ALL CXC POEMS (SEM II 2018) CONTINUED…

West Indies, U.S.A by Stewart Brown

The poem is about a passenger’s experiences and observations while stopping off at different airports, in
particular Puerto Rico. The poet exposes the double standards in the American attitude to immigration
of non-whites.

In the first stanza, simile is used to compare the island to a casino game. This is because in the Caribbean
at that time, having a good life was not guaranteed but a gamble, “some come up lucky, others not”. It is
because of this uncertainty that many Caribbean persons migrated to the United States, United Kingdom
and Canada. A concern of the poet is the attitude of the US to black immigration. Puerto Rico is alluded
to being the region’s Dallas. Dallas, Texas is a city made wealthy due to oil. Puerto Rico far outshines
other capitals in the region due to its size, beauty, American culture and wealthy appearance.

In the second stanza the persona lists the many other airports passed through and the description of the
airports hint at the prosperity of the country. For example, Haiti is the poorest country in the region and
its airport is described as “the hand written signs at Port-au-Prince”, while Puerto Rico’s is described as
“plush San Juan”.

In the third stanza, the discrimination and double standards begin to show in the American image. They
are not allowed off the plane. Sarcasm is used to describe the US as “Subtle Uncle Sam”; the way they
are treated clearly shows that they are not welcome. Sarcasm is also seen in “island of the free”, it refers
to the phrase in the US anthem “land of the free”, but for the persona they are not free to disembark as
the authorities’ fear they might run away from the airport and live illegally in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico
here is an example of the American attitude in the rest of the country. The word “re -enslave” is used to
point at the fact that the US controls Puerto Rica after seizing it from Spain.

The fourth stanza continues to give examples of how unwelcome the persona is made to feel. Security
vehicles are parked near to the plane to monitor them and luggage is quickly removed so that the plane
can continue its journey. There is also an allusion to the words on the Statue of Liberty “give me your
poor”; the poet points out the hypocrisy of the US policy of discriminating against non-white
immigration.

When the plane leaves in the final stanza, the whole picture of Puerto Rico is seen. It too has poverty.
“San Juan’s fools-glitter” is an allusion to the saying “all that glitters is not gold”. The poet uses
descriptions of the city to contrast wealth and poverty. Wealth is described with “pulsing city streets”,
“condominiums” and “polished Cadillacs”. At the same time, the city has “galvanized shanties”. The
persona compares San Juan to a TV that has fallen and is now broken. It is now useless, just as Puerto
Rico will be if it no longer has anything to offer. It modern but like the broken television being modern
cannot protect it from being damaged. It is “sharp and jagged and dangerous” because unlike other
places in the region cultures have not melted and there is inequality.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE

 Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to dice that is tossed on a casino's baize, it can either come up
with winning numbers, or losing numbers. Puerto Rico comes up with winning numbers in the
game of chance, as reflected in its wealthy exterior, which is supported by America.

 Lines 7-8: San Juan's glitter is compared to a maverick's gold ring. The word maverick implies
non-conformist, an individualist. This implies that San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean, but
not a part of the Caribbean. It belongs to America.

 Lines 10-11: Airports are compared to calling cards. This means that, like a calling card, the
quality of the airport gives you an idea of the island's economic status. The airport is also
compared to a cultural fingerprint. A fingerprint is an individual thing; therefore, the airport
gives the traveler an idea of the island's cultural landscape.

 Line 39: The road is compared to twisted wires. This means that the roads, from above, look
both plentiful and curvy. This does not carry a positive connotation, but implies confusion.

2. ALLUSION

 Line 5: Dallas is an oil rich state in America. Therefore, many of its inhabitants are wealthy, and
the state itself, is wealthy. By stating that San Juan is the Dallas of the West Indies, it implies
that it is a wealthy island in the West Indies.

 Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well-known cliché; 'every cloud has a silver lining'. It
means that behind everything that is seemingly bad, there is good. In the context of this poem,
it means that the good, the silver lining, has a mark, or stamp, that authenticates its good
quality; it is hallmarked. This implies that it will always have its silver lining showing.

3. SARCASM

 Line 20: This statement means the exact opposite of what is stated. The persona is disgusted
that Uncle Sam (America) would have such a regulation. This regulation bars anyone from
stepping a toe on Puerto Rican soil, if it is not your intended destination. You just have to remain
in the air craft, no matter the waiting period, until it is time for takeoff. The persona believes
that the Americans are being blatantly discriminatory, and are attempting to camouflage it
through the use of regulations. He does not believe that they have achieved their goal
of subtlety.

 Line 20: The statement, 'give me your poor...' is particularly sarcastic because it is a direct quote
from the New Colossus, which rests on a plaque on the statue of liberty, and signifies that the
disenfranchised of the world are welcome. The persona, as a member of the 'disenfranchised'
masses, clearly feels unwelcomed.

 Line 26: The persona implies that America is all talk and no action. They really do not want the
poor because they bar them from entering and expediently sends them on their way when they
enter their airport. The statement is sarcastic because it is loaded with an alternate meaning,
due to the contrast in statement and action.
 4. PUN
Line 17-18: The pun is placed on 'land of the free’; it becomes 'Island of the free'. This pun
emphasizes how isolated Puerto Rico is from the rest of the Caribbean islands. It belongs to the
U.S.A. This state of belonging to, or being owned by the US is asserted through its insertion into
the Star Spangled Banner.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. 'plush'
This word implies soft, like a teddy bear. It also implies luxury. So San Juan is all of these things.
6. 'desperate blacks might re-enslave this Island of the free'
These 'desperate blacks' to whom the persona is referring are the poor people of the Caribbean. If they
converge on the glistening San Juan, sucking up its resources, then it might become re-enslaved by
poverty.
7.'America's back yard'
A backyard means one of two things for people. It is a haven where you relax, therefore you decorate it
and invest time and money in it. Or, you ignore it and spend all your time indoors, not investing any
time, energy or money in it. America viewed Puerto Rico as the latter, a prize in which it saw value.
Therefore, when the persona uses this phrase, he is implying that while it is valued, it is still at the back.
Slight sarcasm is being used here.
8.'the contrasts tantalize'
When something, or someone, is tantalizing, it implies that it is intriguing. The persona, by using this
phrase, is trying to draw the readers’ attention to the jarring contrasts by stating that he finds
them intriguing.
9.'fierce efficiency'
The word fierce, used to describe the level of efficiency with which the people worked to get the plane
off the ground, shows the extent to which they were not wanted on the island.
10.'fools-glitter'
This implies that the flashiness of San Juan was not authentic.
11.'It's sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to some-one else.'
This implies that San Juan is not safe. The cultures are not melding, but jarring against each other. The
reason for this is because it belongs to someone else.

CONTRAST
The contrast in this poem is found in stanza 5. The American cars etc, against the pushcarts. The
American culture versus the Puerto Rican culture.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is sarcastic.

TONE
The tone of the poem is slightly bitter, which is fueled by the sarcastic atmosphere.

THEMES
Discrimination, oppression, places, culture.
 Sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth
In lines 1 through 8, which together compose a single sentence, the speaker describes what he sees as
he stands on Westminster Bridge looking out at the city. He begins by saying that there is nothing "more
fair" on Earth than the sight he sees, and that anyone who could pass the spot without stopping to look
has a "dull" soul. The poem takes place in the "beauty of the morning," which lies like a blanket over the
silent city. He then lists what he sees in the city and mentions that the city seems to have no pollution
and lies "Open unto the fields, and to the sky."

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

In lines 9 through 14, the speaker tells the reader that the sun has never shone more beautifully, even
on nature ("valley, rock, or hill"), and that he has never seen or felt such deep calm. He goes on to
describe the way that the river (which he personifies) glides along at the slow pace it chooses. The poem
ends with an exclamation, saying that "the houses seem asleep" and the heart of the city is still.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Analysis

"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" is an Italian sonnet, written in iambic
pentameter with ten syllables per line. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abbaabbacdcdcd. The poem
was actually written about an experience that took place on July 31, 1802 during a trip to France with
Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy Wordsworth.
The poem begins with a rather shocking statement, especially for a Romantic poet: "Earth has not
anything to show more fair." This statement is surprising because Wordsworth is not speaking of nature,
but of the city. He goes on to list the beautiful man-made entities therein, such as "Ships, towers,
domes, theatres and temples." In fact, nature's influence isn't described until the 7th line, when the
speaker relates that the city is "open to the fields, and to the sky." While the city itself may not be a part
of nature, it is certainly not in conflict with nature. This becomes even more clearly in the next line,
when the reader learns that the air is "smokeless" (free from pollution).

Wordsworth continues to surprise his reader by saying that the sun has never shone more beautifully,
even on natural things. He then personifies the scene, giving life to the sun, the river, the houses, and
finally to the whole city, which has a symbolic heart. The reader imagines that the city's heart beats
rapidly during the day, while everything and everyone in it is bustling about, but now, in the early
morning hours, the city's heart is "lying still." By using personification in his poem, Wordsworth brings a
kind of spirit to the city, which is usually seen as a simple construction of rock and metal.

Symbol Analysis

Wordsworth's claim that his vision of London is the best on earth is clearly an exaggeration, not to
mention impossible to verify. But it's an innocent exaggeration, one that puts us "in the moment" of his
passing experience. It's really not much different from an expression that many people use all the time
nowadays: saying that such-and-such is the most fun ever, or the best movie ever, or the most awkward
party ever. In other words, Wordsworth talks a little like a contemporary teenager.

 Line 1: Earth, you really outdid yourself on this one. The claim that no sight is more beautiful
than the view from Westminster Bridge is a case of hyperbole, or exaggeration.

 Line 2: The word "dull" suggests a contrast with a knife or some other sharp object. In the
implicit metaphor, the dull person's soul has been worn down by time and experience.

 Line 3: To say that something is "touching in its majesty" is almost a paradox, a contradiction in
terms. A touching sight is intimate and personal, while a majestic one is grand and public. With
this phrase, Wordsworth comes close to capturing the indescribable feeling of familiarity and
distance all at once.

 Lines 9-11: Lines 9 and 11 have a parallel structure, in which he claims that the effect of the
morning light on London creates a beauty that has "never" been experienced before. As in the
first line, these claims are hyperboles.

Wordsworth uses personification in several places in the poem, in reference to the city, sun, river, and
houses. He creates the impression that nature is a living being with a soul. It's as if all these forces have
decided to come together to treat the speaker to a "One Morning Only!" show of Nature's Greatest
Marvels.

 Line 4: The morning beauty is compared to clothing, a "garment," in a simile. Only people can
wear clothing (OK, dogs can wear sweaters, too, but those are strangely disconcerting), so
London must be personified.

 Line 10: "His first splendour" is a roundabout way of talking about the sunrise. The sun
is personified as a male.
  Line 12: The river is personified as a person who likes to take things at his own pace. He's like
the person in front of you at the supermarket who's going to spend 10 minutes at the cash
register and there's nothing you can do about it.

 Line 13: The houses are personified as sleeping people because the city is quiet and still. In
reality, the people inside the houses are the ones who are asleep.

 Line 14: The city is personified as a person with a heart. The heart is "lying still," perhaps
because the city, like its houses, is asleep.

In "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge," clothes are a metaphor for the way the city and nature in
general seem to put on different appearances depending on the way the light "dresses" them. This
raises the question of whether it's only the clothes that make the person beneath them beautiful, or
whether that person is beautiful as well.

 Line 4: The morning light is compared to clothes worn by London. A "garment" is just an article
of clothing.

 Line 5: The word "bare" could be a pun that means both "open to view" or "unadorned" but also
"naked."

For the speaker, a large part of the city's charm early in the morning is the fact that this huge metropolis
– a hub of energy and activity – lies completely still. Most people are still literally asleep, so the city
seems metaphorically asleep.

 Line 13: This line contains a simile that compares the inactivity of the houses to the sleeping
people within them. It would have been a metaphor if Wordsworth had written, "the very
houses are asleep."

 Line 14: Is the city, with its energetic "heart," also being compared to a sleeping person? We
think so, because the heart is "lying still," like a person in bed.

The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son by Lorna Goodison
This poem is the story of a single mother who has great hopes that her son will make something of
himself and in turn be a means of lifting them out of poverty. Despite all the sacrifices she has made for
him, he is drawn to a life of crime by ‘the man’ who he sees as a father figure. The woman cannot
change the path her son has taken and prepares for the violent death her son will surely meet. She prays
for her son and prays against the man who has led him astray as this is all she can do. The poem is
narrative and tells the story of this woman. Both she and the man are not given specific names because
the story in the poem is common in many societies that have problem with crime and violence.

Stanza 1

The first stanza the woman realizes that she is pregnant. Her pregnancy is not easy as she endures
illness. The poet uses the metaphor “a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning” to describe the
nausea of morning sickness. Even though she is sick she carries the baby for the entire nine months of
pregnancy. “She carried him full term tight up under her heart” refers not only to the baby’s position in
the woman’s body (under the chest cavity) but under her heart shows how much love she has for her
unborn child.

Stanza 2

The second stanza begins with the simile “She carried him like the poor carry hope”. This shows the
hope the woman has in her son accomplishing things in life, for example migrating to work, and helping
her get a better life. Her carrying of the child is compared to the poor carrying hope to show how
carefully she carries the child and how the child is a means for her upliftment. It is compared to poor
carrying hope because all the poor have is hope combined with hard work, nothing is simply given to
them. There is the repetition of ‘hope’ as this is a theme in the poem. The reader also finds out that she
is a single mother due to the father abandoning them. There is sarcasm by describing him as “he was
fair-minded he treated all his children with equal and unbiased indifference”. It shows that his ‘fairness’
was seen in that he abandoned all his children equally.

Stanza 3

The third stanza starts by stating the difficult task the woman had of raising her son as both mother and
father. She “set no ceiling on what he could be”; she works hard to enable him to succeed in life. She
dedicates her life to him being successful in his. After this the first reference to the man appears. The
persona is not a character in the poem but speaks in the third person. This allows the persona to see
everything and be a witness to the story. The persona uses a pun to describe the boy’s relationship with
the man, “he tells her is working for you”. Working here does not refer to an honest job but the money
the son makes from criminal activity. There is also sarcasm when referring to the man, “that you value
him so much you give him one whole submachine gun for him alone”. The man really has no value for
the son as he only gives him a life of crime and death.

Stanza 4

The sarcasm towards the man continues in stanza 4, “He says you are like a father to him she is
wondering what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread”.
This verse shows the motivations for the son joining the man, a need for a father figure and a need for a
job. Because the son cannot get both in a legal or natural way, he turns to the man as criminals provide
these things for poor boys. The woman buys cloth and a hat to make her clothes to attend her son’s
funeral. The stanza ends with the metaphor “his bloody salary” to refer to the eventual fate of the boy; a
violent death.

Stanza 5

The fifth stanza shows the condition of the mother when faced with her son’s life choices and her
response to it. She cannot force her son to take a different path or force the man to leave her son alone.
All she can do is pray for her son and prays against the man so he will be removed from their lives, “She
has no power over you and this at the level of earth” The persona here warns of the dangers of causing
a mother so much pain, “She says psalms for him she reads psalms for you she weeps for his soul her
eye water covers you.” The one who makes a mother cry will face the consequences, if not in this world
then it will come in the next or through some divine intervention.
Stanza 6

In the final stanza there are several Biblical allusions to men who have destroyed themselves because of
the poor choices they made in life. There is the reference to Judas who betrayed Jesus, the thief on the
left side of the cross who did not believe in Jesus and Absalom who was King David’s son who rebelled
against him committing three sins in one act; rebelling against one’s father, king and prophet. Her
upbringing of her son is treated as a metaphorical sou-sou in which she has put in two hands (deposits),
one as mother and father, but her return is a dead son. “His mother is the banker, her draw though is
first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and father” This also refers to all the hope she
was banking on her son to change their lives. It can also refer to the thief on the left side of the cross
being a banker. In this way she is betrayed by his actions.

1. Genre: Dramatic Structure: The poem is written in Free Verse and consists of six unrhymed
octets. It follows no specific meter.

2. Themes: Death, Love, Survival, Dreams, Childhood Experiences, Religion

Love: a mother’s love for her son and her hope that he succeeds in life.

Importance of Father Figures – the poem explores the importance of father figures in the
upbringing of children. Mothers cannot father sons; the role is tailored for men. This is shown
when the son finds a man who seems to ‘value’ him. Being appreciated by a woman is not the
same for a boy as being respected by a man. Gaining respect from a masculine figure imbues a
sense of manliness into a boy. Hence the son is vulnerable to being fooled and used by a man
who pretends to care for him, and this is the situation with many young gang members today.

Power of Prayer: the poem shows the woman’s trust in God and her belief in prayer. Caribbean
culture is very evident in this poem as we people believe in The efficacy of the psalms. Take the
23rd psalm for example. Christians use prayer as a way of communicating their concerns and
worries to God. Mood: The mood of the poem though not happy, starts off as buoyant and
optimistic. It seemed as though it was going to be a success story whereby a single mother
invested all her love and attention to a boy who would go onto achieve great things. The lines
“set no ceiling on what he could be” brings the reader to think of this. This mood doesn’t last
though as it soon deteriorates into disappointment and grief when the mother learns that her
son has become a criminal. The mood of hopelessness soon becomes evident when the mother
purchases funeral wear and is underscored by a lurking sense of sadness and tragic acceptance.
The woman accepts that her son’s way of living and earning money will get him killed. The
phrase “bloody salary” is testament to this. The mood of the poem is also reflective. The
persona is thinking about a mother's response to her son's life choices.

Tone: The tone of the poem is conversational. It is as if the narrator is conversing with the
reader. This tone is quite effective since the poem is a narrative and is telling a story. Towards
the end the tone begins to sound more pessimistic and is highlighted by the mother’s
hopelessness for her son’s survival and her acceptance that his death is imminent.

Techniques: The poet uses rhetorical apostrophe to tell the reader the story of the mother and
son. The persona is speaking to the boy’s ‘employer’ telling him of the grief which he brought to
mother by endangering her son. It is as if the persona wants the ‘employer’ to feel the hurt, pain
 and disappointment of the mother and to tell him how much the mother resents him. This helps
convey the mother’s feelings in a more intense manner. Also even though the persona uses
‘you’ to address the employer, sometimes it seems to the reader as if the persona is addressing
them. This helps the reader to feel the mother’s pain, anger and shame and almost forces the
reader to evoke sympathy for the mother.

Devices

Simile: Lines 9-10: “She carried him like the poor carry hope” Poor people have no wealth and usually no
chance of breaking through poverty. Hope for life to improve is all they have. Hence the writer compares
to the mother to poor people carrying hope in the sense that she carried the boy in her womb and took
care of him like he was the only thing she had. She invested all her faith, love and attention into him
hoping that he would become successful in life one day.

Line 25: “He says you are like a father to him” The son compares the ‘employer’ to a father, stating that
the employer values him. The son is fooled in thinking that the criminal employer cares him when
actually the man just wants to use the boy as one his of minions in a war. The son is brainwashed so
badly that he believes the man gave him the gun because he valued him.

Sarcasm: The persona appears to praise the child's father by referring to him as 'fair- minded'. She is,
however, chastising him for not only ignoring his son, but all of his other children. She calls him fair, but
what she really means is that he is unjust.

Irony: The son innocently tells his mother that his employer values him so much that he gave him a
whole submachine gun for himself. The irony in this situation is that if you really care about someone,
you do NOT give them a gun due to the negative results that are bound to occur.

Allusion (Biblical): Lines 26 – 28: This line alludes to a particular verse in the Christian Bible, Luke 11 vs
11 which says “Which of you fathers, if your son asks got a fish, will give him a snake instead?” The verse
questions what the actions of a good father should be.

Lines 37- 38: Psalms is a particular chapter in the Christian Bible. In this chapter there are verses for
protection, the mother uses those for her son, as well as verses for retribution and rebuking. It is implied
that the mother chooses those for the employer.

Lines 41 – 45: In the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Imagine how Judas’ mother must
have felt - the pain, the shame, the disappointment at her son's deed! So would the mother of the thief
who was crucified along with Jesus. The mother in our poem claims similar feelings.

Line 49: Absalom is the son of David, in the Christian Bible. Absalom betrayed his father, which implies
that the mother feels betrayed by her son because she has placed all her hopes in him and he throws it
all away.

Symbolism: Goodison uses the concept of a partnership to symbolize mothers’ hopes for their sons. A
partnership is an informal saving scheme set up with a specific number of individuals for the duration of
a specific time span. Each person agrees to pay a designated figure on a monthly basis. The mother
invests her everything into her son. Her attention, money, faith, hopes etc. The 'draws' are decided,
meaning who gets the money first, second, third etc., on a monthly basis. The banker then collects the
money and gives the monthly pool to the person who is to receive their 'draw'. Therefore, a
'partnership' is dependent upon the honesty of the banker, who could abscond with the money, as well
as the honesty of the members of the savings scheme, who could decide NOT to pay after they have
received their draw. The persona speaks of being in a 'partner' with Judas' mother and the mother of
the thief on the left-hand side of the cross, acknowledging that these three mothers have lost all that
they had invested in their sons. It is worst for her than for the other women, for she had invested her all.
She had given her son everything she had as she was playing the roles of both mother and father. The
mother has the advantage of first draw as mother; she loses that advantage because she also has the
role of father. Mothers cannot father sons. The fact that the son has found a father figure proves this to
be true. Therefore, she has the last draw, which carries with it the disadvantage of not receiving a full
'draw'. The longer one waits for a draw is the most likely that dishonesty will come into play on the part
of the participants. These mothers invested into their sons but did not receive anything in return worthy
of their investments.

It Is the Constant Image of Your Face by Dennis Brutus

Dennis Vincent Brutus was a South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to
have apartheid South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. He lived between 28th November 1924 and 26th
December 2009. He was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and had ancestry of mixed French, Italian and South
African. His activist life likens him to a crusader for his country. A knight on duty for a mistress; and this has so
often appeared in his poetry. He loved South Africa deeply and did everything to win its freedom.

SUMMARY

This poem is a typical Dennis Brutus poem. As is characteristic, he compares his love for South Africa, to
the love he has for some other person. Maybe, a woman!

He opens the poem by saying ‘the constant image’ (line 1) of his woman’s face and the ‘grave attention’
(line 3) of her eyes which survey him amid his ‘world of knives’ (line 4), accuse him perennially. This is all
coming to him as a memory because in line 2, he makes the allusion to a period gone when his love was
knelt before him with the frame of her face in his hands. His ‘world of knives’ can mean so many things
at once. It could mean that Brutus was surrounded by apartheid South Africa with its numerous
brutalities. It could also mean that he was conflicted inside him, in a way that struck him like many
knives piercing at once. Again, he could be talking about the conflict between his two loves as the poem
tells us as we read on. And we are yet to know what she accuses him for, but Brutus doesn’t make us
wonder long. She accuses him of heart’s-treachery (line 6). No, not even accuses but convicts! He has
accepted that he has been treacherous to his woman, going on to probably share his love with another.
But he does not apologise for it. He tells her that none of the two of them can ‘plead excuses’ (line 7) for
his seeming infidelity because apparently, he cannot stop his love for his land and she can also ‘claim no
loyalty’ (line 8). I want to risk saying that he is saying that he’s not bound to be loyal to her because ‘my
land takes precedence of all my loves’ (line 9). He loves his land more than all his other loves. His land is
his woman’s rival.

The second stanza is an attempt to pacify the heart of his woman who has been brought to the
saddening realisation that she cannot have her lover all to herself. He begs mitigation (line 10), meaning
that he admits that he has done wrong but is ready to give reasons for it. He calls her lover an
‘accomplice of my heart’ (line 11). That is like saying that she is equally guilty of his betrayal of his
greater love. The woman is so beautiful that she has blackmailed him with her beauty (line 12) and
made him a backslidden lover when it comes to his land. He has given his heart to another one outside
his precedent love. In fact, her love for him has been so sweet and protective that he finds no shame in
confessing his denial of his country. He calls it a ‘still-fresh treason’ (line 15). But in this confused place, a
world of knives, he pleads, hopes (line 16) that his dearest love (line 16), South Africa, will pardon him
freely (line 17) and not blame his woman. He ends by revealing more of his confusion, saying that South
Africa, his first love, is his woman’s ‘mistress (or your match)’ (line 18), not knowing which to say is more
tender. He loves one, he loves the other. One was able to conspire with his heart and steal his affection
from the other, and now he does not even know whether the two are matched or one is dearer to his
heart.

The greater emotion here is Brutus’ guilt of diluting the apartheid struggle with other cares. His love of
his land is shown here overwhelmingly. This poem is another beauty that has added a little more
tonnage to my love for this most romantic of poets coming from Africa.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. PERSONIFICATION

Lines 4, 6-7: The love interest’s eyes constantly accuse and convict the persona. This device highlights
the extent to which the persona has hurt this person.

Lines 18-20: The persona hopes that his country, his other dearest love, will forgive him for the
treasonous act of loving another. This highlights the patriotism that defines the persona’s relationship to
his country.

2. OXYMORON

The term heart’s-treachery implies that the heart, something so vital and indicative of love, has
committed a terrible crime. It highlights the heartbreak that the persona has caused his love interest.

IMPORTANT WORD/ PHRASES

3. ‘constant image’

This implies that the persona constantly, or always, remembers his love interest’s face. It emphasizes
the guilt he feels in relation to this person.

4. ‘grave attention’

The love interest’s eyes display grave attention. The word grave implies intensely serious, so this person
is truly hurt.

5. ‘world of knives’

A knife inflicts pain and destroys. The persona, therefore, is identifying his world with causing pain.

6. ‘such blackmail with your beauty’

To blackmail someone is to have something over them that puts their will in your control. The love
interest’s beauty has captivated the persona in such a way that he betrays his country with this person.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE

The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about his two loves and how he is torn
between them.

TONE: The tone of the poem is sadness and guilt. The persona is guilt ridden over this love triangle and
sadness permeates the words that he uses to describe it.

THEMATIC CATEGORY: Love, guilt, patriotism, places, desires/ dreams

Dreaming Black boy by James Berry

SUMMARY
The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he could have regular things in life. Things such as a congratulatory
hug, to be educated to the highest level and to travel without harassment. The persona yearns to stop fighting for
the basic right to be successful and to rise above societal expectations.

The poem expresses a child's wish to be free of physical and emotional pain. It is written from the
perspective of a child in the first person narrative voice of the child himself.

The title of the poem immediately provides the context in which the child's "dream" or "wishes" are
framed. The title reveals that the speaker is a boy, and he is of the black race.

Each verse of the poem begins with the repetitive, "I wish". In total there are five wishes varying from a
wish for some type of encouragement by his teacher, to his wish for freedom from the "terrible burdens
of life". All of the child's wishes are for good and positive things. Essentially he wishes that living was
easier, or less problematic than it really is.

His childhood wishes brings into question the role of adults in the lives of children. It is clear that the
role of adults in the poems about the experience of growing children is to love, care, compliment,
protect and encourage them.

We know, based on the title of the poem that the boy is of the black race. This contextualizes the
ethnicity, and, therefore, the experiences that are particular to a child of that racial ethnicity. The child is
not only black but also male. Armed with this information one is forced to think of the implications
suggested by such awareness, implications regarding the specific types of problems and experiences
that are particular to a boy child belonging to the black race. What is absolutely clear is that the poem is
about a child's fears of the suffering he could possibly encounter as a result of things happening around
him. His final wish is to escape the "terrible burden" and of having (as a boy) the burden of pretending
to be brave, which is an expression of the fears and concerns of a child, particularly a male child in what
is obviously an extremely unstable and chaotic environment. He dreams of a better, safer life, and he
thinks that education will enable him to escape the chaos.

There are really no bright spots in the poem, except the dream of the child which may or may not
materialize. The tone is empathetic and heavy with emotional pain, psychological stress and fears. We
are reminded early in the poem that his ancestors also had very strenuous lives. The poem reminds us
that children do think about what they witness around them, and that their fears and concerns are real.
They wish to be assured, whether by their teachers or the adults in their lives that all will be well. The
writer's intentional use of the repetitious, "I wish" is as painful as the fears of the child himself.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. REPETITION:

The constant repetition of the phrase ‘I wish’ points to a yearning, desperation even, for the basic things
that life has to offer. The repetition gives credence to the idea that the persona might believe that his
wishes are actually dreams that might not come true.

2. ALLUSION:

Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one’s own life and destiny.
The fact that reference is made to this hints to how the persona feels about his life. He does not feel as
if he has control over it.

Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual, who attained success despite
difficult circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch
intellectually.

Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning of crosses and
the pyjamas allude to their white outfits that look like pyjamas. The persona wants them to leave him
alone, find something else to do other than make his life difficult by contributing to his wishes remaining
in the realm of the dreams.

IMPORTANT WORDS / PHRASE

’not sink to lick boots’

This refers to the concept of being subservient. To have no choice but to kowtow to people in order to
get ahead.

‘Inside eye a sun’

This refers to the persona’s mind. He wants to show how intelligent he is without fear. He wants his
mind to be a sun. Sun represents brightness and light, that is how he wants his intelligence to shine.

TONE
The tone/mood of the poem is one of sadness. The persona is thinking about how he is treated and he
reacts to this in a sad way. He keeps wishing that things were different.

THEMES

Racism, survival, oppression, desire/dreams.

Ol' Higue by Mark McWatt

In this poem, the Ol’ Higue / soucouyant tells of her frustration with her lifestyle. She does not like the
fact that she sometimes has to parade around, in the form of a fireball, without her skin at night. She
explains that she has to do this in order to scare people, as well as to acquire baby blood. She explains
that she would rather acquire this blood via cooked food, like every-one else. Her worst complaint is the
pain of salt, as well as having to count rice grains. She exhibits some regret for her lifestyle but implies
that she cannot resist a baby’s smell, as well as it’s pure blood. The ‘newness’ of the baby tempts the Ol’
Higue, and she cannot resist because she is an old woman who fears death, which can only be avoided
by consuming the baby’s blood. She affirms her usefulness in the scheme of things, however, by claiming
that she provides mothers with a name for their fears (this being the death of a child), as well as some-
one to blame when the evil that they wish for their child, in moments of tired frustration, is realized. She
implies that she will never die, so long as women keep having babies.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. SIMILE

Cane-fire has a very distinct quality. It burns very quickly and its presence is felt through it’s pungent
smell. Therefore, when the Ol’ Higue compares herself to cane fire in her fireball state, it implies that
she uses a lot of energy quickly, and is very visible.

2. RHETORICAL QUESTION

•Stanza 1,line 4: This rhetorical question highlights the scant regard that the Higue has for the average
person. She is thoroughly annoyed that she has to literally waste her energy on them.

•Stanza 1, line 5: This highlights the fact that, again, she is annoyed that she has to expend so much
energy to obtain a few drops of baby blood.

•Stanza 1, lines 6-8: The Ol’ Higue is emphasizing the fact that regular people ingest blood too, just in a
more palatable manner. She would not mind if she could ingest it in the same manner as well.

•Stanza 3, lines 22-23: At this point the Ol’ Higue is making excuses for her presence, claiming that she
serves an actual purpose in the scheme of life. If a child dies of unknown causes, she can be scapegoated
for it.

•Stanza 3, lines 24-25: ‘The murder inside your head’ refers to the moments, when out of pure
frustration and tiredness, a mother might wish ill on her child. The Ol’ Higue is implying that, again, she
can be used as a scapegoat if something unfortunate happens to the child. The mother is relieved of
bearing the burden of guilt.

3. REPETITION
The repetition of the word ‘soft’ emphasizes the fact that the call of the child’s blood has captured and
beguiled the Ol’ Higue’. She implies that she cannot resist that call.

4. ALLITERATION

This device emphasizes the Ol’ Higue’s dependence, even addiction, to the sweet blood of the baby.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. ‘stupidness!’

This is a distinctly Caribbean phrase that highlights frustration or scorn. Therefore, it highlights the Ol’
Higue’s frustration with her lack of self-control.

6. ‘gallivanting’

This term refers to someone ‘playing around’, having fun. The Ol’ Higue is being sarcastic at this point.
She is expressing displeasure at having to fly around to seek prey.

7. ‘pure blood running in new veins’

Babies are often associated with purity, this is what is emphasized here. The Ol’ Higue simply cannot
resist the lure of new and pure blood.

8. ‘holding her final note for years and years, afraid of the dying hum …’

This tells us that the Ol’Higue has been living this desperate existence for a long time. It also implies that
she will keep hanging on, despite her frustration. The final line confirms this point: ‘As long as it have
women giving birth a poor Ol’ Higue like me can never dead’

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE: The mood of the poem is reflective.

TONE: The tone of the poem is slightly bitter and resigned. She accepts that the cycle of her life cannot
change.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION: Supernatural

My Parents by Stephen Spender

My Parents by Stephen Spender is a poem based on bullying and the desire to make friends. Spender
describes bullies and the feeling of being bullied throughout the poem. He elaborates on his feelings
using the poetic devices of Enjambment, Imagery, and Similes. My Parents is in the first person and in an
ambiguous point of view. However, we can assume that Spender was mentioning his own direct
feeling’s in this poem, so it was in his own point of view. Interestingly enough, Spender has entitled his
poem ‘My Parents’ despite the fact that the entire poem centers around bullying. The only thing
Spender mentions about his parents is that they kept him away from these sinister boys who used to
tease him. The fact that Spender named the poem My Parents shows that he has a great appreciation
for how they protected him, or perhaps it shows that he blames his parents for being the children’s
target, for they did not allow him to befriend them.
My Parents Analysis

The first line out of the 12 lines of the poem explains that Spender was kept away from children who
were considered rough by none other than his parents. The fact that Spender states that his parents
‘kept’ him from the other boys shows us that he felt like he was being forced to stay away from him. The
word ‘kept’ also shows his weakness, that he was unable to protest against his parent’s will. This line
carries an air of negativity, showing us that Spender most likely entitled his poem My Parents as a way of
blaming them for his years of being bullied. There is no further elaboration of this and Spender quickly
jumps to describing the rough boys who his parents kept him away from. Spender uses imagery to
describe these boys as ragged in appearance, with torn clothes and their skin being exposed through
rags. This pathetic appearance could be Spender’s way of describing poverty. The boys whom his
parents wished him to stay away from where those that were of a much lower class than himself.
Spender uses a simile to relate their words to stones. The boys would throw words like stones means
that they were not careful of their language, and when they spoke, their words were harsh enough to
hurt. Once again, a lack of etiquette in speaking is a defining characteristic of the lower class so it
becomes obvious that the boys whom Spender was told to stay away from, were those of a lower class.

Spender goes on to describe the boys in an almost exaggerated fashion. He stresses how they were
constantly outside doing things he was never allowed to do, such as climbing cliffs and bathing in the
streams. It appears that he was even envious of their style of living. Spender uses continuous
Enjambment to allow his thoughts to flow together and create unity between the sentences. Naturally,
being of a lower class meant the boys had to do more labor, therefore, they had muscles which he could
not even dream of having. Spender states that he feared their knees on his arms which shows that
perhaps he had fallen into a scrap with them before, or he had seen them fighting in such a manner with
each other. Not only did Spender fear their physical strength, but he also feared their words, mocking
him and pointing at him. The fact that Spender states he feared their pointing shows his insecurity of
being left out. Spender has so much fear of the boys because he had such a different lifestyle compared
to them and though he was of a higher socioeconomic status he somewhat desired this lifestyle and that
is what made him feel bad about not fitting in with them. He describes them as fit and springing up from
behind bushes. This shows us that Spender found their behavior surprising and shocking once again
because he lived such a different lifestyle than they did. Spender uses Imagery to show the boys were
like some form of predator. Springing from behind hedges to harass him for being different than they
were. Throughout the poem, Spender is describing the boys as ‘they’ and ‘their’ showing that he truly
sees them as far and distant being who he never can truly befriend.

Spender uses a Simile again to compare the boys to dogs, barking at his world and throwing mud. It is
interesting that he compared the boys to dogs, for dogs can both be an enemy or close friend. Throwing
mud could symbolize that the boy’s words had no real meaning to them but they were simply echoes of
their envy towards him. Spender makes the socioeconomic class distinction more apparent by stating
that he had a different world than what they had. The boys were not hating on Spender himself, but
rather, they were hating the class distinctions and were more than likely envious of Spender’s privileged
life. Spender concludes by stating that he would have loved to befriend the boys had they even shown
the slightest bit of interest. Towards the end of the poem, it becomes clear that Spender entitled the
poem ‘My Parents’ because it is due to being their child that he was given a more privileged life then
these boys. He was following the orders of his parents and at the same time fulfilling the social
requirement enforced on him due to his lineage by staying away from and even fearing the
impoverished boys. Some irony can also be seen in the poem as Spender should be happy that he is so
much more privileged than them, but instead of enjoying his lifestyle he fees envious and seems to wish
that he could enjoy their strength and freedom. There even seems to be a hint of awe in the description
that Spender gives of the boys, lithe like predators, string and capable.

My Parents by Stephen Spender is a brief poem discussing how the presence of varying socioeconomic
classes in society creates strong societal barriers. Spender discusses how bullying occurs out of envy of
one another and may not just be one-sided in which the poor envy the rich. but the rich can envy the
poor as well.that being born into a particular family meant that you could only before certain groups of
people. Spender uses Enjambment, Imagery, and Similes to describe the feelings experienced when an
interaction occurs between people from different socioeconomic groups.

Poetic Devices

The poem is filled with similes:

"words like stones"

"I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron"

"they sprang out behind hedges / Like dogs to bark at our world"

The words within these similes help contribute to our understanding of the "rough children." The words
"stones," "tigers," "iron," and "dogs" all carry the rough connotation that the author is trying to convey.

Another device that has the same effect is metaphor. The poet says, "I feared the salt coarse pointing of
those boys." Thus, the pointing of the boys is compared to coarse salt - not a pleasant feeling!

The tone of the poem is most strongly conveyed through the device antithesis. This device uses contrast
in order to prove a point. So in this poem, the speaker discusses all of the things that the rough children
are, and by doing so he also tells us everything he is NOT. He tells us all the horrible things the other kids
do, which emphasizes his position as a victim.

The speaker also seems envious of how free the other children are, even though he resents their
bullying. We can see this in the title and first line, where he states that his parents keep him away from
the others, implying that it is not his own decision to avoid them.

South by Kamau Brathwaite

The persona speaks about the fact that today he is recapturing the beauty of the island of his birth. He
reflects on the fact that he has travelled to the lands of the north, which appeared to be the very
opposite of his island. The persona appeared, at that point, to be homesick for his island and resented
the ease and comfort that the Northerners’ felt towards their land. He then shifts back to the present
where he appreciates certain features of the island, particularly those that remind him of his past on the
island.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. ALLITERATION
•Stanza 1, lines 1-2: The sound that the alliteration illicits, when spoken, is a positive one. This is the
case because the alliteration forces the reader to sound cheerful, thereby facilitating the interpretation
that the persona is happy to be home.

•Stanza 1, lines 4-5: This alliteration, again, draws the reader through the sound that it creates. One can
almost hear the sound that the sea makes through the repetition of the ‘s’ sound. It emphasizes the joy
that the persona feels to be home.

•Stanza 2, lines 13-14: This alliteration, when spoken, is staccato. It literally emphasizes the persona’s
discomfort, and dislike, of the new context that he is faced with. It is alien to him, as seen when
contrasted with the scene that he describes in the first stanza.

•Stanza 4, line 33: This device gives the reader a visual image of the scene. It is simple image that
highlights the persona’s excitement at being home and seeing scenes, even seemingly inconsequential
ones, that he knows and loves.

•Stanza 5, line 43: This alliteration gives the reader a visual of what the persona sees as pleasant and
calming, as opposed to the alliteration in stanza 2. The sound that the alliteration creates is a calm one,
implying that the persona is at peace.

2.PERSONIFICATION
•Stanza 1, lines 6-7: This device gives a beautiful impression of the effect that the island had on the
persona. He felt whole when he was there, at peace.

•Stanza 2, lines 16-17: The shadows, in this context, represents his past life and experiences on the
island. The memories of his island create feelings of sadness, even homesickness. These memories cast
an oppressive shadow over his life in the north. 3.SIMILE
The persona compares the flowing of the rivers, which represents the north, to his longing for his island
home. This comparison indicates that his longing is an intense one, he is homesick.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4.’recapture’
The word capture means to take possession of something or someone. Therefore, when the persona
says that he is recapturing his island, it implies that he is taking back possession of what he once owned.

5.’Since then I have travelled’

This line indicates that the persona did not remain on the island of his birth.

6.’sojourned in stoniest cities’

This highlights a contrast between the persona’s island and the cities that he visited. His island has
beaches and oceans, while the cities that he visited were concrete jungles made of stone.

7.’We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers’
The persona refers to the north, and its populace, as rivers, while the south, and his island, is the ocean.
This line highlights the persona’s discontent in the north.

8.’reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose’

Reprove is to reprimand. Therefore, the line is saying that the flowing river, the north, reprimands the
ocean, the south, for its lack of effort and resolve. This implies that the persona might be homesick and,
therefore, not functioning at full capacity in the new northern environment.

9.’proves that our striving will founder on that.’

The term founder literally means the owner or operator of a foundry. This has little to do with the
context of the poem, therefore, it can be assumed that poetic license was utilized at this point.
Contextually, the line can be interpreted as meaning that the persona’s subsequent striving, or efforts,
will be founded on the reprimand made by the river, or the north.

10.’there’
The emphasis placed on this word, through the use of italics, highlights the fact that the persona is both
happy and excited to be home.

11.’and look!’
The exclamation mark emphasizes the persona’s enthusiasm, and excitement, when he identifies a
scene that is reminiscent of his past.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about his island home, as well as places that
he has visited in the north.

TONE
The tone of the poem goes from being reflective, to being elated.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
Patriotism, places, desires and dreams

Little Boy Crying- Mervyn Morris

Stanza 1
The poem begins with a description of a child crying. However, his cries seem harsh and fierce “Your
laughter metamorphosed into howl”. This also suggests that the child is normally a happy one and
something happened to have changed his happiness. The last line in the stanza informs us that the
reason why the child is crying is because he has been beaten “the quick slap struck”. The little boy is also
staring at the parent hoping that he might be feeling guilty for hitting him. This might mean that the
child is trying to play on the parent’s emotion “you stand there angling for a moment’s hint”. Stanza 2
It is important to note that the stanza is giving the point of view of the parent. The parent is imagining
that the child is demonizing him for hitting him “The ogre towers above you, that grim giant, // empty
of feeling a colossal cruel”. From this, we can understand that the parent thinks that the child believes
that he is cruel and evil for hitting him and therefore is thinking of ways to overcome or get away from
the parent.

The title, Little Boy Crying

-Obviously the first thing you’re going to think of when you see the title of this poem is that it’s about ‘a
little Boy crying’.
-At first glance, you might also think the poem will be quite sad, and possibly innocent, since it’s just a
little boy.
-”Little” as well as “boy” again suggests innocence, and vulnerability

The Author, Mervyn Morris

-He’s Jamaican (this is very important)

-This poem is set within a family for ‘the most intimate and fearsome dramas’
-Last of four children
-Only one to go to boarding school
-Father was ill when he was about to become 11. Then died soon
-Small immediate family
-Had lots of cousins though. “In the sense of the meaningful experience, I grew up in a very large
family”.
-His name is an alliteration, giving credibility to himself as a poet.

First Stanza

Your mouth contorting in brief spite and

The first line tells that the boy is obviously unhappy, and is raging. He also cannot speak because he has
too much anger or he has nothing to say.
Your/You” - is the 2nd person pronoun describing things. It is repeated. The boy seems to be put outside
of the viewer by the speaker yet still directed at him. Less bias. The “you’d” highlight the boy giving him
his own state and separating him from his father.
“Contorting” - a word mostly applied to the face, about twisting and change into something bad. Sound
effects ‘say it’. Only children are said to do this regularly so it presents the child as a child, nothing more.
The word can be said to represent change from childhood to adulthood.
“Brief Spite” - has to do with the duration of this anger. That is held within the Present. For that time,
that is all he can think of. Also, it is a short time, so as a child possibly eventually will want the love of
their parents the hating will stop.
“And” - end of line, putting more emphasis on next word, as in ‘there’s more’

Hurt, your laughter metamorphosed into howls,

- More change but with emotion. Has some idea of a werewolf (unpredictable changes).
- “Hurt” - Very visible, what sort of feeling he has.
“Metamorphosed” - Long word with very changing sounds. Almost describing the change through sound.
Also represents change from childhood to adulthood

Your frame so recently relaxed now tight”

-A line with a shortness of time, telling the quickness of the change of the boy.
- “Frame” - For people usually it’s a bit like scaffolding that is fragile, such things have a required status
to be in, so it doesn’t break.
“So recently (relaxed)” - Again, the thought of speed, how quickly something was done without much
thought involved like crying and much of the actions of children. There is some alliteration. Also
represents the change from childhood to adulthood

With three-year-old frustration, your bright eyes

-Gives the specific age to try to justify. Three-year-old often have tantrums
-It is one adjective but also a combination of words, in a way reflecting how young people speak, as they
do not say ‘at the age of three’ etc.
Bright eyes- bright can be associated with youth, also of tears/water. At this moment, he is crying, the
rain that is still falling can be said to be tears of the sky therefore, there’s a noticable parallel between
this line at the beginning and the very last line.

Swimming tears, splashing your bare feet

-A reference to the beach or heavy rain from the tears of the boy draws another relation. Ironically he is
not allowed to have fun in the rain/(shore side) so he is sad in his own tears.
“Swimming tears” ~ It gives imagery of swimming, and vast amounts of water of him being very sad and
the swimming makes the thought of being on a beach (which is fun).
“Splashing” ~ Another thought of fun in/with water. Or conversely the act of the boy playing in the rain
moments before.
“Bare feet” ~ Idea of the beach and fun, or playing in the rain.

You stand then angling for a moment’s hint

-He is looking for any signs of weakness or regret from his father, hoping that his father will give in and
apologize, so he can feel better.
-This line in a way suggests that the pain on the boy’s side is not just physical. The sheer indecency of
the act fuels the boy’s sadness. Thus, the boy doesn’t burst out in tears immediately, but waits for a
moment to gain the mental high ground.
“Stand then” ~ The ‘then’ is adding to the effect of the ‘stand’ that comes close to being a command for
the boy, it’s a definite fact.
” Moment’s” ~ A short amount of time. Any more hesitation and the father might realize the boy is
putting on an act (i.e., the pain wasn’t caused by the blow itself, but more the sense of ‘betrayal’.

Of guilt or sorrow for the quick slap struck

-It is a matter of pride even for the boy. His pride has been injured as he thinks what he’s done was not
wrong.
“Quick slap struck” ~ has alliteration, repeated ‘ck’. The sound makes it easier to visualize. All three of
these words are short, and onomatopoeia is used making each word sound like a slap itself.
-The ‘quick’ makes the point of the slap, not to just hurt but only to force the child to listen to the advice
of his father.

Second Stanza

-This stanza explores deeper into the child’s mind. Hence Morris uses many references to the famous
fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” in this stanza.
-The references to “Jack and the Beanstalk” is to show the thoughts and feelings of the child, and in this
case, it shows that all the child understands is fun and play, and that his way of thinking is that of fairy
tales.

The ogre towers above you, that grim giant,

-”Ogre”, “that grim giant” ~ Are both metaphors for the boy’s father. It shows how the boy feels
towards his father.We see what the child feels of the father’s actions, seeing him as an “ogre” “towering
above him”, and referring to the father as “that” “grim giant”.
-Note the use of the word “that”, this demonstrative pronoun distances the child from the father, as
apposed to using “the grim giant” “that” is used.
-”grim giant” ~ Alliteration used to give the image menacing figures. The alliteration is used to
emphasize the strong feelings the child feels. The harsh “G” sounds give it a vengeful tone - full of hate.
Also a reference to “Jack and the B.S.”

Empty of feeling, a colossal cruel,

-“Empty of feeling” ~ Again reinforces the child’s view of his father
“a colossal cruel”I ~ The hard “C” sounds give it a vengeful tone - full of hate. Also note the use of the
adjective “cruel” here used as a noun, placing further emphasis.

Soon victim of the tale’s conclusion, dead

-Another reference to the theme of time and childhood, abundant in Stanza 1, is seen in the first word
of this line: “Soon”.
-Enjambment used in “dead ““at last”. When read out loud there is a slight pause after saying “dead”
before “at last” is read. This puts emphasis on the “dead”, showing how hateful the child is of the father
at this point, even wanting him dead.
-” Tale’s conclusion” ~ Another reference to “Jack and the B.S.”

At last. You hate him, you imagine

-The repetition of “you” puts the reader into the child’s perspective, drawing our sympathy for the child,
but it also reminds us that this stanza is from the view of the child, and the words seen in the stanza are
hard-sounding words with many negative connotations with an angry tone. This is all coming from an
innocent child who can only see life in the form of fairy tales.

Chopping clean the tree he’s scrambling down

-” Chopping clean” ~ Alliteration, with hard sounding “C” sounds and yet another reference to “Jack and
the Beanstalk”. This is an important line as it shows how the child is going to punish his father,
physically, rather than just venting out his feelings through tears and spite like before. There is also
onomatopoeia in “Chopping”, putting further emphasis on the violent nature.
-The enjambment in “scrambling down ”“Or” puts emphasis on “Or”, like the child has many ways
punish the father.

Or plotting deeper pits to trap him in.

-“Deeper pits to trap him in” ~ is another reference to the fairy tale.
-Note the number of references to height and depth in the whole stanza. “Towers above”, “Empty of
feeling”, “Tree he’s scrambling down” and “Plotting deeper pits”. This is to remind the reader of the
difference in height between the father and child and see how the child sees the father as.

Third Stanza

-The tone changes from a hateful tone to a softer tone.

-This stanza highlights the thoughts and feelings of the boy’s father. We see that the boy isn’t the only
one who gets hurt- the father also hates what he is doing and is sharing the boy’s pain. Here Morris has
portrayed the thoughts and actions of both the father and child, paralleling the complex relationship
between the two.
-An omniscient perspective is introduced. Although still from the boy’s point of view, the fathers’
feelings are also considered.
-Then it goes on to explain why the father was so stink towards the boy; because he needs to be
disciplined.

You cannot understand, not yet.

-This line relates to the theme of childhood again, giving the reader the impression that childhood is just
temporary, and he will soon understand, given a few years

The hurt your easy tears can scald him with,

-This line is ironic. Usually, the person crying is thought of as the victim, but in this case the father is
portrayed as the real victim.
-” easy” ~ simply shows how effortlessly the boy can start crying, and makes us sympathize for the
father because he can get hurt so easily by a little boy
-” scald” ~ Turns the mental pain of the father watching his son crying into physical pain. Emphasizes the
degree of internal pain. Also portrays that the pain of the father is lasting, in comparison to the boys
“easy tears”, and “brief spite”.

Nor guess the wavering hidden behind that mask.

-This line is important; It shows the fathers TRUE feelings towards his own actions, contrary to the boys
beliefs that the father is an emotionless monster.
-” mask” ~ a metaphor. The father isn’t actually wearing a mask; it just refers to the way his personality
changes when he is disciplining his boy
This fierce man longs to lift you, curb your sadness
-Contradiction, a fierce man isn’t very likely to lift and comfort you.
-This sentence incorporates a thought from both the boy and the father.
-”longs to lift” is an alliteration.
-Links back to the first stanza, when the boy is angling for a moments hint. The boy might have achieved
this if the father weren’t so staunch.

With piggy-back or bull-fight, anything,

-This line emphasizes the boys sadness, and that doing ANYTHING will make him feel better
“piggy-back” “bull-fight” ~ Animals have a big influence on children’s lives when they are young.

But dare not ruin the lessons you should learn.

-This line is very important; it shows the fathers true motivation towards his actions, the fact that he is
trying to discipline his boy.
“dare” ~ As if there are major consequences for not teaching his boy about playing in the rain

You must not make a plaything of the rain.

-This line is somewhat unexpected. It leaves the reader something to think about. Was all this drama
necessary just for playing in the rain?
-It’s the last thing the father wants the boy to think about, therefore it is mentioned last in the poem,
the last thing we would think about after reading the poem.

Themes

Parent – Child Relationship

The father seems to be firm and strict with his son. Although he loves him, he does not allow him to
have his own way.

Childhood Experiences

The little boy experiences pain and resentment for his parent. Unlike Ana, his childhood is not one that
is carefree without any consequences for undesired behavior.

Parenting

The father tries to be a good parent. In his eyes there are some lessons that his son must learn.
Therefore, he carries out physical punishment so that he can learn these lessons.

Once Upon a Time – a poem by Gabriel Okara

This is a poem by the Nigerian poet Gabriel Okara, in which he laments the lost innocence of youth. In it
he condemns the hypocrisy of adults – hemmed in and constrained by rules and conventions – adopting
masks for different occasions: for lying, cheating and betraying – whereas childhood is portrayed as a
time of honest laughter, and spontaneity.

In the first stanza, at the start of the poem, Okara writes “they used to laugh with their hearts and…
eyes; but now they only laugh with their teeth while their ice-block cold eyes search behind my
shadow.” This phrase illustrates the change in the way people act showing that their laughs used to be
genuine and heartfelt however now their attitudes have changed. The description of “laugh with their
teeth” illustrates someone showing false interest. The dark imagery “ice-block cold eyes” which follows
shows that there is no emotion or feeling in the action.

In the next stanza, Okara describes how “they used to shake hands with their hearts” implying that the
actions were genuine and were also symbolic of good intentions, however, “Now they shake hands
without hearts while their left hands search my empty pockets.” This phrase illustrates that all good
intentions have gone and how now it is every man for him. Everybody is only focusing on their own
personal gain. The use of a metaphor emphasizes how there is a lack of trust as everybody is trying to
use each other.

The phrase “empty pockets” could connote that he has been stripped of all genuine happiness and has
been left feeling empty and alone.

In the next stanza, Okara shows the change in him as a man. “And I have learned, too,… to say
‘Goodbye’, when I mean ‘Good-riddance”. Here there is an evident shift in the stanza due to the fact
that he is now talking about himself and how he too has learned to be false. This could imply that
society has pressured him into changing in a negative way.

At the end of the poem, Okara confesses “I want to be what I used to be” showing instant regret and
sadness at the choices he previously made. This piece of dialogue could suggest that he can only be
himself around his son as he recognizes his younger self in his son, the self that was genuine and true,
which had not yet been beaten down by society.

Poetic Devices

One of the poetic devices used is Metaphor. The poet says that people’s eyes are as cold as ice. This
means that there is no warmth or real feeling in the words that they say, or how they behave. This
metaphor literally allows you to visualize a block of ice, cold and unwelcoming.

The use of Simile is reflected in several areas. The poet compares people’s faces to smiles in a portrait. If
you think about a portrait, it is usually very formal and stiff, even uncomfortable. Therefore, the
implication is that the smiles are actually fake and stiff. They are conforming or trying to fit, to a
preconceived mold that is set up by societal expectations. The poet compares the persona’s laugh to
snakes’. When you think of a snake, words such as sneaky and deceitful come to mind. Therefore, the
implication is that the persona is false just like the people he despises.

The Theme, Tone, and Central Idea

The poem has mixed feelings of childhood, regret, and innocence. The child in the poem is a symbol of
innocence, purity, enthusiasm, happiness, and genuineness lacking in society. The child represents the
group of people who have not been affected by Western Culture and abode by their own culture. The
poet, struck by a sense of self-loathing and regret, turns to his son in his time of need and asks him to
help him unlearn whatever he has learned and helped him regain his child-like innocence.

Innocence is a fading aspect in the man’s society. People always appear deceitful and cunning. The child,
however, is a picture of innocence and acts without any malice or ulterior motive. The man wishes to
gain this innocence from his son, though he fails to realize that innocence is not learned, a state of mind.
Once it is lost, it is gone forever.

Birdshooting Season- Olive Senior

Apart from the sensitivity which is identified with the female side in ‘Birdshooting Season’ there is the
strong sense of patriarchy and the clearly divided gender roles and gender positions.

First of all, the men “make marriages with their guns” in the preparation for the hunt. The guns replace
and displace their wives. Implied in the poem is that the guns get all their attention, all their care. The
weapons are fussed over and treasured while the wives and the women are relegated to secondary
subservient roles. These are ‘feminine’ roles like preparing food for the men to carry – background
supporting roles. The house “turns macho” in a stamp of patriarchy. The second stanza enables the
reader to recognize the setting as Jamaica, because typical Jamaican food and drinks are mentioned:
“[...] cerassie/ wrap pone and tie-leaf’ (11. 7-8). Critic Renate Papke also commented on Senior’s use of
alliteration “[...] men/ make marriages with their guns/ My father’s house turns macho” (11. 1-2) and
“[...] contentless women/ stir their brews: hot coffee/ chocolate; cerassie” (11. 5-8) to illustrate the
concept of gender in Caribbean society (115). It is obvious to the speaker of the poem that the women
do not approve of the bird shooting, as they describe them as “[...] contentless women” (1. 5): This
description suggests that the women work “all night long” in serving the men and helping their
preparations; they get no ‘content’ meaning they get no rest or quiet moments. It also means ‘tireless.’
But the word is so precisely chosen that it also means ‘not happy,’ ‘not satisfied’ ‘not content’ in their
relegated supporting gender roles.

The “contentless women” nonetheless do not voice their dissatisfaction regarding the hunt but rather
support the men with their preparations. In addition, Senior here points out the traditional gender roles
in the Caribbean family, according to her remark in Working Miracles: Women’s Lives in the English-
Speaking Caribbean “[t]here seems to be [a] widespread acceptance of this practice among all classes, of
females catering to males and of failing to make them assume responsibilities for domestic activities[...]”
(Senior Working Miracles: Women's Lives in the English-Speaking Caribbean 35). The male participants
of the hunt are free to spend the night drinking “[...] white rum neat” (11. 10), whereas the women in
the house prepare their provisions for the occasion.

“Birdshooting Season” continues with a couplet depicting the men leaving the house very early in the
morning to go on their hunt, followed by the last stanza of the poem. In the last stanza describes how
the children watch the men leave. The children are not only “shivering” because of the chill of the early
morning, but the little girls shiver as well out of fright for the birds and horror at the ‘sport’ – the thrill of
the slaughter that is about to take place. The poet divides the genders; the female concerns are in the
right place. Also, it seems probable that the speaker of the poem is a little girl, as the speaker refers to
the group of children:
We stand quietly on the doorstep shivering. Little boys longing to grow up bird hunters too

Little girls whispering: Fly Birds Fly (11. 13-17)

Senior’s often employs the child’s point of view in her works, though mostly in her short-stories, to
criticize adult society (Pollard 541). In this case it seems as if she makes use of this technique to question
traditional gender roles. On the one hand the boys want to become hunters just like their fathers (Papke
115). On the other hand, the girls appear to have accepted that they are helpless in this patriarchal
society, as they only dare to whisper their hopes that the birds might be able to escape their hunters.
Much in the same way their mothers are unable to voice their contempt for the hunt. It is also
interesting to note that “bird” is a term many men in British society often use to describe women: it
implies women are fragile things that are used to domestic life (nesting) and are often to be hunted.

In the final line they dramatize the sense of freedom – the girls wish this escape for the birds and the
poem associates a quest, a need for freedom on the part of women in this “macho” patriarchal society.
Senior might well have witnessed these bird-shooting events as a child. She turns it into a commentary
on many issues that reflect a society and its concerns.

An African Thunderstorm - David Rubadiri

SUMMARY
The poem describes a typical African thunderstorm, with all its intensity.
In African society, rain is a blessing; everything loves the approach of rain, not just children.
It is good for the crops and the animals, as it increases the harvest.
However, in reading this poem, the feeling is that the author is not happy; he concentrates on telling us
about the damage that the rain and wind do.
It calls attention because the poet uses similes while referring to the wind that brings rain, a good thing.
Good has a negative side to it?
Is this poem an analogy between politics/ history/ nature?

ANALYSIS
The persona describes the approach of the storm. The poem reminds us of the ominous presence and
unbridled power that is associated with an African thunderstorm. This storm is, however, characterized
with anarchy, chaos, and disorder. The images of locusts, madman, pregnant clouds, sinister wings,
suggest the pandemonium that comes with the rain. It may have started as a mild wind but then it soon
increased in velocity – whirling, tossing and altering every aspect of the landscape it passed through;
making its presence profoundly felt. Its strange and insane mannerism cannot be easily understood by
all yet conversely, cannot be ignored either. It seemed to fascinate and delight the innocent and
perhaps the naïve who appeared mesmerized by the sheer natural beauty of its rhythmic sounds and
movements. Its fury created unwelcomed cracks in the landscape and even after the storm had marched
on; it left a lingering ‘smell of fired smoke’ in the air.
In stanza two, he goes to the reaction of the people notably the children and women. The former are
happy and the latter are apprehensive to the approaching storm. The last stanza deals with the storm
and the anticipated chaos comes to be true as reflected in the choice of words like “Rumble”, tremble
and crack”. The dominant image here is kinetic because even though the poet seems to focus on the
destructive power of an African thunderstorm, this effect can only be actualized if there is some motion,
some movement. It must also be emphasized that that poem is not all about the destructive power of
the elements. There is something of the African community and how it responds to natural disasters. It
is possible to interpret the poem as the effect of colonial domination on the native land. The time that
the poet has lived – his country got independent in the early 1960’s – can be convincing. He was familiar
with that part of the history of his country. It also alludes to domination by such words as “trees bend to
let the wind pass”, “clouds ride stately on the back of the wind”. The tattered flags have a nationalistic
connotation. It is important to know as much as possible about the historical context in which the poet
lived. Rubadiri fell out with his president a year after his appointment as ambassador. Is he talking about
the repressive rule of African leaders? Is he referring to colonial rule and the destruction that resulted in
African society? Is it merely a descriptive poem of a unique weather event?

Understanding the poem

 Rubadiri’s poem captures the looming arrival of a fierce storm. The anticipation of its arrival is
both exciting and frightening. The wind is described as a mighty force, unpredictable in its
direction, and carrying with it ominous clouds. The strength of the wind seems to suggest that
worse is to follow once the storm hits.
 The poem describes nature’s forces conspiring to bring this powerful storm, and then narrows
the focus to its effect on people in its path. The inhabitants of a village are seen reacting to its
approach, with the contrasting responses of children and mothers.
 The village is clearly vulnerable to the force of the storm. The poem ends with the storm almost
breaking overhead as the flashes of lightning and crack of thunder arrive.

FORM AND STRUCTURE

 The poem is divided into two parts which divide the content into the general and the specific.
The first part, made up of stanzas one and two, describes the storm as it gathers momentum,
and the third stanza describes its impact on human existence.
 The irregular number of words on a line, with many single-word lines, captures the
unpredictable progress of the wind and the accompanying clouds. This technique is also evident
in the second part of the poem, where the frantic movement of the village women as they ‘Dart
about/In and out/Madly’ (lines 22 – 24) is physically demonstrated by the line divisions.
 The description of ‘The Wind whistles by/And trees bend to let it pass’ in the second stanza (line
14 – 15) is almost exactly repeated in the third stanza, in lines 25 – 26, although ‘And’ has been
replaced with ‘Whilst’ (line 26). The path of the storm has not been diminished by the trees. In
fact, the trees give way to allow it to progress unhindered.

POETIC/LANGUAGE DEVICES

 Rubadiri makes use of vivid imagery and figures of speech to convey the various elements of the
storm. Line 6 introduces the simile of the approaching ‘plague of locusts’, underlining the
appearance and potentially destructive nature of the storm. It also locates the setting in Africa.
The further simile comparing the wind to a monster thrashing its tail about “like a madman
chasing nothing’ (line 9) emphasizes the unpredictable nature of the storm, which adds to its
danger. The description of the clouds ‘Gathering to perch on hills/Like dark sinister wings’ (lines
 12-13) makes the clouds reminiscent of some bird of prey waiting for the opportune moment to
strike.
 The third stanza continues in its depiction of noise and movement as villagers anticipate the
storm’s arrival. We notice how the children react with ‘Screams’ (line 17) of delight, possibly
because of the thrill of potential danger. The women hurriedly attempt to prepare for the storm,
although it seems that their efforts may be pointless as the ‘Clothes wave like tattered flags’
(line 27), completely at the mercy of the wind.
 The poem ends with the storm breaking, but stops before it actually hits. The progress of the
‘pelting march of the storm’ (line 33) tells the reader that this storm cannot be stopped and will
be a mighty one.

SOUND DEVICES

This poem utilizes sound effectively. Much use is made of onomatopoeia as the wind is ‘whirling’ (lines 7
and 19) and it ‘whistles’ (lines 14 and 25). The noise in the village has the screams of children competing
with ‘the din of whirling wind’ (line 19). As the storm gets closer, its imminent arrival is heralded by the
onomatopoeia of the ‘Rumble, tremble, and crack’ (line 31) of the thunder, and the impact of lightning
striking the earth.

Mirror – by Sylvia Plath

Summary
In this poem, a mirror describes its existence and its owner, who grows older as the mirror watches.
The mirror first describes itself as “silver and exact.” It forms no judgments, instead merely swallowing
what it sees and reflecting that image back without any alteration. The mirror is not cruel, “only
truthful.” It considers itself a four-cornered eye of a god, which sees everything for what it is.
Most of the time, the mirror looks across the empty room and meditates on the pink speckled wall
across from it. It has looked at that wall for so long that it describes the wall as “part of my heart.” The
image of the wall is interrupted only by people who enter to look at themselves and the darkness that
comes with night.
The mirror imagines itself as a lake. A woman looks into it, trying to discern who she really is by gazing at
her reflection. Sometimes, the woman prefers to look at herself in candlelight or moonlight, but these
are “liars” because they mask her true appearance. Only the mirror (existing here as lake) gives her a
faithful representation of herself.
Because of this honesty, the woman cries and wrings her hands. Nevertheless, she cannot refrain from
visiting the mirror over and over again, every morning. Over the years, the woman has “drowned a
young girl” in the mirror, and now sees in her reflection an old woman growing older by the day. This old
woman rises toward her out of the mirror like “a terrible fish.”

Analysis
In this short but beloved poem, the narrator is a wall mirror in what is likely a woman's bedroom. The
mirror is personified - that is, it is endowed with human traits. It is able to recognize monotony,
commenting on the regularity of the wall that it reflects most of the time. Further, while it does not offer
moral judgment, it is able to observe and understand its owner (the woman) as she grapples with the
reality of aging.

Compared to most of the others in Plath's oeuvre, this poem is not particularly difficult to analyze.
Though the speaker is a mirror, the subjects are time and appearance. The woman struggles with the
loss of her beauty, admitting each day that she is growing older. Though the woman occasionally
deludes herself with the flattering "liars" candlelight and moonlight, she continually returns to the
mirror for the truth. The woman needs the mirror to provide her with an objective, unadulterated
reflection of self, even though it is often discomfiting, causing her "tears and an agitation of hands." The
mirror is well aware of how important it is to the woman, which evokes the Greek myth of Narcissus, in
which a young man grows so transfixed with his own reflection that he dies.

Some critics have speculated that the woman is vexed by more than her changing physical appearance.
They posit that the woman is observing her mind, her soul, and her psyche, stripped of any guile or
obfuscation. By seeing her true self, she becomes aware of the distinction between her exterior and
interior lives. In other words, she might be meditating on the distinction between a "false" outer self of
appearance, and a "true" inner self. After Plath's 1963 suicide, many critics examined the writer's
different facets, contrasting her put-together, polite, and decorous outer self with her raging,
explosively-creative inner self. Perhaps Plath is exploring this dichotomy in "Mirror." The slippery and
unnerving "fish" in the poem may represent that unavoidable, darker self that cannot help but challenge
the socially acceptable self.

The critic Jo Gill writes of "Mirror" that even as the mirror straightforwardly describes itself as "silver
and exact," it feels compelled to immediately qualify itself. Gill writes, "as the poem unfolds we see that
this hermetic antonym may be a deceptive facade masking the need for communion and dialogue." The
mirror actually dominates and interprets its world, and thus has a lot more power than it seems to
suggest. It does not merely reflect what it sees, but also shapes those images for our understanding. Gill
notes that the poem is catoptric, meaning that it describes while it represents its own structure; this is
down through the use of two nine-line stanzas which are both symmetrical, and indicative of opposition.

The second stanza is significant because it, as Gill explains, "exposes...the woman's need of the mirror
[and] the mirror's need of the woman." When the mirror has nothing but the wall to stare at, the world
is truthful, objective, factual, and "exact," but when the woman comes into view, the world becomes
messy, unsettling, complicated, emotional, and vivid. Thus, the mirror is "no longer a boundary but a
liminal and penetrable space." It reflects more than an image - it reflects its own desires and
understanding about the world.

Overall, "Mirror" is a melancholy and even bitter poem that exemplifies the tensions between inner and
outer selves, as well as indicates the feminine "problem" or concern of aging and losing one's beauty.

Poetic Devices

Plath's "Mirror" has been widely studied for several literary devices including metaphor, personification,
allusion and imagery. Each give suggestion at meaning.
Personification takes its form in the direct metaphors of "I am silver and exact (alluding to a mirror)" and
"Now I am a lake". As each metaphor develops, the mirror tends to reflect judgmental truth ("The eye of
a little god"), while the lake seems to have the ability to change her:
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman/Rises toward her day after day, like a
terrible fish.
The mailability of the lake shows the effect of time on the aging woman.

Imagery occurs in these lines:

Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.

It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long

I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.

Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

It is important to remember that the speaker here is a mirror. Readers get the visual image of the non-
stop image that the mirror sees because of its position in the room, yet faces and the darkness of night
appear highlighting the course of time which may feel monotonous.

Allusion to Plato's The Republic occurs in the line "on the opposite wall". This references an image of
cave-dwellers who could see shadows on an opposite wall because of the light of fire.

The content of the poem is another aspect altogether. When taken as a whole, these descriptions of
mere objects are so intense and so specifically chosen that readers cannot help but notice the
Narcissistic concept at work. Plath relished in the beauty of her poetry, but the intensity of a mirror's
power to the human mind is something that must have struck her personally. When people look in
mirrors, they either grow conceit for the beauty they see in themselves, or the disappointment of
imperfection. The latter is more likely Plath's perception with the convictions of truth she alludes to in
the phrases "just as it is", and "only truthful" as she characterizes the mirror.