, love. you but my heart belon S? to another... 8. It is the Constant Image of your Face Dennis Brutus (1924-2009) Dennis Brutus was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, in 1924. A coloured South African, he was an anti-apartheid activist in the 1960s, He was eventually imprisoned and blacklisted by the South African authorities who also banned his poetry from publication in South Africa, Brutus was forced to flee the country and after spending some time in Britain became a political refugee in the U.S.A. in 1983, Although he was accepted and honoured for his writing in America, he still yearned to return home to his own country. This poem was written during this period. When apartheid was finally dismantled in South Africa, the new government, in 1990, invited Brutus to return to his beloved homeland. He did so, making his home in Cape Town, where he passed away in 2009. A. SUMMARY The persona is caught between his love for his homeland and his gratitude toward adopted country, He claims that the latter has treated him so well that he feels guilty for remaining loyal to his first love, his homeland. He uses romantic imagery to portray the complicated nature of his feelings about the triangular relationship in which he finds himself. B. ANALYSIS To fully understand this poem, the poet's own background should be considered. The central concern in the poem is the overwhelming love felt by the persona for his country and the simultaneous gratitude he feels for his adopted country. This causes a conilict between his professed loyalty to his “first love” and the feeling that he is betraying his second home by not committing his love entirely to her. 71an The poem uses the extended metaphor of a love triangle to illustrate the conflict the perso, feels about each of his loves. His predicament is that he is being well treated ang takey care of by his current lover but his heart is also with his first love with whom he Cannot be at this time. He is grateful for the former's demonstrations of love to him and feels guilty that he cannot return her devotion as whole heartedly. He also feels that he is betraying his homeland by his attachment to his adopted land and feels guilty for enjoying it so much, At the end of the poem he achiev ome measure of reconciliation as he comes to terms with his ambivalent feelings for both places. His guilt at enjoying his adopted land is assuage | by the hope that, under the circumstances, his own land, being just as understanding, more so, will forgive him iffnot C. MAJOR THEMES i. Love: The conflicting love for homeland and adopted country is compared to the relationship between a man and his two lovers. The theme is expressed through the images of constancy and tenderness in order to demonstrate the attraction of both women who are the “loves” of the persona and to explain the difficulty the man faces in having to choose between them. ii, Loyalty and Betrayal: Loyalty is demonstrated by both the Persona and his lover. The lover by his chair represen!’ his adopted home. She is “ Constant” or faithful and always with him. She has “blackmailed” the persona with her beauty and her “protectiveness” and he feels a deep gratitude and appreciation for all she has done for him, In spite of this, he tells her that she can “claim ™ loyalty” for his land “takes precedence of all this] loves” The fact that his heart is elsewhe™ troubles the persona who feels that he owes his allegiance to the countey that has of him refuge, and he feels that he is betraying her. At the same time he is demonstrating loyalty to his own land, iii. Guilt and Ambivalence: The conflict in the poem is centred on the guilt the persona feels at his inability to 8° = ‘ H cspls quill! aken him in and harboured him, He also fee! ee and the enjoyment he derives from the other: He . eo y his appreciation for the place.’ oe , lace. Torn between the person finally confesses to fecling a greater allegiance. " total allegiance to the country that has t about abandoning his own country though he is committing treason b 7iv. Patriotism: The guilt that the persona feels at being comfortable in another country comes from an inherent sense of nationalism which becomes 2 challenging decision to negotiate when the citizen migrates. Relocation of the person does not necessarily mean transfer of allegiance to the new country and immigrants are often confused as to which country they should support. Naturalized citizens are required to swear allegiance to the new country but the vocal declaration does not necessarily mean that the previous emotional ties are relinquished. In the poem, the persona still speaks of “my land” and “my country” as his heart refuses to surrender ownership. D. POETIC TECHNIQUES i, Form: The poem is written in free verse comprising two nine-line stanzas with lines of varying lengths. The absence of a rhyming scheme, usually a reflection of harmony, is effective in suggesting the internal conflict that the persona faces. ii, Tone: The tone of the poem is one of ambivalence and guilt as the persona tries to reconcile the ambivalent emotions he feels for his two loves. iii, Mood: The mood created by the poem is pensive and reflective. The problems caused by dual allegiance require deep introspection and the reader is left to contemplate the conflict. E. LANGUAGE i Imagery: ‘The central image in the poem is that of a woman gazing tenderly into the face of her lover while kneeling at his chair, her own face clasped gently in his hands. It is an enduring image Of the love between two persons but the image is ironic in that the devotion of the woman isbeing betrayed for even as her lover caresses her face, he is thinking guiltily about his love for another, 2ii Metaphor . The entire wenn is an extended metaphor in which the vat oS eee to th love relationship between a man and woman, ‘The metaphor Tu’ ys as an Persona, political situation and ethical dilemma. ‘The legal language used, - a and) convicts’, suggests that the persona is comparing himself to a penn on tra or treason where he is put on trial for professing love for another country while owing allegiance to another who has the superior claim of being his birthplace, 7 Another metaphor that suggests the persona’s reasons for leaving his homeland is “my wor of knives” which implies that he has to contend with a dangerous, treacherous existence, could also be a self- reference to his own treachery toward the faithful woman at his knee, iii, Diction: He calls her an “accomplice” who “blackmail[s]” him with her “beauty”, “protectiveness’ and “tenderness”, The incongruous choice of words shows how conflicted he feels about all she is offering him, as if he is simultaneously blaming and appreciating her. He also seems to suggest that they are both complicit in his act of “treason” since she aided and abetted his act and also seduced him with her love. iv. Alliteration: ‘The repetition of the exhalatory “f” sound, along with the sibilance of the “s” sounds contribute to the muted, reflective tones in the first stanza, Words like “constant” and “facé’ with their hushed tones, illustrate this. iv. Consonance: ‘The repetition of the internal “t” sound aid combined with the other sibilant consonaats nd of low, muttered speech, a whisper amidst silence reminding us that the speaker is speaking to himself. ‘The line, the “Yet I beg mitigation, pleading guilty” illus recreate the sound of | QUESTIONS 1. Describe the experience being conve 'yed in the xplain why the persona feels conf i cting emotio ; how how the idea of betrayal ig atic ae ns towards his two loves. 4. Identify one major poetic device and e € poem. ‘ xplain its i in conveying the poet's vision, P' effectiveness 74