Berry by Langston Hughes

SUMMARY
Berry is about a young black man called Millberry Jones who is employee at Dr. Renfield's
Home for Crippled Children. He was reluctantly employed by Mrs. Osborn, the housekeeper,
because the Scandinavian kitchen boy had left without notice, leaving her no choice in hiring
Berry. Her reluctance to hire Berry stemmed from his race, initiating questions like where he
would sleep? How would the other servants react to the presence of a Negro? She had a meeting
with Dr. Renfield and they decided to hire Millberry on a reduced salary. He was overworked
and underpaid, but took solace in the children, whom he loved. An unfortunate incident occurred,
however, where a child fell from his wheel chair while in the care of Berry. The result was that
Berry was fired and given no salary for the week that he had worked.

SETTING

● Dr. Renfiled's Home for Crippled Children

● New Jersey coast

CHARACTERS
Millbury Jones (Berry)

● A Black male, approximately 20 years old.

● Described as good natured and strong.
● Poor and uneducated.
● Very observant and intuitive about people and places.
● Very good with children due to his gentleness.

Mrs. Osborn

● The housekeeper at the children's home.

● Rumoured to be in love with Dr. Renfield.
● Very high handed with her staff, but docile with Dr. Renfield.
● Displays racist characteristics in subtle forms.

Dr. Renfield

● Rumoured to have romantic affairs with his female staff.

● Berry observes that the Home is 'Doc Renfield's own private gyp game' (Hughes, p. 162),
meaning that he runs his establishment for his own profit, instead of a desire to take
genuine care of the children.
● He is blatantly racist.

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THEMES
Racism
This theme is apparent when Berry was being considered for employment at the Home. Mrs.
Osborn was concerned about where Berry would sleep, implying that he could not sleep with the
white servants because he was considered to be beneath them. His salary was also cut due to his
race, and he was overworked, with no discussions of days off, 'everybody was imposing on him
in that taken-for-granted way white folks do with Negro help.' (Hughes, 162). Even more
importantly, when the unfortunate accident occurred with the child, there was no attempt at
discerning what had occurred that led to the incident, but blame was laid on the obvious person -
Berry. As a result, he was relieved of his job a hail of racist slurs.

Shabine by Hazel Simmons-Mcdonald

SUMMARY
'Shabine' is the story of Justene, a mixed race woman who is constantly mocked for being poor,
of mixed heritage, and presumably promiscuous. She was taunted with the words jamette and
shabine (half white, or of mixed heritage) on the streets. The story opens with the narrator
explaining that she had a fiery temper, which she unleashed on her tormentors when provoked.
Her two sons, Gold and Silver, were subjected to similar taunts, with Silver reacting in the same
way as his mother, while Gold tried to do damage control. The reader then learns that Justene
had lived with her mother, who was a maid in Justene's father's house. It is implied, by the
narrator, that her mother invited white sailors surreptitiously into her house to sleep with Justene.
The rest of the story is filled with the narrator's regret for what could have existed between him
and Justene.

SETTING

● The name of the Caribbean island is not mentioned.

● The story is set around the time of WWII, when American troops were prevalent in the
Caribbean.

MAJOR CHARACTERS
Justene (Shabine)

● She is described as having 'pale, reddish skin colour, the mass of coarsish red hair that
resembled the wool of sheep, the grey eyes ... the chocolate freckles.'
(Simmonds-McDonald, p.14).
● She is very coy and provocative, as can be seen in her response to the narrator.
● She does not fear her taunters, but boldly defends herself.
● She is fiercely protective of her children, as can be seen when she defends them.

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 ● She is a proud woman who does not want her children to stoop to the level of their
taunters.

Narrator

● He is male.
● He seems to be completey enthralled by Justene, as is seen with the token of fruit,
paradise plum, that he ritualistically left for her on the gate post.
● He mourns the loss of the possibility of a future that he might have had with Justene.

MINOR CHARACTERS
Gold - Justene's son. He had thick wooly red curls, red bushy eyebrows, a freckled face and grey
eyes.

Silver - Justene's son. He was sort of blond, he had straight close cropped, sun bleached white
hair and he was fearless.

Mr. Cazaubon - Justene's mother's employer. He is also Justene's father, but he does not
acknowledge her.

Mrs. Cazaubon - Wife to Mr. Cazaubon. She is aware of Justene's parentage, and treats mother
and child in a contemptuous manner.

Shabine's mother - Mrs. Cazaubon's maid. It is rumoured that she died from 'too much rum and
grief because Misie Cazaubon had never kept his promise to her to acknowledge Justene as his
daughter and to send her to Convent School.' (Simmonds-McDonald, p.13).

THEMES
Love and Family Relationship
This theme is brought out by Justene and her two children. She protects them by dispersing her
children's tormentors in a hale of her own words and stones. She then told them that they should
not respond to their tormentors because they would become like them. This is the hallmark of a
loving mother. She defends and protects her children, yet teaches them the value of maintaining
their pride. This is in contrast with the very vague details surrounding the relationship with her
mother.

Whereas the reader sees Justene hugging and comforting her children, there is only the
implication that Justene's mother allowed white sailors to 'visit' her home, implying that Justene
might have been the lure, or the mother herself. The narrator also implies that he had good
intentions towards Justene through his shy, patient and consistent courting, however, Justene's
mother discourages this: 'Justene's mother had come to complain about his giving of paradise
plums and putting ideas in Justene's head and upsetting her life' (Simmonds-McDonald, p.14 ).
The narrator implies that she robbed her daughter of a future that was close to 'paradise' as
Justene would have gotten. She is not a totally bad mother, however, because she stands up for

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her child when Mrs. Cazaubon attempted to treat her like a servant.

Women in Society
This short story highlights the fact that women, in general, have very few choices. Justene's
mother has a child by her employer and remains under his roof. Many people would argue that
she had a choice to leave with her child, but that is easier said than done. Raising a child takes a
village, so it is difficult for anyone to decide to leave a space of financial security. The argument
is the same for Mrs. Cazaubon. She stays with a man who has fathered a child, in her own home,
with their maid. What is even worse is that the maid and the child, the evidence of her husband's
indiscretion, remains in her home. Her impotence, concerning the situation and her life, is seen in
her treatment of Justene and her mother, as well as her quarrels, or rather, abusive monologues,
with Mr. Cazaubon. Both women are tied to this man based on the fact that he provides financial
security in a world that can be even more cruel to women who lack this.

The severe hypocrasy in the society, as it concerns the sexual indiscretions between men and
women, is also highlighted in this short story. Justene and Mr. Cazaubon are treated very
differently for their sexual indiscretions. Mr. Cazaubon remains a respected gentleman, despite
fathering a child with the maid, and having them reside under the same roof with his wife, while
Justene is stoned and castigated in the streets for keeping company with white sailors, as implied
by the narrator. Society appears to have different rules for women and men in the sexual arena.

SYMBOL
Paradise Plums
Paradise plums represent the alternate life that Justene could have had. The fact that this candy/
'sweety' was used to court Justene in such a shy, innocent and consistent manner, implies that her
life with the narrator could have been very pleasant and healthy.

The Man of the House by Frank O’Connor

SUMMARY
This short story is about a little boy called Sullivan who has a sick mother. Sullivan is initially
unconcerned about his mother’s illness, and mildly pleased, because he got to stay home and
play at being the ‘man of the house’. However, his initial delight changes to concern on the
second day due to his fear that his mother has pneumonia. The second night and the third day are
even more frightening because he had to fetch the doctor and travel to the North Dispensary to
get her medication. At the dispensary he meets a young girl who tricks him into drinking, and
sharing the medicine, with the result being an empty bottle to take home to his mother. Sullivan
suffers extreme guilt as a result of this and goes home crying. His mother consoles him and
forgives his childish misdemeanor.

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SETTING

● A town called Cork, in England.

CHARACTERS
Sullivan

● A very responsible little boy.

● Enjoys playing at being a man by taking care of his mother and the household chores.

Mother

● A sickly lady.
● She feels guilty that her son has to display such maturity by taking care of her.
● Displays what a loving mother she is by understanding that Dooley is an innocent boy
that succumbed to peer pressure.
● She also takes excellent care of her son when she is able to do so.

Minni Ryan

● She is a family friend who advises Dooly during the course of his mother’s illness.
● A middle aged woman who is very knowledgeable.
● Very pious and gossipy; according to Dooly.

Doctor

● He was a fat, loud voiced man.

● He was the cleverest doctor in Cork.

THEME
Love & family relationship
This is shown in the relationship between the mother and her son. Sullivan is frightened that his
mother will die of pneumonia, so, despite his fear, he enters a public house (pub) in order to
ensure that she gets her home-made remedy, and travels to an unsavory neighbourhood in order
to get her medicine. The mother is equally devoted to her son, as seen in her guilt over the fact
that he has to take care of her. She is also very understanding when he succumbs to the peer
pressure of drinking her medicine. She understands that one cannot expect a child to be a man,
no matter how well he does at playing at being a man. Her love for her child is also manifested in
the pride she feels when he displays the level of maturity akin to an adult.

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Innocence
The fact that Sullivan does not recognize that his new friend is using him for a taste of his cough
syrup proves that he is still an innocent young man, at least in relation to the ways of the world.
Despite playing at being a man, he is still an innocent child. His reaction, after realizing that he
was used, also points to his innocence. He reacts in the manner that any child would, he ran
home crying.

To Dah-Duh, in Memoriam by PauleMarshall

SUMMARY
This short story is about a young girl's visit, from New York, to the island of Barbados. The
protagonist, along with her sister and mother, visit Dah-Duh. The visit is an interesting one in
which Dah-Duh and the protagonist develop a caring, yet competitive, relationship. Dah-Duh
introduces her to the riches of Barbados (nature), while the protagonist introduces her
grandmother to the steel and concrete world of New York (industrialism). There is a competitive
edge to their conversations because they each try to outdo each other on the merits of their
separate homes. Dah-Duh, however, is dealt a blow when she learns of the existence of the
Empire State building, which was many stories taller than the highest thing she had ever laid her
eyes on – Bissex Hill. She lost a little bit of her spark that day and was not given a chance to
rebound because the protagonist left for New York shortly after. The story progresses with the
death of Dah-Duh during the famous ’37 strike. She had refused to leave her home and was later
found dead, on a Berbice chair, by her window. The protagonist spent a brief period in penance,
living as an artist and painting landscapes that were reminiscent of Barbados.

SETTING

● The story is set in Barbados, in the 1930's.

CHARACTERS
Dah-Duh:

● A small and purposeful old woman.

● Had a painfully erect figure.
● Over eighty (80) years old.
● She moved quickly at all times.
● She had a very unattractive face, which was ‘stark and fleshless as a death mask’
(Marshall, p.178).
● Her eyes were alive with life.
● Competitive spirit.
● Had a special relationship with the protagonist.

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Protagonist:

● A thin little girl.

● Nine (9) years old.
● A strong personality.
● Competitive in nature.
● Had a special relationship with Dah-Duh.

THEMES
Race:
This theme is apparent when Dah-Duh and the protagonist discuss the fact that she ‘beat up a
white girl’ in her class. Dah-Duh is quiet shocked at this and exclaims that the world has changed
so much that she cannot recognize it. This highlights their contrasting experiences of race.
Dah-Duh’s experience of race relations is viewing the white ‘massa’ as superior, as well as
viewing all things white as best. This is corroborated at the beginning of the story when it was
revealed that Dah-Duh liked her grandchildren to be white, and in fact had grandchildren from
the illegitimate children of white estate managers. Therefore, a white person was some-one to be
respected, while for the protagonist, white people were an integral part of her world, and she
viewed herself as their equal.

Love and family relationship:

This story highlights the strong familial ties that exists among people of the Caribbean, both in
the islands and abroad (diaspora). The fact that the persona and her family left New York to visit
the matriarch of the family, in Barbados, highlights this tie. The respect accorded to Dah-Duh by
the mother also shows her place, or status, in the family. The protagonist states that in the
presence of Dah-Duh, her formidable mother became a child again.

Gender Issues:
This is a minor theme in this short story. It is highlighted when it is mentioned that Dah-Duh
liked her grandchildren to be boys. This is ironic because the qualities that are stereotypically
found in boys - assertive, strong willed, competitive - are found in her grand daughter. An
example of this is the manner in which the protagonist / narrator was able to win the staring
match when she first met Dah-Duh, this proved her dominance and strength.

SYMBOL
Empire State Building
This building represents power and progress. It is in the midst of the cold glass and steel of New
York city and, therefore, deforms Dah-Duh’s symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident
that the knowledge of this building shakes Dah-Duh’s confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of
progress, is what shakes the nature loving Dah-Duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to
the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State Building – defeat – is a foreshadowing of her
death. This is the case because it is metal, in the form of the planes, that ‘rattled her trees and
flatten[ed] the young canes in her field.’ (Marshall. p.186). This is a physical echo of her

7
emotional response to the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State building. The fact that
she is found dead after this incident is not a surprise to the reader.

The Day the World Almost Came To An End byPearl Crayton

SUMMARY
This short story was told from the perspective of an adult and chronicles the events behind a
child’s (the adult narrator) belief that the world was about to end. The story is set on a plantation
in Louisiana in 1936, where the church was the axis around which plantation life revolved.
Despite this fact, the narrator was holding on to being a sinner because she believed that she
could not ‘live upright’. One day, while she was playing, her cousin Rena informed her that the
world was coming to an end. This was based on a conversation that Rena overheard, and
misunderstood, about the eclipse. The hellfire sermons in church did not help to stem the
narrators mounting panic and she worried herself into a frazzle as a result. She had a
conversation with her father about this issue and he tried to quell her fears, but unfortunately, he
only managed to increase it with his statement that the world could come to an end at any time.
The narrator spent the night conjuring images of dooms day, which led to her overreaction to
hearing the rumblings of an old airplane. She ran out of her house screaming that the world was
coming to an end. Her father caught her on the road and calmed her down. She appreciated life a
lot more after that and lived her life to the fullest.

SETTING
The story occurs on a plantation in Louisiana in 1936.

CHARACTERS
Daddy:

● Understanding
● Has a good relationship with his daughter

1st person narrator:

● Imaginative
● Bold
● Naive

Rena:

● Naive

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THEMES
Religion:
This is the central theme in this short story. Plantation life was centered on religion to the extent
that even the narrator’s father was a deacon. Religious fervor, in the form of hellfire preaching, is
also the fuel for the panic that overtakes the narrator/protagonist in this short story.

Love & Family Relationship:

The love and trust between father and daughter is glaring. When the narrator/protagonist was
worried about the world coming to an end, the first person that she thought to consult on this
issue was her father. His response to her childish fears, in turn, highlights the easy relationship
between the two. Daddy's care in covering his daughter after her mad dash through the turnrow is
also an indication of the love that he has for his child.

Emma by Carolyn Cole

SUMMARY
This short story is told from the first person perspective of a little girl called Dorian York. The
focus of her thoughts is her mother; the games that they play together, and the games that she
plays with her friend, that revolve around her mother. The first person perspective of the
narrative gives the reader an intimate view of how the little girl sees her mother, as well as how
she feels about her. We are also able to garner information about the people around her from her
innocent narrative, innocent because the little girl does not understand many of the things that
she reports. The audience learns that Emma and Mr. York have a volatile relationship that is
seemingly caused by his infidelity. This infidelity is initially implied by Emma’s constant
watching of the clock and waiting for her husband to return home, as well as the fight that
Dorian reported. Grandfather’s visit brings a happy atmosphere to the family unit because daddy
starts to do things with the family, and they seem more like a conventional happy family. The
audience is given the impression that things go back to normal after grandfather leaves, however,
due to the spectral presence of the ‘lady at the train station’, as well as Mrs. Robinson’s pointed
discussion about Mr. York’s status as a ‘player’. The narrative climaxes with the death of Emma
at the train station. She saw her husband with the mysterious lady and runs away, followed
closely by Dorian and Jack. Unfortunately, when Jack caught her by the arm, she ran into the
path of an oncoming vehicle and was killed. Jack and Mrs. Robinson then get romantically
involved, and they send both Maria and Dorian to St. Agnus, a boarding school, in the country.

SETTING

● The story occurs in three places; the York residence, an unnamed mall and the old train
station.
● The mood of the story fluctuates from happiness to sadness.

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CHARACTERS
Jack York (Daddy)

● He is Doran’s father and Emma’s husband.

● He is characterized as a ‘player’ by Mrs. Robinson.
● He is not faithful to his wife.
● He was not ready for the arrival of his daughter, Dorian, and does not seem to have a
close relationship with her.

Emma York

● She is Dorian’s mother and Jack’s wife.

● She is a good mother who plays with her child and treats her well.
● She is a good wife who loves her husband (as seen in how she greets him when he gets
home) and is considerate of his feelings; as seen in her reasons for not having another
baby.
● She is a very smart and polished lady who can handle herself with people who are coy
and critical of her; as seen in her argument with Mrs. Robinson in the mall.

Dorian York

● A very innocent little girl who is the first person narrator of the story.
● She is younger than her friend Maria, who is nine (9) years old.
● She adores her mother and her grandfather.
● She is often puzzled by the content of adult discussion.

Grandaddy

● Emma’s father.
● Brought joy into the family because daddy stayed home, came home early, and spent
quality time with the family, due to grandaddy's implied interference.
● Loved her grandfather because he seemed to do what her dad didn’t – spent time with her
– and her first person perspective of him reflected her love.

Ruby Robinson

● She is Emma’s friend and Maria’s mother.

● She is not a good friend to Emma because she is both critical and jealous of her.
● She gets romantically involved with Jack after Emma dies.
● She’s very impatient with both girls.

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 ● She sends Maria and Dorian to boarding school in order to enact her plan to keep the
‘player’.

Maria Robinson

● She is the nine (9) year old daughter of Ruby Robinson.

● She is Dorian’s playmate.
● She filters and explains a lot of the adult conversations that Dorian does not understand.

THEMES
Innocence
This theme is epitomized by Dorian York. The story is told from her perspective; therefore, the
reader gets a firsthand view of the innocence behind her misunderstanding of adult conversation
and situations. She senses emotions, but misses a lot of the innuendo, as is seen when she tells
the audience about the fight that her parents had. Her innocence is also seen in her expectation
that her mother would come home after the accident, but instead, she finds Mrs. Robinson in her
mother’s bed. Her growth, or advancement into maturity, is highlighted in the end of the short
story when Dorian reassures Maria that everything will be ok, they will play adult games better.

Love and family relationship

There are two types of families in this short story, the nuclear family and the single family unit.
Dorian’s family is the nuclear family, consisting of mother, father and child. This family is a
troubled one because the father is seemingly more absent than present due to an implied ‘other
woman’, who is later confirmed as very real. He also seems uncomfortable around his only child,
as is confirmed by Emma, who decides to forgo having another child because ‘Jack wasn’t ready
for Dori’ (Cole, p.53). Emma, on the other hand, seems to live to please both her child and
husband. She is very affectionate with Dorian, and this love is returned ten fold, as seen in the
adoration that imbues the tone of the narrator. She is the same with her husband, but the
reception is less enthusiastic. It would be unfair to say that the family is dysfunctional, because
one parent is at least invested in the emotional happiness of the child, but the family has issues
because the head of the household’s concentration lies elsewhere.

Mrs. Robinson is a single mother, parenting her only child; Maria. She does not appear to be
particularly liked by both girls because no-one wants to ‘play’ at being her. She aggravates her
child constantly and appears to be unhappy with her life. This family structure can be seen as
dysfunctional because the parent does not seem to devote her energies toward making her child
feel loved and comfortable, which is one of the primary aims of any family structure.

Friendship
There are two contrasting friendships in this short story. There is the friendship between Dorian
and Maria, which is characterized by play, conversations and support of each other. Then there is
the friendship between the adults, Emma and Mrs. Robinson, which is contrastingly
characterized by cattiness and jealousy; mostly on Mrs. Robinson’s part.

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MOTIF
Play
The motif of play appears to be a strong one in this short story, perhaps due to the fact that the
narrator is a young child. The children ‘play’ at being adults, immitating – and fighting over –
their favourite adult. They also literally see the life of adults as play. Dorian confirms this at the
end of the story when she reassures Maria that ‘I learned a lot about this game. When it’s our
turn to play, we’ll play smarter.’ (Cole, p.58).

SYMBOL
Deck of cards
The deck of cards that Emma carries around in her purse is a powerful symbol for life. In any
card game that is being played, every-one has a chance at success, or failure, depending on how
they play the game. Mrs. Robinson gives Emma an alternate way to play the game of life, with
success being the joy of keeping her ‘player’ husband. Emma, however, chooses to play the
game in an another way, one in which she attempts to satisfy the needs of both Dorian and Jack.
Emma is the loser in the game, however, because she dies with the joker in her hand. This
signifies that her future could have gone in any direction because the joker introduces the
element of chance to the game; it can be a bonus, a penalty, or both, depending on how it is used
in the game. In the game of life, Emma lost because she chose to take a chance with pleasing
both members of her family, instead of concentrating soley on her husband, as Mrs. Robinson
suggested. The game of life gives every-one chances however, just like a card game, and Mrs.
Robinson was given a chance to bag her rich man with Emma’s exit from the game.

Mom Luby and the Social Worker by Kristin Hunter

SUMMARY
This short story is about an elderly woman, fondly called Mom Luby, who fosters two small
children. The story opens with her visit to the Social Welfare office, in order to obtain monetary
assistance in taking care of the children. She then returns home to find people waiting to get let
in to the speakeasy that she runs in her back room. There is a knock on the door, but instead of
the police - coming to collect money - it is a social worker. The social worker, Miss Rushmore,
visits in order to investigate the living conditions of the children. She is skeptical about some of
the answers that Mom Luby gives, but gives her information about the many forms, along with
lengthy directions, regarding the acquisition of clothes and shoes for the children. Mom Luby is
astonished, yet slightly amused, about the length of time it could take to obtain clothes and shoes
for the children. She responds by stating that she simply did not have enough time because she
had a long list of chores to attend to. Miss. Rushmore volunteers to go along with Mom Luby,
expressing her disbelief that she could accomplish so much in such a short time. They both
return from completing the chores, with Miss Rushmore looking very bedraggled. She states that
Mom Luby does not need her help because she got more things done in two hours, than Miss

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Rushmore has managed to complete in two years. The great irony of the situation is revealed
when Mom Luby comments that the Social Welfare office should consider hiring her, but Miss
Rushmore comments that that is not possible because Mom Luby is not qualified.

SETTING

● The United States of America.

● Between 1920-1933, the time of the Prohibition in the United States.

CHARACTERS
Mom Luby

● An elderly woman who is as strong as any young woman.

● She has white hair and false teeth.
● She runs a speakeasy in the back room of her house.
● She fosters two young children.
● She is a midwife, herb doctor and ordained minister of the Gospel.
● She's a very productive woman who helps the people in her community.
● She is very proud.

Miss Rushmore

● She works at the Department of Child Welfare, Bureau of Family Assistance.

● She is very thorough in her investigation of Mom Luby.
● She is awed by Mom Luby's productivity.

Elijah (narrator) & Puddin' - The two young children that Mom Luby fosters.

THEME
Love and Family Relationship
The love that Mom Luby has for her two young charges is apparent by her simple act of fostering
them. She is a poor, older woman who runs a speakeasy to survive; this is not the profile of
someone who should be willing to take care of two young children, as well as a whole
community. The act of visiting the Social Security Office is a testament to her commitment to
taking care of the two children. The great irony in this short story is that a poor, older lady is able
to take better care of two little children than the State agency that is assigned to do so. This is
because she can get more accomplished in two hours, to benefit them, than the agency can
accomplish in two years with their most motivated agent.

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 Raymond’s Run by Toni Cade Bambara
SUMMARY

The first-person narrator, Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, known as Squeaky, is a young girl
growing up in the Harlem section of New York City. Squeaky prides herself on her performance
on the track and her ability to care for her mildly retarded brother Raymond.
A little girl with skinny arms and a high-pitched voice, Squeaky is a self-confident, cocky
youngster who boasts that everyone knows she is the fastest thing on two feet. Squeaky takes her
running seriously; she is not afraid to practice high stepping out on the street where anyone can
see her. She is also a responsible and caring child. Although Raymond is actually older, Squeaky
thinks of him as her little brother because he is less bright than she is. She is proud of her ability
to care for him, protecting him from the taunts and threats of other children.
The May Day celebration in the park includes a race, but the most important event is the
maypole dancing. Squeaky has refused to participate because she is uncomfortable getting all
dressed up in a white dress and shoes to dance. She is a practical girl who describes herself as “a
poor Black girl who really can’t afford to buy shoes and a new dress you only wear once.” She is
there to compete in the track meet. Secure in her identity as a runner, she explains that she uses
her feet for running, not dancing.
Squeaky’s main competition is a new girl, Gretchen Lewis, whom Squeaky has tried to size up
on the basis of a few brief contacts. When Gretchen smiles at Squeaky during one of their
encounters, Squeaky does not think it is a real smile, because, in her opinion, girls never really
smile at each other. As Squeaky checks out her rival on the day of the race, she notices that
Gretchen kicks her legs out like a pro, and she begins to look at Gretchen with respect.
As she crouches down waiting for the crack of the pistol to start the race, she notices that
Raymond is on the other side of the fence “bending down with his fingers on the ground just like
he knew what he was doing.” As she runs, Squeaky glances over to watch her brother running on
the sidelines. He runs in a unique style, with his palms tucked up behind him, but Squeaky sees
that he has the potential to be a good runner. She remembers that he always keeps up with her
when she trots around the neighborhood.
When the race ends, Squeaky is thinking of how she could give up her own career as a runner to
concentrate on coaching Raymond, rather than listening for the announcement of the winner.
Because she already has a room full of trophies and ribbons, and Raymond has nothing, she
thinks that she could help him get some recognition as a runner. Squeaky changes as she shifts
her attention from herself to her brother. As she hears her name announced as the winner, she is
already focusing on Raymond’s future. Although Raymond was not actually in the race, this was
really his run.
When Squeaky realizes that winning is not everything, she sees Gretchen in a new light, as a
person who also works hard to achieve her goals. She looks at her former rival with new respect,
thinking that perhaps Gretchen is the type of person who would help coach Raymond. The story

14
ends with Squeaky and Gretchen exchanging a big smile of respect that is “about as real a smile
as girls can do for each other, considering we don’t practice real smiling every day.”

SETTING

The story is set in the streets and parks of Harlem, the area in which Bambara herself grew up.
Bambara places the action on specific streets as her characters race down Amsterdam Avenue,
stroll down Broadway, and prance down 34th Street. Squeaky knows that she must be on guard,
and survives in the neighborhood because she is always ready to protect herself and Raymond.
This is a place where people may take Raymond’s allowance or ask where he got “that great big
pumpkin head.” Squeaky does not go in for chitchat; she says she would rather “just knock you
down right from the jump and save everybody a lot of precious time.”

Another characteristic of Bambara’s fiction is her portrayal of different generations interacting

within a neighborhood. Squeaky’s neighborhood is peopled with characters of all ages. Old
people sit in the sun “getting upset with the pigeons fluttering around them, scattering their
newspapers and upsetting the wax-paper lunches in their laps.” Parents come to the park wearing
corsages and breast-pocket handkerchiefs. Young men with baseball caps on backwards lean
against the fence twirling basketballs on their fingertips.

CHARACTERS

Hazel Elizabeth Parker known as Squeaky is spunky and outspoken, tough, sassy, and bright,
with a big reputation, but she is also a responsible and caring person as evident in her love for
and care of her brother who has Down syndrome. Other children in the story serve to further
define Squeaky’s character. She is a hard worker and not ashamed of it. Her athletic prowess is
seen every year when she wins the Annual May Day Race.

Raymond, after whom the story is named, is Squeaky’s older, slightly retarded brother. He
provides the focus for the story as it is through him that Squeaky’s caring side and her ability to
look beyond self are revealed.

Cynthia, Squeaky’s classmate, is rather pretentious unlike Squeaky. Cynthia does not want
anyone to know how hard she works. She practices the piano at home, but at school acts
surprised that she is able to play Chopin waltzes.

Gretchen, another classmate, is an honest competitor who takes running seriously. Although she
was Squeaky’s main rival in the competition, we see that Squeaky came to have respect for her
and the impression is that they can become friends.

Mary-Louise/Rosie – Gretchen’s sidekicks

15
Squeaky’s Father – Helped her with her running

Mr. Pearson – Organiser of the May Day races; suggested that Squeaky allow someone else to
win.

STYLE

Bambara uses a first-person narrator to show the neighborhood through the eyes of a child. Use
of the present tense creates a sense of immediacy. Bambara’s choice of words, sentence structure,
and manner of expression are all simple. Of the thirteen sentences that make up the first two
paragraphs, six begin with “and” and three begin with “but.” The result is a colloquial style
appropriate for the young narrator. The young characters speak in the language of the playground
with all its vitality and humor. The children banter and exchange insults, referring to other
children as “Fatso,” “her freckle-face self,” or “Mary Louise Williams of Raggedy Town,
Baltimore,” and call Mr. Pearson “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
Bambara paints her characters with a few deft strokes. Squeaky’s father is described as a
“thirty-five-year-old man stuffing himself into a PAL pair of shorts” to race his daughter down
Amsterdam Avenue. He gives her a “two-hydrant head start” and runs “with his hands in his
pockets and whistling.” Cynthia clutches “the lace on her blouse like it was a narrow escape.”
Mr. Pearson, with his clipboard, cards, and whistles, is both a symbol of authority and an object
of ridicule. Bambara speaks of the “high standards our community has regarding verbal
performance.” Surely, the language of “Raymond’s Run” meets those standards.
TONE
The tone of Toni Cade Bambara’s story “Raymond’s Run” goes through a metamorphosis as the
feelings of the protagonist change from the beginning to the end. Throughout much of the story
the tone is antagonistic as Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, better known as Squeaky, defends
both her brother, Raymond and herself in their Harlem neighborhood. Squeaky defends the two
of them physically and emotionally. Although Raymond is older than Squeaky he is disabled,
therefore he is looked upon as her younger brother. The other children in the neighborhood are
mean to Raymond but she defends him. Squeaky’s antagonistic attitude spills over into her life
both at school and through her friendships. She shows her distain for people, such as Cynthia
Proctor, who she feels are fake and for those who challenge her running ability.
During the resolution of the story an introspective tone surfaces. When Squeaky wins the May
Day race it a victory but she sees her brother in a different light. He was able to run stride for
stride with her so she sees him as a person who is able to accomplish things in spite of his
disabilities. In addition, she faced a challenge from Gretchen P. Lewis in the race. Squeaky
begins to think of others instead of focusing only on herself and her pursuits.
THEMES

The following are some of the themes found in this story:

● Identity/The Importance of Achieving Selfhood

● Growth and Development

16
 ● Relationship between Girls
● Feminism
● Treatment of the Disabled
● Family Relationships

SYMBOL

Running- A symbol of the escape from the struggles faced by the narrator

THE TWO GRANDMOTHERS

(Olive Senior)

SUMMARY

In ‘The Two Grandmothers’ a young girl juxtaposes the worlds of her two grandmothers through
a series of monologues. Grandmother Del lives in rural poverty but is blessed with a generous
and caring community. Grandmother Elaine, on the other hand, lives in affluence in the city but
lacks the camaradie of a close community of friends and neighbours. The narrator at first loves
and appreciates her country grandmother Del who accepts and loves her for who she is. The
narrator also loves her grandmother Elaine, the affluent one, but is confused by her constant
criticism of her hair and skin tone. As she ages, the narrator begins to favour Aunt Elaine and
her materialistic life and becomes less enamoured with Grandma Del and the people of the
country.

SETTING
● Rural Jamaica, Kingston (capital of Jamaica), Clearwater, USA
● Time period: 1980’s

CHARACTERS
Grandma Del Grandma Elaine

Traditional/old fashioned Non traditional/Socialite

Christian minded and simple- Materialistic
minded in her approach to life
Altruistic Narcissistic
Never married Married multiple times
Never dates Goes on dates with different men
17
 Prejudiced Prejudiced
Hypocrite Blunt and speaks her mind

The Narrator
Analyse the narrator’s character

THEMES
Racial Prejudice
Use quotations to show how Grandma Elaine and the Clearwater relatives react to the hair, skin
tone and black features of the narrator.
Show Grandma Del’s appreciation of the narrator’s hair and features but how, contrarily, she
believes that being too dark and having too much ‘kink’ in one’s hair is a bad thing.
Show how Clearwater relatives, especially Maureen criticize the narrator’s hair and appearance
and how Maureen introduces the term ‘nigger’ to the story.
Show how the narrator dislikes Maureen but ironically, wants to be more like her and even
becomes ashamed of her own hair.

Social Prejudice
Observe and comment on Grandma Elaine’s criticism of Grandma Del, referring to her as
‘country bumpkin’.
Observe Grandma Del’s reaction to some of her neighbours especially Ermandine and Eulalie
whom she refers to as ‘a disgraceful Jezebel lot’. Why?
Observe how the narrator adopts the prejudices of both grandmothers.

Women in Society
This is a story about women, the values that they pass on, and the way they treat each other.
Be able to discuss this.

Love and Family Relationships

Show how both grandmothers love their grandchild.
Show the relationship between the grandmothers and the narrator.

Innocence vs. Loss of Innocence

Examine the behaviour of the narrator as a child and as she matures.

Georgia and them there United States

(Velma Pollard, Jamaica)

18
SUMMARY
This story is based on the reflection of June, the protagonist. The story opens with her reading
a letter that was written by Aunt Letecia (Teach) to June’s mother. Letecia reports that she has
become a US citizen, and conveys her joy to be free of Jamaica, which she describes as a
‘downgraded’ place. She pities her nieces because they do not have the opportunity to leave
the island, but is thankful that her daughter Georgia will have that chance. June, on the other
hand, loves her country Jamaica and appreciates its beauty. She later travels to the Bronx, USA
and is shell shocked by the ugliness and dinginess of the place that people dream of visiting.
She goes to Aunt Letecia’s office and is paraded before the co-workers. She becomes even
more shocked when she sees her cousin Georgia whom she barely recognizes.

SETTING
● Jamaica and New York
● 1950’s time period

CHARACTERS
June
● A young girl who appreciates her Jamaican heritage
● Aunt Letecia’s niece
● Georgia’s cousin
● She is unconventional because she has short natural hair in a period when this look was
unappreciated
● She has her own perspective and opinions
Letecia Green (TeacH)
● June’s aunt
● Georgia’s mother
● Does not appreciate Jamaica
● Does not appreciate June’s short hair
● Wears a wig and appreciates all things Amaerican
Georgia
● Letecia’s daughter
● Lived in Jamaica with June and her family until she left the island to live with her mother
in the US
● June describes her as ‘simple’ while she was living in Jamaica
● June describes her as ‘mad’ after she migrated to the US
● Georgia changes so much that June says she does not regognise her

THEMES
● LOVE OF COUNTRY
● LOVE OF SELF

19
 Short Story Thematic Table

R I D L F P Lo A W R D
a n i o r a ve f o e is
ci n s s i t an r m l cr
s o i s e r d o e i i
m c l o n i fa c n g m
/ e l f d o mi e i i in
STORIES p n u i s t ly n n o a
r c s n h i rel t s n ti
e e i n i s ati r o o
j o o p m on i c n
u n c sh s i (s
d m e ip m e o
ic e n s t ci
e n c y al
t e
Berry * * * * *

Emma * * * * * *

The Day the World Almost Came * * * *

to an End
Georgia and them there United * * * * * *
States
Man of the House * * * *

Mom Luby and the Social Worker * * * *

Raymond’s Run * * *

Shabine * * * *

The Two Grandmothers * * * * * *

To Dah-Duh in Memoriam * * * * * * *

PRESCRIBED POEMS
A Contemplation Upon Flowers

20
 By Henry King

The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in the
text.
Brave flowers, 1.that I could 5.gallant it like
you, and be as little vain;
You come abroad and make a 6.harmless
show,
And to your beds of earth again;
You are not proud, you know your birth,
For your embroidered garments are from earth.
You do obey your months and times, but I
would have it ever spring;
My fate would know no winter, never die, nor
think of such a thing;
Oh that I could 2.my bed of earth but view,
1.and smile and look as cheerfully as you.
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views of
others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona wishes that he could be as brave
as the flowers, who know who they owe their
life to - the earth. They know their place and
obey the order, or cycle, of life and death. The
persona wishes that he could be this way
because he is the opposite, he wants to live
forever. The persona wants the flowers to
teach him NOT to fear death, but to accept it.

Oh teach me to see death and not to fear,

But rather to take truce;
3.How often have I seen you at a 6.bier,
And there look fresh and spruce;
You fragrant flowers then 7.teach me that my LITERARY DEVICES
breath like yours may sweeten and perfume 1. SIMILE
my death.
● Stanza 1, line: The persona is wishing
Berry, J. 'A Contemplation Upon Flowers' in A that he could be as brave as the flower.
World of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and This implies that the persona does not
Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson think that he is brave, but a coward in
Education Ltd, 2005. the face of death.

● Stanza 2, line 14: This is another comparison between the persona and the plant. The
persona wishes that he could look death in the face and be cheerful, like the plant. Again,
this emphasizes that he lacks.

2. EUPHEMISM
This phrase is a replacement for the word death. It softens death and makes it appear
welcoming and pleasant.
3. IRONY
It is ironic that the flowers look so fresh and alive when it is facing its very mortality, on the

21
top of a casket. Death is a sad affair, and the flowers are at their best when ushering people
back to the earth.

4. PERSONIFICATION
The persona is speaking directly to flowers and giving them human qualities, therefore, the
whole poem is an example of the use of personification at it's best. He even goes as far as to
ask the flower to teach him things that will make him be like it.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. 'galant'
This word literally means brave or heroic. The word, however, also brings to mind adjectives
such as charming and attentive, like a knight would be in olden days. So the plants are not
simply brave in their acceptance of death, but they are also gracious.

6. 'harmless show'
The word harmless sticks out in this phrase because it implies that the flowers are demure
and quiet in their beauty.

7. 'bier'
This is a movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or cremation, or
on which they are carried to the grave.

8. 'teach me that my breath like yours may sweeten and perfume my death'
This implies that if death is not feared, then the person will go into deaths arms joyfully,
without any sorrow, remorse or bitterness.

TONE
The tone of the poem is admiration, because the persona literally admires the flowers for its
accepting attitude towards death.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood, or atmosphere of the poem is a pensive one. The persona is thinking about death,
how he relates to it versus how others relate to it.

CONTRAST
A contrast in this poem is the persona's fear of death, versus the flowers'acceptance of it.

THEMATIC CATEGORY
● Nature
● Death
A Stone's Throw
By Elma Mitchell

22
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in
the text.
5.We shouted out
'We've got her! Here she is!
It's her all right '.
We caught her.
There she was -
1.A decent-looking woman, you'd have
said,
(6.They often are)
Beautiful, but 7.dead scared,
8.Tousled - we roughed her up
A little, 9.nothing much
And not the first time
By any means
She'd felt men's hands
Greedy over her body -
10.But ours were virtuous,
Of course.
And if our fingers bruised
Her shuddering skin,
These were love-bites, compared
To the 2.hail of kisses of stone,
The last assault
And 11.battery, frigid rape,
3.To come
12.Of right.
For justice must be done
Specially when
It 13.tastes so good.
And then - 14.this guru,
Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what
-
Spoilt the whole thing,
Speaking to her
15.(Should never speak to them)
Squatting on the ground - her level,
Writing in the dust
Something we couldn't read.
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views
of others.
LITERAL MEANING
A crowd, of which the persona forms a part,
has caught a woman. The persona implies
to the reader that the woman is not decent.
She was beautiful, but scared because she
had gotten 'roughed up' a little by the
crowd. The persona states that she has
experienced men's hands on her body
before, but this crowd's hands were
virtuous.
He also makes a proviso that if this crowd
bruises her, it cannot be compared to what
she has experienced before. He also speaks
about a last assault and battery to come. He
justifies this last assault by calling it justice,
and it is justice that feels not only right, but
good. The crowd's 'justice' is placed on hold
by the interruption of a preacher, who stops
to talk to the lady. He squats on the ground
and writes something that the crowd cannot
see. Essentially, the preacher judges them,
thereby allowing the lady to also judge the
crowd, leading to the crowd inevitably
judging itself. The crowd walks away from
the lady, still holding stones [which can be
seen as a metaphor for judgments] that can
be thrown another day.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. SARCASM
The persona is making the point that the
lady was in fact NOT decent looking.
2. PERSONIFICATION
23
 This device is particularly effective because
16.And saw in her the word 'kisses' is used. Kiss implies
Something we couldn't see something pleasant, but it is
At least until actually utilized to emphasize something
painful that has happened to the lady; she
17.He turned his eyes on us, was stoned.
Her eyes on us,
Our eyes upon ourselves. 3. PUN

18.We walked away ● Title: The title of the poem is itself a

Still holding stones pun. A stone's throw is used by
That we may throw many people in the Caribbean to
Another day describe a close distance. eg. "She
Given the urge. lives a stone's throw away". The
other use of the title is to highlight
Mitchel, E. 'A Stone's Throw' in A World of the content of the poem. It is a
Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel figurative stoning, or judging, of a
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education woman.
Ltd, 2005.

● Line 23: There is a play on the word 'come'. The persona is telling us that the crowd is
planning to rape the lady, this act is to come, or occur, in the near future. Come, in this
context, also means to ejaculate, the culmination of the act of sex. The rapists in the
crowd also plan to 'come'.

4. ALLUSION (biblical)
The content of the poem alludes to the story of Mary Magdalene in the Christian Bible. See John
8 v 5-7.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. 'we'
This immediately tells the reader that the persona is in a crowd, which highlights to us that the
mob mentality exists in this context. The crowd acts as one entity.

6. 'they'
The use of this word immediately alienates the lady and places her in the scornful realm of the
'other'.

7. 'dead scared'
The use of the term 'dead' to describe the lady's emotional state of fearfulness implies that she is
extremely frightened, it is beyond regular fear.

8. 'tousled'
This words mean to be handled roughly and, as a result, to look disorderly and disheveled. It is

24
the perfect word to use in this context because it adds to the sexual innuendo that exists
throughout the poem.

9. 'nothing much'
The persona disregards the damage that they have done to the lady. He admits to the rough
treatment, but tries to make himself, and the crowd, look good despite their wrong doing.

10. 'But ours were virtuous, Of course'

This is almost like a tongue in cheek admittance that their touch was actually the opposite of
virtuous. The use of the term 'of course' highlights this interpretation.

11. 'battery'
In the Caribbean context, battery refers to the slang term for the rape of an individual, conducted
by several people in succession. Therefore, the persona is pointing out the intent of the crowd, or
some people in the crowd.

12. 'Of right'

This is a clear indication from the persona that he believes that he and the mob are in the right.

13. 'tastes so good'

'Taste', to a lot of individuals, is one of the higher senses. Therefore, when the persona uses this
word, he is highlighting the intense pleasure that he anticipates from meting out this 'justice'.

14. 'this guru, Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what'

The persona's annoyance at this individual for disrupting his fun comes out in this statement. The
persona is deliberately being disrespectful.

15. '(Should never speak to them)'

This particular line speaks to the alienation that the lady faces. She is grouped scornfully as
'them'.

16. 'And saw in her something we couldn't see'

The intruder saw value in the lady, something that the crowd did not see.

17. 'He turned his eyes on us, Her eyes on us, Her eyes upon ourselves.'
This speaks to the fact that the preacher and the lady judge the crowd, and, more importantly, the
crowd judges itself. The preacher's act of kindness sheds light on the cruelty that is inflicted on
the lady by the crowd.
●
18. 'We walked away Still holding stones'
This implies that the crowd still plans to keep judging, and acting on their judgments, as they
see fit.

TONE
The tone of the poem is mixed. At times it is almost braggadocious, then it becomes
sarcastic, moving to scornful.

25
 THEMATIC CATEGORY
● Religion
● Survival
● Hypocrasy
● Oppression
● Alienation
● Discrimination
Dreaming Black Boy
By James Berry
The physical structure of this poem has This is the OPINION of one individual,
been altered from the original layout in the which might not coincide with the views of
text. others.
1.I wish my teacher's eyes wouldn't LITERAL MEANING
go past me today. Wish he'd know The poem is about a black boy who wishes
it's okay to hug me when I kick that he could have the regular things in life.
a goal.1.Wish I myself wouldn't Things such as a congratulatory hug, to be
hold back when an answer comes. educated to the highest level and to travel
2.I'm no woodchopper now without harassment. The persona yearns to
like all ancestor's. stop fighting for the basic right to be
successful, to rise above societal expectations.
1.I wish I could be educated
to the best of tune up, and earn
good money and 3.not sink to lick
boots.1.I wish I could go on every
crisscross way of the globe
and no persons or powers or
hotel keepers would make it a waste.

1.I wish life wouldn't spend me out

opposing.1.Wish same way creation
would have me stand it would have me stretch,
and hold high, 2.my voice
Paul Robeson's, my 4.inside eye
a sun. Nobody wants to say
hello to nasty answers.
1.I wish 2.torch throwers of night
would burn lights for decent times.
1.Wish 2.plotters in pyjamas would pray
for themselves. Wish people wouldn't
talk as if I dropped from Mars
LITERARY DEVICES
1. REPETITION:
The constant repetition of the phrase 'I wish'
points to a yearning, a 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.

26
1.I wish only boys were scared
behind bravados, for I could suffer.
I could suffer a big big lot.
1.I wish nobody would want to earn
the terrible burden I can suffer.
King, H. 'Dreaming Black Boy' in A World of
Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmond-McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd,
2005.
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
crosses and the pyjamas alludes 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, as well as contributing to his wishes remaining a dream.

IMPORTANT WORDS / PHRASE

3.'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.
●
4. '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.

THEMATIC CATEGORY:
● Survival
● Oppression
● Desire/dreams
● Racism

Forgive My Guilt
By Robert P. Tristram Coffin

27
The physical structure of this poem has This is the OPINION of one individual,
been altered from the original layout in the which might not coincide with the views of
text. others.
Not always sure what things called sins may LITERAL MEANING
be, I am sure of one sin I have done. An adult is reminiscing about a traumatic
It was years ago, and I was a boy, childhood experience. The persona went
I lay in the 1.frost flowers with a gun, hunting and shot two birds, plovers. He suffers
2.the air ran blue as the flowers; I held my extreme guilt about this action in adulthood.
breath, 2.two birds on golden legs slim as The poem describes the event, the actions of
dream things 2.ran like quick silver on the the bird, how he reacts, and, by the last line,
1.golden sand, my gun went off, they ran with asks the birds to forgive his guilt.
broken wings into the sea, I ran to fetch them
in, but they swam with their heads high out to
sea, They cried like two sorrowful high flutes,
With 1.jagged ivory bones where wings should
be. For days I heard them when I walked that
headland, crying out to their kind 4.in the
blue, The other plovers were going over south
on silver wings leaving these broken two. The
cries went out one day; but I still hear them
over all the sounds of sorrow 5.in war or
peace I ever have heard, time cannot 6.drown
them, 1.Those slender flutes of sorrow never
cease, 3.Two airy things forever denied the LITERARY DEVICES
air! I never knew how their lives at last were 1.METAPHOR
split, but I have hoped for years all that is
wild, ● Line 4: The nature of frost is that it
Airy, and beautiful will forgive my guilt. covers everything in its path, therefore,
when the flowers are compared to
Coffin, R.P.T. 'Forgive My Guilt' in A World frost, it implies that there were a lot of
of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel flowers, enough to hide the boy from
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, the birds.
2005.

● Line 8: The sand is being compared to gold, the colour. It is emphasizing how beautiful
the setting was.
● Line 12: This metaphor emphasizes the injuries that the birds sustained. The bones are
compared to jagged ivory, which is a direct contrast to the smooth feathers that existed
before the injury.
● Lines 20-21: The birds are compared to a flute, an instrument that plays beautiful music.
This emphasizes the sadness that is related to their death.

2. SIMILE

28
 ● Line 5: The air and the flowers are being compared, both are blue.

● Lines 6-7: This simile offers a beautiful visual image of the birds. Dreams are beautiful,
and the birds are compared to this.
● Line 7: The speed of the birds is being highlighted, while also maintaining that beautiful
visual imagery.

3. PUN
The pun is between the words 'airy' and 'air'. 'Airy' means light and beautiful, while 'air' refers to
the sky and flying. The poet is lamenting that these light and beautiful things can no longer fly
and feel the pleasure of air rushing past them.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4. 'the blue'
This literally translates to the sky. The birds were crying out to the other birds that were flying
away.

5. 'in war or peace'

This phrase highlights the fact that the persona feels extremely guilty about killing the birds, so
much so that he thinks about it all the time. Their cries went out for literally one day, but he
thinks about the birds all the time.

6. 'drown'
It is important that the poet chooses to use the word drown, because it means death. He cannot
get rid of the sounds of sorrow that the birds made while they were dying.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is nostalgia and guilt.

TONE
The tone of the poem is sad. The poet's response to his guilt is sadness.

THEMATIC CATEGORY
● Childhood experiences
● Nature
● Guilt
● Loss of innocence
● Desire/dreams
● Death

It is the Constant Image of your Face

By Dennis Brutus

29
 The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in
the text.
It is the 3.constant image of your face
framed in my hands as you knelt before my
chair
the 4.grave attention of 1.your eyes
surveying me amid my 5.world of knives
that stays with me, 1.perennially accuses
and convicts me of 2.heart's-treachery:
and neither you nor I can plead excuses
for you, you know, can claim no loyalty -
my land takes precedence of all my loves.
Yet I beg mitigation, pleading guilty
for you, my dear, accomplice of my heart
made, without words, 6.such blackmail with
your beauty
and proffered me such dear protectiveness
that I confess without remorse or shame
my still-fresh treason to1.my country
and hope that she, my other, dearest love
will pardon freely, not attaching blame
being your mistress (or your match) in
tenderness.
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views
of others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona reflects on the image of
some-one he cares for. This love interest
accused him, with their eyes, of breaking
their heart. The persona admits that both of
them (he and the love interest) can make no
excuses for his behaviour because the love
interest does not take precedence over his
land, or country. Despite this fact, the
persona begs for mercy, pleading guilty for
being seduced by his love interest's beauty.
This person protects him dearly and he
admits that, as a result of this, he has
committed treason against his country. He
hopes that his country, his other dearest
love, will pardon him because he loves both
his country and his love interest.

Brutus, D. 'It is the Constant Image of your

Face' in A World of Prose. Edited by Mark
McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald.
Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. PERSONIFICATION

● Lines 4, 6-7: The love interest's eyes constantly accuses and convicts 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

30
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 the two.

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
● Guilt
● Patriotism
● Places
● Desires/ dreams
● Love

Le Loupgarou
By Derek Walcott
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in This is the OPINION of one individual,
the text. which might not coincide with the views
of others.
A 5.curious 1.tale that threaded through

31
town LITERAL MEANING
Through greying women sewing under This poem tells the tale of old LeBrun, a
eaves, man that was rumoured by the townspeople
Was how his greed had brought old Le Brun to be a loupgarou. Old women would relax
down, 1.greeted by slowly shutting jalouses under eaves and gossip about Le Brun,
When he approached them in 6.white while literally shutting him out of their lives
linen-linen suit, with their closing windows. The prevailing
Pink glasses, cork hat and 2.tap-tapping gossip, in this poem, is that he transformed
cane, into a hound one night, but was dealt a
3.A dying man licensed to sell sick fruit, wound by his own watchman. He then
Ruined by fiends with whom he'd made a lugged his entrails back to his doorstep,
bargain. almost dead.
It seems one night, these 4.Christian
witches said,
He changed himself into an 7.Alsatian
hound,
A slathering lycenthrope, hot on a scent,
1.But his own watchman dealt the thing a
wound
Which howled and lugged its entrails,
trailing wet
With blood back to its doorstep, almost
dead.

Walcott, D. 'Le Loupgarou' in A World of

Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education
Ltd, 2005.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. ALLITERATION

● Lines 1-3: This alliteration gives the reader a visual imagery of the manner in which the
gossip about Le Brun spread. A thread is thin and fine and can weave itself in any
crevice, sometimes in a very non-linear and sinuous manner. This describes the way in
which the gossip spread. It managed to touch the whole village in an almost insiduous,
and complete, manner.
● Line 5: This literary device speaks to the results of the gossip. Le Brun is alienated from
the people of the town. Their fascination with him, however, is evident by the fact that
they slowly shut their jalouses/windows. The lack of speed implies that they are watching
him, while also alienating him.
● Lines 17-21: This alliteration highlights the severity of the loupgarou's injuries. You can
almost see and hear the wetness of the blood, as well as see the entrails trailing wet
through the use of this device.

32
2. ONOMATOPOEIA
The tap-tapping cane is a part of Le Brun's physical description. He appears to stand out, in terms
of his physical appearance, down to the use of his cane.

3. PARADOX
This statement appears nonsensical at first, but actually makes sense in the long run. The
loupgarou is, in fact, a man who is leading a half life as man and beast, so he is not really 'living'.
The fact that he can pass on the 'gift' of becoming a werewolf clarifies the fact that Le Brun is
actually 'licensed to sell sick fruit', or pass on his sick 'gift'.

4. OXYMORON
The words 'Christian' and 'witches', placed together, emphasizes the dual nature of the women in
the village. They are good Christian women who mean no harm, but their fear of the 'difference'
that they sense in Le Brun (contributed by his mode of dress), leads them to react in an
unchristian manner, like witches, in dealing with him.

* IRONY
It is ironic that Le Brun's own watchman dealt him a lethal blow.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5.curious
This word emphasizes the strangeness of the story that is circulated about Le Brun.

6.white linen-linen suit, pink glasses, cork hat (and cane)

This outfit would let anyone be seen in a crowd, or other wise. It emphasizes Le Brun's
difference , hence, one of the reasons that he would be the focus of gossip.

7.Alsatian hound, a slathering lycenthrope

This description of Le Brun displays the distaste that is felt towards him in his animal form.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective.

TONE
The tone of the poem is calm and reflective. The persona is simply recounting a piece of gossip.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
Supernatural

33
 O'l Higue
By Mark McWatt
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in
the text.
You think I like this 5.stupidness! -
6.gallivanting all night without skin,
1.burning myself out like cane-fire
2.to frighten the foolish?
2.And for what? A few drops of baby
blood?
2.You think I wouldn't rather
take my blood seasoned in fat
black-pudding, like everyone else?
And don't even talk 'bout the pain of salt
and having to bend these old bones down
to count a thousand grains of rice!
If only babies didn't smell so nice!
And if I could only stop
hearing 3.the soft, soft call
of that 7.pure blood running in new veins,
4.singing the sweet song of life
tempting an old, dry-up woman who been
8.holding her final note for years and years,
afraid of the dying hum ...
Then again, if I didn't fly and come
to that 9.fresh pulse in the middle of the
night, 2.how would you, mother,
name your ancient dread?
2.And who to blame
for the murder inside your head ...?
Believe me -
As long as it have women giving birth
a poor ol' higue like me can never dead.
McWatt, M. 'Ol' Higue' in A World of
Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education
Ltd, 2005.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views
of others.
LITERAL MEANING
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, comes true. She implies that she
will never die, so long as women keep
having babies.
34
 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 fat 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 some one '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.

35
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

Once Upon A Time

By Gabriel Okara
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in the
text.

3.Once upon a time, son,

they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes;
but now 4.they only laugh with their teeth,
while 1.their ice-block eyes
5.search behind my shadow.
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views of
others.

There was a time indeed LITERAL MEANING

they used to 6.shake hands with their hearts; A father is talking to his son and telling him
but that's gone, son. how things used to be. The father tells his son
Now they shake hands without hearts that people used to be sincere, but are now
while their left 7.hands search superficial and seek only to take from people.
my empty pockets. The persona tells his son that he has learnt to
be just like these people, but he does not want
'Feel at home'! 'Come again' ; to be. He wants to be as sincere as his son.
they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice
there will be no thrice -
for then I find doors shut on me.

So I have learnt many things, son.

36
2.I have learnt to wear many faces
like dresses - homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface
cocktail face, with all their 2.conforming
smiles like a fixed portrait smile.
And I have learned, too.
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart
I have also learnt to say, 'Goodbye',
when I mean 'Good-riddance' ;
to say 'Glad to meet you',
without being glad; and to say 'It's been
nice talking to you', after being bored.
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
8.unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for 2.my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!
So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
3.once upon a time when I was like you.
Okara, G. 'Once Upon A Time' in A World of
Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd,
2005.
● Stanza 6, lines 38-40 compares the persona's laugh to a snakes. When you think of a
snake, words such as sneaky and deceitful come to mind. Therefore, the implication is
that the persona is fake, just like the people he despises.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. METAPHOR
The 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.
2. SIMILE
● Stanza 4, lines 20-21 emphasizes how
constantly changing the persona's face
is. If you think of how often a woman
changes her dress, then that is how
often the persona adjusts his
personality to suit the people around
him. The list of faces that follow this
line emphasizes this point.
● Stanza 4, lines 23-24 compares peoples
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 into, a
preconceived mold that is set up by
societal expectations.
37
3. REPETITION
This phrase is repeated at the beginning and the end of the poem. This usually signals the
beginning of a fairy tale. Therefore, it is implied that the persona is nostalgic about the past.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4.'they only laugh with their teeth'
This emphasizes the insincerity of the people around the persona. To laugh with your teeth
means that only the bottom half of your face is engaged, the laugh does not reach the eyes.

5. 'shake hands with their heart'

To shake hands with your heart implies a strong handshake that is sincere, this is the opposite of
what now occurs between people.

6. 'search behind my shadow'

This implies that the person cannot look the persona in the eye, they are looking everywhere but
there. Looking someone in the eye during a conversation implies that one is sincerely interested
in what you have to say. Not being able to do so implies shiftiness.

7. 'hands search my empty pockets'

People are only 'seemingly' nice to get something from you. So, they smile with you, but it is not
sincere, they are seeking to get something from you.

8. 'unlearn all these muting things'

The word mute means silence, think of what happens when you press the mute button on
the TV remote. Therefore, there is an implication that the insincere actions that the
persona describes are muting, they block, or silence, good intentions. Hence, the persona
wants to unlearn these habits.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is nostalgic. The persona is remembering how things used to be
when he was young and innocent, like his son.

TONE
The tone of the poem is sad. The poet's response to his nostalgia is sadness.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
● Childhood experiences
● Hypocrasy
● Loss of innocence
● Desire/dreams
● Death

* It is IRONIC that the persona is behaving in the exact way that he despises, however, and
there is an implication that things cannot go back to what he remembers, due to the influence
of societal expectations.

38
 Orchids
By Hazel Simmons-Mcdonald
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in the
text.
I leave this house
3.box pieces of the five week life I've
gathered.
I'll send them on
to fill spaces in my future life.
One thing is left
a spray of orchid someone gave
4.from bouquet one who
makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.
The orchids have no fragrance
but purple petals draw you
to look at the 2.purple heart.
I watered them once
when 1.the blossoms were full blown
like polished poems.
I was sure they'd wilt
and I would toss them out with the five week
litter.
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views of
others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona is moving from a house that she
has lived in for five weeks. She has sent her
belongings to her future home, but one item
remains in her old space, an orchid. The
persona clarifies that she was gifted the orchid,
but implies that it holds no value because the
gifting of orchids is habitual for the person
who gave her. She describes the flower as
odourless, but attractive to see. She watered
the orchid once, expecting it to die, but it
survived. It not only survived, but bloomed.
The persona contemplates plucking the bloom
and pressing it between the pages of a book.
The purpose of this is to allow her to
appreciate the flower.

They were stubborn.

I starved them.
They would not die.

This morning the bud at the stalk's tip

5.unfurled.

I think I'll pluck the 6.full-blown blooms

press them between 7.pages of memory.

Perhaps in their thin dried transparency

LITERARY DEVICES
I'll discover their 8.peculiar poetry. 1. SIMILE
The orchid's full blown blossoms are being

39
Simmonds-McDonald, H. 'Orchids' in A World compared to a polished poem. The word
of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel polished in this comparison implies perfection,
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, shiny and pleasant to read.
2005.

2. PUN
The purple heart literally refers to the splash of color in the center of the orchid's bloom, but it
could also refer to the bravery of the flower. This is so because a purple heart, in the army, is a
medal that a soldier receives for bravery on the battle field.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

3. 'box pieces'
This phrase implies that the persona's life is literally in boxes, all her belongings are stored and
ready to be moved.

4. 'from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.'

This phrase implies that the persona places no value in the orchid because it's giver gifted it
without any sentiment attached.

5. 'unfurled'
This word literally means to open. Therefore, despite the persona's attempts at killing the orchid,
through starvation, it not only survived, but flourished.

6. 'full-blown blooms'
These full-blown blooms represent the flower at its peak, where it is most full of life, as well as
where it is most usually appreciated.

7. 'pages of memory'
This refers to the practice of placing a flower between the pages of a book, thereby drying, or
killing the flower. The purpose of this act is to keep the flower for nostalgic reasons.

8. 'peculiar poetry'
This phrase highlights the persona's desire to discover the value in the flower. It is very
IRONIC, however, that she would choose to kill it in order to achieve this goal. Usually
people place value in a living flower that can give pleasure through its beauty.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is pensive, or thoughtful. The persona is thinking about the lack of
value that she places in the orchid.

TONE
The tone of the poem is one of almost bored musing.

THEMATIC CATEGORY
● Nature
● Survival

40
 ● Desire/ dreams
● Death

Sonnet Composed Upon A Westminster Bridge, September

3, 1802
By William Wordsworth
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in the This is the OPINION of one individual,
text. which might not coincide with the views of
others.
Earth has not anything to show more 4.fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by LITERAL MEANING
A sight so touching in its 5.majesty: The persona in this poem is reflecting on the
1.This City now doth, like a garment, wear perfection of the city. He believes that there is
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, nothing on Earth so beautiful as the city in the
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples Lie morning. Only a dull person would not
open upon the fields, and to the sky; appreciate such a majestic sight. He is awed by
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. the calm of the city.
2.Never did sun more beautifully 6.steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
3.The river glideth at his own steep will:
Dear God! 4.the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Wordsworth, W. 'Sonnet Composed Upon A

Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802' in A
World of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and
Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson
Education Ltd, 2005.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE
The persona compares the manner in which the beauty of the morning settles over the city, to that
of a garment on a body. This emphasizes the perfection of the beauty of the morning, just as a
garment flows smoothly over a body.

2. PERSONIFICATION

● Lines 9-10: The sun is referred to as a male who rises sharply and beautifully. This
emphasizes the beauty of the city in the morning. The use of this personification also
helps the reader to personalize this beauty.

41
 ● Line 12: Like the sun, the river is personalized as well. This allows the reader to see the
river as real, instead of a thing. It comes alive and we can visualize it's movement,
gliding, as beautiful.
● Line 13: When some-one is asleep, they are peaceful. Therefore, when the persona
describes the houses as sleeping, he is emphasizing the peace that exists in the city in the
morning. The inhabitants of the houses are asleep, therefore the houses are quiet and
peaceful.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4. 'fair'
The word fair, in this context, literally means beautiful. The persona is setting the stage for the
reader, introducing the fact that the city is beautiful.

5. 'majesty'
This word implies that the city is regal in it's splendour. Therefore, it is beyond beautiful and has
become stately.
●
6. 'steep'
This word describes the way in which the sun ascends into the sky, it is stressed that it does
so in beautiful manner.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is pensive, or thoughtful. The persona is expressing his thoughts, and
reaction to, the city in the morning.

TONE
The tone of the poem is one of awe.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
● Places
● Nature

Test Match Sabina Park

By Stewart Brown
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in This is the OPINION of one individual,
the text. which might not coincide with the views
of others.
Proudly wearing the 4.rosette of my skin
I 5.strut into Sabina
3.England boycotting excitement bravely, LITERAL MEANING
6.something badly amiss. The persona, a white man, proudly enters

42

Cricket. Not the game they play at Lords,
the crowd - 1.whoever saw a crowd
at a cricket match? - are caged
7.vociferous partisans, quick to take
offence.
8.England sixty eight for none at lunch.
1.'What sort o battin dat man?
dem kaaan play cricket again,
praps dem should-a-borrow 2.Lawrence
Rowe!'
And on it goes, 9.the wicket slow
as the batting and the crowd restless.
1.'Eh white bwoy, how you brudders dem
does sen we sleep so? Me a pay monies
fe watch dis foolishness? Cho!
So I try to explain in my Hampshire drawl
about conditions in Kent,
about 10.sticky wickets and muggy days
and the monsoon season in Manchester
but fail to convince even myself.
The crowd's 11.loud 'busin drives me out
12.skulking behind a tarnished rosette
somewhat frayed now but unable, quite,
to conceal a 13.blushing nationality.
Brown, S. 'Test Match Sabina Park' in A
World of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt
and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson
Education Ltd, 2005.
● Stanza 3, line 10: This question represents the general frustration of the West Indians in
the crowd. They are annoyed that the cricket match is progressing so slowly, hence their
annoyance.
● Stanza 4, lines 16-18: These questions imply that the West Indian crowd's level of
frustration has escalated.
2. ALLUSION
Sabina Park to watch a cricket match
between England and the West Indies. The
persona notices that the game is slow and
that the crowd is not reacting well. He is, in
fact, initially shocked that there is a crowd
at all because this is usually not the case at
Lords. By lunch, England is sixty eight for
none, and the crowd gets abusive. They
even state that maybe they should borrow
Lawrence Rowe. The persona tries to
explain the reason behind the slow pace of
the British side, but fails to convince even
himself. His embarrassment at England's
performance has him skulking out of the
venue.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. RHETORICAL QUESTION
● Stanza 2, lines 6-7: This question
reveals that, despite the fact that
cricket is a popular sport in England,
the venues for the matches are not
crowded. This question could also
point to the fact that Sabina Park
was very crowded.
43
The allusion to Lawrence Rowe, a very colourful and successful West Indian cricketer,
emphasizes the fact that the match is slow and boring.

3. SARCASM
To 'boycott' is to abstain, or to stop, from doing something. Therefore, the persona is being
sarcastic because excitement is a good thing, people usually boycott for something negative.
Therefore, the persona is, again, highlighting the slow and boring pace of the cricket match.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4.'rosette of my skin'
Rosette implies a reddish colour, or tint, to the skin, that sometimes resembles a rose. This
description immediately identifies the race of the persona as white. The persona is proud of his
race, as he enters Sabina Park.

5.'strut
'This word means to walk proudly. It emphasizes the fact that the persona is proudly walking into
Sabina Park.

6.'something badly amiss'

The persona is jolted by the fact that the match is going slowly. The word 'amiss' implies wrong,
the game should not be going so slowly.

7.'vociferous partisans'
Vociferous means to be very noisy and clamorous and patisan is a person who shows biased,
emotional allegiance. Therefore, the West Indian crowd was extremely noisy in their support of
their team. They were also very unappreciative of the slow pace of the match.

8.'England sixty eight for none at lunch'

While this is a good score, it never-the-less highlights the slowness of the match, hence the fact
that the experience, for the crowd, was far from exciting.

9.'the wicket slow'

The purpose of the wicket is to 'out' the opposing side. Therefore, no 'outing' is occurring, the
wickets are standing. Everything about the match is going slowly.

10.'sticky wickets'
This implies a sticky, or awkward situation. It highlights England's situation.

11.'loud 'busin'
The English team was being loudly abused.

12.'skulking behind a tarnished rosette'

Skulking implies hiding in shame, and tarnished means tainted. Therefore, the proud Englishman
is now embarrassed, and the rosette of his skin is making him stand out. Initially this was a very
good thing, but now it is a disadvantage.

44
 ●
13.'blushing nationality'.
At this point, the Englishman admits to being embarrassed for his team, as well as himself.

*There is a distinct CONTRAST between the beginning of the poem when the persona is
proud, and 'struts'. However, by the end of the poem, he is embarrassed and 'skulking'

VOICES
There are two distinct voices in this poem. The English man and the West Indian.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is tense.

TONE
The tone of the poem is one of frustration

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
● Places
● culture and sports
● Discrimination

The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her

Son
By Lorna Goodison
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in
the text.
Her son was first known to her
as a sense of unease, 5.a need to cry
for little reasons and a metallic tide
rising in her mouth each morning.
Such signs made her know
that she was not alone in her body.
She carried him 6.full term
7.tight up under her heart.
1.She carried him like the poor
carry hope, hope you get a break
or a visa, hope one child go through
and remember you. He had no father.
The man she made him with had more
like him, 2.he was fair-minded
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views
of others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona in this poem is telling the story
of a mother who loved her son. The mother
became aware of the child's presence when
she experienced morning sickness. She
placed all her hopes in the child and raised
him as a single parent because his father
was indifferent to the child's existence. The
mother had set no barriers on what the child
could become, but is told that he has an
employer who values him so much that he
is given his own submarine gun. The son
tells his mother that his employer is like a
father to him, but the mother wonders at

45
 he treated all his children
with equal and unbiased indifference.
She raised him twice, once as mother
then as father, 8.set no ceiling
on what he could be doctor
earth healer, pilot take wings.
But now he tells her is working
for you, 3.that you value him so much
you give him one whole submachine gun
for him alone.
the father figure who purposefully
endangers his child. She prepares for her
son's death by going downtown to buy
funeral apparel. The mother feels
powerless, so she prays for her child and
says protective psalms for him. On the other
hand, she reads psalms of retribution for the
employer and weeps for her son. Her
situation does not look good and is likened
to a partner system in which she draws both
the first and the last hand.

He says 1.you are like a father to him

she is wondering what kind of father
would 4.give a son hot and exploding
death, when he asks him for bread.
She went downtown and bought three
and one-third yard of black cloth
and a deep crowned and veiled hat
for the day he draw 9.his bloody salary.

She has no power over you and this

at 10.the level of earth, what she has
are prayers and a mother's tears
and at 11.knee city she uses them.
4.She says psalms for him
she reads psalms for you
she weeps for his soul
her 12.eyewater covers you.
She is throwing a 13.partner
with 4.Judas Iscariot's mother
the thief on the left hand side
of the cross, his mother is the 14.banker,
15.her draw though
is first and last for she still throwing two
hands as mother and father.
She is prepared, she is done.4.Absalom.
Goodison, L. 'The Woman Speaks to the
Man Who Has Employed Her Son' in A
World of Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt
and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson
Education Ltd, 2005
LITERARY DEVICES
1. SIMILE
● Lines 1-2: The persona emphasizes
that the mother placed all her hopes
in her son. When you are poor,
generally, you have no prospects,
you only dream and hope.
Therefore, the persona uses this
metaphor to drive home the mother's
dependence on her son's success.
● Line 17: The employer is being
compared to a father figure. This
implies that this person fills a gap in
the son's life.

2. SARCASM

46
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.

3. IRONY (situational)
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.

4. ALLUSION (biblical)

● Lines 28-29: This line alludes to a particular verse in the Christian Bible, Luke 11 vs 11.
The verse questions what the actions of a good father should be.

● Lines 38-39: 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 43-45: In the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Therefore, it does not
bode well for the mother if she is in a 'partnership' with this person because she might
also be betrayed. The banker in the 'partnership' also happens to be the thief on the left
hand side of the cross' mother. This also does not bode well for the mother if the apple
does not fall far from the tree.

● 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.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. 'a need to cry for little reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning.'
These two symptoms are early signs of pregnancy. The metallic tide refers to vomiting. These
signs usually occur in the first trimester of pregnancy.

6. 'full term'
This means that the mother carried her son for the full nine months that a pregnancy should last.

7. 'tight up under her heart'

This hints at the love that the mother harbours for her child. He was not simply 'close to heart',
but 'tight up' under it. It implies that the son holds a special place in her heart.

8. 'set no ceiling'
A ceiling is something that blocks you in, you cannot get past it. The mother set no limits on her
son, he could be anything he wanted to be.

47
9. 'his bloody salary'
This implies that the mother believes that the result of the son's 'job' will be death.

10. 'the level of earth'

The mother has no power to change her son's situation. Earth is used to emphasize her
powerlessness on this level, the realm of 'reality'.

11. 'knee city'

This refers to the fact that the mother constantly prayed for her child.

12. 'eye water covers you'

This implies that the mother cried constantly for the plight of her son. The fact that it 'covers her'
speaks to the high quantity of tears that were shed.

13. 'partner'
This 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
'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.

14. 'banker'
The banker, or financial controller, of this partnership is the mother of a thief. This does not bode
well for the mother if the thief on the cross learnt it from his mother.
●
15. 'her draw though is first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and
father'.
This statement implies that though 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.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about a mother's response to
her son's life choices.

TONE
The tone of the poem is pragmatic and pessimistic. The persona is telling the tale as it is,
with no positive energy.

48
 THEMATIC CATEGORY
● Love
● Survival
● desires/ dreams
● childhood experiences
● Death
West Indies, U.S.A
By Stewart Brown
The physical structure of this poem has
been altered from the original layout in the
text.
Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the
endless green 1.the island seems like dice
tossed on a casino's baize, some come up
lucky, others not. Puerto Rico takes the pot,
2.the Dallas of the West Indies, 2.silver linings
on the clouds as we descend are hall-marked,
1.San Juan glitters like a maverick's gold ring.
All across the Caribbean
we'd collected terminals - 1.airports are like
calling cards, cultural fingerprints; the hand
written signs at Port-au-Prince, Piarco's sleazy
tourist art, the lethargic contempt of the
baggage boys at 'Vere Bird' in St. Johns ....
And now for 4.plush San Juan.
But the pilot's bland
you're safe in my hands drawl crackles as we
land, 'US regulations demand all passengers
not disembarking at San Juan stay on the
plane, I repeat, stay on the plane.' 3.Subtle
Uncle Sam, afraid too many 5.desperate blacks
might re-enslave this Island of the free, might
jump the barbed
electric fence around
6.'America's back yard' and claim that vaunted
sanctuary ..... 3. 'give me your poor .....'
This is the OPINION of one individual,
which might not coincide with the views of
others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona is travelling in a plane, looking
down at San Juan, Puerto Rico as the plane
descends. He is saying that this island is the
wealthiest in the Caribbean because it has won
the jackpot, it has come up lucky. He then
points out that he, and others, had travelled to
many Caribbean islands and received a hint of
the flavour of each island through it's calling
card, - its airport - all of which fail when
compared to plush San Juan. As they land,
they are instructed to stay on the plane if their
destination is not San Juan. The persona takes
offence and states that America does not want
blacks in San Juan, implying that they might
be a disruptive force. He notes the efficiency
with which things flow, enabling them to take
to the skies once more. During the ascent, the
persona notes the contrast between the
influences of the Caribbean and America. He
likens San-Juan to a broken TV, it Iooks good
on the outside, but broken on the inside.
49
Through toughened, tinted glass 7.the
contrasts tantalise; US patrol cars glide across
the shimmering tarmac, containered baggage
trucks unload with 8.fierce efficiency. So soon
we're climbing,
low above the pulsing
city streets; galvanized shanties overseen by
condominiums polished Cadillacs shimmying
with pushcarts and as we climb, San-Juan's
9.fools-glitter calls to mind the shattered
innards of a TV set that's fallen off the back of
a lorry, all painted valves and circuits 1.the
road like twisted wires, LITERARY DEVICES
the bright cars, 1. SIMILE
micro-chips. 10.It's sharp and jagged and
dangerous, and belonged to some-one else. ● Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to
dice that is tossed on a casino's baize, it
Brown, S. 'West Indies, U.S.A' in A World of can either come up with winning
Prose. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel numbers, or losing numbers. Puerto
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, Rico comes up with winning numbers
2005. 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 status economically. 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.

50
 ● Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well known cliche; '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 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.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4. 'plush'
This word implies soft, like a teddy bear. It also implies luxury. So San Juan is all of these things.

5.'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.

6.'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.

7.'the contrasts tantalise'

When something, or someone, is tantalising, it implies that it is intriguing. The persona, by using
this phrase, is trying to draw the readers attention to to the jarring contrasts by stating that he
finds them intriguing.

8.'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.

51
 ●
9.'fools-glitter'
This implies that the flashiness of San Juan was not authentic.10.'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.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
● Oppression
● Places
● Culture
● Discrimination

A Lesson for this Sunday

By Derek Walcott

The growing idleness of summer grass

With its frail kites of furious butterflies
Requests the lemonade of simple praise
In scansion gentler than my hammock swings
And rituals no more upsetting than a
Black maid shaking linen as she sings
The plain notes of some Protestant hosanna—
Since I lie idling from the thought in things—

Or so they should, until I hear the cries

Of two small children hunting yellow wings,
Who break my Sabbath with the thought of sin.
Brother and sister, with a common pin,
Frowning like serious lepidopterists.
The little surgeon pierces the thin eyes.
Crouched on plump haunches, as a mantis prays
She shrieks to eviscerate its abdomen.
The lesson is the same. The maid removes
Both prodigies from their interest in science.

52
The girl, in lemon frock, begins to scream
As the maimed, teetering thing attempts its flight.
She is herself a thing of summery light,
Frail as a flower in this blue August air,
Not marked for some late grief that cannot speak.

The mind swings inward on itself in fear

Swayed towards nausea from each normal sign.
Heredity of cruelty everywhere,
And everywhere the frocks of summer torn,
The long look back to see where choice is born,
As summer grass sways to the scythe’s design.

Derek Walcott’s “A Lesson for this Sunday” is a steady buildup from a masculine
persona lazily remarking a summer’s day; however it quickly turns to a source of
annoyance as the cries of children shatter the reflective mirror of paradise leaving him
introspective and critical of their actions as they destroy a part of nature. The poem in
itself is melodic, not with a particular rhyme scheme however but with the way Walcott
wove his words. The poem elicits a theme of deep introspection, contemplation, death
and philosophy of human nature.
“A Lesson for this Sunday”, aside from being the title is a window of opportunity to view
the poem at face, but a second read foreshadows the end conclusion. The first stanza
follows in painting a picture of a lazy and beautiful summer day, specifically a Sunday
that the persona is enjoying “In scansion gentler than my hammock swings”. He uses
derivatives of the word idle in the first and last lines of the stanza “The growing idleness
of summer grass”, “Since I lie idling from the thought in things,” along with the lack of
punctuation emphasizes just how easy going and relaxed it is. However, the tone shifts
immediately as the reader encounters the second stanza, “Until I hear the cries Of two
small children hunting yellow wings.” The persona is disturbed, shaken, pulled from his
meditative mood by the sounds of these children chasing a butterfly. He states “Who
break my Sabbath with the thought of sin.” They have ruined his day of rest, and
simultaneously made a link to his ever present themes of spirituality; the story is
building to something, the senses that initially plucked at guitar strings begin to strum as
he moves to the third stanza. “As a mantis prays She shrieks to eviscerate its
abdomen.” A simile, a reference, the imagery; the picture painted, the pun as these
simple words hint to a gentle action but is innocently compared with “pray” and its
homophone sibling “prey”,

Techniques

Simile – ‘Frail as a flower’ is an example of simile in which the girl is compared to a

flower, shower her delicacy.

53
Metaphor – ‘Little surgeon’ is an example of metaphor where the sister is being
compared to a surgeon as she ‘shrieks to eviscerate its abdomen’.

Personification – ‘the mind swings’

Pun – ‘mantis prays’ is a pun on the word ‘preys’ to suggest that humans tend to seek
and destroy the natural environment.

Onomatopoeia – Examples include: ‘cries’, ‘shrieks’ and ‘scream’.

Irony – The Sabbath or Sunday lesson is not being learnt at church but simply from
observing the behaviour of two children. The lesson being learnt is not one that one
would expect on a Sunday.

Contrast – The frail daintiness of the girl contrasts with the brutality of her actions
toward the insect.

Themes

● Contemplation
● The natural environment
● Human cruelty

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Summary
The teacher tells the speaker to go home and write a page tonight; this page should come from
himself and be true. The speaker wonders if it is that simple. He begins by writing that he is
twenty-two, "colored," and born and schooled in Winston-Salem, Durham, and at college in
Harlem. He writes that he is the only "colored" student in his class. He walks down a hill into
Harlem, crossing streets before arriving at the Harlem branch of the Y. He takes the elevator up
to his room, which is where he is writing this page.
The speaker writes that at his young age, it is hard to know what is true for "you or me." He
believes that the truth is what he hears, feels and sees in Harlem – "hear you, hear me – we two –
you, me, talk on this page." He hears New York. He likes to eat, drink, sleep, be in love, work,
read, learn, and "understand life." He likes receiving pipes and records (Bessie Smith, Bach or
bop) as Christmas presents. Just because he is "colored" does not mean he does not like the same
things that people of other races like. He wonders if his page will be "colored" because it is his
and he is not white.
The speaker writes that his page will be a part of his white instructor and a part of himself, since
he is a part of the instructor – "That's American." Sometimes the instructor does not want to be a

54
part of the speaker and sometimes he does not want to be a part of the instructor, but they are a
part of one another, and that is the truth. They learn from each other, even though the instructor is
older, white, and "somewhat more free."
He concludes, "This is my page for English B."

55
The instructor said,

Go home and write

a page tonight.

And let that page come out of you--

Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple?

I am twenty-two, colored, born in

Winston-Salem.

I went to school there, then Durham, then

here

to this college on the hill above Harlem.

I am the only colored student in my class.

The steps from the hill lead down into

Harlem,

through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,

Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the

Y,

the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the

elevator

up to my room, sit down, and write this

page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you

56
or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me--we two--you, me, talk
on this page.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a
part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,

(I hear New York, too.) Me--who? I guess you learn from me--

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in
love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand
life.
although you're older--and white--
and somewhat more free.
This is my page for English B.

I like a pipe for a Christmas present,

or records--Bessie, bop, or Bach.

I guess being colored doesn't make me not

like

the same things other folks like who are

other races.

So will my page be colored that I write?

Being me, it will not be white.

But it will be

a part of you, instructor.

You are white--

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That's American.

57
Techniques
Alliteration – ‘Bessie, bop, or Bach’ demonstrates that his taste ranges across the different genres of
music

Rhyme- The use of end rhyme emphasizes that the tone of the poem is not embittered, enraged, grim or
revengeful. Instead, it is somewhat good-humoured, yet confident.

Nor do I often want to be a part of you.

But we are, that’s true.

Rhetorical Question – ‘I wonder if it’s that simple?’ / ‘So will my page be colored that I write?’

Themes

● Race relations
● Identity
● Difficulties of writing
● Contemplation

This is the Dark Time, my Love

By Martin Carter

"This is the Dark Time My Love" is poem that deals with cruelty and the pain and suffering of
war. It speaks about the struggles of Guyana during British colonization in 1953. The British
colonial government has suspended the constitution, and so the soldiers are policing the country.
The British sent their soldiers into British Guiana to crush their uprising. The poet is
personifying his country as his 'love'. Images of nature are mixed with those of war/oppression.
PERSONIFICATION
'Red flowers bend their heads.....' this is to show that flowers/nature is feeling the pain.
'dark metals' represents the guns.
'hidden sun in the sky' symbolizes the hidden hope of the people.
OXYMORONS- 'carnival of misery' and ' festival of guns'

58
REPITITION- 'this is the dark time my love' is seen in the title stanza one and stanza two. It is
repeated so as to emphasize the oppresion (dark time) of his country (my love).
STANZAS
Stanza one and two talk about the threat while stanza three tries to define or find out what is that
threat. The questions of stanza three show uncertainty of the people of Guyana.
'Man of death' and 'crush their dreams' is talking about the invaders trying to stop them from
being free.
TONE- the tone of the whole poem is one of warning.

The poem is set in British Guiana at the time when the governor suspended the constitution and
British soldiers were sent in to "maintain order"
"this is the dark time, my love
all round the land brown beetles crawl about"
where he says "this is the dark time", he is speaking about how the people of Guyana, or rather
British Guiana, as it was known then, were being oppressed and were being denied basic human
rights.
He uses the term "brown beetles" to speak about the soldiers. This comparison is because of the
earth coloured uniforms the soldiers would have worn and the vehicles they drove.
"the sun is hidden in the sky
red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow"
the sun is a symbol of hope and the fact that it is "hidden in the sky" shows just how bleak things
are.
red refers to the blood of innocent people spilt and the people's love for their country (as they are
fighting for independence)
"This is the dark time, my love,
It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.
It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery
Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious"
He repeats "this is the dark time my love" to stress the dire situation.
"oppression" speaks of how the people are being treated by the soldiers. "dark metal" this may be
a reference to guns or the jail cells. "tears" is simply used to emphasize the sorrow of the people.
"festival of guns" and "carnival of misery" are examples of oxymoron (when 2 contradictory
terms are brought together"

59
carnival and festival = happy :D
guns and misery = sad :(
"Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious" this is simply descriptive.
"Who comes walking in the dark night time?
Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass
It is the man of death, my love, the stranger invader
Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream."
The use of rhetorical question here makes the reader wonder if these people ever, at any point
in time, experience a feeling of security.
"It is the man of death, my love, the stranger invader" this is a metaphor which compares
colonialism to a death sentence.
"Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream" again a metaphor. This line speaks of
oppression dealing a deathly blow to their dreams of independence; the future seems dismal.

Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen

The physical structure of this poem has been This is the OPINION of one individual, which
altered from the original layout in the text. might not coincide with the views of others.

3.Bent double, 1.like old beggars under sacks LITERAL MEANING

Knock-kneed, 1.coughing like hags, we
cursed through sludge,
Till on the 4.haunting flares we turned our
backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
2.Men marched asleep. 2.Many had lost their
boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all
blind;
Drunk with fatigue; 5.deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped
behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick boys! - 6.An ecstasy of
Wilfred Owen, the poet, tells of his first hand
experience in war. He tells the tale of tired and
wounded soldiers walking through dirt and
sludge. Suddenly, there is a warning about gas,
which the soldiers hurriedly
and awkwardly heed by donning their helmets.
Unfortunately, one soldier is too late in donning
the helmet and his companions watch him
'drowning' in the gas. The unfortunate soldier
(www.bulbsoup.com) was thrown in the back
of a wagon, where it is implied that he was left
to die. The persona points out that if you (the
reader/ listener) could have witnessed these
events, then you would not tell children the old

60
 fumbling, lie: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; sweet and honourable to die for one's
But someone still was yelling out and country).
stumbling,
And 1.flound'ring like a man in fire or lime ...
7.Dim, through the misty panes and thick green
light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

8.He plunges at me, guttering, choking,
drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could

pace
Behind the 9.wagon that we flung him in,
2.And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
1.His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
1.Obscene as cancer, 1.bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,-
My friend, you would not tell with such a high
zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: 10.Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Owen, W. 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' in A World of
Poetry. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd,
2005.
LITERARY DEVICES
1.SIMILE
● Stanza 1, line 1: This simile introduces
the exhaustion of the soldiers.
● Stanza 1, line 2: This emphasizes not
only the tiredness of the soldiers, but
the fact that they might be sick as well.
● Stanza 2, line 13: This device gives a
visual image of how the soldier
physically reacted to the gas.
Floundering implies flopping about,
therefore, the soldier was flopping
about violently. We know it was violent
because fire and lime illicit excruciating
pain.

● Stanza 4, line 22: This device gives a visual image of the expression on the soldier's face. This is a
particularly grotesque image that highlights the soldier in the throes of death.
● Stanza 4, line 25: Cancer is a horrible disease that takes many lives on a daily basis. Therefore, to
compare this dying soldiers face to this disease is to (www.bulbsoup.com) emphasize the agony
that the soldier was going through, which was reflected on his face.
● Stanza 4, lines 25-26: This is another graphic comparison that compares the soldier's face to
incurable sores. 'Sores' is a disgusting visual image of degradation which, in turn, highlights the
soldier in the throes of death.

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ALLITERATION

● Stanza 1, line 7: This device points to the level of fatigue that the soldiers were undergoing.
● Stanza 1, lines 7-9: This highlights not only the fatigue that the soldiers were feeling, but the fact
that they were injured as well.
● Stanza 4, lines 29-30: This device highlights a visually graphic death mask. The soldier is in the
throes of impending death.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

3.'Bent double'
The soldiers are bent over with fatigue. It is very significant that the poet/ persona initiates the poem by
highlighting the exhaustion of the soldiers. He is trying to emphasize the harsh realities of war.
4.'haunting flares'
Flares are typically used to signal distress. The flare is fired from a flare gun, in the air, where rescue
crafts, at sea or in the air, can have a general idea of the location of the soldiers who are in distress.
Therefore, to describe the flares as haunting implies that the soldiers are severly distressed by their
situation.
5.'deaf even to the hoots of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.'
Five-nines are German 5.9 artillery shells. This means that bullets were firing around them while they
were walking. The extent of the soldiers' tiredness is also emphasized at this point because the soldiers
do not hear the shells going off around them.
6.'An ecstasy of fumbling'
The word ecstasy, that is used to describe the fumbling, implies the level of panic that this one word
(gas) elicits. The soldiers' were so tired that they could not even hear the five nines, but this one word
immediately wakes them up.
7.'Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning.'
This describes exactly what (www.bulbsoup.com) the outside world looks like through the lens of a gas
mask. The effect of the gas is seen in the mention of the word 'drown'. It implies that the unfortunate
soldier could not breathe.
8.'He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.'
This is the very graphic result of breathing in the gas. It is a very violent reaction, as seen in the word
'plunge'. The dying soldier did not simply reach for the persona/poet, but he did so in
a desperate manner, while all the time being unable to breathe.
9.'wagon that we flung him in'
The statement implies that the soldier was left for dead in a wagon. No regard was shown to him,
through the use of the word 'flung'. This implies that war is heartless and tragic.
10.'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.'
This statement literally means it is sweet and honourable to die for one's country. The persona/ poet
clearly does NOT believe this to be the case.

62
 South by Kamau Brathwaite

The physical structure of this poem has been

This is the OPINION of one individual, which
altered from the original layout in the text.
might not coincide with the views of others.

1.But today I 4.recapture the islands

LITERAL MEANING
bright beaches: blue mist from the ocean
The persona speaks about the fact that today
rolling into the fishermen's houses.
he is recapturing the beauty of the island of his
1.By these shores I was born: sound of the sea
birth. He reflects on the fact that he has
came in at my window,2. life heaved and
travelled to the lands of the north, which
breathed in me then
appeared to be the very opposite of his island.
with the strength of that turbulent soil.
The persona appeared, at that point, to be
homesick for his island and resented the ease
5.Since then I have travelled: moved far from
and comfort that the Northerners' felt towards
the beaches:
their land. He then shifts back to the present
6.sojourned in stoniest cities, walking the lands
where he appreciates certain features of the
of the north
island, particularly those that remind him of his
1.In sharp, slanting sleet and the hail,
past on the island.
crossed countless saltless savannas and come
to this house in the forest 2.where the shadows
oppress me
and the only water is rain and the tepid taste
of the river.

7.We who are born of the ocean can never seek

solace
in rivers: 3.their flowing runs on like our
longing,
8.reproves us our lack of endeavour and
purpose,
9.proves that our striving will founder on that.
We resent them this wisdom, this freedom: LITERARY DEVICES
passing us 1. ALLITERATION
toiling, waiting and watching their cunning
declensions down to the sea. ● Stanza 1, lines 1-2: The sound that the
alliteration illicits, when spoken, is a
Bright waves splash up from the rocks to positive one. This is the case because
refresh us, the alliteration forces the reader to
1.blue sea-shells shift in their wake sound cheerful, thereby facilitating the

63
 and 10.there is the thatch of the fishermen's
houses, the path
made of pebbles, 11.and look!
Small urchins combing the beaches
look up from their traps to salute us:
they remember us just as we left them.
The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side
of the reef, stands up in his boat
and halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool.
1.And gulls, white sails slanted seaward,
fly into limitless morning before us.
Brathwaite, K. 'South' in A World of Prose.
Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds
McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.
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 illicits. 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 illicits 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 illicits 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.

64
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

Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas

Death came to see me in Hot Pink Pants by Heather Royes

65
 1.Last night, I dreamt
that Death came to see me
in hot-pink pants
and matching waistcoat too.
5 3.He was a beautiful black saga boy.
4.Forcing open the small door of my wooden cage.
He filled my frame of vision
5.with a broad white smile,
and as he reached for my throat,
10 2.the pink sequins on his shoulders
winked at me

1.Last night, I dreamt

that Death came to see me in hot-pink pants.
3.He was a beautiful black saga boy
15 and I hit him with a polished staff
of yellow wood,
and he went down.
But as he reached for me once more,
1.Laughing, laughing that saga boy laugh,
20 I awoke, holding myself,
unable to breathe.
6.How beautiful was Death
in hot-pink pants with matching waistcoat too.
Royes, Heather. 'Death Came to See Me in Hot Pink Pants' in A World of Poetry. Edited by Mark
McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.

This is the OPINION of one individual, which might not coincide with the views of others.
LITERAL MEANING
The persona is recalling a dream where death came to see him/ her in hot pink pants and a
matching waist coat. Death was a beautiful saga boy (Trinidadian term for dandy, player, hot
boy) who who forced his way into the persona's life and smiled as he tried to kill him/her. The
persona tried to fight death, but death simply laughed at him, while still trying to kill him. The
persona then awoke, fighting for breath, and still reflecting on death's visit to him/ her in
hot-pink pants with a matching waistcoat.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. REPITITION

● Lines 1-5 & 11-13: This line is repeated twice, at the beginning of each stanza, in order to emphasize three
points. First, the persona is reflecting on a dream, two, Death is a person who is dressed in a
non-conventional manner, and three, Death is a 'hot boy'. These characteristics are emphasized in order to
soften the idea of death, make it seem approachable and non-threatening. After all, a saga boy is often
beloved and admired, despite the fact that he breaks hearts. The non-conventional nature of deaths attire is
also a method of softening the concept of death. The colour hot-pink is associated with brashness, spunk
and femininity. This renders death to be a complex concept that is almost whimsical in nature.

66
 ● Line 19: This repetitious laughter on the part of death reveals that it/ he enjoys playing with his victims
because he knows that their resistance is futile, they will get caught eventually. This maniacal laughter
gives the reader a peak at the real death, minus the hot pink distraction of his outfit.

2. PERSONIFICATION
Lines 10-11: This device adds to the whimsical feel that the poet is trying to convey about death.
It is contrasted with the line above it, however, that reveals the reality of what death really
represents, terror and fear. The overall effect of this is a morbid portrayal of death. Death almost
appears to be a horrific clown that terrorizes it's victims.

3. ALLITERATION
Lines 5 & 14: This device deals with the effect of sound, therefore, the sound of the 'b's brings a
sensuality to the line. Despite the fact that death is lethal, there exists a sensuality about it/him
that draws his victims towards him. This is echoed in the fact that the persona seems fascinated
by him, as seen in the last line of the poem. Despite the fact that the persona struggles with death
and barely escapes unscathed, there is still a fascination with this character that wears hot pink
pants with matching waistcoat too.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4. 'Forcing open the small door of my wooden cage'
The small wooden cage is the persona's life. Death forces the small door of life open in order to
take life itself from the persona.
5. 'with a broad white smile, and as he reached for my throat'
This highlights the viciousness of death. It's/ his purpose is to take life and it strives to achieve
its goals with a vicious pleasure, this death is not civil.
6. 'How beautiful was Death in hot-pink pants with matching waistcoat too'
Despite Death's cruel actions, the persona still finds him attractive and alluring. This is a lot like
an individual who has a dangerous profession where he/ she flirts with death daily, yet cannot
give it up.

TONE
The persona has a reflective and fascinated tone. He/ she is at once repelled and fascinated by
death.

THEMATIC CATEGORY
Death, violence

Because I could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson

2.Because I could not stop for Death -
He kindly stopped for me -
The Carriage held but just Ourselves -
And 4.Immortality.

67
 5 We slowly drove - He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For 5.His Civility -

We passed the School, where Children strove

10 At Recess - in the Ring -
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain -
We passed the Setting Sun

1.Or rather - He passed Us -

The Dews drew quivering and chill -
15 6.For only Gossamer, my Gown -
My Tippet - only Tulle -

3.We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground -
The Roof was scarcely visible -
20 The 7.cornice - in the Ground -

8.Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet

Feels shorter than the Day
9.I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity -

LITERAL MEANING
The poem is about a female persona who is taken for a carriage ride by a suitor, who happens to
be death. She says that she could not stop for him, so he stopped for her instead. The occupants
of the carriage are the persona, death and immortality. They take a leisurely ride, which the
persona facilitates, by putting away her work and fun activities because death is so polite. They
rode past a school, fields and the setting sun, and by early morning the persona started to feel a
chill. They paused at a house, which was the persona's grave, and centuries pass. The persona
muses that the centuries that have passed seem shorter than the day that death came for her.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. PERSONIFICATION

● Death itself is personified throughout this poem. The purpose of personifying death might be to make it
appear less brutal. It, or rather he, is taking the persona on a carriage ride. This ride continues throughout
the poem, and emphasizes that death is a process for the persona, not an event that occurs suddenly.
● Line 13: The sun is also personified in this poem. The setting sun that passes them tells the reader that
death and the persona have been travelling for a long time, they are taking a long ride. The sun
sets,heralding the night, and dew falls, heralding early morning. This highlights that dying is a process for
the persona, it is not something that happens suddenly. She is travelling.

68
2. SARCASM
Lines 1-2: The persona states that because she could not stop for death, it kindly stopped for her.
There is nothing 'kind' about death. It does not give you a choice and it is the equalizer of men.
When the persona uses the word kindly, it is, in fact, to emphasize the unkind nature of death.
You simply have no choice in whether you go with death, or refuse him.

3. EUPHEMISM
The poet replaces the word cemetery with the word house. He has softened the word. The effect
that this device has to make death seem tame. It, or in this case he, almost seems charming.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

4. 'immortality'This word literally means eternal life. Therefore, the persona is in a carriage with
death and eternal life. The presence of eternal life, however, does not seem to nullify the power
that death holds over the persona.
5. 'his civility'
This word means formal politeness and courtesy in behavior. The implication is that these words
characterize death, he is a gentleman. This character trait helps to soften death in the eyes of the
reader.
6. 'For only Gossamer, my Gown - My Tippet - only Tulle -'
The persona's gown was made of gossamer (a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs that is
seen in autumn), while her tippet (scarf or shawl) was made of tulle ( A soft, fine silk, cotton, or
nylon material like net, used for making veils and dresses). This implies that the persona was unprepared
for the early morning weather, as well as for death.
7. 'cornice in the ground'
A cornice is an ornamental moulding round the wall of a room just below the ceiling. The fact that this house's
cornice is in the ground tells us that the 'house' is actually the persona's grave.
8. 'since then - 'tis Centuries'
This tells the reader that a lot of time has passed since death took her, implying the the persona is dead, and speaking
from the grave.

TONE
The tone of the poem is reflective and solemn. The persona is calmly telling us about her sojourn with death.

THEMATIC CATEGORY
Death

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THEMATIC TABLE FOR PRESCRIBED POEMS

D N D R S H A V R W C L g l p P S
e a i e u y l i a a h o u o a l u
a t s l r p i o c r i s i v t a p
t u c i v o e l i l s l e r c e
h r r g i c n e s d o t i e r
e i i v r a n m h f o s s
m o a i t c o i t t
i n l s i e o n i i
n y o d n s t
a n e o m i
t x c o
i p e n
o . n
n c
e
A Contemplation upon Flowers
* *
A Lesson for this Sunday
* * * * * * *
A Stone’s Throw
* * * * *

70
 Because I could not stop for Death
*
Death Came to see me ….Pink Pants
* * *
Dreaming Black Boy
* * * *
Dulce et Decorum Est
* * * * * * * *
Forgive my Guilt
* * * * * *
It is the Constant Image of your face
* * * *
Le Loupgaru
* * *
Ol’ Higue
* * * * * *
Once Upon a Time
* * * * *
Orchids
* *
Sonnet Composed Upon… Bridge
* *
South
* * * *
Test Match Sabina Park
* * * *
The Woman speaks to the Man
* * *
Theme for English B
* *
This is the dark time, My Love
* * * * * * *
West Indies, U.S.A.
* * *

PRESCRIBED TEXT – DRAMA

The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka

SUMMARY
The play is about contrasts; old versus young and culture versus change. It is the story of Sidi,

71
the village belle, and her dramatic 'relationship' with Lakunle, the school teacher. Lakunle is
courting Sidi, but refuses to pay the bride price because he views this cultural norm, as well as
many other traditional practices of the village, as barbaric. This young suitor is contrasted with
Baroka, the Lion. He too courts Sidi, but he maintains the traditions of the village and views
progress as something that promotes sameness, or a lack of difference. While Sidi views Lakunle
as a bit of a nuisance, she sees Baroka as a challenge. When Sadiku, Baroka's head wife, reveals
that Sidi's refusal of Baroka's marriage proposal has broken him, Sidi decides to taunt Baroka,
and revel in his defeat, with her knowledge. She returns from this venture defeated, however.
The lion had beaten the jewel. Lakunle offers to marry Sidi, despite her lack of virginity, but Sidi
refuses and joyfully goes off to marry Baroka, the lion.

SETTING

● The story is set in the African village of Ilujinle.

● The story occurs in a day; morning, noon and night.

CHARACTERS
Sidi

● She is the belle of Ilujinle.

● This is confirmed by her pictures that were placed in a magazine.
● She is being courted by both Lakunle and Baroka.
● She is very confident about her looks.
● She knows her value, and appreciates her cultural practices, as seen in her refusal to
marry Lakunle without the bride price.
● She is a supremely confident young woman who believes that she can taunt the lion
without repercussions.
● She is also resilient because she accepts her loss, when her taunting of the lion fails, and
joyfully starts the wedding process.

Baroka

● He is the king of Ilujinle.

● He is 62 years old, but still very vibrant.
● He is called the lion, due to his strength and vitality, as well as the fox, due to his
cleverness.
● He is a very clever man who is able to get what he wants, as seen in the railway incident.
● He is very articulate and creative, as seen in his verbal parlay with Sidi.
● He believes that progress equates to sameness, but he tolerates it due to it's inevitability.

Lakunle

72
 ● He is the local school teacher.
● He courted Sidi, but refused to pay her bride price on the grounds that it was a barbaric
practice.
● He viewed his African heritage, in general, as lowly and barbaric.
● He dreams of a time when his village will be completely modernized.
● He is infatuated with Sidi.

Sadiku

● Baroka's head wife.

● She delivered Baroka's proposal to Sidi, and rejoiced in his defeat.
● She plotted, with Sidi, to taunt Baroka in his moment of defeat.

summary
Morning
Sidi passes the school and Lakunle rushes out to speak to her. He reprimands her for carrying
water on her head and flip flops from wooing her one moment, to insulting her the next. The
reader learns that Sidi is not opposed to marrying Lakunle, but the fact that he refuses to pay her
bride price annoys her. Lakunle refuses to pay the bride price because he believes that it is a
primitive practice. The villagers, who believe Lakunle is mad, rush to tell Sidi that the strangers
have brought the book. She learns that she is the star, and that Baroka was given only a small
part. The villagers re-enact that first encounter with the stranger, with Lakunle accepting the role
of the stranger. He does so unwillingly, at first, then with zeal. Baroka interrupts the
re-enactment, then the audience learns of his intention to marry Sidi.

Noon
Sidi walks, engrossed in her picture in the magazine, while being followed by Lakunle. Sadiku
approaches them and tells Sidi that Baroka wants her to become one of his wives. She refuses
the privilege based on Baruka's age, and the fact that she believes that he is jealous of her fame.
Sidi believes that Baroka wants to marry her in order to own her and triumph over her. Lakenle
agrees with her assessment and Saduka believes that Lakenle's madness has transferred to Sidi.
She then invites Sidi to a small feast, or supper, but Sidi refuses this invitation as well. She does
so on the basis of the unfavourable rumours that surround 'Baruka's suppers'. Every woman who
has supper with Baruka ends up being a wife or a prostitute. We then find out, from Lakunle,
why Baruka is referred to as the fox. He deviously prevented a railway from running through the
town by bribing the officials in charge. Saduka interrupts Baruka's armpit plucking session, with
his favourite wife, with Sidi's rejection. He reacts by going from shocked, to defensive, to
resigned. He tells Saduka to keep his defeat a secret between them.

Night
Sadiku dances around a tree, celebrating the fact that the lion, Baruka, is defeated. She shares
the secret of Baruka's defeat, at the hands of a woman, and they both rejoice. Lakunle enters and

73
is also made aware of the lion's demise. Sidi wants to flaunt herself before the lion and mock
him, but Sadiku warns her of his cunning and Lakunle warns her of his savagery. Sidi ignores the
warnings and runs off to mock the lion, and Lakunle is left with Sadiku, who makes derisive
comments to him. Sidi enters Baroka's home, but there are no servants to greet her. She enters
the lion's bedroom, where he is wrestling with a gentleman. A verbal dance occurs between the
two wrestlers, with both of them winniing and losing at different points. After Baroka wins his
wrestling match, he turns his attention to Sidi and starts to beat her at the verbal game that she
initiates. Baroka tells Sidi that he will place her face on a stamp, and relentlessly enlightens her
about the advantages of the young learning from the old. She later returns to Lakunle and Sadiku
and reports her failed attempt at mocking the lion, as well as her lost virginity. Lakunle offers to
marry Sidi, despite the loss of her valuable virginity, but refuses to pay the bride price. She
laughs at Lakunle's offer and chooses Baruka, the lion.

ESSAY QUESTIONS
Short Stories

1. Love and family relationship is an important theme in many of the prescribed

short stories. Choosing any two short stories with this theme:
a. Briefly state what each story is about
b. Discuss the loving relationship between any two characters (one from
each story) and a parent or parental figure.
c. Discuss the impact that the parent/parental figure has on the character.

74
 2. ‘Shabine’ and ‘Emma’ from the self-titled short stories are about two women
that encounter difficulties based on their gender.
a. Summarise the two stories
b. Identify the difficulty that each character faces in her life.
c. Examine the connection between these characters’ issues and the fact
that they are female.
3. Using any story from the prescribed list
a. Give a brief summary of the story
b. Describe a racist incident that one character, from each story, has
encountered.
c. In your estimation, how well did each character handle his or her racist
encounter?
Poems
1. Biblical allusions are used in the poems ‘A Stone’s Throw’ and ‘The Woman Speaks
to the Man who has Employed her Son’.
a. Summarise both poems
b. Quote one biblical allusion that is found in each poem and explain the allusion
c. Discuss the effectiveness of each biblical allusion in highlighting the problems of
the persona in each poem.
2. Hypocricy is a strong theme in ‘A Stone’s Throw’ and ‘Once Upon a Time’.
a. Describe the events that occur in both poems
b. Identify ON literary device, from each poem, that highlights the theme of
hypocrisy and examine the effectiveness of each device.
3. Using any two poems from the prescribed list
a. Summarise the poems
b. Identify the dreams and aspirations of any two personas in the poems
c. Identify and discuss ONE device from each poem that highlights this theme and
comment on its effectiveness.

The Lion and the Jewel

1. Bale Baroka, at 62, tries to woo the jewel of Ilujinle.

a. Discuss two strategies that the Bale uses to win Sidi
b. Discuss the characteristic of the Bale’s that is highlighted by the strategies he
employs in the process of wooing Sidi.

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2. Many critics believe that Sidi has a bold personality in a culture that values subservience
in women.
a. Discuss one way that Sidi is bold in her communication with Lakunle.
b. Discuss one way that Sidi is bold in her communication with Bale Baroka.
c. How is Sidi’s boldness put to shame by Baroka, and, in your opinion, was Baroka’s
mastery over Sidi inevitable?

3. Lakunle and Bale Baroka are opposites in relation to their attitude to the African culture.
a. Outline both Baroka’s and Lakunle’s attitude to the African culture.
b. Discuss a character trait of each character that is highlighted by their attitude to
the culture.

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