Little Boy Crying by Mervyn Morris

Stanza 1
The poem begins with a description of a child crying. However, his cries seem harsh and fierce “Your laughter metamorphosed into howl”.  This also suggests that the child is normally a happy one and something happened to have changed his happiness.

The last line in the stanza informs us that the reason why the child is crying is because he has been beaten “the quick slap struck”.

The little boy is also staring at the parent hoping that he might be feeling guilty for hitting him. This might mean that the child is trying to play on the parent’s emotion “you stand there angling for a moment’s hint”.

Stanza 2
It is important to note that the stanza is giving the point of view of the parent. The parent is imagining that the child is demonizing him for hitting him “The ogre towers above you, that grim giant,// empty of feeling a colossal cruel”.

From this, we can understand that the parent thinks that the child believes that he is cruel and evil for hitting him and therefore is thinking of ways to overcome or get away from the parent.

Stanza 3
Poet makes it clear that the father loves his son. However, he is slapping him for is own good. He also suggests that the father is hurt by the son’s tears and would do anything to make him stop crying. “This fierce man longs to lift you//……” Yet, the lesson must be taught.

Stanza 4
Maybe this stanza suggests that no matter that there are often important behaviour or lessons children must learnt by children.

Themes

Parent – Child Relationship

The father seems to be firm and strict with his son. Although he loves him he does not allow him to have his own way.

Childhood Experiences

The little boy experiences pain and resentment for his parent. Unlike Ana, his childhood is not one that is carefree without any consequences for undesired behaviour.    

Parenting

The father tries to be a good parent. In his eyes there are some lessons that his son must learn. Therefore, he carries out physical punishment so that he can learn these lessons.

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Ol’ Higue by Mark McWatt

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, is realized. She implies that she will never die, so long as women keep having babies.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. SIMILE

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 fact 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.

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

The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed Her Son- Lorna Goodison

SUMMARY

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 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.

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 emphasize 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

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's mother 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 her 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.

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 him' 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 more 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.

THEMATIC CATEGORY

Death, love/love and family relationship, survival, dreams and aspirations, childhood experiences, religion

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Orchids by Hazel Simmons-McDonald

  

LITERAL MEANING
The persona is moving from a house that she has occupied 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 given the orchid as a gift, 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.

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.

Structure of the Poem

The poet’s use of blank verse (lacks rhyming pattern) effectively captures the persona’s struggle between hope and despair as he narrates (tells his life-story) with a tone that similarly and occasionally shifts between feelings of optimism and pessimism, adding to a mood that varies between contemplative serenity and foreboding uncertainty.

Illustrated by the poet’ use of emotive  language to describe the aesthetically pleasing orchids--"purple petals/blossoms … full blown/like polished poems/ This morning the bud … unfurled" juxtaposed against the persona’s destructive intentions--"I watered them once/ I would toss them out/I starved them/I’ll pluck the full-blown blooms/press them".

Indicative of the persona’s seeming lack of appreciation for the orchids as natural and philosophical emblems of beauty, wisdom and strength.


Symbolism/ Symbol
The orchid is a flower of magnificence that brings a universal message of love, beauty, wisdom, thoughtfulness, luxury, strength, refinement,  affection, new growth and development.


"This elegant flower should make you feel pampered. Purple is the colour of royalty. Orchids are generally regarded as symbolic of rare and delicate beauty…. Their graceful appearance draws immediate attention, and their reputation as an exotic and unusual flower evokes a sense of refinement and innocence".

Literary Devices

SIMILE- lines 13-14 
The orchid's full blown blossoms are being compared to a polished poem. The word polished in this comparison implies perfection, shiny and pleasant to read.

PUN- line 11 
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.

Metaphor- lines 1-2
The persona compares her experience over a five week period with boxes that she uses to pack her belongings in.

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

Themes
Death
Nature
Survival

South –Kamau Brathwaite

SUMMARY

source

The persona speaks about the fact that today he is recapturing the beauty of the island of his birth. He reflects on the fact that he has travelled to the lands of the north, which appeared to be the very opposite of his island. The persona appeared, at that point, to be homesick for his island and resented the ease and comfort that the Northerners' felt towards their land. He then shifts back to the present where he appreciates certain features of the island, particularly those that remind him of his past on the island.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. ALLITERATION
•Stanza 1, lines 1-2: The sound that the alliteration illicits, when spoken, is a positive one. This is the case because the alliteration forces the reader to sound cheerful, thereby facilitating the 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.

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

Test Match Sabina Park by Stewart Brown

SUMMARY
The persona, a white male, proudly enters 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 eventually 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.

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.
Stanza 4, lines 16-18: These questions imply that the West Indian crowd's level of frustration has escalated. 

2. ALLUSION-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 from, or to stop, 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 caucasian. 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, while 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.  

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's and the West Indian's.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE 
The mood of the poem is tense.

TONE
The tone of the poem is one of frustration (West Indian) and embarrassment (English man). 

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
Discrimination, places, culture and sports

Theme for English B by Langston Hughes

SUMMARY

The persona's lecturer gave him an assignment to write a page that reflects 'him', or his character. The persona wonders if this is a simple task, and begins to think about his life. Things like his age, place of birth, race and place of residence. Based on these musings, he surmises that he is confused due to his youth. He guesses that he is what he feels, sees and hears, which is Harlem, New York. He continues his musing about what he likes, and concludes that he likes the same things that people of other races like. On this basis, he questions whether or not his page will be influenced by race. He concludes that it will not be white. He admits that his instructor, as well as the fact that this instructor is white, will have some influence on his page. He states that they both influence each other, that is what being American is about. He believes that both of them might not want to influence each other, but it cannot be helped. He concludes that both of them will learn from each other, despite the fact that the instructor has the advantage of being older, white and 'more free'. All of these musings and conclusions become his page for English B.

LITERARY DEVICES

1.RHETORICAL QUESTION

Stanza 2, line 6: The persona ponders the ease of what he is asked to do. This question, in turn, actually highlights the difficult nature of the task.

Stanza 3, line24: This question highlights the persona's confusion as to who he is, or his character. He is unsure.

Stanza 4, line 32: The persona is wondering whether his race will affect  what he writes on the page. This is despite the fact that he concludes that race does not hinder people, in general, liking the same things.

2. REPETITION This repetition emphasizes the profound impact that Harlem, New York, has had on the personality of the persona.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

3.'here to this college on the hill above Harlem.'

The fact that the college is on a hill, above Harlem, is very important. It highlights the fact that the college is a superior entity. The people of Harlem look up at it, showing their inferiority.

4.'I am the only colored student in the class.'

This line emphasizes the persona's 'otherness' in relation to every-one else in the class. He is different. The isolation of the sentence (enclosed by full stops/periods) also emphasizes the persona's 'otherness'.

5.'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' 

This line highlights the fact that the college is a great distance from his home. This distance is also metaphorical because it is implied that the experiences that he has at the college are also a great distance from the experiences that he has in Harlem. They are two different worlds.

6.'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.' 

This statement reveals the fact that America is viewed as a melting pot by the persona. He believes that different races and cultures influence each other, thereby forming the term 'American'.

7.As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me - although you're older - and white - and somewhat more free. 

This statement, by the persona, repeats his belief that the American society is a melting pot. It also, however, states that not every-one is equal within this society.

* It is interesting to note that the persona's 'page for English B' becomes a journey of self discovery that actually does not end. He forms no conclusion as to who he is because his personality is still 'in process'

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE The mood of the poem is reflective.

TONE  The tone of the poem is also reflective.                     

THEMES: Racism, places

It is the Constant Image of your Face -Dennis Brutus

SUMMARY

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.

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

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 them.

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: Love, guilt, patriotism, places, desires/ dreams

My Parents by Stephen Spender

SUMMARY
Stanza 1
The poet’s parents sought to protect him from the street children. They were rude in speech and were dressed in rags. They were uninhibited and stripped off their clothes and swam in the country rivers.

Stanza 2
The speaker feared the brute strength of the boys. They were muscular and did not hesitate to use their arms and legs. The poet was also scared of their mocking ways. They laughed behind his back, imitating his lisp.

Stanza 3
The boys were like vandals; they threw mud at people and pounced on them. But despite all this, the speaker was forgiving. He wanted to be friendly and smiled at them. But they did not reciprocate the friendly overtures.


ANALYSIS

This poem could be a personal or biographical depiction of Spender's early life suffering the disability of a club foot and a speech impediment.

The use of the first person, stark contrasts, and ambiguity give us a vivid picture of a child troubled by a superiority/inferiority complex.

While his parents are condescending towards the rough coarse children, the child appears envious of their carefree liberty, their unbridled animal prowess and uninhibited playfulness, yet resentful of their bullying behaviour to him.

We can visualise the persona through contrast.  He is everything that they are not; softly spoken (words like stones), well dressed (torn clothes, rags), passive (they ran and climbed), inhibited - modesty (they stripped by country streams), weak (muscles of iron), well mannered (salt coarse pointing) lisp (parodied by copying), clumsy (lithe), and friendly ( hostile- they never smiled).

His attempts at conciliation and acceptance are rebuffed but he appears to blame his parents for psychologically damaging him by over protection or shielding him from a natural childhood.  While their superior attitude (snobbery?) has excluded him from mainstream society he ambivalently identifies with his parents by having the boys spring “like dogs to bark at our world”.

This is the Dark Time, My Love -Martin Carter

Link to a Reading of the Poem

The persona speaks to some-one that he cares for. He tells this person that this is the dark time, which is, in essence, a time of sadness. It is implied, by certain key terms; such as 'dark metal', that it is a time of war. The persona warns his 'love' that it is a dark, sad time.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. REPETITION
Stanza 1, line 1 & stanza 2, line 7: The repetition of this phrase highlights that there is something seriously amiss. The persona is telling his 'love' that this is a sad and terrible time.

2. ALLITERATION
This device literally draws the readers' visual attention to the sentence. The sentence implies that everything that is good and positive is hidden away, or gone. This alliteration sets a sad tone at the very beginning of this poem.

3. PERSONIFICATION
This device emphasizes the sad tone of the poem. This is the case because flowers are usually associated with feelings of happiness and cheerfulness. Therefore, if the flowers - embassadors of joy -  are sad, then it highlights how really sad the times have become.

4. METAPHOR
The contrast in this device is startling. The terms 'festival' and 'carnival' not only describes fun and festivity, but also a large amount of each. Both words are associated with huge crowds. This emphasizes how terrible the times have become because guns and misery are plentiful.

5. RHETORICAL QUESTION

Stanza 3, line 13: This device informs the reader/ audience that a threat exists and that it comes in the dark of night.

Stanza 3, lines 14 - 15: It is implied that the threat is a soldier through the term 'boot of steel'. The 'slender grass' is the innocent youth who is cut down and trampled by these 'boots of steel'. The fact that we are given this information through the use of rhetorical question adds mystery and intrigue to the poem.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES
6.'All round the land brown beetles crawl about.'
Some variety of brown beetles are scavengers that feed on decaying or dead carcasses. Therefore, when the persona states that they crawl about, it implies that a lot of dead or decaying bodies exist in the land.

7.'season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.'
A season is an extended period of time. Therefore, the persona is telling his 'love' that it is a period of extreme sadness. This sadness is brought about by the 'dark metal', which can be literally interpreted as vehicles of war.

8.'man of death' 
The man of death, in this context, is the soldier.

9.'Watching you sleep'
Sleep is a state of extreme vulnerability. This is the case because when one falls asleep, they fall into unconsciousness, which equates to a state of defenselessness. The fact that the man of death, ie soldier, watches the persona's 'love' while he/she sleeps, implies that this person is not only vulnerable, but in extreme danger.

10.'aiming at your dream.'
The man of death's purpose is to destroy the persona's 'love's' dreams, or desires.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE 
The mood of the poem is a sad one. The persona is giving his 'love' sad and depressing news.

TONE-
The tone of the poem is also a sad one.

THEMES-
Racism, War, Oppression, Dreams and Aspirations, places.

Video Analysis of 'Dulce Et Decorum Est'

READING

ANALYSIS

'Dulce Et Decorum Est' by Wilford Owen

LINK TO A READING OF THE POEM

SUMMARY

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 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 lie: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country).

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 19: 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 39: 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 39: 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 emphasize the agony that the soldier was going through, which was reflected on his face.

Stanza 4, lines 39-40: 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.

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 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.


MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona/ poet is thinking about his experiences in WW1.

TONE
The general tone of the poem is both sarcastic and ironic. The persona/ poet tries to present a visual of the realities of war while using the haunting words that contradict that reality. It is, in fact, NOT sweet and honourable to die for one's country.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
War, death, survival, oppression, patriotism

A video analysis of the poem will be posted tomorrow.

Analysis of God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins

God’s Grandeur- Gerard Manley Hopkins

Summary
The first four lines of the octave (the first eight-line stanza of an Italian sonnet) describe a natural world through which God’s presence runs like an electrical current, becoming momentarily visible in flashes like the refracted glinting of light produced by metal foil when rumpled or quickly moved.
Alternatively, God’s presence is a rich oil, a kind of sap that wells up “to a greatness” when tapped with a certain kind of patient pressure. Given these clear, strong proofs of God’s presence in the world, the poet asks how it is that humans fail to heed (“reck”) His divine authority (“his rod”).

The second quatrain within the octave describes the state of contemporary human life—the blind repetitiveness of human labor, and the sordidness and stain of “toil” and “trade.” The landscape in its natural state reflects God as its creator; but industry and the prioritization of the economic over the spiritual have transformed the landscape, and robbed humans of their sensitivity to the those few beauties of nature still left. The shoes people wear sever the physical connection between our feet and the earth they walk on, symbolizing an ever-increasing spiritual alienation from nature.

The sestet (the final six lines of the sonnet, enacting a turn or shift in argument) asserts that, in spite of the falleness of Hopkins’s contemporary Victorian world, nature does not cease offering up its spiritual indices. Permeating the world is a deep “freshness” that testifies to the continual renewing power of God’s creation. This power of renewal is seen in the way morning always waits on the other side of dark night. The source of this constant regeneration is the grace of a God who “broods” over a seemingly lifeless world with the patient nurture of a mother hen. This final image is one of God guarding the potential of the world and containing within Himself the power and promise of rebirth. With the final exclamation (“ah! bright wings”) Hopkins suggests both an awed intuition of the beauty of God’s grace, and the joyful suddenness of a hatchling bird emerging out of God’s loving incubation.

Form

This poem is an Italian sonnet—it contains fourteen lines divided into an octave and a sestet, which are separated by a shift in the argumentative direction of the poem. The meter here is not the “sprung rhythm” for which Hopkins is so famous, but it does vary somewhat from the iambic pentameter lines of the conventional sonnet. For example, Hopkins follows stressed syllable with stressed syllable in the fourth line of the poem, bolstering the urgency of his question: “Why do men then now not reck his rod?” Similarly, in the next line, the heavy, falling rhythm of “have trod, have trod, have trod,” coming after the quick lilt of “generations,” recreates the sound of plodding footsteps in striking onomatopoeia.

Commentary

The poem begins with the surprising metaphor of God’s grandeur as an electric force. The figure suggests an undercurrent that is not always seen, but which builds up a tension or pressure that occasionally flashes out in ways that can be both brilliant and dangerous. The optical effect of “shook foil” is one example of this brilliancy. The image of the oil being pressed out of an olive represents another kind of richness, where saturation and built-up pressure eventually culminate in a salubrious overflow. The image of electricity makes a subtle return in the fourth line, where the “rod” of God’s punishing power calls to mind the lightning rod in which excess electricity in the atmosphere will occasionally “flame out.” Hopkins carefully chooses this complex of images to link the secular and scientific to mystery, divinity, and religious tradition. Electricity was an area of much scientific interest during Hopkins’s day, and is an example of a phenomenon that had long been taken as an indication of divine power but which was now explained in naturalistic, rational terms. Hopkins is defiantly affirmative in his assertion that God’s work is still to be seen in nature, if men will only concern themselves to look. Refusing to ignore the discoveries of modern science, he takes them as further evidence of God’s grandeur rather than a challenge to it.

Hopkins’s awe at the optical effects of a piece of foil attributes regulatory power to a man-made object; gold-leaf foil had also been used in recent influential scientific experiments. The olive oil, on the other hand, is an ancient sacramental substance, used for centuries for food, medicine, lamplight, and religious purposes. This oil thus traditionally appears in all aspects of life, much as God suffuses all branches of the created universe. Moreover, the slowness of its oozing contrasts with the quick electric flash; the method of its extraction implies such spiritual qualities as patience and faith. (By including this description Hopkins may have been implicitly criticizing the violence and rapaciousness with which his contemporaries drilled petroleum oil to fuel industry.) Thus both the images of the foil and the olive oil bespeak an all-permeating divine presence that reveals itself in intermittent flashes or droplets of brilliance.

Hopkins’s question in the fourth line focuses his readers on the present historical moment; in considering why men are no longer God-fearing, the emphasis is on “now.” The answer is a complex one. The second quatrain contains an indictment of the way a culture’s neglect of God translates into a neglect of the environment. But it also suggests that the abuses of previous generations are partly to blame; they have soiled and “seared” our world, further hindering our ability to access the holy. Yet the sestet affirms that, in spite of the interdependent deterioration of human beings and the earth, God has not withdrawn from either. He possesses an infinite power of renewal, to which the regenerative natural cycles testify. The poem reflects Hopkins’s conviction that the physical world is like a book written by God, in which the attentive person can always detect signs of a benevolent authorship, and which can help mediate human beings’ contemplation of this Author.

Sonnet Composed Upon A Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802-William Wordsworth

SUMMARY

The persona in this poem is reflecting on the perfection of the city. He believes that there is nothing on Earth so beautiful as the city in the morning. Only a dull person would not appreciate such a majestic sight. He is awed by the calm of the city.      

 

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.

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 usually 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 a 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

Nature, places.