EHL GR 10 Poetry Notes 2018 NC 2

GRADE 10
INDEX:
Grade 10 Poetry Guide [Compiled by BB Mathaba] Page 1

Tone words p2–3
How to read a poem p4–5
Glossary p 6 – 10
NO POEM POET
1 Caged Bird Maya Angelou
2 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day William Shakespeare
3 Reapers in the mieliefield Oswald Mtshali
4 The Road not taken Robert Frost
5 A young man’s thoughts before June 16th Faizel Johennesse
6 Silver Walter da la Mare
7 A letter to a Son Charles Mungoshi
8 Women Alice Walker
9 Candle Christopher van Wyk
10 The warm and the cold Ted Hughes
TONE VOCABULARY
Tone: quality or timbre of the voice that conveys the emotional message of a text. In a written text, it is
achieved through words. (How it would be said.)
Mood: atmosphere or emotion in written texts; shows the feeling or the frame of mind of the characters; it
also refers to the atmosphere produced by visual, audio or multi-media texts. (How it makes you
feel.)
Theme: the central idea or ideas in text; a text may contain several themes and these may not be explicit
or obvious.
Positive Tone / Attitude Words
Amiable Consoling Friendly Playful

Amused Content Happy Pleasant
Appreciative Dreamy Hopeful Proud
Authoritative Ecstatic Impassioned Relaxed
Benevolent Elated Jovial Reverent
Brave Elevated Joyful Romantic
Calm Encouraging Jubilant Soothing
Cheerful Energetic Lighthearted Surprised
Cheery Enthusiastic Loving Sweet
Compassionate Excited Optimistic Sympathetic
Complimentary Exuberant Passionate Vibrant
Confident Fanciful Peaceful Whimsical
Negative Tone / Attitude Words
Accusing Aggravated Agitated Angry

Apathetic Arrogant Artificial Audacious
Belligerent Bitter Boring Brash
Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 2

Childish Coarse Cold Condemnatory
Disappointed Disgruntled Disgusted Disinterested
Choleric Harsh Haughty Hateful
Condescending Contradictory Critical Insulting
Hurtful Indignant Inflammatory Outraged
Irritated Superficial Desperate Passive
Facetious Shameful Smooth Snooty
Furious Surly Testy Threatening
Quarrelsome Wrathful
Humour-Irony-Sarcasm Tone / Attitude Words
Amused Bantering Bitter Caustic

Comical Condescending Contemptuous Critical
Cynical Disdainful Droll Giddy
Flippant Mocking Mock-serious Irrelevant
Humorous Insolent Ironic Quizzical
Joking Malicious Patronizing Sarcastic
Pompous Mock-heroic Scornful Whimsical
Ribald Ridiculing Teasing Wry
Sardonic Satiric Silly Taunting
Sorrow-Fear-Worry Tone / Attitude Words
Aggravated Despairing Hopeless Paranoid

Apprehensive Disturbed Horror Pessimistic
Agitated Embarrassed Melancholy Poignant
Anxious Fearful Miserable Pitiful
Apologetic Foreboding Morose Regretful
Concerned Gloomy Mournful Remorseful
Confused Grave Nervous Resigned
Dejected Horrific Numb Sad
Depressed Hollow Ominous Serious
Sober
Neutral Tone / Attitude Words
Admonitory Allusive Apathetic Authoritative

Baffled Callous Candid Ceremonial
Clinical Consoling Contemplative Conventional
Detached Didactic Disbelieving Factual
Dramatic Earnest Expectant Frivolous
Fervent Formal Forthright Incredulous
Haughty Histrionic Humble Loud
Informative Inquisitive Instructive Nostalgic
Intimate Judgemental Learned Urgent
Lyrical Matter-of-fact Meditative Vexed
objective Obsequious Patriotic Wistful
Pleading Pretentious Persuasive Zealous
Questioning Reflective Reminiscent
Restrained Sincere Resigned
Shocking Seductive Serious

How to read a poem
Getting started
 Read the poem silently. Read it four or five times to improve our understanding.
 Where possible, read the poem aloud and to someone.
 What are your first impressions of the poem?
 How does it make you feel?
 What sort of poem is it? For example, is it a ballad, epic, free verse, lyric, narrative poem or a
sonnet?
Going deeper
 Does the poem use rhyme? Does the rhyme form a pattern? What is it? What is the effect?
 Does the poem have a rhythm (regular beat)? Try to describe it and explain its effect.
 Is the poem written in free verse (with no set rhythm)? What is the effect?
 Does the poem have a particular shape or unusual layout? Why do you think of the poet has done
this?
 Is the poem concerned with giving a description of people, things, events or thoughts? What are
they?
 Does the poem tell a story? Give an outline.
 Is the poem funny or serious? Explain how and why?
 Is the poem warm and generous or savage and cutting or somewhere in between?
Theme
The theme refers to an important idea that underlies the poem and gives a comment about life.
 What do you think is the theme of the poem?
 Think about how you would discuss what you have learned by reading the poem.
Poetic techniques
These are some of the devices poets use to create mind pictures (images) to bring a poem to life. (refer
to glossary for more devices)
 Alliteration
 Onomatopoeia
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Personification
Bringing it all together

Once you have followed the steps outlined above, check our understanding of the poem. Ask yourself if
you can:
1. Briefly retell what the poem is about.
2. Describe the poem’s theme.
3. Explain how the techniques used help to convey the poet’s ideas.
4. Discuss your reaction to some of the poetic techniques.
5. Discuss your overall reaction to the poem.
6. Use examples and short quotations to support your view.
Language to write about poetry
It is important to have some vocabulary to help you convey some of the layers of meaning that are
suggested by this poetic language. The following words and phrases will help you to express some of
poetry’s elusive qualities

WORD MEANING EXAMPLE USED IN POETRY ANALYSIS
to call up a memory or feeling of
Evokes The word evokes a sense of freedom
something
alludes to makes reference to The sound alludes to running water.
Elicits to give rise to; to call forth The comparison elicits our sympathies
Suggests to make a suggestion The image suggests the passing of time.
has connotations
is associated with The word has connotations of defiance
of
Conveys carries (a meaning of…) The simile conveys a sense of generosity
The metaphor implies a life of suffering
implies suggests, but does not sate obviously
and hardship
How to write a poetry essay
A poetry essay should be about a page or 250 – 300 words long. The following guidelines will help you
to structure what can fell like a vague and difficult task.
Note that you may not have space to address everything in these guidelines; there may be, for example,
many poetic devices or images, so choose those that you think are most powerful to comment on.
Also, be guided by the essay question. If it asks you to focus on aspects of the poem, (e.g. structure,
imagery, tone) make sure you address only those features asked for. However, if the essay is more
open-ended and asks for a critical analysis of a poem, this structure will help you:
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Introduction
You could start with a phrase like:
In one or two sentence explain what
The poet describes … or
the poem is about: its theme, issues
This poem is about…
or main message.
Body
This is where you show your
understanding of how the poet Is the structure formal (like a sonnet) or informal?
conveys the meaning. Address the Short sentences suggest abrupt, definite thoughts. Longer
following. sentences are more conversational or lyrical.
 Structure: Consider length of Are the stanzas unusual in any way?
sentences, enjambment and
stanza length.
A rhyming poem will have a musical, child-like, sing-song
 Poetic devices: Consider rhyme, quality to it.
rhythm, alliteration, assonance, Rhythms can be slow and sleepy or highly energised.
onomatopoeia. Alliterated sounds often link in some way to what they
describe.
 Imagery or figures of speech: Look Think about how the two things compared are similar.
for similes, metaphors, examples Use the vocabulary (p 5) to help you describe the comparison
of personification or contrast. and its effect.
Is the style conversational, formal, highly descriptive,
 Style: Look at diction, punctuation,
straightforward, lyrical or informal?
sentence length.
Quote a word or phrase as proof.
 Tone: What does the poem tell us
about the poet’s attitude to the
Use adjectives like set out on page 2 and 3.
subject matter? Does the tone
change at some point?
Conclusion Be honest about your response. If you think the poem failed to
What is your response to the poem? deliver on its intention, say so, but provide reasons for your
How does it make you feel? opinion.
.

Caged Bird Maya Angelou
____________________________________________________________________________
Background notes on poet:

Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014) is an African-American poet, author, dancer, singer, film producer,
activist and feminist. She was most famous for her autobiography also titled I know why the
caged bird sings which tells the story of her tough working-class background. She won many
awards during her lifetime and was Professor of American studies in North Carolina.
Caged Bird
A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing 5
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage
can seldom see through 10
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings 15

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill 20
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn 25
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing. 30
The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard 35
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Characteristics of this poem:
Maya Angelou’s poem has a musical quality to it which is particularly apt because it reinforces
the idea of singing, a central image in the poem. The extensive use of enjambment, repeated
words, phrases and structures, and the refrain (stanzas three and six) contribute to this quality.
Introduction:
This poem compares the different experiences of a free bird and a caged bird and the poet
highlights why it is that the caged bird sings: it is all it can do to taste freedom. Metaphorically,
the birds represent those who are imprisoned, or oppressed in some way (caged), and those
who enjoy privilege, opportunities and autonomy (who are free) One interpretation links the
poem to the civil rights movement in America, where activists campaigning for justice and
equality for black people would be the caged birds sing[ing] of freedom. The contrasting
circumstances depicted could also relate to gender inequality, or any other situation where one
group is empowered and the other is not.
Title:
 Caged – indicates restrictions

 Bird – a creature that has wings and is meant to fly.
- the fact that it can fly, indicates freedom
 Caged is thus a contradiction with what is naturally meant for this creature (bird)
 Deeper meaning – An image of restriction is created
Theme:
The poem contrasts the caged bird with the free bird and their different characteristics,
emphasising the caged bird.
 The bird represents people in the actual world who are restricted/ oppressed/
discriminated against.
 The bars of the cage represent the things that keep people from doing what they wish.
 The poem also speaks about the hope that people have.
 The speaker wants people to see and hear the difference between the free birds and the
caged bird.
 Lastly the speaker wants us to take home the idea that people with similar experiences
may feel the same way; like a caged bird, who is not free, but has hope within them.
Analysis:
Stanza 1:
 The poem begins by speaking of the free bird and the freedom it has to go anywhere,
whenever, and it can claim the sky because it is free.
 The stanza implies that the free bird is lazy and would rather float on the wind instead of
making its own path.
Stanza 2:
 Introduces the limitations set upon the caged bird and how it affects the bird.
 It is still proud and calls out for freedom.

Stanza 3:
 Emphasises the caged bird and its plight.

 Tells of how the caged bird sings for freedom – as if it still has hope for things it does not
know of.
 The caged bird ‘can be heard on the distant hill’.
 The bird is shown to rebel against all that holds it back in an attempt to be freed.
Stanza 4:
 The free bird – again

 The free bird ‘thinks of another breeze’ showing that although it is free, the bird is not
content and is greedy to have even more freedom
 It is again implied to be lazy in that it is dissatisfied with the stream of wind that it is on
but not enough to do something about it.
 The stanza then describes how easy things seem to come to the free bird as there are
worms waiting for it at dawn on the lawn.
Stanza 5:
 The bird in its cage

 The cage has become the grave for the bird’s dreams.
 It still sings of freedom.
Stanza 6:
 Repetition of stanza 3 which emphasizes the caged bird and the fact that the bird’s song
is to be feared and respected.
Further points to consider
 The poem is ultimately positive because although the caged bird has no freedom, his
hope cannot be dimmed by the bars of the cage and ‘clipped wings’.
 His song is so loud that it is heard on a distant hill, perhaps forcing the free bird to take
notice.
 There are constant shifts in the poem:
- The poem begins with a positive, joyful free bird and shifts to the viewpoint of the
caged bird.
- The greatest shift is from the 3rd to the 4th stanza.
- The behaviour and lives of both birds are compared throughout in very vivid ways, so
that each one is separated completely.
- Finally, it shifts back to the caged bird and its song of hope which also conveys the
speaker’s feelings.
Diction/ Imagery/ Poetic Devices
 Diction alternates between very harsh, strong words such as ‘stalks’ and ‘fearful trill’ in
stanza 3 about the caged bird, to more flowing words such as ‘floats’ and ‘sighing trees’
when concerned with the free bird.
 Enjambment
- There is very little punctuation in this poem

- Most of the lines are made up of a single sentence with enjambed lines.
- This creates a fluid effect that contributes to the musical quality of the poem.

 Alliteration
- ‘fearful trill’ (stanza 3)
- Adds to the ‘sound effect’ and musical quality of the poem.
- Consider the definition of the word ‘trill’ – quavering sound/ birds warbling
Tone/Mood:
Stanza 1:
Tone
 Elation/ Exuberant/ Playful
 A description of the free bird enjoying the open sky.
 In the last line one can feel a shift in tone it becomes almost arrogant – ‘claims the sky’.
Mood
 Light hearted
Stanza 2:
Tone
 Anger
 Possibly bitterness
Stanza 3:
The tone is ominous/ frustrated

- Due to the extremity of difference between the free bird and the caged bird.
- The speaker expresses the hope one might still have when problems occur, by
repeating the verse about the caged bird still singing.
Stanza 4:
The tone becomes more positive and upbeat again BUT the contrast between the free and the
caged bird is now clearly contrasted with the free bird.
Stanza 6:
The tone is depressing
The refrain:
 Section of poetry that is repeated like a chorus

 Usually carries the central message of the poem
 adds to the poem’s lyrical/musical quality
Vocabulary
trill: a quavering sound; bird’s warbling

trade winds: winds blowing towards the equator

Questions:
1. Comment on the poet’s use of verbs used in stanza one: how do they convey
the experience of being a free bird? (3)
2. By referring to stanza two, write down the ways in which the caged bird id
trapped, and explain why he stalks. (5)
3. Explain why the caged bird’s trill (song) is fearful. (3)
4. Explain what is meant by the metaphor: a caged bird stands on the grave of
dreams. (3)
5. Name two ways that the refrain contributes to the overall meaning of the poem. (2)

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? William Shakespeare
____________________________________________________________________________
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) is an English poet and playwright. Although he is regarded
as the most significant writer of English, not much is known about Shakespeare’s personal life.
He married Anne Hathaway and moved from his birth place to London, where he wrote 35
plays, many of which are believed to be the finest achievements of the English language. He
also wrote 154 sonnets: the first 126 were dedicated to a young man called W. H. and the rest
to a mysterious woman who has become known as ‘the dark lady’.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

William Shakespeare
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do not shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 5
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; 10
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

This poem is an example of a Shakespearean sonnet. It has all the characteristics that typify
the form: is made up of 14 lines and it has tree quatrains (group of four lines) and a rhyming
couplet (two lines at the end). Each quatrain explores a slightly different variation on the theme
of love. The poem has a regular rhyme scheme which helps to demarcate the three quatrains
and identify the rhyming couplet. Each line also makes use of an iambic pentameter
(unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Pentameter: five of these groups of
stressed/unstressed syllables in a line) which gives the sonnet a pleasant conversational
rhythm.

Introduction:
Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the topics such as the nature of love, sexual passion, birth,
death and time. In this particular sonnet, the speaker compares his beloved to a summer’s day,
giving different reasons why he is more beautiful than the day. His beauty can be preserved for
all time because it is protected by the poem, which time cannot erase.
Analysis
Lines 1-2:
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
 The speaker starts by asking or wondering out loud whether he ought to compare
whomever he’s speaking to with a summer’s day.
 Instead of musing on that further, he tells the object of his affection.
 The object of his description is more "lovely" and more "temperate" than a summer’s day.
 "temperate"  The meaning that comes to mind first is just "even-keeled" or
"restrained,"  mild tempered i.e. does not anger easily.
 the speaker doesn’t seem to care much what "thee" thinks.
 So is he just wondering out loud here, pretending "thee" is present?
 Finally, just a note on the meter here:
 Go ahead and read those first two lines out loud. Notice how they’re kind of bouncy?
That’s the iambic pentameter: "compare thee to a summer’s day."
 So do you want to see a cool bit of foreshadowing? The pronoun "I" is a stressed syllable
in the first line, but the pronoun "Thou" is unstressed in the second line. Guess who’s
going to be the real subject of this poem.
Lines 3-4:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
 Here the speaker begins to personify nature

 Basically, strong summer winds threaten those new flower buds that popped up in May,
and summer doesn’t last very long.
 The point here is clear enough: the summer WILL end.
 But summer also fated to begin every year
 Can the summer possibly have "too short a date," if it happens an infinite number of
times? Isn’t it, in a meaningful sense, immortal?
Lines 5-6:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
 Personification of nature  the speaker’s saying sometimes the sun is too hot, and other
times you can’t even see it at all (hidden, we assume, by clouds).
 he calls the sun the "eye of heaven," refers to it using the word "his," and gives it a
"complexion," which generally means refers to the skin of the face.
 "Complexion" used to be used to describe someone’s health.

Lines 7-8:
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
 With these lines, the speaker declares that everything beautiful must eventually fade
away and lose its charm, either by chance or by the natural flow of time.
 "untrimm’d"  We might read it as what happens to "fair" or beautiful things.
- things that are beautiful eventually lose their trimmings, or their decorations, and thus
fade from beauty.
 On the other hand, "untrimm’d" is also a term from sailing, as you "trim," or adjust, the
sails to take advantage of the wind. This gives "untrimm’d" a completely opposite
meaning; instead of "made ugly and plain by natural changes," it means "unchanged in
the face of nature’s natural changes."
Lines 9-10:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
 ‘But’ shows a turn!

 Suddenly, the tone and direction of the poem changes dramatically. Moving on from
summer and the limitations inherent in nature, the speaker pronounces that the beloved
he’s speaking to isn’t subject to all of these rules he’s laid out.
 The speaker argues that, unlike the real summer, his beloved’s summer (by which he
means beautiful, happy years) will never go away, nor will the beloved lose his/her
beauty.
 But remember what we mentioned in line 4? The summer in real life actually is an
"eternal summer," since it comes back every year for all eternity. Just like we saw with all
of the personifications of nature in the previous lines, we begin to notice here that "thee"
and the "summer’s day" are really quite similar.
 Both can fade away or, depending on how you look at it, be eternal, and both can be
personified. That’s why here, at line 9, the poet switches direction – both the
beloved and nature are threatened mainly by time, and it is only through this third force
(poetry), that they can live on.
Lines 11-12:
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st;
 In another personification, the speaker introduces death.

 Death, the speaker claims, won’t get a chance to claim the beloved in the valley of the
shadow of death (this death’s shadow idea is from Psalm 23:4), since he/she is immortal.
 Here, then, the poet is making two bold claims: first, that his poem is "eternal," and
second, that it nourishes and develops "thee," as it is where he/she is able to "grow."
Lines 13-14:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
 The couplet, in the end, is really just a fuller admission of what the speaker points toward
in line 12.
 In other words, by allowing us to try to give life to "thee" (figuring out who he/she was),
the speaker and the poem itself give "thee" life.

 In other words: as long as men live and can read, this poem will continue to live, and so
keep "thee" alive.
 First of all, we’ve got some more personification: technically, eyes don’t really "see," and
poems certainly don’t "live."
 Also, it’s worth noting the incredible arrogance here: why should we believe that as long
as humankind exists, this poem will continue to live? Can’t we imagine a world in which
every copy of this poem were burned, and so "thee" would stop living?
 And even if people are still reading the poem, what kind of "life" is it that the beloved will
be leading? This definitely doesn’t sound like heaven. The beloved can’t make any
choices for his or her self, isn’t conscious, and can only be recognized as the poet
described him or her.
 In fact, we ought to wonder whether it is "thee" who will be alive, or rather the poet’s (very
limited) representation of "thee."
 We have three conditions here: the speaker speaks only to "thee," the writer speaks only
to us, and the speaker and writer are the same thing.
 The last two lines hammer home something we suspected from those very first
pronouns: this speaker seems more interested in himself and his abilities as a poet than
the qualities of his addressee.
Vocabulary
temperate: calm and collected

darling buds of May: refers to the new buds that appear in May during the English Spring time
lease: it suggests that summer is held to a contract (a lease) that will expire when Autumn
appears
complexion: the colour and appearance of the skin on a person’s face
dimm’d: a shortening of the word ‘dimmed’’ which means dull or darker
declines: becomes less or worse
untrimm’d: a shortening of the word ‘untrimmed’, which means not cut off
ow’st: a shortening of the word ‘owest’, which is an old word for ‘owe’, meaning to have to
show something or offer something

Questions:
1. What is the metaphor that runs throughout this poem? (1)
2. Match each of the ideas in the table to a quatrain in the sonnet.
Quatrain Summary
1 Nature is sometimes too severe and beauty can be destroyed.
2 The beloved is more beautiful and much calmer than a summer’s day.
3 The beloved’s beauty will last because it has been immortalised in the
poem. (3)
3. Re-organise the paraphrased lines so that each line matches its original.
Poem Paraphrase
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s Rough winds shake the lovely spring
day? buds
Thou art more lovely and more So long as there are people on this
temperate: earth,
Rough winds do not shake the darling At times the sun is too hot,
buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a And everything beautiful will eventually
date; love its beauty.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven But your youth shall not fade,
shines,
And often is his gold complexion You are more lovely and more
dimm’d; constant:
And every fair from fair sometime And summer is far too short:
declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course Nor will death claim you for his own,
untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Or often goes behind the clouds;
Nor lose possession of that fair thou So long will this poem live on, making
ow’st; you immortal.
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in Shall I compare you to a summer’s day
his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou Because in my eternal verse you will
grow’st: live forever.
So long as men can breathe or eyes By misfortune or by nature’s planned
can see, course.
So long lives this, and this gives life to Nor will you lose the beauty that you
thee. possess; (14)
4. Do you think this is a good example of Shakespearean sonnet? Explain your

answer. (5)

Reapers in a mieliefield Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali
____________________________________________________________________________
Background notes on the poet
Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali is a South African poet and teacher. His first volume of poetry
Sounds of a cowhide drum, sold more copies than any other book of South African poetry when
it was published in 1970. His poems explore the devastating effects of apartheid.
Faces furrowed and wet with sweat,

Bags tied to their wasp waists,
women reapers bend mielie stalks,
break cobs in rustling sheaths,
toss them in the bags 5
and move through row upon row of maize.
Behind them, like a desert tanker,

a dust-raising tractor
pulls a trailer,
driven by a pipe-puffing man 10
flashing tobacco-stained teeth
as yellow as the harvested grain.
He stops to pick up bags loaded by thick-limbed labourers

In vests baked
brown with dust. 15
The sun lashes

the workers with a red-hot rod;
they stop for a while
to wipe a brine-bathed
brow 20
and drink from battered cans
bubbling with malty “maheu”
Thirst is slaked in seconds,

Men jerk bags like feather cushions
And women become prancing wild mares;
soon the day’s work will be done
and the reapers will rest in their kraals.
Title
 The title is descriptive of what the poem is about – reapers in a mieliefield
Theme
 In this poem the poet points out the harsh conditions under which many labourers work.
He faithfully records the suffering of the workers as he evokes the tedium, the sweat and
exhaustion of this kind of manual labour.

Analysis
Line 1:
 ‘Faces furrowed’
- Alliteration
- This is a negative image that suggests deep concentration and hard work is taking
place.
- ‘furrowed’  wrinkled
 ‘wet with sweat’

- Assonance  the repetition of the ‘e’ sound which aids the internal rhyme of the
poem and also emphasizes how hard the labourers are working.
Line 2:
 ‘Bags tied to their wasp waists’

- The bags are for the collection of the produce.
- ‘wasp waists’ refers to the fact that the reapers are women and could also possibly
imply that they are underfed  this speaks to the horrible conditions under which they
work and the poor treatment that they receive.
- ‘wasp waists’  alliteration that emphasizes their large posteriors  also implies a
reference to their femininity
- Big posteriors resemble the belly of a wasp  wasps have stingers  the workers
have the ability to eventually rebel  sting/ revolt against their work conditions.
Lines 3 - 6:
 The speaker mentions that the labourers are women.

 They are doing a very laborious job under very hot and difficult conditions.
 One can also assume that they are poorly paid.
 Their practised action of picking mielies is described  a sense of monotony is created
by this description.
 Line 6 emphasizes the idea of monotony  ‘row upon row’
Lines 7 – 9:
 Line 7 - 8  simile ‘like a desert tanker’

- The tractor blows up dust  ties in with the idea of the desert tanker
Lines 10 – 12:
 Possibly refers to the farmer  he is in charge and drives the tractor while the labourers
do all the hard work.
 He has a ‘comfortable seat’ and puffs away on his pipe
 The tobacco has stained his teeth  note the simile
 The farmer is ‘part of the machine’  he does not do the real physical labour.
 He supervises

Lines 13 – 16
 The men working in the fields are now mentioned

 They are thick-limbed (have well-built arms) because of the hard labour they perform
every day.
 They are ‘earthy’ people
 They wear vests because of the extreme heat and they are caked with dirt from their
labour.
Lines 17 – 19:
 The workers are working in the blazing sun.

 The sun is personified ‘lashes the workers’
 This image also suggests the cruel conditions under which the labourers work.
 ‘red hot rod’  indicates how hot it is out in the sun  has connotations of being painful.
Lines 20 – 23:
 The labourers take a break

 ‘brine-bathed brow’  (sweat)  alliteration which speaks to the hot conditions they are
working in and how hard they are working.
 The work is extremely physical and made harder by the extreme heat.
 ‘brine’  salty water used for pickling food  sweat compared to brine.
 They ‘drink from battered cans’  they are also battered by the hard labour that they
have to endure.
 ‘battered cans’ also speaks to the fact that they are poor  they do not have neat, shiny
flasks.
 ‘maheu’  fermented maize drink
Line 24:
 The labourers have quenched their thirst
Line 25 - 28:
 The men have grown strong from their hard labour and can easily lift the heavy bags.
 ‘like feather cushions’  simile
 Women are compared to ‘prancing wild mares’  they look forward to the end of the
day.
 ‘the reapers will rest in their kraals’  although their homes were often referred to as
‘kraals’, a ‘kraal’ is also an enclosure where cattle is kept.
 One could imply that the workers are dehumanised and compared to cattle.
Mood
 The mood is oppressive and this is illustrated by the description of the conditions under
which the labourers work.

Questions:
1.1 What are the labourers doing?
1.2 What equipment do they have?
1.3 Describe the weather conditions.
1.4 What do they drink when they are thirsty?
2.1 Identify the poetic device used in stanza 4.

2.2 Discuss how it contributes to your understanding of the labourers working conditions.
3. Refer to lines 25 – 26
Identify the figures of speech and how they illustrate the effect of the break that the
labourers have taken.
4. In your opinion does the poet succeed in conveying the extreme working conditions of the
workers? Give a reason for your answer by referring closely to the text.

The Road not Taken Robert Frost
____________________________________________________________________________

Robert Frost (1874 – 1963) is an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic
descriptions of rural life and his use of colloquial speech patterns. One of the most popular and
respected poets of the twentieth century, Frost also received many rewards for his work,
including four Pulitzer Prizes.
The Road not Taken

Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth 5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

The poem is a lyric and is written in four stanzas of five lines each. There is a regular rhyme
scheme. The poem makes use of an extended metaphor: a road splits into two paths in a
wood. Both the wood and the path are commonly used metaphors for life and the choices we
face.
Title
The title of this poem "The Road Not Taken" focuses on lost opportunities – the road that the
speaker did not take.
This title hints that the poem is about lost opportunities, and the complexities of choices, not just
choosing the path that is fresh and new.
Theme
 The major theme in Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," is about making choices. The
speaker in the poem in traveling and comes upon a cross roads or a fork-in-the-road.
Here the speaker must decide.
 His decision will have far-reaching consequences.
 Frost seems to be saying that there is no ‘right’ path: there is only the path taken and the
path not taken.
 Once a choice has been made he knows that he will look back and justify his decision.
In his heart, however, he knows that he could also have taken the other path which was
just as fair.
Analysis
Line 1
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
 The speaker is describing a fork in the road.

 The woods are yellow, which means that it's probably autumn and the leaves are
changing colours.
 "Diverged" is just another word for split. There's a fork in the road.
Lines 2-3
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
 The speaker wants to go down both roads at once, but since it's impossible to walk down
two roads at once, he has to choose one road.
 The speaker is "sorry" he can't travel both roads, suggesting regret.
 Because of the impossibility of traveling both roads, the speaker stands there trying to
choose which path he's going to take.
 Because he's standing, we know that he's on foot, and not in a carriage or a car.
Lines 4-5
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
 The speaker really wants to go down both paths – he's thinking hard about his choice.
He's staring down one road, trying to see where it goes. But he can only see up to the
first bend, where the undergrowth, the small plants and greenery of the woods, blocks his
view.

 This is where we start to think about the metaphorical meanings of this poem. If our
speaker is, as we suspect, at a fork in the road of his life, and not at an actual road, he
could be trying to peer into his future as far as he can. But, since he can't really predict
the future, he can only see part of the path. Who knows what surprises it could hold?
Line 6
Then took the other, as just as fair,
 So after all this build-up about one road, which he's looked down for a long time, our
speaker takes the other path.
 Then we get a tricky little phrase to describe this road. It's "as just as fair." Read without
the first "as," this phrase is clear, if you think of fair as meaning attractive, or pretty. But
the first "as" makes the phrase a little more difficult. Combining the words "just" and "fair"
in the same phrase is a play on words – both of these words have multiple meanings.
The phrase could mean something like "as just as it is fair," as in proper, righteous, and
equal. But this doesn't quite apply to a road.
 We're guessing that he means the road is just as pretty, but that in the metaphorical
world of this poem, he thinks he made the fair, or right, choice.
 But it's not fairer – it's just as fair. So he was choosing between two roads, or futures, that
were different but potentially equally good.
Lines 7-8
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
 The speaker still seems pretty uncertain when he explains that this second path is better.
It is only "perhaps" better.
 Then the speaker tells us why the path is better – it seems like it hasn't been walked on
very much, because it's grassy and doesn't look worn.
 Be careful not to think that the phrase "wanted wear" is personification (it is alliteration,
though). "Wanted," in this instance, means something more like "lacked."
Lines 9-10
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
 The speaker of this poem really can't seem to make up his mind! Just when we think
we've got a declaration about which path is better, he changes his mind and admits that
maybe they were equal after all.
 The "as for that" refers to the path being less worn.
 "The passing there" refers to traffic, probably on foot just like our speaker, that may have
worn the paths down.
Lines 11-12
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
 Again we hear that the paths are equal, but we find out something new, that it's morning.
It's possible that our speaker is the first to travel to this place on that day.
 The paths are covered with leaves, which haven't been turned black by steps crushing
them.
 At first we thought one path was grassy and now it's covered with leaves. Possibly, the
leaves aren't very thick, or the grass sticks up in between them.

Line 13
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
 The speaker seems like he's already regretting his decision. He is rationalizing his choice
of path by saying he'll come back to the one he missed later.
 This is a familiar way to deal with difficult choices; "you can always come back and try it
again later," we think.
 With an "Oh" at the beginning and an exclamation point at the end, this line is emphatic.
The speaker feels strongly about what he's saying here.
Lines 14-15
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
 The speaker realizes that his hopes to come back and try the other path may be foolish.
 He knows how "way leads on to way" – how one road can lead to another, and then
another, until you end up very far from where you started. Because of this, he doesn't
think he'll ever be able to come back and take that other path, as much as he wishes he
could.
 Here we return to the metaphorical meaning of this poem. In any life decision, we can
hedge our bets by thinking we can always come back, try a different option later. But
sometimes our decisions take us to other decisions, and yet still others, and it's
impossible for us to retrace our steps and arrive back at that original decision.
Lines 16-17
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
 Now we jump forward in time. We don't know exactly when, but we know that it's ages
and ages "hence," or, from now. So we're probably talking years, not months.
 We know that this story is important, because the speaker will still be telling it many
years later.
 He'll be telling it with a sigh, though, which is interesting because sighs can be happy,
sad, or merely reflective – and we don't know what kind of sigh this is.
 So, we know that this choice is probably going to be important for the speaker's future,
but we don't know if he's going to be happy about it or not.
Line 18
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
 This line is a repetition of the first line of the poem, with the subtraction of the word
"yellow" and the addition of the words "and I."
 This repetition helps to bring the poem to a conclusion. It reminds us what's important in
the poem – the concept of choosing between two different paths.
 Then, we get the hesitation of "and I" and the dash. This lets us know that whatever the
speaker is about to say next is important.
Line 19
I took the one less traveled by,
 In this line, the speaker sums up his story and tells us that he took the road less travelled
by. With the hesitation in the line before, this declaration could be triumphant – or
regretful.

 Also, remember it wasn't exactly clear that the road our speaker took was the one that
was less travelled. He said at first that it looked less worn, but then that the two roads
were actually about equal.
Line 20
And that has made all the difference.
 At first glance it seems that this line is triumphant – the narrator took the path that no one
else did, and that is what has made the difference in his life that made him successful.
 But he doesn't say that it made him successful. A "difference" could mean success, or
utter failure.
 Remember, the speaker is telling us about what he's going to say in the future. From
where he is now, just looking down the path as far as he can see, he can't tell if the future
that it leads him to is going to be good or bad. He just knows that his choice is important
– that it will make all the difference in his life.
Vocabulary
diverged: went in different directions

undergrowth: a dense, or thick, area of shrubs and other plants
wanted: lacked
trodden: walked on
hence: from now
Questions:
1. Quote a line from the poem that tells us:

(a) That the poet did not make a quick decision
(b) That the poet did not expect to get another chance to take the other road. (2)
2. What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem? (4)
3. Is there any significant difference between the two roads? Quote to prove. (4)
4. Decide which of these statements about the poem are TRUE and which are
FALSE
(a) Frost believes that when you come to a choice in life, you should always
take the more unusual option.
(b) We are free to choose our path in life but we never really know what it is
we are choosing.
(c) When Frost looks back on his life he knows he will deeply regret the road
that he did not take.
(d) When Frost looks back on his life, Frost knows that he will try to justify
whatever choice he had made.
(e) There is no ‘right’ path through life. There are only choices that we can
learn to live with. (5)
5. What do you think are the major choices that you are going to face in your life?

a young man’s thoughts before june the 16th Fhazel Johannesse
____________________________________________________________________________

Fhazel Johennesse (1954 – ) is a South African poet. He wrote most of his poetry during the
1970s and early 1980s. He and the poet Chris van Wyk started a Black Consciousness (a
movement that promoted an awareness of the dignity and rights of black people, started by
Steve Biko) literary magazine, Witie, which gave a voice to young aspirant black writers.
However, the magazine was short-lived, as it was banned by the apartheid government.
a young man’s thought before june the 16th

Fhazel Johennesse
tomorrow i travel on a road

that winds to the top of the hill
i take with me only the sweet
memories of my youth
my heart aches for my mother 5
for Friday nights with friends
around a table with the broad belch of beer
i ask only for a sad song
sung by a woman with downturned eyes
and strummed by an old man with 10
a broken brow
o sing my sad song sing for me
for my sunset is drenched with red
Title
On 16 June 1976, high school children from Soweto marched to protest against the government
law that half of their schooling had to be in Afrikaans, which they saw as the language of the
apartheid leaders and oppressors. The police shot live bullets and teargas, and many were
injured or killed. After this tragic episode many young people went into exile to join the
underground resistance. In this poem, Johennesse imagines himself as one of those teenagers
the day before the event, foreseeing the tragedy that will take place.
Theme
 The horror that awaited young protesters on June 16th. It is told from the perspective of
the young man who could possibly die in the violence that ensued on that day.
 It is also a scathing comment on the apartheid regime.
Tone
It can be seen as an elegy, because of its sad, mournful tone.

It also has the characteristics of a lyric as it expresses the poet’s feelings.
. nostalgia
. melancholy
. longing
. acceptance

Analysis
Line 1:
 The student looks to tomorrow; the day of the protest. ‘i’ suggests the student’s
insignificance in the perspective of improving education for all non-white school goers
and his acceptance of the sacrifice he will make to achieve this.
 That the student will ‘travel on a road’ suggests the well-known metaphor of life being a
journey.
Line 2:
 The student’s journey in life is full of difficulty, as suggested by ‘winds’ and ‘hill’.
 It also suggests the student’s determination as persistence is needed to navigate a
winding, uphill road.
 The student’s life is aimed at achieving a specific goal or summative achievement, in this
case the improvement of non-white education.
Line 3 – 4:
 The student takes only his memories on the winding road for comfort.
 The memories are clearly important to the speaker which emphasises the importance of
the human aspects of the protest rather than the political.
Line 5:
 The student realises the heartache and grief his death will bring to his mother.
Line 6:
 The student longs for a time when his life was simpler, and for the social presence of his
friends. This shows the student to possess strong interpersonal bonds.
Line 7:
 The student recollects a simple instance with friends.

 This further emphasises that the student is merely a normal young man.
Line 8:
 In remembrance the student asks only that he be mourned with a song.

 This may suggest that he wishes his friends and family not to grieve for long over his
passing.
Line 9:
 The women who is to sing for him (assumedly his mother) has downturned eyes.
 This could either be seen as a way to hide her grief or as a sign of submission to the
oppressor (the apartheid government).
Line 10
 The student would also have an old man (assumedly his father) to grieve by means of
the song.

Line 11
 The man has a ‘broken brow’. This may suggest physical scarring but may also suggest
that it is furrowed from emotion.
 This may be from the grief of the student’s death or from the years of oppression suffered
under apartheid.
Line 12
 The student asks others to sing for him which may suggest that he is already dead, as he
cannot sing for himself.
Line 13
 The student describes the end of his life (‘sunset’) as red. Red has connotations of
anger, passion, blood and violence, all of which detail the occurrences during the protest.
 ‘Drenched’ suggests his complete hopelessness of escape from the violence and
bloodshed. It also adds to the image of blood and suggests a large number of death.
Vocabulary
belch: to loudly let air out of the stomach through the mouth; also known as to ‘burp’
strummed: played a musical instrument such as a guitar by moving the fingers across the strings
drenched: completely wet
Questions:
1. Identify three things that the poet knows he will have to give up once he
embarks on his journey of protest. (3)
2. Match the lines in the table below with their literary characteristics: (5)
Line(s) Literary characteristic
Line 7 Enjambment
Lines 3-4 Euphemism
Line 13 Alliteration (3)
3. Discuss the context in which this poem was written. (3)
4. What is the meaning of the last two lines of the poem? (5)
5. Choose the answer that you think best sums up the main message of this poem
from the options below:
(a) The poem concentrates on the human aspects of this young freedom
fighter, rather than his political intentions.
(b) The poem expresses the anger that people felt about the inferiority of
their education.
(c) The poem expresses a longing for home and family life. (1)

Silver Walter de la Mare
____________________________________________________________________________
Background notes on poet
Walter de la Mare (1873 – 1956) is an English poet and writer. His work is unusual in that it
appeals to both adults and children. His writing, which was very romantic, often explored the
world of fantasy and the supernatural.
Silver
Walter de la Mare
Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch 5
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Crouched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From the shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in silver-feathered sleep; 10
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
Title
 “Silver” is an important word in the poem.

 Many stories and facts surround the moon’s influence over the tides as well as people’s
fortunes.
 The simplest answer is that the word “silver” is used as synecdoche -- in which a part
represents the whole -- to refer to the reflection of the moon’s beams.
Theme
 In this poem, the reader follows the personified moon as she walks the night, and peers
at all that she sees: fruit trees; the windows of a thatched house; the dog in his kennel;
the doves in their cote; a harvest mouse; and, the fish in the stream.
 All of these things take on a silvery hue in the moonlight, giving it the magical, dreamlike
quality that defines this poem.
 This is a sonnet  14 lines / 3 quatrains / 1 rhyming couplet
 This lyrical sonnet is vivid with natural imagery, and the repetition of silver/ silvery adds
lustre to the mystical world that is portrayed.
 A tranquil atmosphere is created through the use of seven rhyming couplets, and this –
together with four beats per line, evoke a mood of serenity.
 The recurrent use of commas, and the repetition of the s sound, slow the temp and add
to the musical quality of the poem.
 This poem is set in the countryside on a summer night  reference to fruit on the trees.

 A variety of poetic devices help create the idea of the slow and silent movement of the
moon light where the moon touches all of nature.
 The word ‘silver’ is repeated throughout the poem and this creates a magical image.
Lines 1 – 2:
Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;
 The moon is personified  ‘walks’  given human qualities

 ‘shoon’  archaic word for shoes
Line 3 – 4:
This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees;
 The moon is still personified in that it ‘peers’ and ‘sees’

 The silver is a reference to the light of the moon.
 Reference to plants in nature
Line 5 – 6:
One by one the casements catch

Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
 Moonbeams penetrate everywhere
Line 7 – 8:
Crouched in his kennel, like a log,

With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
 The speaker simply refers to a dog sleeping in its kennel.

 The moon beams touch it as well and does not disturb its slumber.
 ‘like a log’  simile  explicit comparison of the sleeping dog that is sleeping so
deeply that it looks like a tree log.
Line 9 – 10:
Of doves in silver-feathered sleep;
 The doves are also representative of nature and are also touched but not
disturbed by the moonlight.
 ‘silver-feathered’  metaphor  implies that the doves are soft.

Line 11 – 12:
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,

With silver claws, and silver eye;
 The mouse seems to be the only creature that is awake and the light of the moon
is reflected in its eyes and its paws are touched by it without it having any effect
on the movement of the mouse.
Line 13 – 14:
And moveless fish in the water gleam,

By silver reeds in a silver stream.
 Finally, even the water and fish are touched by the moon.
Alliteration
 Throughout the poem there is alliteration of the ‘s’ sound.

 This contributes to the soft/ hushed tones of the moon.
 Creates a feeling that the moonlight lightly touches everything
 Alliteration of the ‘t’  soft ‘t’  also contributes to the soft sounds of the poem.
 The prevailing sound is hushed/ soft and it gives the impression of a silent place
(like the country side).
 These ‘continuous sounds’ reinforce and convey the meaning of the whole poem.
Vocabulary
shoon: shoes (old fashioned)

peers: to look closely
casements: windows
cote: a manmade shelter for pigeons
peep: to come partially into view
Questions:
1. List all the things that the moon sees as she walks the night. (7)
2. Examine the simile in lines seven to eight: like a log / …sleeps the dog. Discuss
how this figure of speech helps to create a particular image of the dog. (2)
3. Which sound is most alliterated in this poem? Comment on how it contributes to

the meaning of the poem. (2)
4. The poem is personified as a woman. Identify two character traits she (the
moon) is given by referring closely to the diction in the poem. (3)

A letter to a son Charles Mungoshi
____________________________________________________________________________

Charles Mungoshi (1947 - ) is a Zimbabwean author, editor, actor and poet. His work is often
humorous and tends to explore the personal sorrows and joys of daily life. His more serious
poetry also explores political themes. He has won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize twice.
A letter to my son
Charles Mungoshi
Now the pumpkin is ripe.

We are only a few days from
the year’s first mealie cob.
The cows are giving us lots of milk.
Taken in the round it isn’t a bad year at all – 5
if it weren’t for your father.
Your father’s back is back again
and all the work has fallen on my shoulders.
Your little brothers and sisters are doing
fine at the day-school. Only Rindai 10
is becoming a problem. You will remember
we wrote your – did you get our letter? –
you didn’t answer – you see, since your
father’s back started we haven’t been able
to raise enough to send your sister Rindai 15
to secondary school. She spends most of the time
crying by the well. It’s mainly because of her
that I am writing this letter.
I had thought you would be with us last Christmas
then I thought maybe you were too busy 20
and you would make it at Easter –
it was then that your father nearly left us, son.
Then I thought I would come to you some time
before the cold season settled in – you know how
I simply hate that time of the year – 25
but then your father went down again
and this time worse than any other time before.
We were beginning to think he would never see
another sowing season. I asked your sister Rindai
to write you but your father would have none of it 30
- you know how stubborn he can get when
he has to lie in bed all day or gets
one of those queer notions of his that
everybody is deserting him!
Now, Tambu, don’t think I am asking for money – 35
although we had to borrow a little from
those who have it to get your father to hospital
and you know how he hates having to borrow!
That is all I wanted to tell you.
I do hope that you will be with us this July. 40
It’s so long ago since we last heard from you –
I hope this letter finds you still at the old address.
It is the only address we know.
YOUR MOTHER

 This poem is written in free verse that takes the form of a letter.
 The informal and conversational tone is achieved with the use of statements, questions,
exclamations, long sentences, colloquial expressions, and frequent parenthesis.
 It is a very clever, and almost uncomfortable, blend of humour and pathos, which echoes
the main theme of the poem: family relationships can be troubled and complicated.
Summary
 From the opening lines, a rural African setting is created through allusions to seasonal
changes and references to ripe pumpkins, mealie cobs and milking cows.
 Within this context, the letter writer, the mother, paints a picture of the family’s dynamics:
the young brothers and sisters, the older sister Rindai who has been unable to go to high
school because of their poverty, and the father with his bad back, his stubborn pride and
reluctance to borrow money.
 We also get a powerful sense of character of the mother who is holding the family
together: not only does she carry the burden of the family’s hardship, but she is also
worried about her son Tambu with whom she has lost contact.
 Her letter is a mixture of family news, worry and good sense.
Tone:
 A gentle, chastising tone
Theme:
 A mother writes a letter to her son to inform him of his family responsibilities which he
appears to have forgotten.
 She intersperses news about the family with questions about his whereabouts.
Lines 1 – 5:
 The mother writes about the good harvest that they are expecting – the farm is doing
well.
 Line 5  ‘Taken in the round’  overall it has not been a bad year.
Lines 6 – 8:
 ‘Your father’s back is back’  she is referring to the fact that his father’s back problem
has started up again.
 It could be implied that the father’s back problem was caused by the hard labour on the
farm.
 The fact that she says that ALL the work has FALLEN on her shoulders implies the
heavy burden that she has to carry.
 She has taken on the burden of responsibility.
 One can almost feel the tiredness she is expressing in her diction.
Lines 9 – 10:
 the younger siblings are doing well at day-school

Lines 10 – 18:
 Rindai should be going to ‘Secondary School’.

 They do not have the money to send her and Rindai is heartbroken about this.
 Implies the socio-economic circumstances that prevents children from being educated.
 The fact that Rindai is so unhappy also implies that she enjoys going to school.
 The mother gives the first indication of WHY the letter is written:
BUT is it to ask for money OR out of concern for Rindai’s wellbeing?
Does the son have to come back to console his sister?
Read further…
 She is concerned that he may not have received the letter – implies that there is no
communication from the son. (Why is he possibly not replying?)
Lines 19 – 22:
 Mother mentions Christmas and Easter

 An indication of the time that has passed since they last saw him.
 His father had almost died that Easter.
Line 23 – 25:
 The mother had considered visiting her son before winter set in
 She dislikes the cold of winter intensely
Line 26 – 29:
 The farther had fallen very ill – worse than previous times, so she could not visit her son.
 They did not think he would survive
Lines 30 – 34:
 She had asked Rindai to write a letter, but father had refused.
 One could suggest that the father was stubborn, because he did not want to bother his
son with ‘little things’ like his poor health.
 He also did not want to be left alone – implies possible delusions created by pain and
fear of dying alone.
 ‘queer notions’ – strange ideas, because he thinks that everyone is leaving him.
Lines 35 – 38:
 Mother states clearly that she is not writing to borrow money and that they did make a
plan when father had to go to hospital.
 It is also implied that father is a proud man and does not like borrowing money from other
people.
Line 39 – 44:
 Mother ends the letter by saying that she basically just wanted to tell him about the news
from home.
 She hopes that they will see him soon.
 She also says that she is not sure of his address anymore – but it is the only one she
has.
 Could this possibly be why he is not answering their letters?

Questions:
1. Identify the mother’s main reason for writing to her son by choosing the correct answer
from the options below:
(a) She misses him because she hasn’t heard from him in almost a year.
(b) She wants him to return to the farm and help with the harvest.
(c) She wants him to find out why his sister spends most of the time crying by the well.
(d) She is concerned about not hearing from him, and is hoping for his assistance at home.
(1)
2. The mother says that your father nearly left us (line 22) and that We were beginning to
think he would never see / another sowing season (lines 28-29).
(a) What is the literal meaning of these expressions? (1)
(b) Are they an example of a euphemism or hyperbole? (1)
3. Look at the diction used in the poem, and find three references to seasonal changes.
(3)
4. Write down three facts given in poem about the father. (3)

Women Alice Walker
____________________________________________________________________________
Alice Walker (1944 - ) is an African-American human rights activist and author. Her most
famous book The Colour Purple has won both the American National Book Award and the
Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Women
Alice Walker
They were women then

My mama’s generation
Husky of voice – Stout of
Step
With fists as well as 5
Hands
How they battered down
Doors
And ironed
Starched white 10
Shirts
How they led
Armies
Headragged Generals
Across mined 15
Fields
Booby-trapped
Ditches
To discover books
Desks 20
A place for us
How they knew what we
Must know
Without knowing a page
Of it 25
Themselves.
This poem is written in free verse and does not have a rhyme scheme. There is however a
ragged, slightly syncopated (displaced musical beats) rhythm created by the occasional
placement of single words on lines. This creates a subtle effect. The actions of these women is
not an orderly manoeuvre done with military precision; it’s an untidy but determined march by
fearless women who are intent on making a better life for their children.
Introduction:
Alice Walker wrote this poem for her own mother. She recounts how the women of the previous
generation were strong and determined despite coming from poor, often illiterate backgrounds.
These women had to face prejudice because of their colour but were determined to fight for
equality. She conveys a feeling of deep respect for her heritage.

TPCASTT Example for “Women”
The title makes the poem sound like it might be about women. Maybe women in general? Women who made
T TITLE a difference in life?
The poem focuses on the narrator’s mother’s generation who were fierce and brave as they knocked down
PARAPHRASE
P obstacles in order for their children to go to school. They probably wanted their children to have more
opportunities than they did.
The narrator uses words that make the women sound like warriors: “...with fists as a well as hands / How they
CONNOTATION
C battered down doors”... “How they led armies / Headragged generals across mined fields / Booby-trapped
ditches.”
The narrator’s tone is filled with admiration, determination, and awe of these women from the beginning of
ATTITUDE/TONE the poem. At the end, it softens as the women’s mission is made clear: to make sure their children are
A
educated, even when they themselves were not.
The shift in the poem appears near the end when the narrator moves from warrior and military imagery to the
S SHIFT reason why they are fighting: schools for their children.
The title is about the women of the narrator’s mother’s generation, who made sacrifices and fought so that
T TITLE their children could go to school.
The theme of the poem is that mothers will find bravery in their mission to make a better life for their
T THEME children, and that education is worth fighting for.
Questions:
1. They are women then. What is Alice Walker implying about the women of today by
using these words to describe the women of her mother’s generation? (2)
2. They battered down doors with fists as well as hands

(a) Is the poet meaning that the women literally battered down doors? (1)
(b) Explain how these words, with fists as well as/ Hands / how they battered down /
Doors, link with the theme of the poem. (Think of when and where these women
were living) (2)
(c) The women battered down doors and they ironed shirts. What does Walker imply
with this contrast? (2)
3. From line 13 onwards there is an extended metaphor: How they led / Armies
Discuss the appropriateness of this image in context. Quote to support your answer.
(3)
4. The path that the women chose was not easy. Comment on how the poet’s use of the
words mined fields, ditches and booby-trapped support this statement (2)
5. What do you think are the battles faced by women today? (4)

Candle Chris van Wyk
____________________________________________________________________________

Chris van Wyk (1957-2014) was a South African writer, editor and poet. He lived most of his life
in Riverlea, Johannesburg, where he felt very much part of the community. Like many other
South African writers of his time, Van Wyk used his writing to protest against apartheid. The
difference with his work, however, is that he often used humour. His memoir of his childhood,
called Shirley, Goodness & Mercy, is one of his best-known works.
Candle
Chris van Wyk
For Caplan
Read brother read
The wax is melting fast
The shadows become
obdurate
and mock pantomimes of you 5
laughing through crude
cement
in silent stage whispers.
Read brother read
Though the wax lies heaped 10
in the saucer
and the silhouettes of gloom
grow longer
Read brother read.
Only the wick shines red now. 15
But it is not yet dark.
Remember brother,
It is not yet dark.

This poem is written in the narrative style, with free-flowing verse and minimal punctuation
reflecting a conversational style of speech. The emphasis is on the passage of time – as
represented by enjambed lines within stanzas – and the pressing need to act quickly, before
death or darkness comes. The repeated words (It) in not yet dark carry the central message of
hope.
Introduction:
In the late 18970s, when South Africa was politically in a darker place than it is now, Chris van
Wyk wrote and dedicated the poem Candle to his friend Caplan who lived in his community of
Riverlea. Caplan died young and in this poem Van Wyk urges young people to read and learn
while they still can because life, as symbolised by the melting candle, will end soon.
Title
 the candle is important because it refers to how quickly time passes/ how short life is.
 It is also a symbol of hope – a light in the darkness
Theme
 The main theme is TIME

 There is an anxiousness/ urgency about the passing time/ how short life is
- Diction:
- ‘fast’  stanza 1
- Repetition of ‘Read brother read’ stanza 2/3
 There is a sense of despair/ hopelessness  ‘silhouettes of gloom’ / approaching death
 HOPE is another theme in the poem.

 Although the candle has almost melted away but the wick still glows brightly – ‘wick
shines red now’.
 ‘But it is not yet dark’  there is still hope
 LEARNING
 The poet urges young people to become educated  read and learn.
Tone/ Mood
 Stanza 1/2/3 – tone is urgent  repetition ‘Read brother read’

 The mood is stanza 1 is eerie/ dark and depressing
 Stanza 2: ‘heaped’ / ‘gloom’  create a mood of despair and hopelessness.
 In stanza 3 there is a slight shift  the wick is still glowing  there is still hope the wick is
glowing and it is not yet dark.
Analysis
Line 1:
 The speaker urges his ‘brother’ / friend to read (learn) while he still has the time to.
Line 2:
 The melting wax indicates how quickly time is running out.

Line 3 - 4:
 Shadows indicate approaching death and it is obdurate (stubborn against change/ will
not be stopped)
Line 5:
 Death is mocking  personification
Line 6 - 8:
 Death is ever present  laughing (personification)

 This ties in with the mocking as it is not a laugh of happiness but eerie and creates a
mood of ominous discomfort.
Line 9:
 Urgency  line 1 is repeated

 There is once again a sense of time running out
 The urgency that you should learn as much as you can.
 Death is approaching/ getting closer
Line 10 – 11:
 The candle wax has melted down to a ‘heaped’ mass.

 The use of the candle and the saucer implies poverty. There is no money for proper
lighting and candlesticks. They use what they could find.
 The shadows growing longer suggest that death is drawing nearer.
 Time is running out.
Line 12 – 13:
 Repetition of ‘Read brother read’  once again the urgency

 Only the wick glows in the dark now  implies that there still hope for future generations.
Lines 14 – 16:
 ‘But it is not yet dark’  there still seems to be some time left.
 We once again sense the urgency.
 All hope is not yet lost.
 While children read and learn the ‘glowing light’ of hope will remain.
Vocabulary
obdurate: stubborn and resistant to persuasion or change

pantomimes: plays in which actors perform without talking
crude: lacking finish, polish or completeness
silhouettes: a dark image outlined against a lighter background

Questions:
1. One of the themes in the poem is time.

(a) In the first two stanzas of the poem, the speaker shows that he is anxious
about time passing quickly. Quote one phrase from stanza one, and one
phrase from stanza two to show this concern. (2)
(b) Choose one of the phrases you have just quoted, and explain how it
emphasises the passage of time. (2)
2. The poet uses an extended metaphor relating to acting in a play.

(a) Identify two words or phrases that support this extended metaphor. (2)
(b) Shadows have been personified in lines three to five. Identify two human
character traits given to the shadows in these lines. (2)
3. Comment on the repetition of the word read in the poem and discuss how it
contributes to the meaning of the poem as a whole. (2)

The warm and the cold Ted Hughes
____________________________________________________________________________
Background notes on the poet:
Ted Hughes grew up in Yorkshire, England. The animals and landscape had a big influence on his
poetry. Many of his poems deal with the natural world which for Hughes represented qualities such as
beauty, violence and survival instinct. They all have human relevance. His tone was often harsh and his
imagery brilliant.
Freezing dusk is closing

Like a slow trap of steel
On trees and roads and hills and all
That can no longer feel.
But the carp is in its depth 5
Like a planet in its heaven.
And the badger in its bedding
Like a loaf in the oven.
And the butterfly in its mummy
Like a viol in its case. 10
And the owl in its feathers
Like a doll in its lace.
Freezing dusk has tightened

Like a nut screwed tight
On the starry aeroplane 15
Of the soaring night.
But the trout is in its hole
Like a chuckle in a sleeper.
The hare strays down the highway
Like a root going deeper. 20
The snail is dry in the outhouse
Like a seed in a sunflower.
The owl is pale on the gatepost
Like a clock on its tower.
Moonlight freezes the shaggy world 25

Like a mammoth of ice -
The past and the future
Are the jaws of a steel vice.
But the cod is in the tide-rip
Like a key in a purse. 30
The deer are on the bare-blown hill
Like smiles on a nurse.
The flies are behind the plaster
Like the lost score of a jig.
Sparrows are in the ivy-clump 35
Like money in a pig.
Such a frost
The flimsy moon
Has lost her wits.
A star falls. 40
The sweating farmers

Turn in their sleep
Like oxen on spits.

Characteristics of the poem
 This is a lyrical poem – thus is has musical qualities. It sounds almost like a song, with
alternating verse and chorus sections.
 The verse sections describe the effect of the icy winter.
 The chorus sections describe how the country animals behave in such cold weather.
 There is a shift towards the end where the poet turns his attention to humans.
Analysis
 Each stanza begins with a description of the 'freezing dusk', before explaining how
animals are dealing with the weather.
 Each animal is given a simile.
 This creates a sense of the animals having something in common, and a sense of order
and predictability to the poem.
Figurative Language
 Hughes uses personification and metaphors and similes.

 The 'freezing dusk' is compared, in similes, to 'a slow trap of steel', 'a nut screwed tight',
and 'a mammoth of ice'.
 The landscape is personified, 'trees and hills ands all That can no longer feel'.
 As is the moon, which due to the cold 'has lost her wits'.
 A metaphor is used to describe the spectacular night, 'the starry aeroplane of the soaring
night'
 Most of the similes, however, apply to the animals.
 This poem is uses contrasts.
 It describes the extreme cold of a particular landscape and the persistent, resistant
warmth of the living creatures within it.
 The structure of the first three stanzas is used to focus the reader's attention on this
comparison by first offering an image of extreme cold and the contrasting this with the
animals.
 Lines 37-43 can be seen as symbolic of the link between the warm and the cold.
 Firstly the moon is described which creates an impression of utter cold.
 There is then an image of a falling star, which serves to link space to earth through its
motion.
 It brings us to the image of a farmer feeling the discomfort of the heat, showing that like
the animals he too is an important aspect of the landscape described.
 The similes used in the poem describe both the farmer and the animals. They are easy to
identify owing to the use of the word 'like'.
 For example:
The snail is dry in the outhouse
Like a seed in a sunflower.

 Here the snail is compared to the dryness and compactness of a seed in a sunflower. It
also suggests a sense of warmth and radiant heat.
 Such an image is used to create an atmosphere or mood, which is a key intention in this
poem.
Questions:
1. a) Refer to lines 5 – 6. What is the type of comparison used in these lines called?
Explain your answer. (2)
b) How many times does the poet use this type of comparison in the poem? (1)
2. What time of the day is described in this poem? (1)
3. Hughes made the following comments on the poem:
It’s made up of images of creatures in this very cold part of the winter, which are
enduring cold that many of them might not survive, and nevertheless in a way surviving
happily … I always feel that the animals must be in a sort of state of bliss to be able to go
through what they go through and tolerate it.
a) Quote two examples from the first stanza that tells us how the animals are happily
surviving the cold. (2)
b) How are the humans surviving the cold? Quote from the poem to support your
answer. (4)
c) What do you think Hughes is saying about the difference between humans and
animals. (4)

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GRADE 10

Grade 10 Poetry Guide [Compiled by BB Mathaba] Page 1

Positive Tone / Attitude Words

Amiable Consoling Friendly Playful

Negative Tone / Attitude Words

Accusing Aggravated Agitated Angry

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 2

Humour-Irony-Sarcasm Tone / Attitude Words

Amused Bantering Bitter Caustic

Sorrow-Fear-Worry Tone / Attitude Words

Aggravated Despairing Hopeless Paranoid

Neutral Tone / Attitude Words

Admonitory Allusive Apathetic Authoritative

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 4

Bringing it all together

Language to write about poetry

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 5

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 6

Background notes on poet:

A free bird leaps

But a bird that stalks

The caged bird sings 15

The free bird thinks of another breeze

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

The caged bird sings

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 7

 Caged – indicates restrictions

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 8

 Emphasises the caged bird and its plight.

 The free bird – again

 The bird in its cage

Further points to consider

Diction/ Imagery/ Poetic Devices

- There is very little punctuation in this poem

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 9

The tone is ominous/ frustrated

The tone is depressing

 Section of poetry that is repeated like a chorus

trill: a quavering sound; bird’s warbling

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 10

3. Explain why the caged bird’s trill (song) is fearful. (3)

Gr. 10 EHL Poetry Notes Page 11

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do not shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 5

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; 10

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.