parted where the rocks are, like a comb’s teeth would
split/ part hair – the rocks act like a comb (metaphor).
 Both the high and low parts (‘coop and comb’) carry the power of the water downstream.
 Metaphor: ‘fleece of his foam’- The froth (foamy mass of small bubbles) is compared to the soft
texture and appearance of a sheep’s wool.
 The water ‘flutes’ as it nears the lake. This may mean that there is a narrow stretch in the stream
before it opens up into the wider waters of the lake, much as the narrow stem or flute of a wine
glass widens into the bowl. It describes the water dividing into narrow strands as it drops over the
waterfall - from architecture = looks like a waterfall.
 The lake is the stream’s ultimate destination (‘home’).

STANZA TWO:
The focus switches to the calmer, shallow pools.

Line 5: A windpuff-bonnet of fáwn-fróth

  Metaphor: ‘windpuff-bonnet’ - the wind causes the foam on top of the water, as it falls into the
pool/lake, to look like a hat made of foam.
‘windpuff’ = bubble-like swelling on fetlock of horses (links to line one’s horseback brown:
Hopkins likens foam on water to a bonnet of windpuffs (headcovering of bubbles, as the foam
floats on top of the water))
 Metaphor: ‘fáwn-fróth’ - The colour of the foam itself is light brown, it is compared to the colour of
a fawn’s (young dear in its first year) fur.
 The light brown froth and foam hint at the riverbed and the materials that are turned up as the
water cascades down its path.

Line 6: Turns and twindles over the broth

 We get a whirlpool image as the foam on top of the water is twisting, turning and dwindling as it
nears the centre of the pool.
 ‘twindles’ - This new verb is a combination of ‘dwindle’ and ‘twitch’ and it describes the movement
of the water trapped in pockets
 ‘broth’ – soup. The water is described as ‘broth’; it describes the bubbling water and portrays the
slight darkness of the area. This line is linked, through the use of enjambment, to the next.

Line 7: Of a pool so pitchblack, féll-frówning,

Line 8: It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning.

 Now the light-hearted tone changes as Hopkins looks into the ‘pitchblack, fell-frowning’ whirlpool
and feels pulled down by despair, just as something caught in the black waters of the whirlpool is
drawn down and drowned.
 Although Hopkins celebrates the vigor and beauty of the natural world, there is still a sense that
darkness and depression are ever present.
 The onomatopoeic effect of ‘rounds and rounds’ with its broad, long vowel sounds adds to the
gloomy feeling of these lines.
 The pool is ‘pitchblack’ partly because it is in the shadow of a high hill, or mountain.
 ‘fell-frowning’ personifies the hills around the pool as a dark, brooding, judge-like presence. It is
as if the hills look down at the stream with an attitude of disapproval, dissatisfaction or
disapproval.
 These lines reflect the colour/depth/atmosphere around this specific pool of water – it is like a
thick soup.
 Onomatopoeia: ‘rounds and rounds’ – The effect of the words adds to the gloomy feeling and the
swirling motion produces ominous, dark emotions.
 ‘Despair’ – The capital letter emphasises/stresses the darkness of the area. It helps maintain the
mood of gloominess/ discouragement/despair experienced by the speaker and prepares us for
the plea in stanza 4.
STANZA THREE:
The language now becomes gentler and the tone more positive. Hopkins focuses on the banks
of the stream and the abundance of plants, shrubs and trees. He captures the essence of the
gorge or narrow valley through which the stream runs/flows.

Line 9: Degged with dew, dappled with dew

Line 10: Are the groins of the braes that the brook treads through,
  The focus switches once more. This time, to the surrounding hillsides, the steep banks (‘braes’)
through which the stream (‘brook’) flows – the banks are sprinkled/ marked with spots of dew
(‘degged’; ‘dappled’)
 The word ‘degged’, that starts off this stanza is from the local Lancashire dialect and means
sprinkled.
 ‘groins’ – The sides/slopes (‘braes’) of the hillsides surrounding the stream are sprinkled with
dew.
 ‘tread’ means to walk along or through = the stream is running through the surrounding hillside.
 Personification: The stream, which flows through the slopes of the hills, is described as a person
walking along its steep dewy banks.

Line 11: Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern,

Line 12: And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn.

● In in these two lines the vegetation growing on the banks of the stream is described.
 The surrounding area contains a variety and abundance of plant life:
o a thicket of heather, described as ‘wiry’ because the stem of the plant is thin, needle-like
but strong. ‘heather’ is a pink- or purple-flowered shrub that grows abundantly on
moorlands and heathlands in Europe.
o patches of green ferns; and
o an ash tree covered with beautiful red berries. They all grow around the water’s edge and
are widely distributed throughout this region. The ash tree is often viewed as being an
image of protection, they were said to protect the purity of the springs (natural water
source.
 By using words like ‘wiry’ and ‘flitches’, the vegetation is described as a combination of plants
that can withstand extreme weather conditions.
‘flitches’ = slabs of timber cut from tree trunk, usually from outside (longitudinal stretch of log –
metaphor – compares the fern fronds (leaves) to slices of wood (they do look similar).
 ‘bonny’- Scottish for beautiful or attractive
 The ‘beadbonny’ ash tree is made beautiful as if beaded with the red berries – it is personified as
a girl wearing a bead necklace. It suggests the beauty of the ash berries; the tree wears them
like jewellery.
 ‘heather’ – metaphorically suggests good luck/admiration/protection
 Personification: The ash tree is described as sitting next to the stream.

STANZA FOUR:
Hopkins changes his focus slightly in the last stanza of the poem. He asks, rhetorically, ‘What would the
world be, once bereft / Of wet and of wilderness’.
He still reflects on the beauty of nature and, but more importantly, on how much poorer this world would
be if deprived of nature in its purest state.

Line 13: What would the world be, once bereft

Line 14: Of wet and of wildness? …
  Rhetorical question: It emphasise his desire for nature to be left alone. Nature must exist without
tampering by man. He asks what life would be like without wild/natural places such as these. The
question creates a sense of uncertainty and despondency.
 The use of enjambment forces the reader to read on to the next line and in doing so emphasises
the importance of leaving or allowing nature to run its course.
 The simple language in the last stanza effectively stresses the simple, straightforward message
that the poem conveys. The enormity of the potential loss of the ‘wet’ wilderness to the world is
shown by the use of the word ‘bereft’ (line 13), a word usually used to describe someone in
mourning. Losing the natural, wild landscape would be like the death of a loved one.
 The speaker has an urgent plea to the reader: natural things belong in their natural environment
and such places should be left untouched and unchanged by man.
 Tone: Urgent/ pleading

Line 14: … Let them be left,

Line 15: O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Line 16: Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

 The speaker expresses a wish and makes a passionate appeal to the reader to preserve or
conserve nature for future generations.
 We must not interfere/ruin/spoil nature.
 Repetition: The repetition of the phrase ‘let them be left’ emphasises his desperation and mood of
anxiety and the necessity to preserve nature. He earnestly begs/pleas for the restoration of the
natural world in its purest form.
 The use of ‘O’ emphasises this pleading tone.
 The inversion of ‘wildness and wet’, emphasises the importance of the natural state of nature that
should be preserved at all times.
 ‘them’ – the wild unspoilt places
 ‘weeds’ – Weeds, which are, in the human world, unwanted plants are as much part of the
natural world as the other plants and trees. Weeds are often beautiful, flowering plants which
add colour and beauty to the environment.
 The general idea is that what is natural is what is best. These ordinary plants belong in their
environment and such places should be left untouched and unchanged by man.
 The poem ends with an environmental plea that still resonates with us today: preserve the natural
landscape and respect it!!
 Alliteration of the ‘w’-sound, aided by the repetition of ‘let them be left’, conveys a mood of
anxiety and pleading, he subtly reminds the reader of the beauty and vitality of nature and gears
us up to join him in this earnest plea to protect the natural world.
 The last two lines have endeared the poet to generations of environmentalists – the call to
preserve nature so many years ago is still alive and unfortunately more pertinent today than ever
before.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS - INVERSNAID

1. Complete the following sentences by using the words in the list below. Write down only the
correct word next the question number.
 lyrical, rhyming, sestets, quatrains, octave, couplets

This (a) … poem consist of four (b) … The stanzas are further broken down into two (c) …
(d) … each. (4)

2. Describe the setting of the poem. (2)

3. Refer to line 1(‘This darksome burn, horseback brown’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in this poem. (2)

4. Discuss the effectiveness of the word ‘rollrock’ as used in the poem. (2)

5. Refer to lines 3 and 4 (‘In coop and in comb … the lake falls home’)
(a) Identify the sound device used in these lines. (1)

(b) Explain the effect of this sound device as used in these lines. (2)

6. Refer to line 4 (‘and low to the lake fall home’).

Explain the reference the speaker makes to ‘home’ (2)

7. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence. Write down only
the letter next to the question number.

The figure of speech used in ‘A windpuff-bonnet’ (line 5), is an example of/a …

A simile.
B irony.
C metaphor.
D hyperbole. (1)

8. Refer to line 5 (‘of fawn-froth’).

(a) What colour is referred to in the word ‘fawn’? (1)
(b) Substantiate your answer. (2)

9. Refer to line 7-8 (‘Of a pool so pitchblack …Despair to drowning’.

(a) Why is the following statement FALSE?

The tone in these lines is light-hearted. (2)

(b) Identify the figure of speech used in the word ‘fell-frowning’. (1)

(c) Explain the figure of speech as used in this line. (2)

(d) Quote ONE word which best describe the speaker’s state of mind in these lines. (1)

10. Refer to lines 9-10 (‘Degged with dew … that the brook treads through’)
(a) Quote an example of personification used in these lines. (1)
 (b) Explain why this figure of speech (personification) is relevant in these lines. (2)

11. Refer to line 11 (‘Wiry’ heathpacks, flitches if fern’)

What does the use of the word ‘Wiry’ imply regarding the natural vegetation? (1)

12. Refer to Line 12 (‘And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn.’)
(a) Explain the use of the word ‘beadbonny’ as used in this line. (2)

(b) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(c) Why is this figure of speech relevant in this poem? (2)

13. Refer to Lines 13 and 14. (‘What would the world be, once bereft/ Of wet and of wildness?)
(a) Identify the figure of speech used here? (1)

(b) What is the effect of the use of this figure of speech in this line? (2)

14. Refer to lines 14 and 15 (‘Let them be left, / O let them be left’)
(a) Identify the tone the speaker would use in these lines. (1)

(b) Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? (2)

15. Refer to lines 13 and 14 (‘What would the … and of wildness’)

(a) Give ONE word which best describes the speaker’s state of mind in these lines. (1)

(b) Substantiate your answer. (2)

16. How is the city life different from the life at the Lake of Innisfree? (2)

17. One of the themes in Inversnaid is appreciation.

Discuss this theme. (3)

18. The poem celebrates the theme of escapism.

Discuss your view. (3)

19. The speaker succeeds in convincing the reader that nature is worth saving.
Discuss your view. (3)

20. Explain why the following statement is TRUE.

The Isle of Innisfree is both a place and the poet’s state of mind.

21. The speaker can be admired for his vivid descriptions of Inversnaid?
Discuss your view. (3)
POEM 3: Hard to find - Sinesipo Jojo

Hard to find – Sinesipo Jojo

Words are everywhere
daily
we read them, and they fly out
like nobody’s business when we are provoked …

but there’s always something hard to understand … 5

they are hard to find

when they are needed by the heart;
when the heart feels,
words hide like they are not part of life.

While words are busy playing some twisted game 10

my heart looks sadly through the glass windows
as the raindrops slowly slide down, gently
on a cloudy lifetime,
hoping that one day,

words will realize what my heart wants to say.

WORDS TO KNOW:

Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

fly out escape or leave

like nobody’s business slang phrase meaning something is being done with great
passion or intensity; to an extraordinary degree or standard
provoked to be deliberately angered/annoyed/irritated/ frustrated; when
angered we might say things we do not mean

needed by the heart the heart is a symbol of emotions

words hide ‘hide’ - something is concealed; difficult to see or find. Words

have been active in the poem, but with the word ‘hide’ they are
personified. This personification is extended through the rest of
the poem.

twisted corrupt, cruel or perverted

slide move smoothly; glide

cloudy darkened by gloom, anxiety or sadness

words … realize understand clearly, comprehend, become aware or conscious

ABOUT THE POET:
 Sinesipo Jojo is a South African poet, born in Port St. Johns, Eastern Cape, in 1993. She began
writing while she was still at school.
 In her final year of studying psychology, Sinesipo joined a creative writing workshop arranged by
the Arts and Culture Directorate of the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. The
workshops focused on the writing process and practical methods of applying it. This poem was
born during those workshops.
 Sinesipo Jojo (a psychologist) says the following about her poetry: ‘However, writing is a way of
expressing myself, a way of letting my feelings and thoughts out, and a way of speaking to
myself. It is also a way of letting my thoughts be known by others. Most of my writings are based
on personal experiences, and on the relationships I have with others.’

BACKGROUND TO THE POEM:

 The poem explores the availability of words when they are really needed.
 Sometimes words come freely into our minds, and then, often, when we really need them, we
struggle to find the right words to describe how we feel at that moment.
 The core image in this poem is the description of the heart in the last three stanzas. It creates an
emotion-filled atmosphere of the heart searching in vain for the right words to use to air its
emotions.
TYPE:
 It is a short lyrical poem written from the first person’s point of view.
 The speaker expresses her very personal thoughts and feelings about how it is difficult to find the
right words when she really needs them.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem consists of five stanzas of varying length. The lines themselves vary greatly in length
too.
 It has no set rhyme scheme – written in free verse.
 Limited punctuation is used in the poem. It consists of only two sentences.
 This leads to excellent use of enjambment – used mainly to increase the rhythm when needed.

TITLE:
 The title refers to words that are sometimes difficult, to near impossible to find.
 It also refers to the speaker’s inability to understand why words are hiding from people when they
are needed most.
 The words of the title are repeated in line 6.

THEMES:
 The necessity of words for proper communication - Words are used daily to communicate
with one another. Sometimes words are easy to find, however, in certain situations words are
elusive (difficult to find).
 The struggle to express oneself – the speaker seems to be emotionally distressed, unable to
find words to express her heartfelt emotions.
 Sadness – this inability to express emotions leads to a feeling of sadness.
 The power of words – Words are powerful, whether you speak or write them, they have energy
and life-changing power.
They have impact on the speaker and the receiver. They can help or heal, or hurt, harm and
humiliate.
MOOD:
 The overall mood is one of sadness and disillusionment/surprise at the inability to find the
necessary words to express oneself when one needs them most.
 The mood becomes slightly hopeful/optimistic (in the last two lines) when the speaker
expresses the hope that words will once again be available.

TONE:
 Stanza 1 – 3: reflective, contemplative, questioning, dissatisfied.
 Stanza 4: unhappy, sad, dissatisfied, despondent.
 Stanza 5: resignation, acceptance, optimistic.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

● The poem looks at the way words come freely at times and hide when the speaker really needs
them.
● However, the core image is the description of the heart in the second last stanza.
● Perhaps the heart really symbolises the speaker, who is filled with emotion which she cannot
express.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1

Line 1: Words are everywhere

Line 2: daily

 Words are our form of communication, used daily, and abundantly available.
 Words are personified throughout the poem.
 Varied daily use of words: they are either written down, thought about or spoken.
 Line 2 is a single-word line (‘daily’) to highlight/emphasise the daily availability and abundance of
words.
 This line also emphasises the fact that verbal communication is an everyday occurrence.

Line 3: we read them, and they fly out

 By using the word ‘we’, the speaker includes the reader too and this gives the poem a universal
appeal.
 Words are everywhere to be read, and they are especially abundant when we become angry.
Then we often do not carefully consider what we say, we might end up saying things we do not
mean to say.
 Metaphor – ‘they fly out’ – The words seem to grow wings, like a bird. Thus, the words are
compared to birds that fly up and away when they are scared off; it emphasises both the speed
and the lack of control.
 The way we use words is compared to the way birds fly off when scared, they move quickly and
unsystematically, flying into objects and hurting themselves.
 Similarly, when we are angry, words come out of our mouths easily, randomly and
indiscriminately.
 Line 4: like nobody’s business, when we are provoked …

 Simile - ‘like nobody’s business’ – slang phrase/informal English that means something is done
with great intensity, or to great excess. It refers to the large number of words coming out of our
mouths.
 ‘provoked’ – made passionate or angry. When we are angry, we might speak without thinking and
say things we do not mean – things that are often emotionally hurtful.
 The use of the ellipsis implies that the thought is not complete, some things have been left out, it
also emphasises the idea of a continuous flow of indiscriminate words.
 The ellipsis also creates a pause which makes the reader think about how easily, excessively,
and uncontrollably we respond with words when we are angered (‘provoked’).

STANZA 2

Line 5: but there’s always something hard to understand …

 ‘but’ – indicates a change of thought. This change in thought is further emphasised by placing
the line on its own and ending it on an ellipsis.
 This line introduces a contradictory idea. ‘something’ = a thing that is unspecified or unknown;
here it refers to what it is that is so difficult to understand.
 The speaker highlights the fact that, whereas words, at first came easily and unrestricted (lines 1-
4), there is something she fails to understand, something that she is trying to figure out.
 The ellipsis slows the pace indicates that an explanation will follow of what she finds difficult to
understand.
 ‘something’ may refer to the sudden, inexplicable absence of words.
 ‘hard’ - difficult to comprehend/understand.

STANZA 3

Line 6: they are hard to find

 The pronoun ‘they’ – refers to the words.

 This line finally gives an answer to what the speaker finds so difficult to understand:
that words which are at times are so abundantly available, can suddenly become
difficult to find / be unavailable.
 Note the antithesis between Line 3 ‘fly out’ and Line 6 ‘hard to find’.
 The repetition of the title serves to emphasise the speaker’s difficulty or inability to understand
why words are all of a sudden so elusive.

Line 7: when they are needed by the heart.

 ‘they’ – refers to the words.

 ‘needed a by the heart’ – the ‘heart’ is a symbol of the emotions. The speaker states that at
times when a person experiences heartfelt/deep emotions, words are not readily available.
 Personification – the heart is personified as a person having a specific emotional need.
 Synecdoche – the heart represents the person that struggles to find the appropriate words to
express his/her emotions.
  The word ‘heart’ is at the end of the line to emphasise the fact that this is an emotional need that
is being referred to.
 The use of the semicolon introduces a slightly longer pause - the reader should pause to
consider what it might be that the ‘heart’ needs and cannot find.

Line 8: when the heart feels,

 Sustained personification of the heart – it is personified as a person who has feelings.

 The heart, being the centre of emotions, is hurt /upset that it is unable to find or say the right
words; or give the appropriate emotional response.
 ‘when the heart feels’ refers to specific emotions experienced by the person - emotions that are
confusing and difficult to deal with.

Line 9: words hide like they are not part of life.

 Personification – words are personified as someone who plays hide-and-seek and does not want
to be found.
 Simile – words are compared to something that is so difficult to find, it is as if it does not exist.
 When we experience these intense emotions, we often do not know what to say, we cannot find
the right words when we want to express our feelings.
 It might refer to heartfelt emotions like sadness, love, disappointment.
 It is a lot more difficult to say the right words when we are emotionally broken or when we want to
comfort someone who is experiencing similar feelings – something like grief.
 The words are so difficult to find, it feels as if the words do not even exist, yet there is an urgent
need to voice these feelings, hoping that it will help one work through them/deal with them.

STANZA 4

Line 10: While words are playing a twisted game

 Personification – words are given the human qualities of a person trying to trick someone.
 ‘twisted game’ – complicated/having ulterior motives/bad or mentally unbalanced. This game is
cruel and unfair and causes hurt/sadness.
 Words seem to be nasty, hurtful and purposefully malicious. These words are ‘playing’
(personification) a ‘twisted’ game with the heart. The words are hiding, well-knowing that they are
cruel to the heart, hurting it and intensifying its sadness.
 The speaker’s sadness is caused by an inability to find the right words to express the emotions
experienced at that time.

Line 11: my heart looks sadly through the glass windows

 ‘my’ – the speaker is talking about herself, making the poem more personal, her inability to
express her feelings, to find the proper words to write poetry, is causing personal sadness.
 Personification – the heart is personified as a person who can look through a window to the
outside world; this person is sad and crying because he/she is not able to express his/her
feelings.
 The sadness is evident in the tears (‘raindrops’) falling from the speaker’s eyes (‘glass windows’).
  Synecdoche – the heart is a person who is sad and crying because he/she is unable to express
his/her feelings.
 Metaphor – ‘glass windows’ are compared to the eyes of a person crying / forming a type of
barrier between the person’s feelings and the words needed to express these emotions.
The glass window is transparent, you can see through it, but it forms an almost invisible, cold,
hard barrier which prevents you from getting through to the other side.
 Tone: sad/depressed.

Line 12: as the raindrops slowly slide down, gently

 The s-alliteration: ‘sadly; slowly; slide’ – emphasises the sadness the speaker is feeling about her
inability to express her feelings through words/poetry.
 Metaphor – ‘raindrops’ sliding down a windowpane are compared to a person’s tears that are
slowly flowing/rolling down her/his cheeks - this metaphor creates a sad mood or atmosphere.
 Inversion: the poet purposefully placed the word ‘gently’ at the end of the line to emphasise the
way the tears slide down.
 Antithesis: Line 3 ‘fly out’ and Line 12 ‘slowly; gently’ – when we are angry, we are quick to
express ourselves no matter how we may hurt others BUT when we are hurting/sad/feeling
vulnerable we consider our words deeply and find it difficult to express ourselves.

Line 13: on a cloudy lifetime,

Line 14: hoping that one day,

 The use of images of raindrops and clouds create a sad mood and atmosphere.
 ‘cloudy’ – sad / bothered / brooding.
 ‘cloudy lifetime’ might refer both to a sad, unfulfilled life and a future that is unclear/uncertain.
 ‘lifetime’ – seem as if it is never ending – it refers to prolonged sadness. The speaker is not only
crying over a moment’s inability to express emotions or feelings, but over that of a ‘lifetime’.
 Metaphor – time of sadness is compared to an ongoing cloudy or sad day. The heart is sad and
the outlook is bleak/grey when the right words cannot be found.
 Antithesis: Line 2 ‘daily’ versus Line 14 ‘one day’ – thoughtless words are used every day but
meaningful words are something the poet wishes for ‘one day’.
 ‘one day’ does not refer to a specific time, it rather refers to an uncertain time in the future.

STANZA 5

Line 15: words will realize what my heart wants to say.

 Personification – words are personified as a person coming to a realisation or a clear

understanding: when the words ‘realise’ what the speaker’s ‘heart wants to say’, he/she will be
able to write poetry and express herself/himself as he or she wishes to.
 Repetition of the word ‘my’ emphasises the personal struggle of the speaker.
 Despite the speaker’s sadness about this inability to express feelings, lines 14 and 15 show that
there is hope that it may be different in future; that she will indeed find the right words to express
her feelings openly and adequately.
 The concluding single line ends on a positive or optimistic note, it emphasises the hope of the
speaker to find the right words to express his/her feelings.
 However, ‘hope’ does not guarantee that the right words will be found; it might remain an
unfulfilled hope.
HOMEWORK QUESTIONS - HARD TO FIND

1. Complete the following sentences by using the words in the list below. Write only the correct
word next to the question numbers.

sonnet frustration metaphor lyrical personified

This is a (a) … poem where the poet expresses (b) … about her inability to find the right
words. Words are (c) … throughout the poem. (3)

2. Refer to line 2 (‘daily’)

(a) Suggest a reason why ‘daily’ is placed in a line of its own. (1)

(b) Comment on its effectiveness. (2)

3. Refer to line 3. (‘we read…fly out’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why the figure of speech is relevant in this poem. (2)

4. Why is the following statement FALSE?

The speaker says we can’t find the right words when we are angry. (2)

5. Refer to line 5. (‘but there’s…to understand…’).

(a) Identify the tone the speaker would use in this line? (1)

(b) Why would the speaker use this tone in this line? (2)

6. What is the effect of the use of the ellipsis at the end of line 4 and 5? (2)

7. Explain the comparison in line 9. (2)

8. Refer to line 10 (‘While words … game’). What is the speaker’s state of mind in this line?
Substantiate your answer. (2)

9. Refer to line 11 (‘my heart …through the glass windows’)

What are ‘glass windows’ a metaphor for? Substantiate your answer. (2)

10. Refer to line 11-12 (‘looks sadly … slide down, gently’)

(a) Identify the sound device use in these lines? (1)

(b) What is the effect of using this sound device in these lines? (2)
11. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence. Write only the letter next to
the question number.

The figure of speech used in ‘looks sadly … slide down gently (lines 11-12), is an example of …

A oxymoron.
B simile.
C personification.
D irony (1)

12. Refer to line 13 (‘on a cloudy lifetime’).

Is the word ‘cloudy’ used literally or figuratively in this line?

Substantiate your answer. (2)

13. Refer to lines 14-15 (‘hoping … wants to say’)

What is the speaker’s state of mind in these lines? Substantiate your answer. (2)

14. One of the themes in this poem is the struggle to express oneself.

Discuss this theme. (3)

15. The concluding line of the poem creates an atmosphere of optimism.

Discuss your view. (3)

16.The tile of this poem captures the essence of the poem.

Discuss you view. (3)

POEM 4: Sonnet 73 - William Shakespeare

Sonnet 73 – William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day 5
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 10
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

WORDS TO KNOW:

Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

thou you

mayst may

behold To perceive through sight or apprehension: see; to gaze upon:

observe.

boughs A branch of a tree; especially a main branch

shake The wind shakes the branches (‘boughs’), but the use of
personification makes it look as if they are shivering.
bare To be without

ruin’d To damage irreparably; reduced to a state of collapse

choirs The group of singers in a church. Shakespeare describes ruined

churches, where choirs no longer sing (compared to the bare
trees, where birds no longer sing).

late Lately or recently

twilight The light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between
sunset and full night; a time of twilight refers to an intermediate
state that is not clearly defined/lived in the twilight of neutrality; a
period of decline.
 fadeth Gradually grows faint and disappear; he describes the light that
remains for a while after the sun has set.

by and by before long, soon

doth does

death’s second self night-time (or sleep) that imitates death

seals a tight and perfect closure

expire To run out, to die

Consumed To be eaten, to do away with completely: destroy

nourish’d Fed, promote growth

perceivest To attain awareness or understanding of; to regard as being

such was perceived as a loser; to become aware of through the
senses especially: see, observe

ere before

ABOUT THE POET:

• William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564
in Stratford-upon-Avon.
• His birthday was never recorded but is celebrated on 23 April (he was baptized on 26 April). 23
April was also the date he died in 1616.
• Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have had an enduring
presence on stage and film.
• William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English
language.

BACKGROUND TO THE POEM:

 Shakespeare’s sonnets (154 of them) were composed between 1593 and 1601, though not
published until 1609.
 The sonnets fall into two groups: sonnets 1-126, addressed to a beloved friend, a handsome and
noble young man, presumably the author’s patron, the Earl of Southampton; and sonnets 127-
152 dedicated to a malignant but fascinating Dark Lady, who the poet loves in spite of himself.
 References to old age are plenty in Shakespeare’s works. This sonnet is the third of four poems
concerned with aging (Sonnets 71-74). Many critics read the poem literally as one intended to be
‘spoken’ by an older person to someone much younger.
 It is worth noting that, if the sonnet were written in 1600, Shakespeare would only have been 36,
and it is quite probable that it was written before that date. An age that we would not consider to
be the threshold of old age. So, it is in a sense it being merely thematic within that group of four
poems, as it discusses the autumn of one's years, which will shortly lead to parting and
separation = death itself.
 In his sonnets Shakespeare consistently employs the personal pronouns you, your, yours in the
formal sense, while the older forms: thou and thee (you) and thy (your) are used in very close
relationships.
PARAPHRASING OF POEM:

ORIGINAL POEM PARAPHRASING – modern version

That time of year thou mayst in me behold In me you can see that time of year

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang When a few yellow leaves or none at all hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, On the branches, shaking against the cold,

Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds Bare ruins of church choirs where lately the sweet
sang. birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day In me you can see only the dim light that remains

As after sunset fadeth in the west, After the sun has set in the west,

Which by and by black night doth take away, Which is soon extinguished by black night

Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. The image of death that envelops all in rest.

In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire I am like a glowing ember

That on the ashes of his youth doth lide, Lying on the dying flame of my youth,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire As on the death bed where it must finally expire,

Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by. Consumed by that which once fed it.

This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more This you sense, and it makes your love more
strong, determined

To love that well which thou must leave ere long. Causing you to love that which you must give up
before long.

TYPE OF POEM AND STRUCTURE:

 It is an English/Shakespearean/Elizabethan sonnet.
 It consists of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains (4 lines) and ends on a rhyming couplet (2
lines). Each quatrain and the couplet consist of one sentence.
 The rhyme scheme is: abab cdcd efef gg
 It is composed in iambic pentameter: Iambic = the dominant pattern or ‘foot’ of syllable stress is
~ / {unstressed – stressed}. Pentameter = the dominant meter of the poem is 5 stresses to a line
or 10 syllables
 Each of the three quatrains contains its own metaphor. The volta occurs in the couplet (line 13) in
this poem. It changes the mood of the poem entirely.

TITLE:
 Shakespeare numbered all his sonnets. They do not have titles like other poems have.
 People refer to Shakespeare’s sonnets either by their number, or by quoting the first line of the
sonnet (or part of it).
THEMES:
 Love: This sonnet can be seen as a love poem. The poem makes it clear that aging and death
are inevitable, but it also affirms that his loved-one still loves him just the same, in fact even more
than before, well-knowing that their time together is limited.
The fact that he is physically aging does not mean that their love will decline, instead their love
will grow and intensify.
 Man, and his mortality, versus nature: The first two quatrains describe how man will age by
comparing aging to autumn which is a season in which the cold sets in and leaves die and fall
from trees.
He also compares aging to twilight, as the day ends, it becomes darker – like darkness descends
as death nears.
Like autumn and the end of a day, death too is inevitable. While one is growing older there is still
some life – ‘yellow leaves’ and ‘twilight’, however, complete darkness will soon take over.
 Aging: The speaker explores what it feels like to get older and face the reality of imminent death.
The effects of time on one’s physical health and mental fear are compared to moving further from
youth and closer to death.
Part of growing old is longing for the years gone by. Rather than rage against the march of time,
the poem ultimately states that true/genuine love does not care about age, and it (love) does not
diminish as the loved one nears death.
Aging is also associated with a sense of peace and calm as life begins to slow down.
 Death: The speaker is haunted by his mortality. He mourns his oncoming death by
metaphorically referring to ashes, night-time and the cold. Death should inspire people to love
one another more intensely = we should love one another in life, because we all will die.
 Time: Aging is something that happens over time and is a certainty. One will age and that leads
to death. We all will grow old and eventually die.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The tone of the poem is one of a mournful, tender moment felt by the speaker.
 The speaker is pensive – thinking/contemplating the reality of aging and imminent death.
 The mood is sombre but ends with the comfort that love will grow and continue as/because death
closes in.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

 The poem focuses on topics related to aging and death. The speaker indicates his feeling that
he has not long to live through the imagery of the wintry bough (late autumn), twilight's afterglow
(passing of a day), and a fire's dying embers. All the images in this sonnet show the progression
of life from youthfulness to old age and death.
 In the first quatrain the speaker compares aging to late autumn. Growing older is like when the
leaves have fallen off the trees, the weather is much colder, and the birds have flown away.
 In the second quatrain, the speaker compares aging to twilight. Growing older is compared to the
last light left in the day, slowly fading into the darkness of night-time. Note the shortening of the
timeframe – from a year to a day.
 In the third quatrain, the speaker compares himself to the glowing remnants of a fire that will soon
be extinguished as it sinks into the ashes, something its own burning created. The timeframe
changes yet again – from a day to the duration of a fire.
 In the couplet, the speaker tells his beloved that she must acknowledge all these things in order
to strengthen her love for the speaker, who like the fire, will soon pass away from aging.
 The progression of time is evident in each quatrain. In the first we go from autumn (yellow leaves)
to winter (no leaves and cold). The second begins in the twilight until the sun sets into the dark
night.
  Both the metaphor of winter and the metaphor of twilight imply cycles = spring will follow winter;
and after the twilight fades, dawn will come again. In human life, however, the fading of warmth
and light is not recurrent; youth will not come again for the speaker; old age/death is final.
 Note that no mention is made of the seasonal cycle in the first two quatrains = spring will follow
winter.
 In the third quatrain, he resigns himself to this fact. The image of the fire consumed by the ashes
of its youth is significant, when the fire is extinguished, it can never be lit again. In the same way,
growing old and eventual death is final, there is no return.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

FIRST QUATRAIN:

Line 1: That time of year thou mayst in me behold

 ‘That’ – points to a specific season in a year – late autumn or early winter, as described in the
next line.
 ‘thou’ = you, the use of thou instead of you indicates a close or intimate relationship.
 Apostrophe: ‘thou’ - The speaker is addressing his beloved or loved one.
 ‘mayst’ – may, it means possibly.
 ‘behold’ – see/observe.
 Inversion: The word order has been changed for the sake of rhyme and to emphasise the fact
that something remarkable is to be seen in the speaker by placing the word ‘behold’ at the end
of the line.
 Notice the use of enjambment between line 1 and 2 – no punctuation mark at the end of line 1 -
it helps create a coherent, extended metaphor within each quatrain as the lines flow from one
line to the next.

Line 2: When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

 ‘yellow leaves’ – indicates that the season the speaker refers to is late autumn. Autumn is when it
gets colder, the leaves on the trees turn yellow, red and brown and start falling off.
 This metaphor (‘yellow leaves’) indicates that the speaker is getting older and nearing the end of
his life. The extended metaphor stretches across all four lines of the first quatrain, with
enjambment linking lines 2 and 3 just as it linked lines 1 and 2.
 ‘none’ – there are no leaves left. This indicates that the poem was written at the end of autumn –
it is nearly winter, the coldest season. There is progression – from yellowing leaves to no leaves
at all.
 ‘few’ – there are only a few leaves left, when it gets colder, the leaves on the trees become fewer
and fewer. This indicates that the speaker is at the end or nearing the end of his life. He too, is
still clinging onto life – like the few leaves that are still hanging on.
 ‘do hang’ – the leaves hang on the branches. ‘hang’ implies resilience, fighting to stay
connected.
 ‘hang’ is placed at the end of the line to ensure a fixed rhyme pattern, but it also emphasises the
fact that the speaker might be old but is still hanging on to life.
 The series of smaller metaphors contained within the larger one suggests that the speaker is no
longer in the spring of youth, nor in the summer-like prime of young adulthood. Instead, he is
likely middle-aged or older, and the winter of his old age and eventual death quickly approaches.
 The poet ensures the reader’s empathy for our speaker who is nearing the end of his life. Instead
of moving from an hour, to a day, to a year; Shakespeare moves backwards. By making time
shorter and shorter, the speaker's fleeting mortality comes into focus, it increases the reader’s
sympathy/empathy for him.

Line 3: Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

 The autumn leaves hang on the branches (‘boughs’) and they shake in the cold wind. It might
also refer to the branches sweeping against the ruins of the church (line 4).
 Similarly, the speaker’s body is feeling the cold of old age. He is losing his youth, like the trees
are losing their leaves.
 The movement of the branches as compared to somebody or something ‘shaking’ because of the
cold. The speaker is fighting against the old age creeping up and we know this as he says the
branches shake ‘against’ the cold or old age.
 The reader feels pity/empathy for the speaker who is feeling his old age creeping closer.

Line 4: Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

 Metaphor – The word ‘choirs’ refers to sections in churches where choirs sing. The speaker
visualises the ruined arches of churches, the memory of singing voices still echoing in them, and
compares this with the naked boughs of early winter where birds used to sit and sing.
 Directly before and during Shakespeare’s lifetime, religious upheaval led to the ruining or
destruction of many beautiful Catholic monasteries and churches. The choirs, like the tree
branches, were thus ‘ruin’d and emptied of the singers who once filled them.
 This comparison to a church choir also subtly recalls the trees’ springtime youthfulness, when
‘birds sang’ on its leafy branches. The speaker mourns the birds’ departure and the deadened
appearance of the tree’s boughs, and in doing so, he also mourns the loss of his own youthful
appearance.

SECOND QUATRAIN:

Line 5: In me thou see’st the twilight of such day

 The beginning of the second quatrain mirrors the beginning of the first in several significant ways.
Most obviously, these lines introduce another extended metaphor.
 In this line the speaker compares his life/age to twilight, the time at the end of the day when the
sun sets, but it is not yet totally dark. The mood becomes gloomier and more melancholy.
 Metaphor: ‘twilight’, like late autumn, becomes a metaphor for the speaker’s advancing age; just
as night takes away the brightness of day, death takes away the brightness of life.
This metaphor compares his entire life to a single day. A day is much shorter than a year, and for
the speaker to shift from viewing his life as a year in the first quatrain to viewing it as only one
day in this quatrain, the implication is that time is speeding up and will soon run out.
 Enjambment: The absence of punctuation marks at the end of this line stresses and extends the
metaphor of the pending old age and death into the next line of the poem.
 Twilight is a time when the brilliant rays of the setting sun have passed, implying that the speaker
is now past his prime. Yet twilight is often considered to be a peaceful, reflective time of day
before the dark of night sets in. Therefore, night is connected to rest.
 This would then imply that death is not necessarily something frightening, but rather a
continuation of the calm and quiet that seem to characterise old age.

Line 6: As after sunset fadeth in the west,

 The sun is setting, and complete darkness is about to descend.

 Simile - The speaker feels that he is losing his youth like the day is losing its light. He feels that
his death is imminent/about to happen, like (‘As’) a day is about to ‘die’.

Line 7: Which by and by black night doth take away,

 The speaker now focuses on the approaching darkness.

 He is concerned with the change of light, from twilight to sunset to black night, revealing the last
hours of life/approaching death. Thus ‘black night’ is a metaphor for death itself. As 'black night'
closes in around the remaining light of the day, so too does death close in around the speaker.
 The alliteration of the b-sound in line 7 is found in ‘by and by black’, emphasises the fact that
sooner or later, but most definitely death or the black night will catch up with the speaker. It
speeds up the rhythm and stresses/emphasises the inevitability of death.

Line 8: Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

 Metaphor: ‘death’s second self’, night is compared to death or approaching darkness. It might
also allude to sleep - sleep is like/resembles death. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare refers to
sleep as ‘The death of each day’ (2.2.49).
 The s-alliteration - ‘Death’s second self that seals’ - creates a hushed and muffled atmosphere,
something associated with sleep or death.
 The inevitability of death has been hinted at and now that has been named it becomes a reality. It
is described as ‘death’s second self’ which is night – death, darkness and sleep, things which are
all like the shadows of eternal/forever rest = death.
 Line 7 and 8 explode with alliteration and consonance of /b/, /d/, /l/, and /th/ sounds. There is also
plenty of sibilance here, which, together with the soft /th/, /l/, and /f/ sounds make line 8 feel
intensely hushed and muffled - as if this line itself were ‘sealed up in rest.’

THIRD QUATRAIN:

Line 9: In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire

Line 10: That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

 The speaker compares himself to the glowing coals of a dying fire. Like the poem’s first two
quatrains, the third quatrain’s two enjambed lines create fluidity and coherence within the
extended metaphor.
 Metaphor – As the fire goes out when the wood which has been feeding it is consumed, so is life
extinguished when the strength of youth has passed. The coals will be consumed by the ashes of
his own fire. The dying fire is lying on the ashes of its youth, it once burned fiercely, providing
heat and light.
 Personification is evident in the use of ‘his’ and when the speaker says that the dying fire ‘lies’
upon the ashes of his youth.
 The fire was nourished by wood, giving it the fiery flames, it once had. However, the same wood
took the fire away later by turning into ash. In the same sense, man edges closer to death as he
lives longer. The final description of the fire shows that even a once-fiery life loses its brightness
forever.
 Note that instead of perceiving his life as an entire year or a single day, the speaker perceives his
life as a fire, something that is even more fleeting. The fire of his life may still be glowing, but no
more fuel is left to sustain it; the speaker’s ‘youth’ and vitality have been almost completely
consumed, and ‘ashes’ are all that remains.
 This third metaphor gives the speaker’s tone even more urgency; knowing how quickly a flame
can flicker out when its fuel has been exhausted, the speaker looks at himself and sees almost
no time left. All that is left of his life-force is glowing coals.
 Neither the fire nor the speaker will be able to regain or renew their youth or their light ever again.
Other fires might be lit, but these branches or logs cannot be lit again, they will only decompose
further. His life is over, and it is described as ‘ashes’ – burnt out embers of his youth. His life
force is dying or burning out.

Line 11: As the death-bed whereon it must expire

Line 12: Consumed with what it was nourish’d by.

 Metaphor: The ashes is like a ‘death-bed’ for the fire. The aging process in a human’s case is
concluded by, or ends in death, like the fire dies on the ashes.
 Paradox/Irony: To be consumed is to be eaten or destroyed, and to be nourished means to be
fed or grow. The same source that gave life to the fire has now caused its end. The fire’s life will
be put out by the ashes of the wood that once gave it life.
Love that starts out as young and passionate will be the base of the deeper love that they now
experience (the embers under the burnt out wood).
that they have in old age?
 The paradox lies in the fact that the ashes of the wood that once fuelled the fire will eventually
suffocate that same fire. The fact that we age is growth, but aging is the very thing that kills us.

RHYMING COUPLET:

Line 13: This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
Line 14: To love that well which thou must leave ere long

 The couplet starts with ‘This’ – it is as if all the aspects regarding aging, death and the inevitability
of death are summarised by the word ‘this’. The three quatrains had dealt with aging and death.
 The couplet summarises the sonnet and gives a solution to the question or statement posed in
the sonnet so far. Aging is like a slow fade out, a time marked by quiet reflection and
consideration of the life one is preparing to leave behind.
 The words used are all one syllable words. This simple language and rhythmic meter create a
sense of clarity and calmness. The certainty that the love of the listener will grow is stressed.
 The speaker tells his beloved that she must perceive these things, and that her love must be
strengthened by the knowledge that she will soon be parted from the speaker when he, like the
fire, is extinguished by time.
 Notice the paradox - the couplet suggests that the speaker’s decline causes the listener’s love to
grow. The quatrains gave no hope for a renewal of seasons or day after night. The couplet
however insists that decline must result in renewed love, as the phrase ‘more strong’ is placed
prominently at the end of the line 13. You see the decline, the aging and this gives your love the
strength to love more deeply that which you are going to lose. We must make the most of the
time we have left as death is inevitable.
 Note what the speaker finds comfort and sees it as a cause for gratitude: As he confronts his
imminent mortality, the person he loves continues to love him in return, despite knowing that the
 he will be gone soon. Though time will always run out or pass, nevertheless, love does not run
away. Love stays till the very end; it does not walk away/leave.
 Irony: the elements that are fading - late autumn, twilight, and a fire - have the power to bring
about a greater love and warmth of feeling. The couplet also has an important message; the
passionate love of youth creates the base for a deeper, lasting and growing love in old age.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – SONNET 7

1. Discuss the type and structure of this poem. (3)

2. Refer to line 1. (‘That time of year… in me behold’)

(a) Identify the literary device used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why the use of this literary device is effective. (2)

3. Refer to line 2. ‘When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang’

(a) Why do you think the poet uses late autumn and not winter to describe his age. (2)

(b) How would you describe the atmosphere created in this quatrain.

Explain how the poet creates this atmosphere. (3)

4. Refer to line 3. (‘Upon those boughs … against the cold,’)

What are ‘boughs? (1)

5. 5.1 Identify the poetic device in line 3 (‘which shake against…’) (1)

5.2 Why is the use of this device effective? (2)

6. Refer to lines 4 (Bare ruin’d...sang’)

Using your OWN words, explain why the speaker uses the word ‘ruin’d’ here. (2)

7. Refer to line 5. (‘In me thou see’st the twilight of such day’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech in line 5. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to the poem. (2)

(c) Discuss the meaning of the word ‘twilight’ in its literal sense and the figurative
sense as used in the poem. (2)

8. Why is the following statement TRUE?

Through the course of the poem, the poet uses shorter units of time to reflect on the
quick passing of time. (2)

9. Refer to lines 7-8: ‘(Which by and by black night doth take away, / Death's second
self, that seals up all in rest’).

(a) Explain the imagery used in these lines. What do we call this figure of speech? (3)
 (b) What does the speaker mean by ‘seals up all in rest’? (2)

(c) Why is the choice of ‘seals’ so effective in describing both night and death? (2)

10. Refer to lines 9-11 (‘In me...expire’)

Identify and explain the comparison the speaker is making in these lines. (3)

11. Refer to line 12. (‘Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in line 12. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to the poem. (2)

12. Refer to lines 13 and 14.

‘This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long’

Discuss the significance of the word ‘this’ in line 13. (2)

13. One of the themes in this poem is the theme of love.

Discuss this theme by referring to lines 13 and 14. (3)

14. Refer to lines 13-14 (‘This thou...long.’)

The poem ends on a positive, optimistic note.

Discuss your view. (3)

15. Refer to the poem a whole.

The speaker should be pitied.

Discuss your view. (3)

POEM 5: Reciprocities [reh-suh-praa-suh-tee] - Cathal Lagan

Reciprocities – Cathal Lagan

for my mother

She gave me skeins of wool

To hold out (like a priest at Mass),
With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she
Wound it into a ball, unwinding me,
Unravelling my hands and arms, checking 5
My lapses with a gentle tug
When I wandered off through the images
Her chat had made, for though
She kept the line between us taut
She kept my heart at ease with her talk. 10

And when her ball compacted grew,

And my few strands fell limp away,
I knew there was no loss, for she
Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly.

But richer still, 15

I see today these lines are drawn out from me
To knit through this faltering verse
A thread of memory
Time has pulled away from consciousness.

WORDS TO KNOW

Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

reciprocity To reciprocate is to do something for someone that is equal to

what they did for you. If someone is kind to you, you reciprocate
by being equally kind to him.

reciprocities The poet remembers many shared lessons and experiences

from his mother.

skein Loops or twits of wool loosely coiled or knotted

stern Strict

rubrics Instructions or directives for the priest to follow as he celebrates

Mass - like when communion is served. Instructions on how a
church service should be conducted.

fidget To make small twitching movements, especially of the hands,

triggered by nervousness or impatience.
 unravelling To unwind

lapses Loss of attention; breaks in his concentration, when his arms

drop down.

tug To pull at something

wandered off To wander is to walk slowly and without real direction. He gets
lost in his thoughts.

images Pictures in his imagination,

taut Firm or tight

compacted Compressed/ firmly packed together; the wool is tightly wound. A

compact is also an agreement.

strands Threads, lengths or pieces of wool

limp No tension on the thread.

Knit it Knit the wool

faltering Imperfect, not sure of what to do; shake or weak.

consciousness Brought from memory to awareness. He remembers through the

act of writing.

ABOUT THE POET:

 Cathal Lagan was born in Northern Ireland in 1937. After a spell in the merchant navy, he came
to South Africa where he served as a priest in Port Elizabeth, Alice and King William’s Town.
 Thereafter he taught English literature at the University of Fort Hare. Lagan has been publishing
poetry in journals since the 1960s. He has published two anthologies: Sandbird and A Lark in
the Labyrinth.
 He was a founding member of Ecca, an informal group of colleagues and friends who get
together to work on poetry projects. They have been active for the past 30 years.
 This poem is a tribute to his beloved mother. He reflects on the relationship between them. He
remembers how his mother would make him hold skeins of wool so that she could roll it into a
ball to re-use for her knitting. He compares the way he had to hold his arms to support the wool,
to the outstretched arms of a priest at Mass.
 Remembering that his mother knitted for him, he imagines that he now ‘knits’ these lines in her
memory. His mother benefitted from his help, just like he benefited from his mother’s experience,
commitment, talks and skills.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

 The speaker writes the poem from the point of view as an adult, remembering a fond childhood
experience he shared with his mother.
 He combines the memory of how he holds up skeins of wool for her, to the time he worked as a
priest and how he had to hold his arms out as he conducted communion to his congregation.
 He remembers how well his mother understood him and how she would stop his imagination from
wandering too far off, so that he could concentrate on what he was doing.
  He remembers that when there was no more wool to unwind, she would use the wool to knit
something for him that would fit him perfectly well.
 Even more importantly, as an adult, he realises that the wool has become like a thread of
memory that is still part of him, linking him to her. He remembers and relives their close
relationship grounded in love.
 He is grateful for the man his mother shaped him into, and he still carries her memory in his
heart. This memory unites them.
 He now writes poetry; he now compares his writing to his mother knitting a jersey for him.

TYPE:
 It is a short lyrical poem written from the first person’s point of view.
 The speaker expresses his personal feelings and relates a heartfelt memory of a shared
experience between him and his mother.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem consists of three stanzas of varying length. Each stanza consists of one sentence
each.
 Each stanza is connected to the previous one with a conjunction that joins the ideas into a single
thought.
 It is written in free verse – there is no set rhyme scheme. Only line 2 and line 3 rhyme: ‘she’ and
‘me’. This is a clever way to emphasise the bond between the two of them.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The mood is gentle, nostalgic and reflective. It effectively portrays their relationship of mutual
love and respect for each other.
 The tone is equally gentle, loving and caring.
 He is grateful and appreciative when he remembers their shared experiences. It leaves him with
a feeling of harmonious wholeness.
 The tone is reflective and nostalgic, as the speaker looks back on the past and the memories that
were created.
 The speaker feels nostalgic and sentimental when he writes this poem as a tribute to his mother.

TITLE:
 The title is effective as it sums up the message of the poem.
 The sub-title, ‘for my mother’, immediately emphasises the fact that the poem is a tribute to his
mother. he sees it as something that he has made specifically for her, in the same way that she
has knitted jerseys for him as a child.
 ‘Reciprocities’ refers to the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit.
 There is a reciprocal and loving relationship between the two of them. Their love for each other
is mutual and benefits both and the title emphasises this shared dedication to each other.

THEMES:
 Nostalgia: The speaker shows a sentimental longing for his experiences during his childhood.
He reflects specifically on the strong connection between him and his mother.
 Love and gratitude: The poem is a tribute to the speaker's mother and expresses his love and
gratitude towards her. It highlights the importance of family and the role of a mother in shaping
her child's life and thinking.
 Motherhood: The relationship between the speaker and his mother is the central theme of the
poem. The mother is portrayed as a caring, patient and nurturing figure who provides the speaker
with love, support and guidance.
  Mutual dependence: The mother benefits from the boy holding the skeins of wool for her, and
he benefits form his mother’s knitting. He has now written this poem to honour their shared
experiences, mutual love and respect.
 Memory: The poet reflects on and explores the idea of cherished childhood memories and how
they shape our identity.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:

Line 1: She gave me skeins of wool

 ‘She’ is the speaker’s mother.

 The speaker draws us straight into the memory that triggered his thinking.
 He remembers that his mother gave him a big loop of wool to hold.
 Enjambment: This line flows over into the next, as it completes the idea. The enjambment here,
in line 3 and from line 5 to 10, emphasises the continuous routine of a son holding out his hands
for his mother to untangle and roll up the wool in order to knit something new with it.

Line 2: To hold out (like a priest at Mass)

 To hold the wool, he has to hold up his hands/arms some distance from each other, so that the
loop of wool is caught securely/tightly around each hand/arm.
 Simile: ‘like a priest at Mass’ the memory of holding up his hands for his mother to roll the wool
into a ball, triggered another memory. That of the time he spent working as a priest.
 The boy holds his arms in a similar way to a priest giving a blessing at Mass. With an open
gesture, the priest gives a blessing or words of support, in the same way the boy shows his
willingness to help his mother.
 ‘Mass’ is the central act of worship of the Roman Catholic Church, which culminates in the
sacrament of the Eucharist. The church commemorates Jesus Christ and his redeeming work,
especially his sacrifice for the sake of all humankind through his crucifixion.
 It is as if helping his mother wound the wool has prepared him for his adult role as a Catholic
priest. It is almost a sacred memory, something that he cherishes.

Line 3: With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she

Line 4: Wound it into a ball, unwinding me,

 ‘stern’ – his mother gave him strict instructions (‘rubrics’) on how to hold his hands and what to do
and not to do while she was winding up the wool.
 Although ‘stern’ is used to describe his mother, one does not get the impression that she was
anything but loving and caring.
 The word ‘rubrics’ is derived from the instructions the priest must follow as he celebrates Mass.
In this line the word refers to the clear instructions she gave him, reminding him to stay focused.
 ‘not to fidget’ – his mother instructed him not to move or twitch his hands while she was busy
rolling up the wool. For a little boy, sitting still and holding the wool must have been rather
challenging. He will easily grow restless and start moving his hands and thus complicates her
task of rolling the wool into a ball.
 Metaphor: ‘while she / Wound it into a ball, unwinding me’ - ‘Wound’ is meant literally, it refers to
her action of winding the wool into a ball.
 ‘it’ - refers to the wool.
 ‘unwinding’ and ‘Unravelling’ (line 5) can be understood both literally and figuratively. She is
literally removing the wool from his hands and arms as she rolls it into a ball, but as she does so,
he starts relaxing.
 This suggests that the act of winding the wool is not simply a mechanical task, but also an act of
care and attention that allows the speaker's mother to connect with him on a deeper level while
they are working together.
 The bond between mother and child is connected and inseparable, as they work together, they
are knitting a solid, lasting relationship.
 ‘unwinding me’ might also refer to the speaker’s mother’s parenting skills, she gives him the
freedom to unwind and unravel, and thus put him back together, soothing and comforting him –
make him feel safe and secure.
 ‘Wound it into a ball, unwinding me’ refers to the title: The mother is getting the ball of wool she
needs to knit, while the speaker is giving it to her – a give and take situation (‘reciprocities’).

Line 5: Unravelling my hands and arms, checking

Line 6: My lapses with a gentle tug

 ‘Unravelling my hands and arms’ – Literally the speaker’s mother is taking the wool off his hands
and arms, rolling it into a ball to knit with.
 His mother ‘unwinds’ him and stops his ‘lapses’ by tugging gently on the wool to bring his
attention back to her and the task at hand. Teaching him when and how to stay focused when
necessary.
 ‘gentle’ emphasises her style of parenting. She would check his concentration by pulling the
strand harder, but she does so gently. She resolves the difficulty and complexity of the situation
by her gentle patience and caring nature.
 ‘My lapses’ refers to the boy’s loss of attention; breaks in his concentration, when his arms drop
down for instance, making his mother’s task very difficult.

Line 7: When I wandered off through images

Line 8: Her chat had made, for though

 ‘When I wandered off’’ – He loses concentration and wanders off in his imagination – he would
start daydreaming and gets lost in his own thoughts.
 His daydreaming spree was inspired by his mother’s talking to him all the time while he was
holding the wool for her to wind up. Her stories were what made his mind wander, and distracted
him, he would get completely lost in his thoughts (‘through images / Her chat had made’).
 His mother’s conversations (‘chat’) put him at ease and made his thoughts wander off.
 The use of the word ‘chat’ emphasises the friendly, informal nature of his mother’s conversations.
 ‘though’ introduce a contrast that will be explained in the next two lines.

Line 9: She kept the line between us taut

Line 10: She kept my heart at ease with all her talk.

 The wool has to be kept tight (‘taut’) so that it can be wound tightly/correctly to be useful. This
contrast with the way she makes him feel while they are spending time together – he feels free
(‘at ease’).
  The ‘line’ is the direct link between them, but it is also a reminder of the wool that needs some
tension in order to be properly wound. He too needs to be kept in check, reprimanded lovingly, if
and when necessary.
 Metaphor: The ‘line between us taut’ thus refers to the line of wool, but it is also a metaphor for
their relationship. She kept him close; she did not let him stray too far, she kept their lines of
communication and their bond strong.
 Line 10 emphasises the idea that his ‘heart’ was at ‘ease’ during their long lessons of wool
winding and fond ‘chats’. The line explains that his mother always had a reason for what she did,
and she did everything out of love. She therefore succeeded in keeping him happy and focused.
 He remembers these sessions of working and talking together with fondness, they created the
bond that existed between them and shaped him into the person he became as an adult.
 The length of stanza 1, the longest of the three stanzas, reflects the length of their chats and time
spent together.

STANZA 2:

Line 11: And when her ball compacted grew,

Line 12: And my few stands fell limp away,

 The conjunction ‘And’ links stanza 2 with stanza 1, completing the idea and the final purpose of
rolling the wool into a tight ball.
 Most of the wool has now been wound into a big, tight, ‘compacted’ ball.
 Line 11 ends with the word ‘grew’, it refers to the ball of wool that has grown bigger as his mother
rolls more and more wool onto the ball, it indicates that his mother now has enough to knit him
something new.
 Remember that the string of wool is used as an extended metaphor to describe the relationship
between the two of them – a ‘tight’, loving relationship.
 Line 12 shows that the task is almost completed. There is only a little bit of wool left to wind up.
 ‘fell limp away’ refers to the last few stands of wool that leave his hands as his mother finishes
the winding.

Line 13: I knew there was no loss, for she

Line 14: Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly.

 ‘knew’ shows certainty or conviction. He knew that he did not suffer a loss by investing his time
in helping his mother, she would give her time right back to him by knitting him a jersey.
 Furthermore, she is essentially turning him into a well-adapted adult, teaching all the lessons he
would need to make a success of his life.
 ‘fit me perfectly’ literally refers to the jersey she is going to knit for him, but it also refers to the
lessons she taught him. It highlights the bond between the two of them It shows how well she
knows him; not just his size but also his heart.
 This is a perfect example of reciprocity; the wool is given, taken and then returned.

STANZA 3:

Line 15: But richer still,

Line 16: I see today these lines are drawn out of me
 ‘But’ – the final stanza begins with yet another conjunction. The conjunctions are the threads that
join all the stanzas together, creating perfect unity. Just like the wool, the thread that runs through
the poem is unbroken.
 Line 15 is the shortest line in the poem and successfully emphasises the words ‘richer’ and ‘still’.
The memory becomes deeper (‘richer’) and more important to the speaker. ‘Still’ emphasises the
fact that his mother’s ‘chats’ continuously to him.
Her influence has stayed with him, it is a continuous, life-long influence. Besides knitting him
perfect garments, his mother also provided him with this special memory that he can now share
through his writing (this poem).
 In line 16 the speaker moves to the present tense, acknowledging the role his mother played and
is still playing, in shaping him as a man, just as meticulously and perfectly as she knitted the
jerseys.
 The time they spent together, and the lessons learnt from that are what added value to his life.
 Metaphor: The act of knitting him a jersey, and the jersey itself symbolise her love, caring and
lasting influence. They form the ‘threads’ that keep him bound to his mother for life.
 Enjambment: It starts in line 16 and runs through to the last line of the poem, emphasising the
continuous influence of his mother and the memories inspired by it.

Line 17: To knit through this faltering verse

Line 18: A thread of memory

 ‘faltering verse’ is a reference to this poem. It feels to him as if he is struggling to ‘knit’ together a
poem triggered by ‘A thread of memory’. She has knitted strength into his heart. When he falters
or struggles in life, or is unsure of which path to take, he can fall back on the lessons and
disciplined thinking his mother gave him.
 Metaphor: He compares his writing to his mother’s knitting, and he is trying to do it as well as his
mother did her knitting. It is as if she is still there to correct his lapses in life through ‘a thread of
memory’.
 Just as a thread can be used for pulling bits of fabric together, or as wool can be knitted into a
new garment, so this single memory has recalled a variety of images from his past, something he
now uses in the story that is unfolding in the poem that he is writing.
 ‘verse’ refers to the poem, but it is not impossible that this could also trigger memories of his role
as a priest (a Bible verse).
 His mother is still there to correct his lapses through a ‘thread of memory’. Just a single ‘thread’
is enough to bring back all these uplifting memories.

Line 19: Time has pulled away from consciousness.

 ‘consciousness’ refers to the quality or state of being aware of something within oneself. He
might feel that he is forgetting some of the things his mother taught him, but he wants to make
sure he draws out the memories and lessons of the past, by immortalising his mother in this
poem.
 In a final reciprocity, the memory of holding the skein of wool, lost in time, has knitted itself back
into his consciousness. It has reminded him of the quality time he and his mother spent together.
As an adult, he still enjoys the memory of this time and it enriches his thinking, leaving him
content/satisfied.
 The poem is a symbol of love (his version of the jersey) that he can give to his mother in return
for everything she has given him.
HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – RECIPROCITIES

1. Using your own words, explain the meaning of the title. (2)

2. Discuss the type and structure of this poem. (3)

2. Refer to line 2 ‘To hold out (like a priest at Mass’).

(a) Identify a figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in the poem. (2)

3. The mother is described as ‘stern’ in line 3. Quote a word from the poem that proves
that she is friendly too. (1)

4. Write down the TWO words that join the poem together as a unit. (2)

5. Refer to lines 4–5: (‘Wound it …unwinding me / Unravelling my hands …’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain this figure of speech is relevant to this poem. (2)

6. Why is the following statement FALSE?

The action of ‘unwinding’ the boy is unkind. (2)

7. Write down a word from line 6 that means a loss of attention. (1)

8. Refer to line 7.

Is the word ‘wandered’ used literally or figuratively. Explain your answer. (3)

9. Refer to line 9 (‘She kept the line between us taut’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech used here. (1)

(b) Explain this comparison in your own words. (2)

10. Using your own words, explain what it is that keeps the speaker’s heart ‘at ease’. (2)

11. Refer to line 11. Why is the ball described as ‘compacted’ and why does it ‘grow’? (2)

12. Refer to line 13 (‘I knew there was no loss, …).

(a) Explain both the literal and figurative meaning of this line. (2)

(b) How well does the mother know her son? Use line 14 too to support answer. (3)

8. Explain the role and the effectiveness of the word ‘But’ at the beginning of the third
stanza. (2)

9. Discuss the meaning of the phrase ‘these lines’ (in line 16). (2)

10. What does the speaker see as ‘richer’ than childhood memory of helping his mother
wind the skeins of wool? (2)

11. The choice of the word ‘Reciprocities’ is appropriate for this poem.

Discuss your view. (3)

POEM 6: What life is really like - Beverly Rycroft

What life is really like – Beverly Rycroft

You need to toughen up

my father would complain
when I was small
I ought to take you to see
chickens having their head 5
chopped off.
That’d teach you
what life is really like.

He’d seek me out

when one of his pigeons 10
- crazed for home or
mad with terror from a
roaming hawk –
would tumble into
the loft 15
mutilated by
wire or beak.

I was the one made to

clench my palms round
its pumping chest,
to keep it still while 20
my father’s hairy fingers stitched
its garotted throat
angrily to rights again.

You see life is a fight for survival

he’d shout, forgetting 25
he was not lecturing his students
or giving his inaugural address
You gotta roll with punches.

i waited and waited for the bitter

roughness to spy me and circle 30
in to land
years and years
of flinching anticipation until
the day i came home from hospital

and my father dressed my wound. 35

Easing with practiced hands

the drip from my bulldozed chest
he renewed the plaster in breathing silence
never speaking never
once saying 40

Life’s a bastard
Toughen Up.
WORDS TO KNOW

Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

to toughen up To make someone stronger; to become hardened to the ways of

the world; to be less susceptible and emotional when dealing
with pain and suffering.

complain Express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.

crazed Mad or insane with fear and/or pain; out of control.

terror Extreme or uncontrolled fear

roaming Moving about aimlessly or unsystematically, especially over a

wide area.

tumble To fall or rush in an uncontrolled/clumsy way.

mutilated Ripped apart, mangled or disfigured

garotted To slice a throat with a thin wire; to kill someone/something by

strangulation, by pulling a wire tightly around the throat.

survival The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of

an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.

inaugural A speech given by someone who has been newly appointed in a

certain position.

roll with the punches To cope with and survive adversity (American English)

(bitter) roughness Her father’s toughness; his lack of tenderness

flinching Making a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to

fear, pain, or surprise.

anticipation The action of expecting something to happen.

dress my wound Clean, treat, or apply a dressing to a wound.

bulldozed chest Bulldozed = destroy or flatten an area. She is comparing her

mastectomy (surgical removal of her breasts) to a bulldozer that
flattens an area; it suggests the roughness and coarseness of
the operation.

bastard Unpleasant, unpredictable and despicable.

ABOUT THE POET:

 Beverly Rycroft, was born in 1959 in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, and now lives in Cape
Town.
  She is a qualified teacher, who studied at the universities of Witwatersrand and Cape Town, but
she has since become a fulltime writer.
 She has written two poetry collections and a novel. She won the Ingrid Jonker prize for her debut
poetry collection in 2012 and the Thomas Pringle Award for Poetry in 2013.
 Her second poetry collection, missing, deals with this experience, a theme that is presented in
this poem.
 She was diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer in 1997, and the poems in this collection follow
the experience of facing (at the age of 37), illness, mortality and the hope of recovery.

ABOUT THE POEM:

 The poem deals with the poet’s relationship with her father, a university lecturer, who feels that
she should know that the world is not a kind place.
 He told her that she should toughen up and face the inevitable difficulties and cruelties that life
would bring her.
 He involved her in experiences that show suffering, pain and death.
 However, her father becomes more understanding, reflective and silent, when he is forced face
her own suffering.

TYPE:
 It is a lyrical poem written from a first person’s point of view.
 The poet writes about her personal experiences as a child when her father tried to teach her to
face the difficulties in life by making her experience some of it first-hand.
 Later in the poem she relates her fight with cancer.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem consists of three stanzas of varying length.
 The lines vary greatly in length too.
 It is written in free verse – there is no set rhyme scheme.
 Italics is used where her father’s direct words are given.

THEMES:
 Difficulties and cruelties of life: It is about her father’s efforts to force her to experience first-
hand the cruel suffering in life, believing that it would prepare her to face life challenges when she
has grown up.
 Illness and mortality: The poet explores her experience of facing cancer and her father’s
response to it.

MOOD AND TONE:

 The poem starts out on a feisty, lively and spirited mood, the father wants to encourage his
daughter to face the difficulties and cruelties of life head-on.
 She, the daughter, experiences a sense of dissatisfaction, disillusionment and annoyance when
she is forced to hold the mutilated bird for her father to stitch up.
 The speaker feels vulnerable and insecure when she must face the cruelties of life.
 There is great change in tone and mood once the father must face his daughter’s illness. He now
shows understanding, resignation and gentle patience.
 The mood now becomes reflective.

TITLE:
 The title, ‘What life is really like’ represents the father’s perception of what life is like and how one
should prepare one’s children for it – that life is cruel, full of suffering and hardship.
  However, when his daughter is diagnosed with cancer, he, himself experiences first-hand what
life is REALLY about. He is then the one that is taught the greatest lesson, now he is the one
who experience suffering and disillusionment. Life is indeed ‘a bastard’!

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:

Line 1: You need to toughen up

 The words are in italics, indicating that it is not the speaker’s words, but the direct words spoken
by her father.
 He wants her to be strong, firm and face life with conviction and inner strength.
 He wants her to be prepared to deal with difficult circumstances by making to face such
difficulties and cruelties herself.
 Note the use of enjambment that starts in this line and continues to the end of line 6. It
contributes to the sense of rhythm of natural speech and the continuous flow of words
emphasises how insistent and persuasive her father was in forcing down his ideas on her.

Line 2: my father would complain

Line 3: when I was small

 This line confirms who the speaker in line 1 is, the father of the little girl.
 ‘complain’ shows his dissatisfaction and annoyance about something. He seems to feel that his
daughter is too gentle or even gullible. He wants to protect her and prepare her to be able to
face the type of things he believes she will have to face later in life.
 ‘small’ emphasises that she was still very young when he wanted to teach her how to respond to
and deal with the harshness and difficulties, things he imagined she might have to face in her life.

Line 4: I aught to take you to see

Line 5: chickens having their heads
Line 6: chopped off.

 The use of italics shows that we once again have the direct words of the father.
 ‘aught to’ shows what the speaker regards as necessary or what would be a good thing to do.
However, ‘aught’ indicates that is what he wants to do, but he has never taken her to actually
witness the beheading of chickens.
 The father seems rather cruel, but underneath it all lies the real reason why he wants to expose
her to such cruelty. He knows that life can be tough and difficult to face, and he wants to protect
her by making her strong enough to face the things that might happen to her when she grows up.
 The repetition of the harsh ‘t’ and ‘ch’ sounds create the image of the violently chopping off the
heads of the chickens, it has an onomatopoeic effect too, one can imagine hearing the
continuous chopping sound.

Line 7: That’d teach you

Line 8: what life is really like.
  The continued use of italics shows that these are still the words spoken by the father.
 ‘That’d’, meaning ‘that would’ repeats the idea carried over by ‘ought’ = If he could do so I would
have done so to prepare her for the reality of life. He believed that if he could show her how
chickens were killed it would teach her how harsh life can be.
 The use of bold print for the word ‘really’ emphasises what he believes the reality of life is, and
how important it is for him to teach his daughter this. He wants to make her strong enough to
face the challenges she will one day have to face.
 He sees life as difficult, a fight for survival, he believes people need to be tough and be able to
fight for themselves. He cares about his daughter and wants to protect her by preparing her for
the challenges he believes life would throw at her.
 The use of bold print in ‘really’ shows the father’s tone of voice too, he raises his voice to
emphasise the importance of his words and this word specifically.

STANZA 2:

Line 9: He’d seek me out

Line 10: when one of his pigeons

 ‘He’d seek me out’ shows that he looked for her on purpose and made sure that he found her.
It was of great importance to him to make her see and help him treat this horrifying injury.
 ‘pigeons’ – Her father kept racing pigeons. These birds are trained to return to their nests after
having been released some distance away. It is a popular sport worldwide.
 The use of ‘his’ shows that he cares about the pigeons, they and their well-being are important to
him.

Line 11: - crazed for home or

Line 12: mad with terror from a
mortality roaming hawk -

 The dashes (-) are used to show that extra information about the pigeons is added.
 ‘crazed for home’ – solely, almost insanely focused on reaching its home. Once the racing
pigeon is released it will be single-mindedly focused on returning home as fast as it possibly can.
 ‘or’ indicates an additional reason why the pigeon is so focused on reaching its home.
 ‘mad with terror from a / roaming hawk’ – the pigeon was attacked on the wing/while in flight by a
hawk, it is now injured and terrified after the attack, frantic to reach its home/place of refuge.
 ‘roaming hawk’ – The hawk is a bird of prey and it flies about, looking for prey. It needs to eat
and will attack any prey/bird that crosses its path.

Line 14: would tumble into

Line 15: the loft
Line 16: mutilated by
Line 17: wire or beak.

 The short lines effectively portray the pigeon’s rush for its home. This rush is further emphasised
using enjambment which runs through from line 14 to 17.
 ‘tumble’ shows both the speed of the bird and the fact that it has been injured by the hawk. Its
movement would be affected by this injury, it would fall awkwardly (not land gracefully) into the
nest (‘the loft’), in an uncontrolled or uncoordinated way. It would be completely exhausted and
terrified, simply focused on reaching its place of safety/refuge.
  ‘mutilated’ indicated the extent/degree of the bird’s injuries. It has been seriously injured, almost
disfigured.
 ‘by wire or beak’ – this show the cause of the pigeon’s injury. ‘beak’ would refer to the hawk’s
attack and the damage inflicted by it; whereas ‘wire’ highlights another common cause of injuries
obtained by these racing pigeons. They are unable to see these wires and sometimes fly into
them at full speed, it causes bad cuts to their bodies or can even kill them.

STANZA 3:

Line 18: I was the one made to

 The use of italics as well as bold print indicates the emphasis the speaker places on the word ‘I’
 It shows her indignation, shock and dissatisfaction. Her father forced her to hold the injured
pigeon while he stitched it up. This would have been quite a frightening/terrifying experience for a
little girl, something that would leave a lasting impression on her.
 ‘made to’ indicates her lack of choice in the matter; she was forced to do it.
 He wanted her to witness this suffering of the bird as he wanted to teach her life’s challenges and
difficulties. It sounds rather unfair and harsh, but his purpose was to teach her something he
believed would prepare her for her adult life and the difficulties he believed she would have to
face.

Line 19: clench my palms round

Line 20: its pumping chest,

 ‘clench’ – she had to hold the pigeon firmly in her hands to prevent any further injury to it; the fact
that she ‘clenches’ her hands also shows her fear, worry and even anger.
 ‘pumping chest’ indicates the pigeon’s heartrate, it would be both tired and scared which will lead
to an increased heartrate.
 It is highly likely that the speaker’s heartrate will also increase, she is shocked, nervous and
worried about the bird too.

Line 21: to keep it still while

Line 22: my father’s hairy fingers stitched
Line 23: its garotted throat

 ‘to keep it still’ give the reason why she has to hold the pigeon so tightly. She has to hold it tightly
while her father is working on it so that it does not injure itself even further.
 Notice the father’s caring attitude that is highlighted here. So far, he has come through as a
strict, tough even cruel person. Here we see how he deeply care about one of his pigeons and
how set he is on trying to heal it.
 The mention of the ‘father’s hairy fingers’ shows how focused she was on the detail of her
father’s hands performing this lifesaving surgery. She watched closely as her father stiches up
the pigeon’s throat. The description of the hairy hands also shows that he is a mature man.
 The use of the word ‘garotted’ instead of ‘cut’ highlights the horrific injury of the pigeon. It is a
word associated with strangulation, especially using a wire. It describes the pigeon’s wound very
well, it has a deep, life-threatening wound to its throat, caused either by a wire or the attack of the
hawk.
Line 24: angrily to rights again.

 ‘angrily’ shows the father’s emotions as he is working on the bird. His anger is not aimed at his
daughter. It shows his emotional concern for the pigeon, he is upset or angry that his pigeon was
injured in such a way. It shows his caring side. He does not want animals and people he cares
about to suffer.
 ‘to rights again’ emphasises what the purpose of his actions are; he wants to rectify things, put
matters right. He wants to fix what has been damaged or broken.
 This last line creates the impression that they have succeeded in saving the pigeon’s life.
 ‘again’ does not only refer to this specific incident, but to the recurring and ongoing nature of
injuries and difficulties people and animals must face in life.
 It shows the father’s sense of justice, he wants to rectify mistakes and ensures the fair treatment
of everything in the world – everything he can affect in a positive way.

STANZA 4:

Line 25: You see life is a fight for survival

 The father’s direct words again (in italics), he is turning the current situation into a life-lesson. It
proves his point that it is necessary to ‘toughen up’ to survive, succeed or triumph in life.

Line 26: he’d shout, forgetting

Line 27: he was not lecturing his students
Line 28: or giving his inaugural address

 Use of enjambment: the entire stanza consists of only one sentence, and no line ends on any
punctuation mark. It effectively portrays the father’s intense emotions. He is shouting because
he is upset about the injuries of the pigeon, and it reminds him of the life lesson he tries to teach
his daughter.
 The reference to ‘lecturing his students’ is an indication of his occupation/profession. You have to
raise your voice if you are busy lecturing learners or students in a lecture hall.
 ‘inaugural’ proves that he is not a mere teacher, but at least a professor at the university. An
inaugural address is usually given by someone who has been newly appointed in a prominent
position, like in his case, as a professor. He is clearly a man of authority, somebody that is used
to addressing or lecture people.

Line 29: You gotta roll with the punches.

 The father’s direct words. Note the use of slang despite his advance education, it is not the type
of language one would expect from a university lecturer.
 Metaphor: This is a boxing term; a boxer will lean away from the opponent’s punches in order to
lessen the blow or to avoid the full force of a blow.
 However, it is used here to refer to a human’s ability to cope with or to withstand adversity. It
refers to a human’s ability to adapt to your circumstances, adjust to change or to look for the
positive in any given situation.
STANZA 5:

Line 30: i waited and waited for the bitter

Line 31: roughness to spy me and circle
Line 32: in to land

 Enjambment – no punctuation in this stanza, it is linked to the next one-line stanza in line 36. It
effectively portrays the flow of continuous, intense, overpowering emotions of vulnerability and
the expectation of bad luck that would befall her – due to her father’s constant warning and
normal treatment of her.
 The speaker has moved past her childhood experiences, she is now a grown-up and is facing a
very pressing/stressful situation = breast cancer.
 The use of the lower-case ‘i’ effectively portrays her feeling of helplessness, insecurity and
vulnerability – she feels completely delivered to her current circumstances, with no real ability to
protect herself or to rectify the situation.
 Notice the use of extended metaphor: In this metaphor she has become the pigeon, waiting for
the cruel attack of life (something her father predicted). Her illness (cancer) will take over the role
of the hawk in this metaphor. Her body is attacked and damaged by it.
 The repetition of ‘waited’ in line 30 emphasises how she expected or waited for something bad
to happen to her, her entire lifetime.
 She waited for ‘the bitter roughness’ to find her, ‘circle’ in on her and ‘land’ on her. This image
refers to the metaphor of her being the pigeon and the hawk that is circling around it, waiting for
the perfect moment to attack.

Line 33: years and years

Line 34: of flinching anticipation until
Line 35: the day i came home from hospital

 Another repetition in ‘years and years’. It is further emphasised by placing it alone in a line. Due
to the way her father raised her she has waited for something negative or devastating to happen.
She felt like an open, helpless target, waiting for the final ‘attack’ of something devastating or
destructive.
 These lines show the devastating effect of her upbringing. Her father succeeded in making her
aware of the things that could go wrong in life, to the extent that she was continuously expecting
something bad to happen at any moment.
 ‘flinching’ – to flinch is to make quick, nervous movements in an instinctive reaction to pain, fear
or surprise. She ‘flinches’ as she has anticipated or waited for the pain to strike for so many
years.
 This moment of pain finally arrives when she was diagnosed with stage-3 cancer. Her cancer
treatment was extensive: chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy – the surgical removal
of her breasts.
 Line 35 describes her return from hospital after she had her mastectomy. The second use of the
lower case ‘i’ emphasises her feelings at that time: scared, vulnerable and completely powerless.
 Remember the extended metaphor of the pigeon; recall the pigeon’s return home, it was badly
hurt and terrified. She seems to experience the same emotions when she returned home after
her operation.
 The homecoming for the pigeon was finally a place of safety and healing. Would it be the same
for her? She was obviously waiting for her father’s response.
STANZA 6:

Line 36: and my father dressed my wound.

 This single line stanza starts with a conjunction, ‘and’ implies a continuous action.
 This line emphasises the role her father has played in her life. This time he has no words of
caution or warning, only caring and immediate action.
 Just as he was immediately ready and capable of attending to the injured pigeon, he is there to
take care of her.
 He takes care of her in a compassionate, gentle, caring manner. He too has learned something.
Life is not always about ‘rolling with the punches’, it is about being there caring for those who
have been injured by life. In this case, caring for somebody he loves very deeply.

STANZA 7:

Line 37: Easing with practiced hands

Line 38: the drip from my bulldozed chest
Line 39: he renewed the plaster in breathing silence

 Yet again extensive use of enjambment. There is no punctuation in the rest of the poem, only
the full stop at the end of the last line. It effectively describes her father’s continuous patience
and care as he nurses her wounds.
 ‘Easing’ describes how her father is able to ‘ease’ her pain by dressing her wound and removing
the drip from her chest. His hands are described as ‘practiced’ as this is something he has done
so many times when he had to tend to the pigeons.
 He has experience and he knows what to do when he now must tend to his daughter.
 The metaphor of the chest being ‘bulldozed’ is a violent as the use of the word ‘garroted’ that
described the pigeon’s injuries.
 A bulldozer is a heavy vehicle with a large blade in front, it is used for moving object out of its
way and to level the ground. This metaphor effectively describes what has happened to her
during surgery – she has had her breasts removed; her chest has been flattened.
 Her father redresses the wound in ‘breathing silence’. This forms a contrast to his angry shouting
while he was tending to the injured pigeon. He is so quiet, the only noise the speaker can hear is
her father’s breathing.

Line 40: never speaking never

Line 41: once saying

 The speaker repeats the fact that he maintains this silence, he does not speak at all.
 This complete, uninterrupted silence is emphasised by the repetition of the word ‘never’.
 This is not the reaction she is used to get from her father. He used to use situations like this to
lecture her on how to be prepared for further adversities.
 This time, now that his daughter had received such a punch from life, he is silent. Now is not the
time to shout; it will serve no purpose; he realises that now is the time to be silent and focus on
healing.
 She now experiences a different side of her father, in taking care of her, he is quiet (not as noisy
or as harsh a before). He is gentle and caring.
STANZA 8:

Line 42: Life’s a bastard

Line 43: Toughen Up.

 These words are printed in italics, implying that it is the father’s direct words, however, these are
not the words he speaks now. These were the words he has used so many times in the past to
school his daughter and try to prepare her for life’s challenges.
 He is quiet now, life has taught him his own lesson, life is not fair, it is a fight for survival.
 Life is indeed a ‘bastard’ – it can be completely unpleasant and despicable. It can deal you an
unexpected blow.
 He wanted to teach her something, but he is now humbled and silenced by what had happened
to his daughter. He now finds it difficult to cope.
 She, however, has been well-prepared for this moment by her father. She now uses the strength
given to her by all his lectures of fighting life’s battles head on.
 She does not cry, neither shows self-pity, she shows only determination to stand up and fight this
illness and she believes that she will heal/survive.
 The last line consists of only two words and both are written with capital letters, showing her
determination.

The following quotes describe the speaker’s response to her illness perfectly and serve as a
wonderful conclusion to this poem:
 ‘Breast cancer has been the most traumatic, challenging, painful, meaningful, and enriching
experience of my life. It has led me to pay attention to my soul.’
 ‘Squaring up to my mortality, accepting that deep suffering is an inherent part of life, has
enhanced my life immeasurably. Accepting that you, like everyone else, will die one day lends a
special urgency and joy to every moment that you live.’
 ‘I felt as if nothing could scare me anymore. Irrespective of what happened to my body I had
discovered the power, the strength of my soul.’

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE

1. Look at the word ‘ought’ in line 4. Why is this word important? (2)

2. Give ONE reason why ‘really’ is written in bold in. (2)

3. Explain the use of italics in stanza 1? (1)

4. Refer to stanza 1.

What is it that the father feels his daughter should be exposed to? What do you think
this will teach her about life? (3)

3. Refer to lines 11-12 (‘-crazed for home … terror from a’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to this poem (2)
4. Refer to line 16.

Why has the poet use the word ‘mutilated’ instead of cut or hurt. (2)

5. Refer to line 18. (‘I was the one ….).

(a) What tone would the speaker use in this line? (1)

(b) Why would the speaker use this tone in this line? (1)

6. Refer to stanza 3.

How do you know the speaker was forced to hold the bird? (2)

7. Why do you think the speaker includes the detail of her father’s hairy fingers? (2)

8. Refer to line 23.

(a) Explain the meaning of the word ‘garotted’. (1)

(b) Explain why this word is relevant in the context of this stanza. (2)

9. Refer to line 24 (‘angrily to right again.’)

(a) Give a reason for the father’s anger. What does this reveal about his character? (3)

(b) Explain what ‘to right’ mean in this line. (1)

10. Why is the following statement FALSE?

The pigeon felt safe when the speaker’s father stitched it wound. (2)

11. What does the father do for a living? Quote THREE consecutive words to prove your
answer. (2)

12. Identify and explain the figure of speech used in line 29. (3)

13. Refer to Stanza 5.

(a) What is the ‘bitter roughness’; the speaker is waiting for? (2)

(b) Which TWO things are being compared in the metaphor in the first three lines
of this stanza? (2)

(c) Explain, in your own words, the connection between the pigeon in stanza two
and the speaker in this stanza. (3)

14. Why is ‘i’ written in lower case in this stanza? (2)

15. Refer to line 38 (‘The drip from my bulldozed chest.’)

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: The word ‘bulldozed’ is an
example of a/an ….

A alliteration.
B oxymoron.
C onomatopoeia.
D metaphor. (1)

16. Refer to stanza 7

(a) Why does the speaker describe her father’s dressing of her wound as ‘practiced’? (2)

(b) Explain why choice the word ‘bulldozed’ effective for used in this stanza. (3)

17. Refer to stanza 8.

(a) Do you think the father has been justified in teaching his little girl that ‘Life’s a
bastard’?

Discuss your view. (3)

(b) What is the tone used in this stanza? Why is this tone effective? (2)

18. What lessons do you think have been learned in this poem?

Refer to both the father and the daughter for your answer. (4)
POEM 7: The slave dealer - Thomas Pringle

The slave dealer – Thomas Pringle

From ocean's wave a Wanderer came,

With visage tanned and dun:
His Mother, when he told his name,
Scarce knew her long-lost son;
So altered was his face and frame 5
By the ill course he had run.

There was hot fever in his blood,

And dark thoughts in his brain;
And oh! to turn his heart to good
That Mother strove in vain, 10
For fierce and fearful was his mood,
Racked by remorse and pain.

And if, at times, a gleam more mild

Would o'er his features stray,
When knelt the Widow near her Child, 15
And he tried with her to pray,
It lasted not - for visions wild
Still scared good thoughts away.

‘There's blood upon my hands!’ he said,

‘Which water cannot wash; 20
It was not shed where warriors bled -
It dropped from the gory lash,
As I whirled it o'er and o'er my head,
And with each stroke left a gash.

‘With every stroke I left a gash, 25

While Negro blood sprang high;
And now all ocean cannot wash
My soul from murder's dye;
Nor e'en thy prayer, dear Mother, quash
That Woman's wild death-cry! 30

‘Her cry is ever in my ear,

And it will not let me pray;
Her look I see - her voice I hear -
As when in death she lay,
And said, “With me thou must appear 35
On God's great Judgment-day!”’
 ‘Now, Christ from frenzy keep my son!’
The woeful Widow cried;
‘Such murder foul thou ne'er hast done -
Some fiend thy soul belied!’ - 40
‘- Nay, Mother! the Avenging One
Was witness when she died!

‘The writhing wretch with furious heel

I crushed - no mortal nigh;
But that same hour her dread appeal 45
Was registered on high;
And now with God I have to deal,
And dare not meet His eye!’

VOCABULARY LIST:
Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

wanderer a traveller: someone who travels from place to place, especially

without any clear aim or purpose.
dun a dull greyish-brown colour

ill evil, bad

racked tortured; tormented; cause extreme pain, anguish or distress

gory blood-soaked; involving or showing violence and bloodshed

Negro a term historically used to denote people of Black African

heritage; it was the term used to describe the slaves being
transported on ships from Africa to the UK an USA.
quash stop, suppress or put an end to; to make null or void; to make
invalid.
frenzy hysteria, madness; a period of uncontrolled wild behaviour;
extreme mental agitation.
woeful filled with sorrow, misery or sadness.

foul wicked, evil, sinful, immoral

fiend devil, demon, evil spirit

writhing making twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the

body; moving in pain.
wretch an unfortunate, unhappy or defenceless person.

registered on high written in God’s judgement book

ABOUT THE POET:
 Thomas Pringle was born in Scotland on 5 January 1789 and emigrated to South Africa in 1820,
along with the English settlers. Even though he spent only six year in South Africa, Pringle has
often been called the ‘Father of South African Poetry in English.”
 He published a newspaper and magazine while living in Cape Town in which he strongly
criticised the slave trade.
 Slave trading was a popular and profitable business and Pringle’s views were unpopular – his
publications were suppressed in order to silence his objections and calls for reform.
 Unable to make a living from writing, Pringle returned to London in 1826 but continued to speak
out about the horror and injustice of slavery.
 He dedicated the rest of his life to the antislavery movement, and later became the secretary of
the Anti-Slavery Society.
 The work of this society eventually led to the abolition of slavery in the British colonies.
 Pringle did not live to see the passing of the act to abolish slavery in 1838, he died of
Tuberculosis (TB) on 4 December 1834, at the age of 45.

ABOUT THE POEM:

 The poem tells the story of a slave trader returning to his mother after spending quite some time
in the slave business.
 He was deeply troubled, and his mother attempted to soothe her son and lift his depression, but
he harboured too much regret.
 He constantly saw blood on his hands; blood he believed could never be washed off - it
symbolised his guilt.
 He was specifically haunted by the memory of a slave woman whom he had beaten to death.
 He heard her voice, as she lay dying, reminding him that the two of them would both appear
before God on Judgement Day.
 He believed that he would be found guilty by God and that it would not even help to pray for
forgiveness.

TYPE:
 It is a ballad.
 It tells a dramatic, emotionally charged story.
 Each stanza consists of three sets of rhyming couplets and its regular rhythm gives it a songlike
quality.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem is divided into 8 stanzas of six lines each.
 Each stanza has three sets of rhyming couplets; a set rhyme scheme is followed ABABAB
/CDCDCD /EFEFEF/etc., right to the end.
 It is written in Iambic pentameter.
 The poem is related from the third person’s point of view.

TITLE:
 The title, ‘The slave dealer’ introduces the subject matter of the poem, it deals with slavery and its
negative effects.
 Slave dealers were responsible for the death of many slaves.
 The slave dealer in this poem is presented as a man who is plagued by a guilty conscience and
who believes himself to be doomed, because of his evil, destructive actions.
THEMES:
 The major theme is the evil practice of slavery, linked with violence and bloodshed.
 The theme of remorsefulness or regret is also evident.
 God’s imminent retribution is highlighted.
 The unconditional love, faith and belief in her son’s innocence, of the slave dealer’s mother is
proven to be ineffectual.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The mood is rather sad, depressing or gloomy.
 The tone is mainly despondent, hopeless and pleading.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:

Line 1: From the ocean’s wave a Wanderer came,

 The slave dealer is described as a traveller, he arrives home (to his mother) after having sailed
the ocean. The reference to the ocean is fitting as the slaves were transported from Africa to the
UK /USA via the ocean/by ship.
 The word ‘Wanderer’ refers to somebody who travels about aimlessly. Since the person was
focused on making money by buying and selling slaves, there was nothing aimless about his
activities. The term might, however, refer to the sense of loss that he feels in his heart and mind
at this stage – a more metaphorical meaning.
 ‘Wanderer’ serves as a name as it is written with a capital letter, it will be the only name attributed
to the long-lost son/slave dealer.

Line 2: With visage tanned and dun:

 Having been away for many years and often sailing the ocean; his face (‘visage’) was tanned by
the sun; his skin has become greyish brown (‘dun’) because of this.
 The use of the colon (:) shows that an explanation will follow. The effect of this changed
appearance will be explained.
 There is irony to be found in the fact that his complexion had darkened. He was white and
targeted the Black South Africans. His skin colour has become similar to those he tortured and
enslaved. Metaphorically, he is now the one enslaved by his nightmares and his guilty
conscience.

Line 3: His Mother, when he told his name,

Line 4: Scarce knew her long-lost son;

 He had changed so dramatically that his own mother did not even recognise him. He had to
introduce himself to her – ‘told his name’.
 He had probably been away for a very long time, his appearance has changed greatly, but also
his character/personality. He has not only been tanned by the sun, but by his evil/sinful/malicious
experiences too.
 ‘long-lost son’ reminds one of the prodigal son’s (parable in the Bible) return home to find comfort
and a sense of belonging with his father. His mother, like the prodigal son’s father, accepts him
whole-heartedly without blaming him or telling him off.
  The use of the semi-colon (;) creates a longer pause – the speaker (third person) will give a
detailed explanation of why his mother failed to recognise him.
 Like ‘Wanderer’ in line 1, ‘Mother’ is written with a capital letter – it serves as a title/name. No
specific name is given to her. She represents all the mothers who disapproved of the slave-
trading and their sons’ involvement in it. All the mothers could do, however, was wait for the time
that their sons would realise the sinful cruelty of their actions and hopefully stopped their
involvement in the slave-trade.

Line 5: So altered was his face and frame

Line 6: By the ill course he had run.

 ‘frame’ refers to his body too, not just his face. The weather, his journeys and his experiences
had changed him.
 According to line 6, the change had been caused by his evil/sinful experiences, referring to his
involvement in slavery. This would refer not only to what he had seen and endured, but also to
what he had made other people endure.
 The poem will zoom in on his murder of one slave woman, this line suggests that she has been
just one of many.
 The use of the word ‘run’ tells us that this ‘course’ has drained him, both physically and mentally.
His journeys were challenging and harsh; the torture, pain and exploitation he witnessed and
caused took effect on both his outward appearance, inner character and well-being.

STANZA 2:

Line 7: There was hot fever in his blood,

Line 8: And dark thoughts in his brain;

 It is unlikely that the ‘hot fever in his blood’ refers to an illness of some kind, it is more likely that it
refers to pent-up anger or aggression. This anger is most probably focused at himself and his
feeling of dissatisfaction and disillusionment that he allowed himself to become involved in the
activities he did. It refers to an overwhelming feeling of frustration/unhappiness.
 Metaphor: The slave dealer is compared to somebody running a high temperature to emphasise
his aggressive/fierce nature/temperament.
 ‘in his blood’ proves that this vicious anger has been an integral part of him, it ruled his mood,
heart and soul.
 Furthermore, his brain was clouded by ‘dark thoughts’. Bad memories or images that he could
not get rid of, controlled his thinking.
 His mind is filled with ‘dark’ thoughts as he thinks about what he has done. There is no relief for
him – he has infected both his mind and body.
 The previous stanza was focused more on his physical appearance, this stanza moves in on his
mental or emotional state with reference to his ‘thoughts’, ‘brain’ and ‘heart’ and ‘mood’ in the rest
of the stanza.

Line 9: And oh! to turn his heart to good

Line 10: That Mother strove in vain,

 ‘His mother (‘That Mother’) attempted to ‘turn his heart to good’, she wanted him to forgive
himself, but she failed (‘in vain’) as he believed his deeds to be beyond God’s grace. This left
him with a tormented and tortured soul and an increasing darkness in his mind.
  Emphasises is place on the mother’s love and ability to forgive unconditionally. Yet, it had no
influence on his tortured mind.
 The word ‘that’ is used to refer to his mother. A specific mother who represents all the other
mothers that went through the same ordeal.

Line 11: For fierce and fearful was his mood,

Line 12: Racked by remorse and pain.

 ‘For’ give a reason why she could not help him. The f-alliteration emphasises how intense his
emotions are = he is filled with wild anger (‘fierce’) and fear (‘fearful’) He is feeling anguished and
guilty, these feeling are reinforced using the r-alliteration in racked and remorse.
 The alliteration links the words ‘racked’ and ‘remorse’ to emphasise what it was that caused him
this immense emotional or mental pain – the feeling of ‘remorse’ = deep regret or guilt for a
wrong committed. The slave dealer has created his own ‘rack’ of guilt and must now suffer the
continuous torture of his own making – his soul was tortured.
 ‘Racked’ is a word which effectively emphasises the slave dealer’s immense pain and suffering.
A rack is a rectangular, wooden torture device. The victim’s ankles are fastened to one roller and
the wrists are chained to the other. The pain caused by increased strain on the person’s
shoulders, hips, knees and elbows was excruciating – these body parts were often dislocated
while it also caused the audible snapping of cartilage, ligaments or bones.

STANZA 3:

Line 13: And, at times, a gleam more mild

Line 14: Would o’er his features stray

 The m-alliteration introduces a milder and more relaxed tone.

 ‘at times’ refers to rare occasions, now and then – his mother would see a lighter, more positive
expression pass over (‘stray’) her son’s face.
 Perhaps for a fleeting moment he would feel better, more positive. He is at home where he feels
safe and accepted; he feels that he can move forward and that nothing bad can happen to him;
and he will not be able to hurt anybody ever again.

Line 15: When knelt the Widow near her Child,

Line 16: And he tried with her to pray,

 The ‘Widow’ is his mother, it shows that she has lost her husband too. Her ‘Child’ is all she has
left. The use of the word ‘Child’ emphasises the slave dealer’s innocence and dependence on
his mother.
 The w-alliteration links those words that highlights his mother’s attempt to get him to pray with
her. She obviously sees prayer as the only possible solution to his problems.
 The word ‘tried’ however, proves that this action is doomed to failure, even before they started.
 Line 17: It lasted not – for visions wild
Line 18: Still scared good thoughts away.

 ‘It’ refers to the milder, more open mood of the slave dealer, which led to this effort to pray and
make contact with God to ask His forgiveness.
 The use of the dash (-) creates a longer pause just before the reason is given why the attempted
prayer fails.
 The visions are described as ‘wild’, i.e. out of control/uncontained visions of his evil deeds.
 His positive thoughts of possibly making peace dissipate (disintegrate) almost immediately. He
finds it impossible to close his eyes and pray. He is ‘still’ haunted/taunted by the visions of what
he has seen and done.
 The s-alliteration emphasises the continuous (‘still’) negative effect of the negative visions/
thought/memories.
 Personification/Metaphor: These horrible, taunting visions act like a scary human being, driving
or scaring away everything positive or uplifting. One can also see these images as wild, savage
animals that cannot be tamed and will indiscriminately attack and hurt humans.

STANZA 4:

Line 19: ‘There’s blood upon by hands!’ he said,

Line 20: ‘Which water cannot wash;

 The first use of direct speech, it introduces the voice of the slave dealer. The blood is not literally
on his hands. Blood is a metaphor for his over-riding feeling of guilt. He feels that there is so
much blood on his hand that no amount of water can wash it away = he has spilled so much
blood by killing and hurting people that the blood cannot be washed away. (This idea of blood
that cannot be washed off one’s hands, is an allusion to Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth).
 The use of the exclamation mark portrays/carries the speaker’s disillusionment and shock.
 The w-alliteration (linking three words) and stretching out the line, emphasises just how long he
has tried in vain to wash his hands clean, it thus emphasises the futility of the effort to pray and
ask for forgiveness to remove the guilt (‘blood’). What he needs is a cleansing of the soul and
that is something water cannot do.

Line 21: It was not shed where warriors bled –

Line 22: It dropped from the gory lash,

 The third line that shows that there was no justification for the bloodshed. He did not fight bravely
or heroically or spilt blood to safeguard his country (‘warriors bled’), there is honour in that kind of
bloodshed.
 The blood he spilled was the blood of innocent souls, and unforgivable act.
 ‘gory lash’ is a reference to the amount of blood spilled by whipping the slave under his control.
 ‘gory’ = covered in blood, thus emphasising the excessive signs of violence. It creates a picture
of people being injured or dying in a horrible, inhumane way.

Line 23: As I whirled it o’er and o’er my head,

Line 24: And with each stroke left a gash.

 ‘I’ and ‘my’ highlight his personal involvement in this woman’s torture/punishment.
  The repetition of the word over (‘o’er an o’er’) emphasises the repetitive action of beating the
woman, he did not stop until she died. Furthermore, it is not something he did just once; he did
not only beat the specific woman he refers to in the next stanza, to death, he hit and killed many
others too.
 ‘each stroke left a gash’ – blood flew from the lashes at each stroke, each stroke left a ‘gash’.
 ‘a gash’ = a long or deep cut or wound. Each stroke left a deep bleeding wound, and he did not
hit the person just once, it was a continuous, aggressive action.
 The lash of the whip was literally soaked in blood and gore. The slave dealer kept on whirling the
lash over his head and brought it down with force on the slave’s body. The word ‘whirled’
emphasises the frenzy of madness and power that went into the torture session. This would also
have covered him in dripping blood.
 The rhyme between ‘lash’ and ‘gash’ emphasises the violent hitting that cut into the flesh of the
woman he refers to. It was as if he lost all control of his thoughts and actions.
 Now ‘each stroke’ comes back to haunt him and torture him in return.
 He feels guilty that he, as a slave dealer, lashed slaves so cruelly and ruthlessly. He finds it
impossible to get the scenes out of his head and cannot forgive himself.

STANZA 5:

Line 25: ‘With every stroke I left a gash,

Line 26: While Negro blood sprang high;

 Note the repetition of line 24. ‘each’ has become ‘every’, the repetition emphasises the amount
of indiscriminate, violent strokes. It was a sustained beating of a defenceless person, causing
great bodily harm.
 The word ‘Negro’ refers to the black slaves that were taken from the native countries in Africa to
Europe and America.
 As the blood of the Negro woman spurted (‘sprang’) from her body, it seems to have a life of its
own. It ‘sprang high’.
 The slave dealer is already covered by the blood dripping from his whip as he whirls it over his
head, now he becomes completely drenched by the blood gushing and spurting from the
woman’s wounds.

Line 27: And now all ocean cannot wash

Line 28: My soul from murder’s dye;

 The conjunction ‘And’ introduces the psychological and spiritual effect of the blood he spilled –
the blood cannot be washed from his ‘soul’.
 The amount of blood spilled gives rise to the use of hyperbole in line 27. According to him, not
even all the water of the ocean will be able to wash or cleanse his soul of the dreadful and
gruesome things he has done to other, innocent human beings.
 ‘murder’s dye’ refers to the blood itself, it is a metaphor for his guilty conscience. Like dye would
colour or stain a piece of clothing, the lives he has taken has tarnished his soul. It has forever
stained or marked him as a murderer – especially in his mind/own thinking.
 This idea links the slave dealer with Shakespeare’s character Macbeth in the play of the same
name. He is equally haunted by the murder of King Duncan; his king and cousin. Macbeth too
cries out that not even the entire ocean has enough water to wash all the blood off his hands.
Macbeth goes on to explain that the amount of blood on his hands will instead turn the ocean red.
  Pringle would have been familiar with the story of Macbeth. Another link Pringle makes to the
Macbeth deals with the Slave dealer’s inability to pray (taken further in the next stanza).
Macbeth, after having murdered Duncan, experiences this same kind of inability to pray. Their
inability to pray indicates that their evil deeds have cut them off from God.

Line 29: Nor e’en thy prayer, dear Mother, quash

Line 30: That Woman’s wild death-cry!

 He tells his mother that not ever her fervent/enthusiastic/faithful prayers can help him suppress or
silence (‘quash’) the woman’s ‘wild death-cry!’ The woman must have cried out her final words
(which we will hear in the next stanza) before she died.
 His mother’s prayers do not have the ability to cleanse his soul or conscience because he is
unable to forgive himself (or even ask for forgiveness).
 ‘Woman’ is also spelt with a capital letter, like the words ‘Mother’, ‘Widow’, ‘Child’ – she is given
the same status and attention.
 The repetition of the word ‘wild’ links the woman’s load death-cry to his own ‘wild’ visions that
keep on repeating themselves in his mind. The torture he put her through will forever keep on
torturing his soul – he will never forget her voice; he still hears her ‘death-cry’.

STANZA 6:

Line 31: ‘Her cry is ever in my ear,

Line 32: And it will not let me pray;

 Assonance - The repeated e-sound emphasises the ever-present cry of the woman in the
speaker’s ‘ear’ = his mind.
 The poet creates the same link between stanza 6 and 7, that he created between stanza 5 and 6.
Line 31 repeats the idea of the woman’s death-cry that is forever etched into his mind.
 ‘Her cry is ever in my ear’ means that the sound of the cry keeps playing repeatedly in his mind –
he keeps on hearing it. It is like something stuck in his ear that he is unable to remove.
 The e-alliteration emphasises the sound of the woman’s cry.
 He says ‘it’, the woman’s voice, has taken control of him. ‘It will not let me pray’, he is now the
one who is controlled by the slave. He has committed, in his eyes, a damnable sin and therefore
believes that he does not deserve God’s forgiveness.
 The use of the future tense (‘will’) emphasises the lasting effect of the woman’s cry; it does not
only prevent him from praying now, but it will also be a problem in the future – cutting him off from
God’s grace.
 The use of the pronouns ‘my’ and ‘me’, makes it clear that the speaker, and only he, is the one
responsible for the woman’s death. Now he is the one who suffers and who will suffer for the
rest of his life – and thereafter.

Line 33: Her look I see – her voice I hear -

Line 34: As when in death she lay,

 The pronouns ‘Her’, ‘her’ and ‘she’ focus our attention on this specific woman.
 The speaker explains why he is unable to pray: He sees her facial expression and he hears her
voice as she shouts out while she lay dying.
 He is haunted by her facial features, the sound of her cry and each time he swung the whip to
increase her pain and suffering – an action that finally caused her death.
  The short, hyphenated sentences intensify his pain, grief and guilt. This is the third time that he
refers to her voice. He seem to lose his mind, it is as if this woman’s last moments will haunt him
for the rest of his life - every moment of his life.

Line 35: And said, “With me thou must appear

Line 36: On God’s Judgment-day!”

 This is the first time that he repeats the woman’s dying words, the words that had turned his life
upside down and made him aware of his accountability.
 The use of the word ‘must’ emphasise the fact that this is not something that he can avoid. She
tells him that he will stand before God to be judged on that ‘great’ day.
 She will not be afraid on this day, she has done nothing wrong. Judgement will be given by God
on this day, God Himself will be the one to dish out punishment, and she knows that God will
punish him.
 The exclamation mark on which the stanza ends expresses a tone of triumph and conviction.

STANZA 7:

Line 37: ‘Now, Christ from frenzy keep my son!’

Line 38: The woeful Widow cried;

 The mother calls out to Christ, who was sent by God to die for our sins, to protect her son, to be
merciful to him. She uses the word ‘frenzy’ to describe his state of uncontrolled and extreme
mental agitation.
 The w-alliteration links the words ‘woeful’ and ‘Widow’ to emphasis his mother’s sorrow and
sadness. ‘cried’ proves that she was crying in anguish.

Line 39: ‘Such murder foul thou ne’er hast done –

Line 40: Some fiend thy soul belied!’

 His mother still believes that he is incapable of such evil deeds. She tries to convince him that he
is not to be blamed.
 The word ‘fiend’ refers to the devil; she blames what her son has done on the devil’s influence or
on devil-possession. She tries to reassure him that he is not to be blamed for what he has done,
he has been tricked or manipulated by the devil.
 Another allusion to Macbeth – Macbeth was also said to have been rule by this ‘fiend’ = the devil
himself. Macbeth who was guilty of ‘murder must foul’. The mother, Macbeth’s wife, tries to
sooth her husband, assures her son that he is not guilty/not to be blamed.

Line 41: ‘- Nay, Mother! the Avenging One

Line 42: Was witness when she died!

 The slave dealer, however, is not reassured – he knows fully well what he has done and that it
will be punished by God.
 He tells her that even though their might not have been any other witness to prove his guilty, God
himself (‘the Avenging One’) has witnessed the woman’s cruel death.
 Calling God, the ‘Avenging One’, shows that he knows/expects that God will avenge the woman’s
terrible murder. He knows that he cannot escape God’s punishment.
  This is the stanza with the most exclamation marks in the entire poem. It builds up to a climax
and confirms his realisation that he is the only one to blame and that he will suffer God’s
retribution – justice will be done!

STANZA 8:

Line 43: ‘The writhing wretch with furious heel

Line 44: I crushed – no mortal nigh;

 The son tells his mother in graphic and violent detail what exactly he has done.
 The w-alliteration creates the sound of the woman wriggling and twisting in anguished pain
while he was hitting her. He describes her as a ‘wretch’, it refers to her being a helpless,
unfortunate person.
 He acknowledged that he was the one who ‘crushed’ her, caused her death, this word highlights
the brutally and cruelty of his actions.
 The word ‘mortal’ refers to any other human being. He says there was no other human being
present or near (‘nigh’) when he killed her. He and he alone is to blame for her violent death.

Line 45: But that same hour her dread appeal

Line 46: Was registered on high.

 At the moment (‘same hour’) when she died her outcry was registered by God. It does not matter
that there was no one present to hold him accountable for his deeds. God himself was the
witness, he will be the judge and the avenger.
 ‘dread’ means great fear or alarm, while ‘appeal’ expresses her outcry for help or retribution.
This fearful appeal was heard and recorded by God.

Line 45: And now with God I have to deal,

Line 46: And dare not meet His eye!’

 ‘And now’, after having done what he did, he will have to face God.
 The slave dealer realises that he has committed a mortal sin by killing this woman. However, she
was not the only one he killed. He has killed many other people and he knows he will finally, on
Judgement Day to own up and take responsibility for his deeds.
 He fears that day – ‘dare not meet his eye’, but he realises that he cannot avoid it. He will have
to deal with the consequences of his actions.
 The speaker has realised the consequences or repercussions of his actions. The woman’s dying
words ‘With me thou must appear, On God’s great Judgement-day’ keeps playing in his mind.
He realises that what he has done cannot be undone.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – THE SLAVE DEALER

1. Fill in the missing word. Write only the word next to the answer number.

The poem is written in the form of a …

A sonnet.
B ballad.
C elegy.
D ode. (1)
2. Describe the setting of the first stanza. Why is this setting appropriate? (2)

3. Why is the slave dealer described as a ‘Wanderer’ in line 1? (1)

4. Refer to stanza 1.

What was it the changed the man so much that his mother failed to recognise him?

Give at least TWO reasons. (2)

5. Refer to stanza 2 (line 1). ‘There was hot fever in his blood,’

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is appropriate. (2)

4. One of the themes in this poem is remorsefulness.

Discuss this theme. (3)

5. Refer to stanza 2 (line 2). ‘And Oh! To turn his heart to good, That mother strove
in vain’.

Describe the state of mind of the mother as reflected in these lines. (2)

6. Refer to line 11 (‘For fierce and fearful’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to the poem. (2)

7. Explain the effect of the use of the word ‘Racked’ in line 12. (2)

8. How did the mother try to help or cure her son? (2)

9. Refer to line 18.

Identify and explain the figure of speech used here. (3)

9. Refer to stanza 4.

Why is the following statement FALSE?

The slave trader kills people on a battlefield. (2)

10. Refer to lines 22 to 24. Explain the link between ‘lash’ and ‘gash’ as used here. (2)

11. Refer to stanza 5 (line 3) ‘And now all ocean cannot wash.’

(a) Identify the figure of speech in these lines. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in this poem. (2)

12. Refer to line 28 (‘My soul form murder’s dye’)

Identify and explain the figure of speech used her. (3)

13. Refer to stanza 6.

 What effect does the cry of the slave woman have on the slave dealer? (2)

14. Refer to stanza 7.

(a) Prove that the slave dealer’s mother does not believe that he is guilty of murder. (2)

(b) Explain in your own words what the words ‘Avenging One’ reveal about what the
slave dealer believes will happen to him one day. (2)

(c) Comment on the importance of the word ‘witness’ in this context. (2)

16. The slave dealer deserves absolution (forgiveness).

Discuss your view. (3)

POEM 8: You laughed and laughed and laughed - Gabriel Okara

You laughed and laughed and laughed – Gabriel Okara

In your ears my song

is motor car misfiring
stopping with a choking cough;
and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

In your eyes my ante 5

natal walk was inhuman, passing
your ‘omnivorous understanding’
and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

You laughed at my song,

you laughed at my walk. 10

Then I danced my magic dance

to the rhythm of talking drums pleading,
but you shut your eyes
and laughed and laughed and laughed.

And then I opened my mystic 15

inside wide like
the sky, instead you entered your
car and laughed and laughed and laughed.

You laughed at my dance,

you laughed at my inside. 20

You laughed and laughed and laughed.

But your laughter was ice-block
laughter and it froze your inside froze
your voice froze your ears
froze your eyes and froze your tongue. 25

And now it’s my turn to laugh;

but my laughter is not
ice-block laughter. For I
know not cars, know not ice-blocks.

My laughter is the fire 30

of the eye of the sky, the fire
of the earth, the fire of the air,
the fire of the seas and the
rivers fishes animals trees
and it thawed your inside, 35
thawed your voice, thawed your
ears, thawed your eyes and
thawed your tongue.
 So a meek wonder held
your shadow and you whispered: 40
‘Why so?’
And I answered:
‘Because my fathers and I
are owned by the living
warmth of the earth 45
through our naked feet.’

VOCABULARY LIST:
Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

misfiring when a car backfires and makes a loud puffing noise

ante/natal Before birth, possibly suggesting being undeveloped. The

apparent struggle to walk properly. It describes a grotesque,
slovenly way of walking.
inhuman Without any human feelings or features; without compassion for
misery or suffering; being cruel, an almost non-human class of
being.
omnivorous Indiscriminate, greedy, very hungry

omnivorous understanding Having a complete understanding

mystic Imagination, spiritual, magical; the inner self

mystic inside Having an insight into the mysteries of the world that transcends
ordinary human knowledge.
ice-block laughter Laugh contemptuously with the intention of making fun of
someone, not taking into consideration how it makes that person
feel.
thawed Melted, unfrozen, become more inclusive and less hostile.

meek Humble, submissive

awe Wonder, astonishment, surprise.

ABOUT THE POET:

 Gabriel Imomotimi Okara was born on 21 April 1921 and died on 25 March 2019.
 He was a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bumoundi in Nigeria.
 He is considered one of the founders of modern African literature and received numerous awards
for his writing. He was recognised as a brilliant literary craftsman. His modern approach
changed African poetry.
 In his writing Okara focused on the African religion, folklore and imagery. A recurrent theme in
his writing is the confrontation between the ancient culture of Africa and that of the modern
western culture, colonialism and racism.

ABOUT THE POEM:

 The poem depicts the pain of an African man being discredited and laughed at by a European
colonialist for his mannerisms and beliefs - for his way of life.
 The blacks were laughed at – made fun of - by white for their songs and their spiritual beliefs.
  The African man is proud of his culture, his ancestry and himself. He brings his culture into sharp
contrast with that of the colonialist who is presented as ignorant, uninformed and arrogant.
 The white man considers himself to be superior to the blacks; he has no understanding or
appreciation of the beauty of the natural world – the speaker’s world, the world that shaped him.
 When the black man dances to the beat of drums, the white man laughs at him, gets into his car
and drives away - separating himself from nature and its healing influence too.
 The speaker views the white man as having a frozen and being ‘dead’. Whereas the black man’s
life is full of colour and vibrance, this man’s laughter becomes frozen, his insides, his voice, his
ears, his eyes and his tongue are frozen.
 He has no sensory awareness of the world. In contrast the local African people are warm, caring
and alive to the world.
 It is this fire in the black man that brings about the moment of transformation in the white man’s
life. His arrogance and laughter are turned into humility.
 He finally understands that the Africans and their ancestors, belong to the earth, have been and
are shaped by this contact to the earth – and not the other way round.

POEM PARAPHRASED:
Stanza 1: To you my song is a malfunctioning car, stopping with a sputter, and you make fun of
me.
Stanza 2: To you, my walk was unnatural, which your mind didn’t understand, and you ridiculed.
me.
Stanza 3: You made fun of my song and the way I walked.
Stanza 4: I danced my captivating dance to the rhythm of the drum, but you looked away and made
fun of me.
Stanza 5: I shared my knowledge of the world far and wide, but you got in your car and made fun of
me.
Stanza 6: You ridiculed my dance and who I am.
Stanza 7: But, the way you make fun of me is cold, and it froze your inner being.
Stanza 8: Now, it’s my turn to laugh, but I do not do it to make fun of you, that is not who I am.
Stanza 9: My laughter is the sun, the earth’s core, the heat of the air, the sea and all its inhabitants,
and it melts away your iciness.
Stanza 10: Then you ask me how that is possible, and I tell you, ‘Because my fathers and I are
owned by the living warmth of the earth through our naked feet.’

TYPE:
 It is a lyrical poem as it relates the personal experiences of the speaker.
 The poem is a satiric, dramatic monologue presented in free verse.
 It can also be seen as protest poetry since the poet criticises the Eurocentric view that Africans
are primitive and inferior to white people. The poem aims at bringing insight concerning black
people’s beliefs, traditions and culture.

STRUCTURE:
 The poem is written in 10 stanzas of varying length.
 It is written in free verse – no set rhyme scheme and from a first person’s point of view.
 A great deal of repetition and enjambment is used for dramatic effect.
 In the last stanza in written in direct speech - there is an actual conversation between the white
and the speaker.
TITLE:
 The title is effective as it is exactly what the poem is about = the mocking or humiliation of the
black speaker by the white colonialist/European.
 The repetition of ‘You laughed’ shows just how cruel and mocking the white man is about the
speaker’s (African) way of living and his being.
 The laughter goes on and on – as indicated by the repetition in the title.
 It becomes crueller every time it is repeated – it is hurt upon hurt.
 These ‘laughter-lines’ are the longest in the poem and dominate the structure of the poem. That
is until they are ‘thawed’ by the speaker, introducing a complete change in attitude - then the ‘ice-
cold laughter’ stopped.

THEMES:
 Racism – the white colonialists are prejudiced towards the Africans and treat them as if they
were inferior.
 Cultural differences and the negative effects of the lack of understanding or communication
between people.
 Communication – The poem starts out showing a lack of communication between the black
and white people, mainly because of the prejudice of the whites. This communication is
restored in stanza 9 and 10.
 Materialism – as portrayed by the white colonialists.
 Pride – the speaker, an African, is proud of his heritage which shows a close connection to the
earth.
 Laughter – is at the heart of the poem. It runs through the poem as a symbol of both mockery
(the coloniser) and joy and healing (the speaker).
 Nature and its healing qualities.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The poem starts off on an arrogant, hurtful tone. The speaker is clearly hurt by the mocking,
offensive way in which the white colonialists treat the Africans.
 The speaker’s tone is one of pride in his African heritage. This closer connection to the earth
has made him react in a more natural and respectful way to the arrogant, materialistic and
insensitive white colonialists.
 The speaker is hurt by the colonialist’s mocking attitude, but he is unable to become as
offensive and arrogant as the colonialists. He attributes this to his close connection to the earth
and nature.
 The poem ends on a sense of hope that there can be reconciliation and transformation through
proper communication.
 The final part of the poem has a quiet tone as the European is humbled by the warmth and
energetic and inspirational nature of the speaker.
 LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:

Line 1: In your ears my song

Line 2: is motor car misfiring
Line 3: stopping with a choking cough;
Line 4: and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

 The way in which the white man perceives the speaker is sensory – in this stanza the poet uses
the sense of hearing.
 The use of ‘your’ and ‘my’ in line 1 immediately emphasises the difference/contrast between the
way the colonists and the African people interpret the African songs sung by the speaker.
 These songs form an integral part of the African culture and they are used as an expression of
their deepest emotions, they find them uplifting and encouraging.
 However, the European does not see or rather hear these sounds/words as a song, he hears
only harsh, loud sounds, something he classifies as an awkward, uneducated voice.
 Metaphor - To the white person the sound of the African song sounds harsh and unpleasant, like
a car that misfires. A car misfires when one or more of its cylinders do not produce enough
power, an engine that misfires makes a loud popping or banging sound – it backfires. From
there the reference to ‘choking cough’.
 Personification – comparing the harsh, popping or cracking sound the misfiring car makes to a
person coughing.
 The car is metaphorical of the materialistic/technological attitude/thinking of the European; it
refers to the ‘modern’, more ‘superior’ world he believes he is part of – in contrast to the inferior,
underdeveloped world the speaker, and his song, represent.
 The last line repeats and builds on the title (it will be repeated four more times in this form) and
the word ‘laughed’ itself will be repeated more frequently.
 This repetition emphasises the continuous build-up of laughter and effectively portrays the
criticism of the white people’s insulting, hurtful and arrogant attitude.

STANZA 2:

Line 5: In your eyes my ante

Line 6: natal walk was inhuman, passing
Line 7: your ‘omnivorous understanding’
Line 8: and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

 The sensory sense has moved to sight (‘eyes’), the way he walks is viewed by the white person.
 Metaphor – ‘ante / natal walk’ refers to the clumsy, uncomfortable way a pregnant woman walks,
and it is compared to the way African people walk. It emphasises an immature, uncivilised way
of walking.
 Breaking up the word ‘ante-natal’ emphasises the sense of something broken or incomplete even
further. It creates an image of a person that is not fully human or fully developed yet. This idea
is highlighted by the use of the word ‘inhuman’ = literally having no or lacking normal human
qualities.
 These words carry over the colonialist’s racism and feeling of domination/supremacy. ‘passing’
shows that he indiscriminately and openly shows or shares his derisive/mocking attitude.
  An omnivore refers to a human or animal that eats a variety of food of both plant and animal
origin. The words ‘omnivorous understanding’ shows the assumption/impression of the white
people that they fully understand the African people - they see them as subhuman, immature
and primitive.
 Sarcasm: Note that the words ‘omnivorous understanding’ are typed between inverted commas.
The speaker is being sarcastic, implying that the whites do NOT really understand the black
people. They only THINK they do, they are, in fact, discriminating against them because of their
LACK of understanding/comprehension of who they really are.
 In addition, the phrase is in quotation marks as it is a quote from an essay by Chinua Achebe, in
which he describes the colonialist attitude that the Europeans are exclusive and superior to ALL
other races. This is a greedy (‘omnivorous’) understanding that eats at the identity of the African
man, his culture, humanity and existence.
 The last line is a direct repetition of stanza 1’s last line, emphasising the superior, derisive,
mocking or disdainful thinking, attitude and reaction of the white man.

STANZA 3:

Line 9: You laughed at my song,

Line 10: you laughed at my walk.

 The speaker summarises the first two stanzas. The European/white man continuously laughs
mockingly at the speaker’s song and the way he walks.
 The summarised repetition of the first two stanzas emphasises that the speaker feels deeply
offended by the way the whites ridicule him and his people. This mocking, derisive laughter
furthermore breaks the genuine joy and spontaneous laughter natural to the speaker.
 This repetition emphasises the theme of discrimination/racism and its negative influence on the
people it is aimed at.

STANZA 4:

Line 11: Then I danced my magic dance

Line 12: to the rhythm of talking drums pleading
Line 13: but you shut your eyes
Line 14: and laughed and laughed and laughed.

 ‘Then’ implies a reaction to the white man’s laughter and shows a desire to gain his acceptance
and be understood.
 Drums and dancing form part of the African culture. It is something they take great pleasure in
and is proud of – it is regarded as a magical experience. It (‘magic’) represents their deep inner
strength and connection to the natural world.
 Personification – the rhythm of the drums that are being beaten is compared to people who are
talking and calling out to one another.
 ‘pleading’ emphasises the speaker’s need to be understood, noticed and acknowledged.
 ‘but’ emphasises the inability of the white people to appreciate the magic of the speaker’s
dancing to the drumbeat.
 The European is incapable of picking up the rhythm of the drums or hearing their ‘voice’, it is a
magic completely beyond his experience. He sees the dance as barbaric and inhuman and
closes his eyes to avoid looking at the dancing person – he finds it repulsing.
  It is ironic that he closes his eyes only as this action appeal to both his sense of sight and
hearing. It is not going to have any real effect to just close his eyes, he will still hear the beating
drum and the foot movement of the dancer.
 The European, yet again, starts laughing uncontrollably at the speaker, belittling and
disrespecting him and his very existence. His closing his eyes and mocking laughter are the
only responses to the ‘pleading’ of the speaker to be understand for who and what he really is.

STANZA 5:

Line 15: And then I danced opened my mystic

Line 16: inside wide like
Line 17: the sky, instead you entered your
Line 14: car and laughed and laughed and laughed.

 ‘And then’ relates yet another effort of the speaker to gain the European’s understanding.
 This time he exposes himself even further, he makes himself vulnerable by opening his ‘mystic
inside’ to this arrogant, self-important person. This is where all his powers reside (him ‘mystic
inside’), he taps into (and exposes) his hidden strengths buried in the innermost parts of his mind
and soul.
 Simile – the African culture, with its connection and closeness to nature, is being compared to
the vastness of the sky. It is completely unlimited, immeasurable, but difficult for others to
understand.
 The speaker is trying to do everything he can to open the white man’s mind to the full wonder and
beauty of nature so that he will have a better understanding of the African’s connection to it.
 Even though the speaker’s heart and soul are opened wide, the European closes himself off. He
chooses to get into his car while continuing to ridicule/laugh at the speaker.
 His car symbolises what he sees as his superior place in the world. Ironically, he is trapped in
prison of his own making, unable to see beyond the car (his comfort zone), or his limited view of
the world.
 The laughter, mocking the speaker, can be applied to the short-sighted, unseeing, self-important
European too – he is the one that should be laughed at.

STANZA 6:

Line 19: You laughed at my dance,

Line 20: you laughed at my inside.

 The speaker, like in stanza 3, summarises the previous two stanzas, repeating the reference to
his dancing and his innermost soul.
 Again, the speaker has tried to make it simple enough for the white man to understand him. The
white man, however, cannot understand the language of the dance and he is unable to pick up
the speaker’s powerful spirit or essential being.
 All he can do is laugh, exposing his ignorance and lack of understanding.
 The white Europeans continue to mock the Africans’ culture and heritage, everything that makes
them unique and who they inherently are.
STANZA 7:

Line 21: You laughed and laughed and laughed,

Line 22: But your laughter was ice-block
Line 23: laughter and it froze you inside froze
Line 24: your voice froze your ears
Line 25: froze you eyes and froze you tongue.

 Line 21 is the last repeat of the of the title and the reaction of the European’s mocking, derisive
laughter.
 The word ‘But’ introduces a change in the poem and a shift in tone.
 For the first time the speaker does not try to please the white man, instead he launches an attack
on the colonist by describing him as cold-hearted, lifeless and unable to appreciate the natural
beauty around him.
 The European’s laughter turned against him and his ‘inside’ becomes frozen. Compare this to
the inside of the speaker that is linked to the openness and freedom of the sky. In contrast, the
white man’s ‘inside’ is small and confined, like the car.
 Metaphor – the white man’s laughter is compared to ‘ice-blocks’ which are frozen and ‘lifeless’
and has the ability to freeze everything around them too.
 The white person’s lack of understanding of the feelings, and the culture of the black man has led
to him losing all his senses of feeling and observation.
 All the parts of the white man’s body, parts that are normally used to communicate with others,
are frozen: his ears, his eyes, his tongue and by implication his heart (‘inside’). The European is
now described as one not being fully human – he is unable to hear, see or speak, normal human
functions or abilities.

STANZA 8:

Line 26: And now it’s my turn to laugh;

Line 27: but my laughter is not
Line 28: ice-block laughter. For I
Line 29: know not cars, know not ice-blocks.

 ‘And now’ introduces a change in the poem. The white man has dominated the poem until this
point, but now it is the speaker’s turn to laugh.
 The speaker has tried his best to communicate with the colonialist and now he makes yet another
attempt to break through to him. It is also with laughter, his laughter is not as artificial, cruel and
mocking as that of the colonialist.
 The semi-colon at the end of line 26 and the ‘but’ at the beginning of the next line, introduce the
description of the speaker’s kind of laughter.
 It is not cold or unkind. He does not know the European world of artificiality and unkindness – he
is not part of the mechanical/technological world of cars and does not have an ice-block heart
that shuts out emotion/kindness/understanding.
 Laughter is a natural part of his tradition, in the oral tradition laughter is seen as natural, an
indication that one sees one’s life as meaningful and fulfilling. The cold nature of the European is
completely foreign to him, he is incapable of producing such a mocking kind of laughter.
 The African people are described as being more compassionate and stronger than the colonists.
The colonists who believe that they are better than the Africans, are not synchronised with
nature. They have become so dependent on technology that they have lost their sensitivity.
  Blacks are not materialistic or living luxurious lives. Being in close contact with nature, they still
have warmth and compassion in their hearts – they are not as cold-hearted and self-centred as
the whites.

STANZA 9:

Line 30: My laughter is the fire

Line 31: of the eye of the sky, the fire
Line 32: of the earth, the fire of the air,
Line 33: the fire of the seas and the
Line 34: rivers fishes animals trees

 The speaker describes and defends his indigenous African heritage as ‘laughter’ which he
compares to the four elements = fire, earth, air and water.
 Fire is repeated four times and it runs like a life-giving flame through this stanza.
 Metaphor - The African laughter is compared to the heat of the sun (‘the eye of the sky’), which
sustains all life on earth.
 Metaphor – The African laughter is compared to the ‘fire of the earth’ – it refers to the life-giving
forces on earth.
 In another metaphor he compares their laughter to the ‘fire of the air’ = lightning which
symbolises immense power. Their laughter has the power to bring about change in the human
world.
 The black man’s laugher is also compared to the fire/life-giving power in everything around them:
the seas, rivers, fishes, animals and trees. Notice how the poet stop using conjunctions and
commas in line 34. It is as if the lists of natural things the black man’s laughter can be compared
to is never-ending, it is like an unstoppable river of water.
 The use of these metaphors emphasises the black man’s close relationship with nature. Their
interaction with the natural elements (fire, earth, air, water) is what has shaped them. Their
knowledge is grounded in and comes from nature.
 They are owned by the earth/nature, they do not own it. This has formed the speaker’s identity
and has brought him great happiness and fulfilment, reflected in his laughter.

Line 35: and it thawed your inside,

Line 36: thawed your voice, thawed your
Line 37: ears, thawed your eyes and
Line 38: thawed your tongue.

 Repetition - ‘thawed’, repeated five times in these four lines, means to soften or make something
into liquid by warming it up. The repetition emphasises the dramatic effect that the speaker has
had on the colonist.
 These symbols mentioned in the first four lines (‘fire, sky, earth, air, seas, rivers, etc.) are
symbols of life and the vastness of the natural world in which the speaker is rooted. This warmth
has finally brought a transformation in the relationship between the speaker and the white man.
 The fire has heated up (‘thawed’) the white man’s senses so that he is finally able to hear, see
and speak.
 The African’s happiness, rooted in his energetic connection to the earth, has the power to bring
about the change in the white man. It softens his heart and gives him insight into the natural
world of the black people.
  The speaker (black man) has succeeded in melting the white man’s ‘inside’ (psychological
attitude), his ‘voice’ (what he says), ‘ears’ (how interprets what he hears). ‘eyes’ (how he sees
things) and ‘tongue’ (his choice of words).
 Instead of taking revenge for the ill-treatment and disrespect with which he was treated, the
speaker has helped the white man. He has re-humanised him and saved him from his rigid,
mechanical, short-sighted way of life and thinking.
 This huge change feels almost biblical in its magnitude – something only God can achieve.

STANZA 10:

Line 39: So a meek wonder held

Line 40: your shadow and you whispered:
Line 41: ‘Why so?’

 In this last stanza the mocking white man is awakened to the value of the African cultural
heritage.
 It is as if a battle has been fought and now it is time for the one who has been defeated to
understand his conqueror and what secured his victory.
 It is the speaker who has won, and the white man has become gentle (‘meek’). He is finally filled
with the ‘wonder’ that he has seen unleashed by the speaker.
 The coloniser has become a silent ‘shadow’, he finally becomes aware of his own impact on the
earth and people around him; possibly also of the shadow cast on his thinking/existence by his
ancestors.
 The loud, contemptuous laughter of the opening stanzas has been reduced to a respectful
‘whisper’ as he asks the speaker how, what he has just witnessed, is possible: the white man
respectfully asks for the reason behind the passionate warmness of the Africans and their inner
strength, despite having been mocked by the whites.

Line 42: And I answered:

Line 43: ‘Because my fathers and I
Line 44: are owned by the living
Line 45: warmth of the earth
Line 46: through our naked feet.’

 This is the first time in the poem that there is real dialogue between the two men.
 The speaker replies that the spirit of everything (reason for his behaviour) comes from his
ancestors (‘fathers’); he and his forefathers derive their energy from the warmth of the earth
which they absorb through their bare feet.
 The quality of warmth and being friendly, caring and accommodating has been given to them by
Mother Earth, strengthening the bond between them and nature through bare-footed contact.
 The coloniser was under the impression that they could take and own this foreign land by force.
The speaker has made him aware of the fact that the land belongs to nobody – he, the speaker
and his ancestors – are owned by the land.
 This direct contact with the earth, standing on the earth with their naked feet, is regarded as a
close communication with the earth. This is what prevents one from having an ‘ice-block’
attitude or heart, and ensures that one is filled with a passionate warmth that not only ensure
one’s own happiness, but also gives one the ability to positively affects the lives of other people
too.
  By the end of the poem, the speaker has taught the European how to walk upon the earth with
‘naked feet’ in order to be connected to and owned by the earth.
 The ‘our’ now does not only refer to the speaker and his ancestors, but also to him and the white
man.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – YOU LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED

1. Comment on the effect of repetition in the title. (2)

2. Identify and explain the comparison in stanza 1. (1)

3. Refer to stanza 2.

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to this poem. (2)

4. Refer to line 7 (your ‘omnivorous understanding’)

(a) Explain ‘omnivorous understanding’ in your own words. (2)

(b) What tone would the speaker use in these lines? (1)

(c) Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? (2)

5. Discuss the use and effect of repetition in stanza 3. (2)

6. Refer to lines 11-12 (‘Then I … pleading’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech used here. (1)

(b) Explain the suitability of this figure of speech. (2)

7. Quote ONE word from stanza 4 to show the coloniser’s reaction to the pleading of the
speaker. (1)

8. Explain why the following statement is FALSE?

The colonist can pick up and respond to humorous situations. (2)

9. Identify and explain the comparison in lines 16-17. (3)

10. Refer to stanza 5.

Explain the coloniser’s reaction to the effort of the speaker to communicate with him. (2)

11. Refer to the use of ‘inside’ in lines 16 and 20. Explain what the speaker refers to. (2)

12. Refer to stanza 7.

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to this poem. (2)

(c) What is the speaker's state of mind in this stanza?

Substantiate your answer. (2)

13. Refer to stanza 8.

The speaker says it is now his turn to laugh. Compare the laughter of the speaker to
that of the coloniser. (2)

14. Refer to stanza 8 and 9.

(a) What, according to the to the speaker, is the major reason for the difference
between him and the colonist? (2)

(b) Quote ONE word from stanza 9 to prove that the speaker has finally broken
through to the European coloniser. (1)

15. This poem gives hope for the healing transformation of relationships.

Discuss your view. (3)

16. Explain the effect of the use of the pronoun ‘our’ in line 46. (2)

17. The title of the poem, 'You laughed and laughed and laughed', captures the essence
of the poem.

Discuss your view. (3)

POEM 9: On the grasshopper and cricket - John Keats

On the grasshopper and cricket – John Keats

The poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s – he takes the lead 5
In summer luxury, - he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost 10
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

VOCABULARY LIST:
Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

faint Feeling weak and/or dizzy.

hedge A fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or

shrubs.
new-mown Freshly cut grass

mead Meadow or open field; a piece of grassland.

ceasing never Never stops

wrought Made, created, brought about.

shrills Sharp, high pitched and penetrating sounds

ABOUT THE POET:

 John Keats was born on 31 October 1795 in London and died of tuberculosis in Rome on 23
February 1821, aged 26.
 In his short life, he wrote some of the most important and memorable poetry in the English
language.
 He was part of the Romantic School of poetry. The Romantics were focused on nature and the
importance of the individual. They believed that people should live to fulfil ideals rather than
being bound by the rules of society.
 One critic wrote of Keats: ‘By force of genius, in four brief years he had triumphed over all
obstacles and won acknowledgment as a great poet.’
 He portrayed the beauty of nature and its capacity to bring joy in his poems.
 In this poem he praises the continuous beauty of nature by describing the song of two insects,
the grasshopper and the cricket.
 The poem was written in 1816 as an entry into a sonnet writing competition between him and his
friend Leigh Hunt. Both poets had to write a sonnet on a pre-agreed topic in 15 minutes.
TYPE AND STRCTURE:
 The poem is written in the form of an Italian or a Petrarchan sonnet, so it consists of 14 lines.
 It is divided into and octave of eight line, and a sestet of six lines.
 The rhyme scheme is abbaabba cdecde.
 It is written in iambic pentameter.
 The octave presents the main idea of the poem, and the sestet acts as a conclusion to and an
elaboration on the idea presented in the octave.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

 In this poem the poet celebrates the ‘poetry of earth’ – the music of nature which is omnipresent.
The poet has introduced two insects, as the title suggests, to represent the vitality and joyous
mood of nature even in the scorching heat of summer and in the bleak and bitter cold of winter.
 The octave is set in summer. Even when the birds are hiding from the summer heat, the
grasshopper sings his song from the hedges and fields. When he is tired of singing, he rests in a
shady patch of weeds.
 The sestet is set in winter. When winter arrives all creatures shelter form the cold, loneliness
and silence appear to reign. However, the cricket’s song emerges and emphasises the
persistent quality of nature. To the person dozing next to the fire, the songs of the grasshopper
and the cricket sounds the same. These songs are linked as they are part of nature’s persistent
and loving force – ‘The poetry of earth is ceasing never’.

TITLE:
 The ‘On’ in the title tells us that this poem will be about a grasshopper and a cricket.
 Although these are two seemingly unimportant insects, they contain within their song, the never-
ending poetry of the world.
 There is never a time when the world is without beauty or song.

THEMES:
 The enduring beauty of nature – The sonnet describes the physical world and its natural
beauty. Whatever season we are in, there is always life and beauty to be found. The natural
sounds are the voices or poetry of nature, and nature speaks to us through them. This theme
speaks of nature’s eternal delight and its persistent presence.
 Hope – The sonnet is about hope, it symbolises beauty and endurance. Both the grasshopper
and the cricket are symbols of hope. They continue in their daily rituals even when other
creatures cannot. They provide everyone with the hope that no matter how hard the situation is,
there is always a way to overcome harsh conditions.
 Immortality – The poem is about the eternal delight of the beauty of nature. The sonnet’s
message is that the beauty of nature, endurance of life and love of poetry will never die – these
things are an eternal, continuous process.

TONE AND MOOD:

 A joyful/happy and celebratory tone or mood is created by the beauty of nature (irrespective of
the season), the sound of the birds’ songs and the buzz of insects.
 The tone is created mainly by the voices of the grasshopper and the cricket. They are symbolic
of life, beauty, and hope.
 The harshness of the summer heat is softened by the cooling trees and beautiful, green scenery.
 The harshness of a lonely, cold winter scene is softened by the warmth of the fire and the
singing cricket.
 LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

OCTAVE:

 The octave is set in the heat of summer.

Line 1: The poetry of earth is never dead:

 Metaphor – ‘The poetry of earth’ = the speaker refers to sound made by nature and its
inhabitants (plants, insects, birds, etc.).
 These sounds are always alive, they never stop (‘is never dead’). Seasons may change, singers
will be different, but the music (‘poetry’) of earth will go on – nature continues to persist.
 The use of the colon (:) indicates that the rest of the sonnet will be an explanation of this
statement.

Line 2: all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
Line 3: And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
Line 4: From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;

 It is so hot that the birds have fallen silent, they feel weak and exhausted (‘faint’) in the extreme
heat; but they are not left in the heat; nature provides the shade of cool trees in which to hide and
take shelter.
 While the birds are hiding and it is too hot to sing, the music of the earth does not come to an
end. Nature presents another singer in the form of the grasshopper.
 The grasshopper takes over from the birds and makes sure the world/nature is never silent. The
movement of the grasshopper creates energy – despite the heat his voice ‘will run / From hedged
to hedge’ and even across the meadow/grassland (‘new-mown mead’).
 Notice the speaker’s confident use of the future tense: The voice is not just being heard now, it
will always be heard, it is a constant thread that will run through even unpleasant time (the heat,
in this case).
 There is a thread/strand of beauty in nature that is never broken. If we listen attentively, we will
always hear the song of nature/the world.
 The setting of the first quatrain is a comfortable English countryside scene, a domestic
landscape, not some idyllic secluded mountainous landscape.
 This shows the speaker’s faith in the enduring, consoling beauty of nature. Eternal beauty runs
right through the (sometimes uncomfortable) day-to-day world.

Line 5: That is the Grasshopper’s – he takes the lead

Line 6: In summer luxury, - he has never done
Line 7: With his delights; for when tired out with fun
Line 8: He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.

 Notice that these 4 lines end on a semi-colon. The grasshopper is introduced into the poem after
his song has been heard. The song comes first.
 The personified grasshopper ‘takes the lead’ and shows the rest of the world how to find joy –
he is a pleasure-loving ‘person’, he is relaxed (‘at ease’) and finds ‘delight’ in everything he does.
  The grasshopper revels/takes delight in the ‘luxury’ of summer, he does not complain about the
heat, even when every other creature is panting, sweating and hiding from the heat, he continues
singing joyfully.
 When he becomes tired, it is from singing/working - something that he finds enjoyable and fun-
filled – he is never idle.
 When he rests, he is at ‘ease’ in the shade of a ‘pleasant weed’. Note that there is nothing
negative in the natural world. The weed is described as ‘pleasant’, it is as effective as any other
leafy plant to the grasshopper, it provides him with the needed shelter when he too needs to rest.
 The poem reaches its turning point (volta) at the end of line 8 – there is a landscape change.

SESTET:
 The sestet is set in winter.

Line 9: The poetry of earth is ceasing never:

 The start of the sestet is a repeat of the idea given in line 1. Like line 1, line 9 also ends on a
colon. The rest of the sestet will tell the story of the cricket (and the grasshopper).
 In line 1 the ‘poetry of earth is never dead’ and here in line 9 it ‘is ceasing never’. This line
implies an even more vibrant energy. Nature never stops (ceases), it simply continues, it will
never die.
 The use of inversion (mainly for the sake of rhyme) puts special emphasis on ‘never’ (placing it at
the end of the line). It furthermore serves as an effective introduction to the change of scenery =
summer to winter.

Line 10: On a lone winter evening, when the frost

Line 11: Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
Line 12: The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
Line 13: And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
Line 14: The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

 The winter scene portrayed here is as quiet as the summer one described in the octave, where
all the birds have fallen silent because of the heat.
 Here, the personified frost has, like an artisan, crafted/shaped the world into a frozen silence/a
soundless statue.
 The cricket takes the poem into winter – when the other animals hide in their homes, the cricket’s
chirping continues. Instead of growing quiet because of the cold, the cricket finds a corner in a
warm kitchen, near a stove and continues singing louder and louder as he finds more warmth.
 Even though it is cold outside, the cricket is a reminder of warmth and comfort as he sings next to
the warm stove – he spreads warmth. This picture forms a contrast to the white, frosty world
outside.
 Once again, like with the previous setting, winter is not described in a grand elaborate landscape,
but in a cosy, domestic world.
 The silence created by winter is broken by the shrill, ever rising in volume, song of the cricket.
 The human listener, half lost in drowsiness/half asleep, mixes up the song of the grasshopper
and the cricket.
 Both the grasshopper and the cricket sing the ‘poetry of earth’, their rhythmic songs form an
eternal song. The songs seem to melt together, reminding us of the unbroken thread of nature.
 The oppressive heat and silence of summer and the frosty, cold silence of winter are equally
brought to life. The same constant chirping echoes through summer and winter alike.
  Despite being different, winter and summer are part of the same thing. The cricket’s song is
linked to the grasshopper’s song, as they are both part of nature’s persistent and loving force.
 No matter how harsh or bad things seem to be, there is a beauty in the world that never dies.
The ‘song of the world’ will always be there. In the certainty of the continuity of life in nature, we,
as human beings, can find our own hope and comfort. The ‘poetry of earth’ thus connects people
to something beautiful, constant and hopeful.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – ON THE GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET

1. Discuss the structure of this poem fully. (3)

2. Read the poem as a whole and choose the meaning from COLUMN B that matches the
word in COLUMN A. Write only the letter (A–E) next to the question numbers (1a – 1d) on
your answer sheet.

COLUMN A COLUMN B

(a) mead (line 4) A. field

(b) ease (line 8) B. created

(c ) ceasing (line 9) C. comfort

(d) wrought (line 11) D. sleepiness

E. ending

(4)

3. Explain what the poet means when he refers to the ‘Poetry of the earth’ (line 1). (2)

4. Refer to line 1 to 4.

(a) Describe the setting of this part. (2)

(b) Explain the purpose of the use of the colon at the end of line 1. (2)

(c) Explain the effect of the use of the future tense in line 3. (2)

5. Refer to the octave (lines 1 – 8).

Why is the following statement TRUE?

Although it is extremely hot, the speaker succeeds in creating an image of a pleasant

day.

OUOTE two separate words to prove your answer. (3)

6. Refer to line 5-6. (‘he takes … luxury’)

(a) Explain the literal meaning of this line. (1)

(b) Explain the figurative meaning of this line. (1)

7. Refer to line 8 (‘He rests … some pleasant weed’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to this poem. (2)

8. Compare Line 1 and line 9.

Are these lines similar to each other?

Explain you view. (2)

9. Refer to lines 10-11 (‘On a lone… stove there shrills’).

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:

The figure of speech evident in these lines is a/an ….

A simile.
B personification.
C onomatopoeia.
D metaphor. (1)

10. Refer to lines 10-14 (‘On a lone...hills.’)

(a) Describe the setting in these lines. (2)

(b) What tone would the speaker use in these lines? (1)

(c) Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? (1)

11. Explain the similarity between the cricket and the grasshopper. (2)

12. Why does the cricket’s song bring warmth to the people? (1)

13. Discuss the importance of the last two lines of the poem. (3)

14. This poem leaves us with a sense of hope.

Discuss you view. (3)

POEM 10: The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini - Chris Mann

The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini – Chris Mann

The Princess of the Heavens – Zulu

The speckled bird as brown as dust

which roosts inside a bush by day,
hiding its head against the glare,
at midnight pecked against the pane,
and gently pecked, until I saw 5
the starlight glitter through its beak.

On calm and tender summer nights,

when fishes bite the wobbling moon,
and moths rise to silvery fruit
sprinkling the space among the boughs, 10
it wakes and glides from sill to sill
across the worn-out, curtained town.

It shook the sandman from my sight,

and when the tar-bound slope had turned
to bush and rocky hill it said, 15
‘There is a grass-house in the hills,
above the coast where sugar spumes,
and lilies sprout, and no storms fly.

‘There, the Princess of Heavens,

beside her dark as honey feet, 20
gathers up the dreams which reach her
and stooping to her woven pots
rinses them in rainbow water,
or stores them with the morning mist.

‘Go, waking sleeper, call to her, 25

and wading through the icy stream
in which the golden pebbles shine,
ask her if her power is love,
for she is old as she is young,
and without her, no one dreams.’ 30

She leaned against the leafless tree

on which a crown of crimson burned,
and then the hill began to dim,
and standing in the greying rocks,
I heard the nightjar fade, from sill 35
to sill, across the windowed town.
VOCABULARY LIST:
Words Basic meaning in context of the poem

night-jar A nocturnal, migratory, speckled brown bird, that roosts on

the ground.
Inkosazana Princess or young lady, a title for a young unmarried
woman perceived to be of high status.
Yasezulwini heavenly
speckled Sprinkled; covered or marked with many small spots or
patches of colour.
roosts nests
glare Shine with a strong or dazzling light.
pecked Of a bird – strike or bite something with its beak.

pane The windowpane of the speaker’s room.

wobbling Unsteady; move or cause to move unsteadily.

boughs Main branches a tree.

glides Fly without flapping wings.

sill windowsill
worn-out Extremely tired; exhausted
sandman The fictional man supposed to make children sleep by
sprinkling sand in their eyes.
tar-bound slope Sloped, tarred road (which fades into a dirt track continuing
or stretching into a natural environment).
grass house Traditional African mud hut.
spumes Jets of water; froth or foam, especially that found on
waves.
sprout A plant puts out shoots.
stooping Bends forwards and downwards.
woven pots Traditional, African grass-woven pots, so expertly woven
that they can hold water.
wading Walk with effort through water
pebbles Little stones
leafless tree Refers to the Coral Tree that flowers before it leaves
emerge; symbolic of hope and perseverance.
crimson A rich, deep red colour
greying rocks Dawn is coming; sun is about to rise.
ABOUT THE POET:
 Christopher Michael Mann was born in Port Elizabeth on 6 April 1948, he obtained a BA degree
at Wits University, an MA in English language and literature at the University of Oxford and an
MA in African oral literature at the School for Oriental and African Studies in London.
 After a few years as a teacher in Swaziland, he taught at Rhodes University in the late 1970s.
From 1980 to 1992 he worked in KwaZulu-Natal at the Valley Trust medical and agricultural
project.
 In KwaZulu-Natal, Mann fell in love with aspects of Zulu culture. Owing to his quiet personality,
workers at The Valley Trust nicknamed him Zithulele, meaning ‘the quiet one’.
 Following the publication of his debut poetry collection, First Poems (1979), Mann won several
awards, including the Newdigate Prize for Poetry from Oxford, the Olive Schreiner Prize and the
Thomas Pringle Award.
 In his expanded and revised inaugural lecture as professor of poetry at Rhodes University in
Grahamstown (Makhanda), held in April 2006 and published in 2008 and 2009, Mann linked art
to the foundational pillars of life, science and the worship of God across all ages and belief
systems.
 His prayerful and joyous poems offer deep reflections on apartheid times, nature, God, the
cosmos and the inevitability of death. He wished for his poems to nourish the reader’s love for
humanity and for the planet.
 A native English speaker, Mann was also able to converse in Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa. He felt
that poetry needed to be performed and often took tours around the country, playing his guitar
and singing his poetry to students at universities, schools and conferences in South Africa.
 Mann died of cancer at his home on 10 March 2021.

ABOUT THE POEM:

 The poem is rooted in the tradition of old songs and ballads, enriched with Zulu traditions and set
in a modern KwaZulu-Natal landscape.
 The nightjar, a nocturnal bird, wakes the sleeper/speaker. The sleeper/speaker is urged to give
his dreams to the Zulu Princess of the Heavens.
 The princess is immortal and the maker and keeper of dreams. She will take dreams, clean them
in rainwater and wrap them safely up in the morning mists.

TYPE AND STRUCTURE:

 The poem is ballad, set in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal.
 The poem consists of 36 lines divided into six stanzas with six lines each.
 It has no set rhyme scheme.

TONE AND MOOD:

 The poem creates a dreamlike mood.
 The tone of the poem is hopeful, optimistic and calm.

THEMES:
 The role of the mythical world, here taken from different cultures = Europe (Sandman) and
African (The Princes of Heavens).
 The importance of dreams – the poem tells the speaker and the reader that it important to have
dreams and goals for one’s life. One should never give up hope but strive to make one’s dreams
come true.
THE TITLE:
 The title introduces the reader to two of the characters in the poem: The nightjar is a brown
nocturnal bird and the ‘Inkosazana Yasezulwini’, who according to the sub-title, is the Princess of
Heavens.
 The third character is the first-person speaker, he is the ‘sleeper’, he relates the story and his
experiences with both the nightjar and the Princess of Heavens.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS:

STANZA 1:

Line 1: The speckled bird is as brown as dust

Line 2: which roosts inside a bush by day,
Line 3: hiding its head against the glare,

 The poem opens with a description of the nightjar. A nightjar is a nocturnal, ground-nesting bird,
therefore its brown-black plumage with white marking on it, makes it hard to see it during daytime
as it fades into the background.
 Simile – the bird’s brown colour is compared to brown dust – this resemblance to dust and tree
roots keeps it cleverly camouflaged during the day.
 ‘roosts’ describes the place where the nightjar settles to rest during the night – that is on the
ground among the tree roots.
 Being nocturnal (active during the night) the bird’s eyes are sensitive to the strong sunlight and
therefore it hides its head against the dazzling sunlight (‘glare’).
 The alliteration of the b- and d-sounds and the consonance created by the repeated g-sound,
imitate the pecking sound of the bird’s beak (which will be the sound used to wake the man), but
it also links the words, this then emphasises the effective way the birds blend into the background
(its ability to camouflage itself).

Line 4: at midnight pecked against the pane,

Line 5: and gentry pecked, until I saw
Line 6: the starlight through its beak.

 It is already midnight; the bird has finally succeeded in waking up the speaker by gently pecking
against his windowpane.
 As it is midnight, the speaker can see the glitter of the stars through the beak of the bird as it
opens and closes its beak.
 What woke him was the sound of the persistent pecking of the bird against the window, however
he is immediately visually inclined the moment he awakes from his deep sleep - his focus is on
the bright, beautiful glitter of the starlight. The glittering starlight emphasises the peacefulness of
the scene and is symbolic of hope and fulfilment.
 Notice the onomatopoeic effect of the p-alliteration and the assonance of the g-sound. One
can almost hear the continuous/persistent pecking of the bird against the windowpane.
 The nightjar, as we will find out later, acts as the messenger of the Princes of Heavens, waking
up the speaker to give him a message that relates to her.
STANZA 2:

Line 7: On calm and tender summer nights,

Line 8: when fishes bite the wobbling moon,

 The nightjar is a migratory bird that only comes to Africa for our summers – it starts migrating at
the start of autumn in the country they are in at that stage.
 Notice how the choice of words in line 7 (‘calm’, ‘tender’) emphasises the peaceful and pleasant
summer nights.
 It is a clear, cloudless night and the full moon is reflected in the pool.
 One can see the ‘fishes’ nibbling at the moving/shaking reflection of the moon in the water. The
movement of the moon’s reflection is caused by the gentle lapping of the water and the
movement of the abundance of fish in the pond.
 The plural ‘fishes’ is used to describe large number of different species/types of fish.
 The light of the moon has attracted their attention in the same way that the glittering starlight has
attracted the speaker’s attention.
 As it is dark their focus is on the light of the stars/moon – it emphasises the peacefulness and
serenity of the scene and the enriching/redeeming effect of having/seeing light in darkness.

Line 9: and moths rise to silvery fruit

Line 10: sprinkling the space among the boughs,

 The moths ‘rise’, they are also brought to life by the moonlight. They fly/flutter between the fruit
trees which appear to be ‘silvery’ because of the moonlight.
 Metaphor - in the moonlight the fruit has a silvery colour. The fluttering of the moths’ wings, as
they fly between the branches, gives the illusion of silver being sprinkled on/between the trees -
the sliver comes from their wings.
 Alliteration of the s-sound emphasises the fluttering sound of the silvery wings of the moths and
emphasises the soft, gentle peaceful atmosphere of the night.

Line 11: it wakes and glides from sill to sill,

Line 12: across the worn-out, curtained town.

 ‘it’ refers to the nightjar. Being nocturnal, it has woken up and flies effortlessly from windowsill to
windowsill on this night when conditions are perfect.
 The sibilance (repetitive s-sound) emphasises the bird’s effortless flight/gliding and the peaceful
silence of the night.
 Personification - the town is described as ‘worn-out’ which means that all the inhabitants of the
town are tired after the day’s work.
 Metaphor - the curtained town refers to all the inhabitants who have drawn their curtains at night-
time, before going to sleep.
 The curtains are drawn to close out the world. In contrast to this, the rest of the stanza (and the
poem as such) describes an open, warm, inviting and sparkling natural world which never closes
itself off.
 The nightjar will seek out only people who are pure of heart and who are worthy enough of a
meeting or a consultation with the Prince of Heavens.
  It is possible that the sleeper’s curtains were not drawn shut, allowing the bird to see and thus
wake him. It might also just be that he is more in tune with the natural world and therefore more
susceptible to the pecking/voice of the nightjar = he is pure of heart.

STANZA 3:

Line 13: It shook the sandman from my sight,

 The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore/myths who lets people sleep and
encourages/inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand into their eyes at night.
 In this line the nightjar has woken the sleeper, he has thus removed the sandman and prevented
him from making the speaker sleep.
 This is where the weaving of cultures and mythologies start – European and African.
 Once again, like in line 5, the focus is on ‘sight’. He awakes to a visualisation, a vision of, or an
understanding of something deeper.

Line 14: and when the tar-bound slope had turned

Line 15: to bush and rocky hill it said,

 These two lines, although it is not given between inverted commas, is already part of the
instructions given to the speaker by the nightjar.
 The tar road refers to the road created by a more technological, industrial and monetary society.
The kind of society that cuts out the natural world and its enriching, liberating beauty (‘curtained
town’).
 ‘slope’ – can refer to a rising or falling surface, the ‘rocky hill’ might indicate an incline.
 In this case this ‘tar-bound’ road fades into a dirt track in the next line in runs further into a more
natural environment.
 The bush might be the home of the nightjar and the hill takes the speaker to higher heights – both
physically and metaphorically.
 ‘it’ is the nightjar who is now addressing the sleeper he has just woken up. It is the second time
the speaker refers to the nightjar as ‘it’.

Line 16: ‘There is a grass-house in the hills,

Line 17: above the coast where sugar spumes,
Line 18: and lilies sprout, and no storms fly.

 These lines give a clear picture of the setting the speaker is directed to. The poem is set in
KwaZulu Natal – we know this as he walks through plantations of sugarcane, and it is close to the
coast.
 The speaker must look for a thatched-roofed hut built in the hills; this refers to a traditional African
hut which is quite common in the KwaZulu Natal’s mountainous areas.
 The area where the hut is built is exceptionally beautiful (there are lilies shooting out high) and
peaceful (‘no storms fly’) – stormy weather is often associated with the ocean.
 The words ‘sugar spumes’, ‘lilies sprout’ and ‘storms fly’ create an image of something white and
foamy. It thus ties in with the picture of the bright, silvery night. This night is equally calm and
peaceful.
 The calm and peaceful atmosphere of scene is emphasised using the s-alliteration.
  The scene is set for the meeting between the speaker and the Princess, traditionally Inkosazana
Yasezulwini is found in a place of calm and beauty.
 Metaphor - the ripe sugar cane plumes are compared to the white foam on the sea where the
waves break. ‘Spumes’ is a verb associated with the sea; it refers to the froth or foam on top of
the waves. The sugarcane is like the sea next to which it grows – as the wind blows, the tops of
the plants sway and move in a curving pattern.

STANZA 4:

Line 19: ‘There, the Princess of Heavens,

Line 20: beside her dark as honey feet,
Line 21: gathers up the dreams which reach her

 ‘There’ is at her traditional hut, where she lives. This is where she performs her magic. She is
depicted as a goddess, associated with love and dreams.
 Simile - the Princess’ feet are compared to dark honey, meaning that she has a golden-brown
skin. The Princess reaches down to pick up those dreams that reach her.
 The reference to honey elaborates on the idea of sweetness that was introduced by the
sugarcane. We think of sweet here both literally and figuratively. Figuratively it refers to
something being kind or breath-taking, something one will appreciate.
 It is her task to collect these dreams and to help human beings realise their dreams and bring
them new hope.
 Note the effort she is willing to put in, she collects (‘gathers up’) every dream that reaches her.
Line 21 makes it clear that not all dreams reach her. She can only attend to those that are within
her reach and control.

Line 22: and stooping to her woven pots

Line 23: rinses them in rainbow water,
Line 24: or stores them with the morning mist.

 ‘stooping’ – meaning bending one’s head and body forwards and downwards is not something
one would associate with a Princess. This Princess, however, cares deeply and she bends down
gently and caringly to gather the dreams, purify and safely store them.
 She rinses the dreams in ‘rainbow water’ that is stored in the traditional woven pots of the Zulus.
These pots are significant in Zulu culture, they are shaped to perfection by caring hands. They
are made to store liquid and when the grassy structure become wet, it expands and makes the
pot waterproof. Once a dream has been cleaned/treated and placed in a ‘woven pot’ it is safe
and cannot be lost.
 The dreams are rinsed in ‘rainbow water’. The white and silver colours are now transformed into
a rainbow of colour. A rainbow is a symbol of purity, hope, peace and new beginnings.
 The Princess purifies and cleanses the dreams, giving the dreamer new hope and a chance on a
new beginning.
 The m-alliteration emphasises this idea of purity and a new beginning – it is a sign of rebirth.
 STANZA 5:

Line 25: ‘Go, walking sleeper, call to her,

Line 26: and wading through the icy stream
Line 27: in which the golden pebbles shine,

 ‘Go’ – the nightjar’s instructions to the speaker continues – he must call her and then walk to her.
He must move quickly, if not, he might lose out on this moment of magic with the princess.
 Oxymoron – ‘waking sleeper’ implies that the speaker is in a dreamlike state, as if he is
sleepwalking. It makes the reader wonder:
Is this a real experience, or is he just dreaming?
The speaker has been woken from his sleep by the nightjar’s pecking and was then given this
message to seek out the Princess of Heavens. Is what is happening to him like a dream? Or is
he sleeping and dreaming that he is awake, hearing, seeing and experiencing the world
differently – able to link with the mythical part of life.
 ‘wade’ refers to walking through water, but it also includes the idea of ‘with effort’. This walk is
not going to be easy.
 In addition, the stream is ‘icy’, up to now we had a description of a beauty, comfort and warmth.
 This passing over the stream to meet with the Princess of Heavens will be challenging but
rewarding.
 The stream is cold, but it contains shiny ‘golden pebbles’ – another reference to the reflecting
light of the moon and the stars. There is the promise that this action will open ‘golden
opportunities’ = an excellent chance to realise his dreams/have his dreams fulfilled.

Line 28: ask her if her power is love,

Line 29: for she is old as she is young,
Line 30: and without her, no one dreams.’

 The speaker is encouraged to ask the Princess of Heavens what the secret to her powers is.
Is it love? Her power, so far has been linked to dreams, creating them, gathering them, purifying
them and making them come true. Is this the way she shows her love for mankind, severing
them, willing to labour in their favour?
 The fact that she is both old and young suggests that she is immortal – not human. She has
spiritual or mystical powers and influences that cannot be fully comprehended/understood by
human beings.
 Her great power is that, securely kept in her woven pots are the dreams of the world. Without her
dreams do not exist. The story of the Princess of Heaven is rooted in African myths.
 This seems to link with Mann’s perception of these matters: When one reads his autobiographical
passages in his book ‘Engaging the Cosmic Dust’ one discovers that the poet himself did not
always experience the sense of belonging, but he acquired that through the African notion of the
‘shades’, or ancestral spirits. Mann explains in the Singapore talk: ‘a traditional African spirituality
has enormously expanded my inner life’.
STANZA 6:

Line 31: she leaned against a leafless tree

Line 32: on which a crown of crimson burned,

 ‘she’ is the Princess of the Heavens. The speaker sees her leaning against a tree, waiting for his
response. This proves her availability and accessibility; she cannot be reached by everybody.
Her actions are driven by love.
 The tree is a Coral Tree that produces its red flowers before its leaves emerge.
 Metaphor - the red (‘crimson’) flowers of the coral tree look like a flaming crown (‘burned’). The
colour red is associated with love, passion, youth, excitement and power.
 The c-alliteration in ‘crown of crimson’ emphasises the deep red colour of the flowers.
 The coral tree is regarded as a royal (‘crown’) tree in African myths. It is regarded as a sign of
hope through extremely difficult times, it symbolises hope and perseverance. It has deep roots
and seeds that will provide for future generations too. Giving them the strength and passion to
endure and thrive.

Line 33: and then the hill began to dim,

Line 34: and standing in the greying rocks,

 ‘and then’ indicates a change in scenery and tone. The magic is broken, the sun starts rising and
the time of dreams is over.
 Dawn is coming and the hill is not that dark anymore. In the early morning light, the rocks now
look grey instead of black.
 The image of the Princess fades as the hill, on which she lives and was spotted, itself fades away
in the rising sun’s light.

Line 35: I heard the nightjar fade, from sill

Line 36: to sill, across the windowed town.

 The nightjar also fades away – it is daytime and being nocturnal it sleeps during the day.
 The poem started with a description of the nightjar flying ‘from sill to sill’ to wake people and get
them to communicate with the Princess of Heavens. Now its voice is fading as it flies further
away to its rooting place in the bush.
 The s-alliteration in and the repetition of ‘sill’ emphasises the silent gliding of the nightjar.
 ‘windowed town’ refers to the houses whose windows are now visible because the curtains and
most probably the windows too, have been opened (it is summer time). The townspeople are
awake, ready to start a new day.
 In stanza 2 the town was ‘curtained’ because the people were sleeping and had closed their
curtains.
 The dream and its vision escapes the man and flies away with the bird. The day has begun and
the time for dreams has passed. There is no answer to the question the speaker was instructed
to ask the Princess.
 The speaker is left with a beautiful gift of insight and filled with wonder, hope and anticipation.
HOMEWORK QUESTIONS – THE NIGHT-JAR AND INKOSAZANA YASEZULWINI

1. Comment on the type and structure of the poem. (3)

2. Refer to line 1.

(a) Identify the figure of speech in line 1. (1)

(b) Explain the effectiveness of the figure of speech. (2)

3. Refer to Stanza 1.

(a) Explain what makes it so difficult to spot the nightjar during the day. (2)

(b) Explain the effect of the p-alliteration used in this stanza. (2)

(c) Quote ONE word from this stanza that shows the birds way of doing things. (1)

4. Refer to Stanza 2.

(a) Find a synonym for the word branches in this stanza. (1)

(b) Why is the town described as ‘worn-out’ and ‘curtained’ in line 12? (3)

(c) Identify the figure of speech used in line 12. (1)

6. What is the role of the sandman? (1)

7. Refer to stanza 3.

(a) What is the setting of this stanza?

Explain your answer. (2)

(b) Identify and explain the figure of speech used in line 14. (2)

(c) What is the role of the sandman? (2)

8. Refer to stanza 4.

(a) Which word in this stanza indicates the sudden appearance of the Princess
of Heavens. (1)

(b) What is the role of the Princess of Heavens?

Mention TWO things. (2)

(c) What is the nightjar’s tone of voice in this stanza? (1)

(d) Why would he have this tone of voice? (1)

(e) Explain the importance of the ‘woven pots’. (2)

9. Refer to line 25 (‘Go, waking sleeper').

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to this poem. (2)

10. Quote five consecutive words in stanza 5 which show that the journey to the Princess
of Heavens might not be easy. (1)

11. Refer to stanza 5.

(a) What question does the nightjar instruct the speaker to ask the Princess of
Heavens? (1)

(b) Why do you think this question is never answered? (2)

12. Using your own words, explain what line 29 (‘for she is … young’) means. (2)

13. What, in your opinion, is the power that the Princess of Heavens has? (2)

14. Refer to stanza 6.

Explain the reference to the ‘leafless tree’.

Why has the poet choses to refer to this specific tree? (3)

15. Refer to line 34.

Why are the rocks described as ‘greying’? (2)

16. Compare lines 12 and 36.

Explain the difference between the two lines. (2)

17. One of the themes in this poem is hope.

Discuss this theme. (3)