Talk to the Peach

Tree
(Sipho Sepamla)
 Talk to the Peach Tree

Let’s talk to the swallows visiting us in summer

ask how it is in other countries

Let’s talk to the afternoon shadow

ask how the day has been so far

Let’s raise our pets to our level

ask them what they don’t know of us

words have lost meaning

like all notations they’ve been misused

most people will admit

a whining woman can overstate her case

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Talk to the paralysing heat in the air
inquire how long the mercilessness will last

Let’s pick out items from the rubbish heap

ask how the stench is like down there

Let’s talk to the peach tree

find out how it feels to be in the ground

Let’s talk to the moon going down

ask if it isn’t enough eyeing what’s been going on

come on
let’s talk to the devil himself
it’s about time

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Sipho Sepamla
• South African poet, born in Johannesburg in
1932. He died in 2007. He is one of South
Africa’s most prolific protests poets - opposed
to Apartheid
• With the fall of Apartheid he served on the
government’s Arts and Culture Task Group.

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 Historical Context

• This poem was written during the Apartheid years.

• Sepampla uses it to voice his opinion on the political talks that took
place between various parties before the formalised end of
Apartheid.
• The speaker’s peace-making / peaceful attitude is clear in “it’s about
time”, in the last line.

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 Structure and style
1. Free verse

2. Stanzas 3,7,8 and 9 have the same pattern of

word choice, length and content.

3. The indents in stanzas 4 and 5 foreshadow:

stanzas are a commentary on the overall
situation.

4. Colloquial diction = a conversational tone

5. Pronouns ‘us’ and ‘you'll’ = conversational

tone.
 Title: Talk to the Peach Tree

Peach tree > appears in many of his poem

Peach Tree = nature > let’s talk to nature

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1. Let’s talk to the swallows visiting us in summer
2. ask how it is in other countries
3. Let’s talk to the afternoon shadow
4. ask how the day has been so far.
5. Let’s raise our pets to our level
6. Ask them what they don’t know of us

• …talk to the swallows > personification > swallows migrate for the
summer. They would be able to “talk” about other countries
• Lines 1-6: tone is light-hearted and teasingly humorous BUT with an
underlying message / opinion of political opinion.
• ..know of us > During Apartheid there was little opportunity to
understand or communicate with other races

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 7)words have lost meaning
8)like all notation they’ve been misused
9)most people will admit
10)a whining woman can overstate her case

• Words have lost meaning > talking has become useless

• Notations = System of writing > talking has become
useless. Language has been twisted and used to convey
lies. Propaganda cannot be trusted. Words cannot be
trusted any more. >original intentions have become lost.
• Whining > negative connotation> high-pitched voice /
complaining all the time.
• …overstate her case > people are sometimes over
emotional and exaggerate too much.
• Lines are indented to show that these stanzas are
commentaries
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11)Talk to the paralysing heat in the air

12)Inquire how long the mercilessness will last

• heat = figurative meaning > oppression.

• paralysing > implies that the heat / the oppression
renders a person unable to to do anything

• Mercilessness will last >no empathy / mercy /

compassion for the oppressed people > when will the
oppression stop?

• Tone = serious > describing the reality of the situation

for black people.
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13)Let’s pick out items from the rubbish heap
14)ask how the stench is like down there

• items > refers to non- whites > degrading image

> not seen as human beings.

• rubbish heap = non-whites > they were regarded

as “less”

• stench > negative connotation > ask what life is

like for non-whites

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15)Let’s talk to the peach tree
16)find out how it feels to be in the ground

• peach tree > positive connotation > rooted

in the ground > it is permanent > it has a
home

• …how it feels to be in the ground > Ask

the tree how it feels to have a permanent
home and to be “fruitful” (productive and
successful)
 17)Let’s talk to the moon going down
18)ask if it isn’t eyeing what’s been going on
19)come on
20)let’s talk to the devil himself
21)it’s about time

• Let’s talk to the moon > the moon is looking down on the
country > he wants another perspective on what is going on
in the country.

• Devil = oppressors > Apartheid System

• it’s about time > It is time for peace, to end fighting, for equal
rights.

• Tone + relief > the speaker looks forward to a conversation

between the two parties 13
 The
m
con A dec e:
v e
to h ersatio nt
a n
wh i p p e n b n e e d s
te s e tw
for a nd b een
t h i n l a ck s
cha gs to
ng e
.
ESSAY -TYPE QUESTIONS

In the poem ‘Talk to the Peach Tree’, the poet/speaker uses personification to disguise the way in which he highlights
his thoughts about the importance of dialogue in ending the Apartheid rule.
In an essay of 250-300 words, discuss the validity of this statement. (10)
CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS:
1. Account for the actions/ instructions in lines 1-6. (2)
2. Refer to stanza 4. “words have…been misused.”
Critically discuss the effectiveness of the imagery in these lines. (3)
3. Examine stanza 6: “talk to the … will last .”
Comment on the impact of the words “paralysing” and “mercilessness” in the
context of the poem. (2)
4. Refer to lines 19 – 21: “come on … it’s about time.”
Discuss how the tone and register used in these lines reflects the poet’s attitude
towards negotiation. (3)

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