Where the Rainbow En

Richard Moore Rive

 AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Richard Rive
(1931 – 1989)
was Teacher, Academic and
Author, raised by a single
mother in District Six. He
became internationally
recognized and acclaimed for
his poem Where the Rainbow
Ends (one of the few he wrote)
has received worldwide
recognition and has been put
to music.
 Actual Poem
Where the rainbow ends But we can learn, brother, you and
There's going to be a place, brother, I.
Where the world can sing all sorts of There's no such tune as a black
songs tune.
, There's no such tune as a white
And we're going to sing together, tune.
brother, There's only music, brother,
You and I, though you're white, and And it's music we're going to sing
I'm not.
Where the rainbow ends.
It's going to be a sad song, brother,
Because we don't know the tune,
And it's a difficult tune to learn.
 Short Description of the Poem

The poem "Where the Rainbow Ends" envisions a

place where people of all races can come together and sing
songs, despite their racial differences. It acknowledges
the challenges of learning a new and unfamiliar tune but
emphasizes the possibility of learning and making music
together, emphasizing that there are no "black" or "white"
tunes, only music. This poem conveys a message of unity
and the breaking down of racial barriers.
 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

"Where the Rainbow Ends" is historically

significant for its role in promoting racial equality, its
association with the Harlem Renaissance, its influence
on the Civil Rights Movement, and its contribution to
the cultural and literary expression of African
Americans during a crucial period in American history.
 Poem Analysis

Content/Subject
Promotion of Racial Equality,the poem's message of unity and
the rejection of racial divisions was especially important in a time
when racial segregation and discrimination were widespread in
the United States. It promoted the idea that people of different
races could come together on equal terms.
Theme

The central idea of the poem is the unity and

equality of all people, regardless of race or skin
color. The subject matter revolves around the idea
of a place where people can come together and sing
songs, breaking down the barriers of racial division.
MOOD/TONE IMAGERY

The mood in this The first image that the

poem is mixed emotions reader would perceive while
of sorrow and hope. reading this poem is the
colors of the people in Africa.
Symbolism

Rainbow signifies different colours in a band and

the poet is trying to say that different coloured
people can find happiness together. This poem is
all about the importance of equality and
brotherhood.

Persona

The persona use in poem is first person.

SHAPE/FORM
The poem consists of 14 lines which is a sonnet type
poetic devices.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
The language used in the poem is simple and straightforward, yet
impactful. The word choice emphasizes the idea of unity and
equality, with phrases like "you and I, though you're white, and
I'm not" and "there's no such tune as a black tune, there's no
such tune as a white tune." The poet also uses repetition of the
word "brother" to establish a sense of camaraderie and
togetherness.
STANZA

The poems has two stanza.

RHYTHM
The poem has a simple syllabic pattern, with
most lines consisting of five or six syllables. The
stresses in the poem are regular, creating a steady
and rhythmic flow.
FOOT

Iambic pentameter

METER

This poem has an irregular recurrence of

accented and unaccented
syllables.
DEEPER ANALYSIS OR LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS
Where the rainbow ends.
There's going to be a place, brother,
Where the world can sing all sorts of songs

Where the rainbow ends.

- What do we associate with the end of a rainbow?
A pot of gold?
This could imply that something good is waiting to come.
It is a place of fulfilment or achievement.
going to be
- Guarantee
Brother
- When calling someone'brother', you are implying
that it is someone close to you or someone that you
trust. This could be someone who is like you / similar
to you, that you agree with.

Where the world can sing all sorts of songs

- 'Songs' are written and sung in response to things
/events that have happened.In this case, the song will
be a sad song (line 6)resembling that they will think of
an event that has happened in a sad way (Apartheid).
And we're going to sing together, brother,
You and I, though you're white, and I'm not.

Together
- Unity
Richard Rive, who is a
Brother. coloured man, was evicted
from his home in Cape Town
-The 'brother' he is speaking of is by the Group Areas Act.This
his fellow white South African. act was implemented by the
white Apartheid
It emphasises his desire for unity government.
amongst white and black South He still wants to be united
with the white people,
Africans. despite how they treated
him, his family, and his
community.
 It's going to be a sad song, brother,
Music Because we don't know the tune,
And it's a difficult tune to learn.

A tune is a sequence of sounds The song that the black and

put white South Africans are going
to sing will be sad because both
together to make up black and white South Africans
something / a don't know each others'ways.
(sounds).and will find it
sound that is catchy and specific difficult.to learn to make one
to a tune from.these different
sounds as they
song. A tune has no words. are not used to being
combined.

But we can learn, brother, you and I.
There's no such tune as a black tune.
There's no such tune as a white tune.
The song that the black and white
South Africans are going to sing will be
sad because both black and white South
Africans
don't know each others'ways.
(sounds).and will find it difficult.to learn
to make one tune from.these different
sounds as they
are not used to being
combined.

South Africans (all races) can learn to sing the

same song united as one nation. It's
something that we will all need to practice
and it wont be easy at the beginning.

You and I
- Unity
There's only music, brother, We should purely be
And it's music we're going to sing concerned about
producing music and
Where the rainbow ends. not just a tune. A tune
becomes so much
This line is repeated to more when combined
emphasise that the with lyrics and
'struggle' will end and melody.
Music
our goals of unity will be - Unity
achieved.All South Going to
Africans will sing the - Guarantee
same song and not their
own different tunes.
 2 Theory Used in the Analysis
Sociological criticism: Sociological criticism evaluates
literature based on its relationship to society. The
sociological criticism method examines the author’s status
in their society as well as the effect that the literary work
had on its audience within the society. One form of
sociological criticism is Marxist criticism, which examines
how a specific work of literature affirms or rejects
oppression within class systems.
Critical Race Theory: is an academic and intellectual
framework that focuses on understanding how race and
racism are embedded in societal structures, laws, and
institutions. It highlights the systemic and subtle nature of
racism, going beyond individual biases. CRT examines how
historical, social, and legal factors contribute to racial
inequalities and often intersects with other forms of
oppression. It has been both influential and contentious in
various fields, including education and politics.
Question and
Answer
1. What is the poem about? Or what is the main
theme for the poem?
2. Why is it going to be a sad song?
3. Who is the addressing in the poem?
4. Where the rainbow end?
5. What does the rainbow signify/refer to in the
poem?
6. What does the poet appeal to the white people?
Thank you for
listening :)