ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE GRADE 12

MIND THE GAP

POETRY

VOICE OF THE LAND: Poetry Anthology

By B. Walter
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Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) Grade 12 English First Additional Language Mind
the Gap study guide for the Poetry: Voice of the land by B. Walters.

This publication has a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Sharealike Licence. You
can use, modify, upload, download, and share content, but you must acknowledge the
Department of Basic Education, the authors and contributors. If you make any changes to the
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please see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/.

Copyright © Department of Basic Education 2022

ISBN

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Contact persons: Ms C. Weston and Dr S. Malapile Email:

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Acknowledgments
All reasonable steps were taken to acknowledge the sources used in this study guide. In the event of any
omission or error in the acknowledgments, kindly bring this to the attention of the Department of Basic
Education.

The extracts from the Short Stories in this study guide are from Changes by

B. Walters

Mind the Gap Team

Senior Project Leaders: Dr S. Malapile, Ms C. Weston

Production co-ordinators:

B. Monyaki, B. Ras, M. Phonela, M. Nematangari

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Authors: Ms Christelle Barnard, Ms Mpho Lukhele, Ms Pila Masakane, Ms Thembeka Mtolo, Ms Mpho
Mongale, Ms Nonhlanhla Mzila, Ms Renske Pieterse, Dr Nkosinathi Sithole

Critical reader: Monyaki, B.S.

Designer and editor: Page82 Media

Onsite writers’ workshop support:

J. Mphidi, V. Magelegeda, R. Maboyi, K. Mothapo, N. Malope

Ministerial Foreword
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has pleasure in releasing the second edition
of the Mind the Gap study guides for Grade 12 learners. These study guides continue the
innovative and committed attempt by the DBE to improve the academic performance of
Grade 12 candidates in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination.
The study guides have been written by teams of experts comprising teachers, examiners,
moderators, subject advisors and co-ordinators. Research, which began in 2012, has
shown that the Mind the Gap series has, without doubt, had a positive impact on grades.
It is my fervent wish that the Mind the Gap study guides take us all closer to ensuring that
no learner is left behind, especially as we celebrate 20 years of democracy.
The second edition of Mind the Gap is aligned to the 2014 Curriculum and Assessment
Policy Statement (CAPS). This means that the writers have considered the National
Policy pertaining to the programme, promotion requirements and protocols for
assessment of the National Curriculum Statement for Grade 12 in 2014.
The Mind the Gap CAPS study guides take their brief in part from the 2013 National
Diagnostic report on learner performance and draw on the Grade 12 Examination
Guidelines. Each of the Mind the Gap study guides defines key terminology and offers
simple explanations and examples of the types of questions learners can expect to be
asked in an examination. Marking memoranda are included to assist learners to build
their understanding. Learners are also referred to specific questions from past national
exam papers and examination memoranda that are available on the Department’s
website – www.education.gov.za.
The CAPS editions include Accounting, Economics, Geography, Life Sciences,
Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Sciences. The series is produced in
both English and Afrikaans. There are also nine English First Additional Language
(EFAL) study guides. These include EFAL Paper 1 (Language in Context); EFAL Paper
3 (Writing) and a guide for each of the Grade 12 prescribed literature set works included
in Paper 2. These are Short Stories, Poetry, Cry, the Beloved Country, The strange case
of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Macbeth and My Children! My Africa! Please remember when
preparing for Paper 2 that you need only study the set works you did in your EFAL class
at school.
The study guides have been designed to assist those learners who have been
underperforming due to a lack of exposure to the content requirements of the curriculum
and aim to mind-the-gap between failing and passing, by bridging the gap in learners’
understanding of commonly tested concepts, thus helping candidates to pass.
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 All that is now required is for our Grade 12 learners to put in the hours required to prepare
for the examinations. Learners, make us proud - study hard. We wish each and every
one of you good luck for your Grade 12 examinations.

Table of Contents
Item Page
Number
5
Dear Grade 12 learner
6
How to use this study guide
7
Top 7 study tips
7
On the examination day
Instructional verbs and meaning 8

11
Overview of the English First Additional Language Paper 2: Literature Exam
12
What are the examiners looking for?
Literary features found in Poems 13

Sub-headings per Poem Poetry

Hard to find – SinesipoJojo 16 - 20

21 - 26
One the grasshopper and cricket –
John Keats

Sonnet 73 – William Shakespeare 27 - 33

Reciprocities – Cathal Lagan 34 - 38

What life is really like – Beverly Rycroft 39 - 47

You laughed and laughed and laughed 48 - 53

– Gabriel Okara

The lake isle of Innisfree – William 54 - 59

Butler Yeats

The slave dealer – Thomas Pringle 60 - 67

Inversnaid – Gerard Manley Hopkins 68 - 76

4
 The night-jar and Inkosazana 77 - 85
Yasezulwini – Chris Mann

Dear Grade 12 learner

This Mind the Gap study guide helps you to prepare for the end-of-year Grade 12 English First
Additional Language (EFAL) Literature examination. There are three examination sessions for
EFAL: Paper 1: Language in Context (80 marks); Paper 2: Literature (70 marks); and Paper 3:
Writing (100 marks).

There are eight great EFAL Mind the Gap study guides which cover papers 1, 2 and 3.
Paper 2: Literature, includes the study of novels, drama, short stories and poetry. A Mind the Gap
study guide is available for each of the prescribed literature titles. Choose the study guide for the
set works you studied in your EFAL class at school.

This study guide focuses on the 10 prescribed poems examined in Paper 2: Literature. You will need
to study all 10 poems listed below for the examination.

Number Poem and Author Page

1. Hard to find – SinesipoJojo 16-20

2. One the grasshopper and cricket – John Keats 21-26

3. Sonnet 73 – William Shakespeare 27-33

4. Reciprocities – Cathal Lagan 34-38

5. What life is really like – Beverly Rycroft 39-47

6. You laughed and laughed and laughed – Gabriel Okara 48-53

7. The lake isle of Innisfree – William Butler Yeats 54-59

8. The slave dealer -Thomas Pringle 60-67

9. Inversnaid – Gerard Manley Hopkins 68-76

10. 77-85
The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini – Chris Mann

How to use this study guide

There is one chapter for each poem. Each chapter includes a copy of the poem
and information about:
• The background of the poem and poet;
• The themes;
• Words you need to know to understand the poem;
• Type and form;
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 • A detailed analysis; and • Tone, mood and intention.
All the above information is then contained in a summary. Use the 10 summaries to
help you understand the 10 poems clearly.
You can test your understanding of each poem by completing the activities, then
use the answers to mark your own work. The activities help you to understand the
poems and to practise questions in preparation for the literature examination
(paper 2).

6
Top 7 study tips
Divide your work into manageable sections. This will help you to
focus. Take short breaks between studying one section and going onto
i. the next section.
Have all your materials ready before you begin studying a section -
ii. pencils, pens, highlighters, paper, glass of water, etc.
Be positive. It helps your brain hold on to information
iii.

Your brain learns well with colours and pictures. Try to use them whenever
you can.
iv.
Repetition is the key to remembering information you have to
learn. Keep going over the work, until you can recall it with
ease.
v.
Teach what you are learning to anyone who will listen. It is definitely
vi. worth reading your revision notes aloud.
Sleeping for at least eight hours every night, eating healthy food
and drinking plenty of water are all important things you need to
do for your brain. Studying for examinations is like exercise, so you
vii. must be prepared physically as well as mentally.

On the examination day

Make sure you bring pens that work, sharp pencils, an eraser and a
sharpener. Make sure you bring your smart ID card and examination
admission letter. Arrive at the examination venue at least an hour
before the start of the examination.
i.
Go to the toilet before entering the examination room. You do not
want to waste valuable time going to the toilet during the
examination.
ii.
You must know at the start of the examination which two out of the
four sections of the Paper 2 Literature Paper Examination you will be
answering. Use the 10 minutes reading time to read the instructions,
carefully.
iii.

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 Break each question down to make sure you understand what is being
asked. If you do not answer the question properly you will not get any
marks for it. Look for the key words in the question to know how to
answer it. You will find a list of question words on page xii of this study
guide.
iv.
Manage your time carefully. Start with the question you think is the
easiest. Check how many marks are allocated to each question so you
give the right amount of information in your answer. Use the
suggested time allocation on the instruction page of the examination
paper.
v.
Remain calm, even if the question seems difficult at first. It will be
linked with something you have covered. If you feel stuck, move on to
another question and come back if time allows.
Try to answer all the questions or as many questions as possible.
vi.
Take care to write neatly so that the markers can read your answers easily.

vii.

INSTRUCTIONAL VERBS AND MEANING

Instructional verb Explanation

Account for … Explain the reasons for why something is the way it is.
E.g. Account for Hamlet's feelings towards Ophelia at this stage in the
play.

Comment on Present an informed opinion on … This may also require an

agree/disagree/or partially agree response.
E.g. Comment on the extent to which it would be justifiable to attribute
Ophelia's suicide to Hamlet.

Compare Examine qualities of character/s to discover similarities. ‘Compare’ is

usually stated as ‘compare with’: you are to emphasise similarities.

Although you may not be specifically asked to ‘compare and contrast’,
you may discuss differences, if appropriate. Justify your choice.

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Critically discuss Express your judgement based on careful consideration of the evidence
for and against something. Discuss the limitations and merits of
something. Always provide supporting evidence from the text.
E.g. Critically discuss how Pi's comment at this point in the novel is crucial
to your understanding of his plight on the lifeboat

Describe In a descriptive answer you should recount, characterise, sketch or relate

in narrative form (story form)

Discuss The term discuss, directs you to examine, analyse carefully, and present
points in favour and against an issue/point. This type of question calls for
a complete and detailed answer. The response requires you to investigate
by argument. You should sift through the arguments and the evidence to
support them, giving reasons for and against both sides and examining
the implications. You might need to provide evidence even for the ‘side’
you do not support, using evidence from the text.

Evaluate In an evaluation question, you are expected to present a careful

appraisal/judgement of the problem stressing both merits and limitations.
You are weighing and giving your opinion, based on the evidence from
the text.

Explain/How In explanatory answers, it is important that you clarify and interpret the
material you present. In such an answer it is best to state the ‘how’ or
‘why’, reconcile any differences in opinion, and, where possible, state
causes. The aim is to make plain the circumstances which give rise to
whatever you are examining. E.g. Explain the irony in the words ...

Illustrate This question requires you to explain or clarify your answer to the
problem by using an example (in languages, this does not mean that you
should draw something).

Interpret Reveal what you believe to be the meaning or significance of something.

This involves giving your own judgement. You are expected to translate,
solve or comment on the subject and give your reaction to the
issue/subject.

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 Justify When you are instructed to justify your answer, you must prove or show
adequate grounds for a decision or conclusion by supporting it with
sufficient evidence and argument. In such a response, evidence must be
presented in convincing form.
E.g. Do you agree with the views expressed in line...? Justify your response
by drawing on the novel as a whole.

Place in context State what had just taken place to result in what is happening in the given
extract and briefly state what happens after the given extract (the result).

State Outline clearly and briefly the facts of the situation. This does not call for
an argument or opinion. Merely state the facts.

Summarise Give a condensed form/concise account of the main points or facts.

All details, illustrations, examples to be omitted.

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OVERVIEW OF THE ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE PAPER2: LITERATURE EXAMINATION

In the Paper 2 Literature Examination, you need to answer questions from two sections. Choose the two
sections that you know best:
• Section A: Novel
• Section B: Drama
• Section C: Short Stories
• Section D: Poetry
A total of 70 marks is allocated for Paper 2, which means 35 marks for each section you choose. You will
have 2 ½ hours for this exam.
Here is a summary of the Paper 2 Literature Exam Paper:
SECTION A: NOVEL

Answer ANY ONE question.

QUESTION NO. MARKS PAGE

NO.
1. Cry, the Beloved Country 35

2. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 35

SECTION B: DRAMA

Answer ANY ONE question.

3. Macbeth 35

4. My Children! My Africa! 35

SECTION C: SHORT STORIES

Answer the questions set on BOTH extracts.

5.1 Short Story 1 18

AND

5.2 Short Story 2 17

SECTION D: POETRY

Answer the questions set on BOTH poems.

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 6.1 Poem 1 18

AND

6.2 Poem 2 17

What is a contextual question?

In a contextual question, you are given an extract from the poem. You then have to answer
questions based on the extract. Some answers you can find in the extract. Other questions will test
your understanding of other parts of the poem. Some questions ask for your own opinion about the
poem.

What are the examiners looking for?

Examiners will assess your answers to the contextual questions based on:
• Your understanding of the literal meaning of the poem. You need to identify information that is
clearly given in the poem.
• Your ability to reorganise information in the poem. For example, you may be asked to
summarise key points.
• Your ability to provide information that may not be clearly stated in the extract provided, using
what you already know about the text as a whole. This process is called inference. For
example, you may be asked to explain how a figure of speech affects your understanding of
the poem as a whole.
• Your ability to make your own judgements and form opinions about aspects of the poem. This
process is called evaluation. For example, you may be asked if you agree with a statement.
• Your ability to respond to the emotional level of a poem. This is called appreciation. For
example, you may be asked what you would have done in the situation described in the poem.
You may be asked to discuss how the writer’s style helps to describe the tone and mood of a
poem.

Literary features found in poems

Allegory A poem that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning,

typically a moral, religious or political one. Many poems make
use of allegories.
Apostrophe The poet addresses an inanimate object, or an absent person.
Enjambment (run-on lines) Continuation of sentence beyond end of line, e.g. ‘His state Is
kingly; thousands at his bidding speed and post o’er land and
ocean without rest:’

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Diction The poet’s choice of words and how he/she organises them.
Euphemism A mild or vague expression in place of a word that is more
harsh or direct.
Figures of speech: Words, phrases, or expressions used in a manner other
than their literal meaning in order to produce a special
effect. It is important to know how figures of speech work.

First person The poem is written from the point of view of ‘I’ or ‘we’.
Hyperbole A deliberate exaggeration. For example, ‘a big’ plate of food is
described as ‘a mountainous’ plate of food.
Imagery It is the use of word-pictures or images that usually
appeal to our senses, but they may also appeal to the
heart or the mind (Imagery is gathered by the
understanding of the diction, tone and mood).
Irony A statement or situation that has an underlying meaning that
is different from the literal meaning.
Lyric Originates also in songs. It is more emotive than other poems.
It expresses the speaker’s feelings
Metaphor A figure of speech that uses one thing to describe another in a
figurative way.
Metonymy Something associated with the object, represents the object,
e.g. “And ploughs down palaces, and thrones, and towers.” In
this example, the ‘Palaces’, ‘thrones and towers’ is a
substitution for the people in power/Government/ Monarchs.
Mood The emotions felt by the reader when reading the poem.
Mood or feeling is a term used to refer to the atmosphere the
poet creates within the particular work. It is related to the tone
and in some ways, mood may also be said to reflect the poet’s
attitude towards the subject matter. Examples of mood are
cheerful, reflective, gloomy, humorous, melancholy, idyllic,
whimsical, romantic, amongst others.
Oxymoron A combination of words with contradictory meanings
(meanings which seem to be opposite to each other). For
example, ‘an open secret’
Personification Giving human characteristics to non-human beings.
Pun A play on words which are identical or similar in sound. It is
used to create humour.
Rhetorical question A question that is asked not for information but to produce
effect.
Rhyme Lines of poetry that end in the same sound.
It is the repetition of similar sounds.
a) End rhyme: rhyme occurs at the end of lines of verse.

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 (time; crime)
b) Half rhyme: words do not fully rhyme but there is a
similarity in sound. (work; pitchfork)
c) Internal rhyme: a word in the middle of the verse
line, rhymes with the word at the end of the
verse line. (“In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,)

Rhythm A regular and repeated pattern of sounds.

Sarcasm An ironic expression which is used to be unkind or to make fun
of someone.
Simile Comparing one thing directly with another. ‘Like’ or ‘as’ is
used to make this comparison.
Symbol Something which stands for or represents something else.
Theme Themes are the main messages of a text. There are usually a
few themes in each poem.
Third person The poem is written from the point of view of ‘he’, ‘she’ or
‘they’.
Tone The feeling or atmosphere of the poem.
It is the poet’s attitude towards the subject of the poem.
The tone can only be determined once one has examined
the diction of the poem thoroughly. The tone may also
vary within a poem.
(Emotional is not an example of tone, the emotion should be
specifically stated.)
Look at the examples of tone below:
Sincere, humorous, forceful, critical, sarcastic, ironic, loving,
mocking, sentimental, joyful, melancholic, bitter, amongst
others.

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Sonnet • The sonnet is probably the poetic form most commonly
used in English.
• It has fourteen lines.
• Rhymed iambic pentametre (five iambs per line).
• There are two common rhyming patterns for sonnets:
• Italian or Petrarchan • English or Shakespearian.
Shakespearean/Elizabethan Sonnets
• The rhyme scheme of the English sonnet is abab cdcd
efef gg,
• Three quatrains (a set of four lines) and a final couplet
(two lines).
• The first two quatrains deal with a problem, then there is a
Volta, indicating a transition located between the third
stanza and the final couplet (line 13)
• The last quatrain and couplet deal with a “solution” or way
to cope.
Petrarchan/Italian Sonnets
▪ The rhyme scheme of the Italian sonnet is abbaabba
cdecde (or cdcdcd).
▪ The first eight lines are called an octave, in which a
problem or situation is presented.
▪ In the sestet or the last six lines, the problem is resolved.
▪ There is a volta (change in tone and attitude in line 9.

Sound devices

Alliteration A pattern of words that includes the repetition of consonant

sounds. The repeated sound can be either at the beginning of
successive words or inside a word.
Assonance The vowel sounds of words that occur close together are
repeated.
Consonance A sound that occurs at the end of words that are close together
is repeated.
Onomatopoeia The use of words to create the sounds being described.

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 The cloudy lifetime shows the extent of the speaker’s sadness.

NOTE: When responding to a ‘discuss question’, you have to ground the response in the
poem and elaborate to make your understanding of the question clear. (3)
Total [15]

1.Hard to find
by Sinesipo Jojo
Sinesipo Jojo was born in the Eastern Cape
(Port St Johns) in 1993. She began writing while still
at high school. She wrote this poem while studying
Psychology at a university in Port Elizabeth.

1. Summary of the poem

The speaker expresses how people at times struggle to find the right words to describe how they
feel.

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 Hard to find
by Sinesipo Jojo

1. Words are everywhere

2. daily
3. we read them, and they fly out
4. like nobody’s business when we are provoked…

5. but there’s always something hard to understand…

6. they are hard to find

7. when they are needed by the heart;
8. when the heart feels,
9. words hide like they are not part of life.

10. While words are busy playing some twisted game

11. my heart looks sadly through the glass windows
12. as the raindrops slowly slide down, gently
13. on a cloudy lifetime,
14. hoping that one day,

15. words will realize what my heart wants to say.

Words to know
Word Basic meaning
fly out escape/ leave
nobody’s business slang phrase meaning something is being done with
passion
provoked to be angered/annoyed/irritated/frustrated
twisted cruel
slide move smoothly/ glide
realize understand clearly/ become aware

2. Type and Form

The poem ‘Hard to find’ is a free verse which represents the emotions that the poet
experiences. The mixture of long and short lines creates stanzas that portray the
speaker’s mixed feelings.

3. Analysis

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Lines 1 - 5
In line 1 and 2 the speaker highlights the abundance of words. The daily availability
of words is emphasised by the one word in line 2.
The speaker explains in lines 3 - 4 that when a person is triggered by emotion, words
are readily available (‘fly out’) as illustrated by the ellipsis after ‘provoked…’

In line 5 the speaker introduces a contradictory idea indicated by the word ‘but’.
Whereas lines 1 to 4 focus on words that come easily, the focus now shifts to
‘something hard to understand’ that the speaker is trying to figure out.

Lines 6-9
The contradictory idea is explained in lines 6 - 9 when the speaker states that in
times when a person experiences deep emotion, words are not readily available.

Lines 10-15
The idea that words are playing a cruel game of hide-and-seek is explored when the
speaker explains how the game causes sadness. The speaker’s sadness is caused
by an inability to find the right words to express their emotions. The sadness is evident
in the tears (‘raindrops’) falling from the speaker’s eyes (‘glass windows’). The speaker
is not only crying over a moment’s inability to express emotions or feelings, but over
that of a lifetime.

Despite the speaker’s sadness about this inability to express feelings, lines 14 and 15
show that there is hope that it may be different in future. The concluding single line
emphasises this hope of finding the right words to express feelings.

4. Themes
Communication
Words are used to communicate with one another. At times, words ‘fly’ freely when
we are passionate, however, there are times we fail to speak freely as words ‘hide’
and we cannot find the right words to express how we feel.

Sadness
When the speaker is at a loss of words to express emotion, it leads to a feeling of
sadness. The ‘raindrops’ is a physical sign that the speaker experiences sadness
when the ‘heart looks sadly through the glass window’.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Personification
Line 15 (‘words will realize’) - in the same way a person would come to a clear
understanding, words will understand what the heart is feeling.

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 Metaphor
● Line 3 (‘they fly out’) - ‘fly out’ indicates a quick action. In the same way the speaker
refers to the speed with which words can be uttered, almost without thinking.
● Line 11 (‘my heart looks … the glass window’) - the eyes are a ‘glass window’ and
the emotions the heart is feeling can be seen in a person’s eyes.
● Line 12 (‘raindrops slowly slide down’) - raindrops slide down a windowpane.
Similarly, tears are falling down the speaker’s cheeks.
● Line 13 (cloudy lifetime) - the speaker expresses how the lack of words has always
been something that prevented the full range of emotions to be expressed like clouds
hiding the brightness of the sun.
Metonymy
In the poem, ‘the heart’ refers to the speaker who is struggling to express feelings.

6. Tone and Mood

● The tone is reflective, and the speaker considers why it is sometimes so difficult to
find the appropriate words to express intense emotions.
● The mood is hopeful (in the last 2 lines) as the speaker is optimistic about the
possibility that in future, words might be easily available.

ACTIVITY 1
Read the poem, ‘Hard to find’, and answer the questions below.

Hard to find by Sinesipo Jojo

1 Words are everywhere

2 daily
3 we read them, and they fly out
4 like nobody’s business when we are provoked…

5 but there’s always something hard to understand…

6 they are hard to find

7 when they are needed by the heart;

8 when the heart feels,

9 words hide like they are not part of life.

10 While words are busy playing some twisted game

11 my heart looks sadly through the glass windows
12 as the raindrops slowly slide down, gently
13 on a cloudy lifetime,
14 hoping that one day,

15 words will realize what my heart wants to say.

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 1.1 Refer to lines 3 -4 (‘they fly out… we are provoked’).
Explain what the speaker means in these lines. (2)

1.2 Suggest a reason why ‘daily’ is placed in a separate line. (1)

1.3 What is the role of the ellipsis at the end of line 5? (1)

1.4 Refer to line 11 (‘my heart looks… the glass windows’).

(a) Identify a figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in this poem. (2)

1.5 Explain the meaning of line 12 (‘as the raindrops slowly slide down,’). (2)

1.6 Refer to line 13 (‘on a cloudy lifetime’).

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: The word
‘cloudy’ creates a…mood in the poem.

A cheerful
B reflective
C blissful
D joyful
(1)
1.7 Describe the speaker’s state of mind in this poem. (2)

1.8 One of the themes in this poem is sadness.

Discuss this theme. (3)

Total [15]

Suggested Answers
1.1 Words come out easily when the speaker is filled with emotions of anger or
frustration. (2)

1.2 Daily suggests that words are used frequently. (1)

1.3 The ellipsis emphasises how difficult it is for the speaker to understand why he/she
struggles to find words when intense emotion is experienced. (1)

1.4 (a) Metaphor (1)

(b) The eyes are a window reflecting the speaker’s emotions. (2)

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1.5 The speaker’s tears are rolling down and this suggests that the speaker is
emotional. (2)

1.6 B / reflective (1)

1.7 The speaker is pensive/thoughtful and realises that her inability to find words to
express her innermost feelings, has clouded her life. (2)

1.8 One of the themes in this poem in discussion of the theme of sadness should include
the following points, among others: ● The speaker’s inability to find
words to express emotion, leads to a feeling of sadness.
● ‘my heart looks sadly’ is a symbol of the speaker’s sadness. ● The ‘glass
windows’ and the ‘raindrops’ represent sadness as they refer to the tears rolling
down the speaker’s cheek.

2. On the grasshopper and

cricket
by John Keats

John Keats, born on 31 October 1795 and died on

23 February 1821, was a Romantic English poet who
accentuated extreme emotion through natural
imagery. He served as an apprentice to a surgeon
before registering as a medical student. He later quit
to devote his life to poetry. He died of tuberculosis,
which had previously
killed his mother and his
younger brother.

1. Summary
The poem ‘On the grasshopper and cricket’ is a Petrarchan Sonnet used by Keats to celebrate
the beauty of nature. He pays particular attention to the grasshopper and the cricket by praising
them for producing the music of nature. The octave focuses on the grasshopper as an agent of
summer while the sestet looks into the role played by the cricket. Both these insects survive the
harshest weather to fly around while producing their buzzing sounds. Both the octave and the
sestet open with a declaration that the poetry of the earth is not dead.

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 On the grasshopper and the cricket by John Keats

1
2 The Poetry of earth is never dead:
3 When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
4 And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
5 From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
6 That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
7 In summer luxury—he has never done With his delights; for
8 when tired out with fun He rests at ease beneath some pleasant
9 weed. The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
10 On a lone winter evening, when the frost
11 Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
12 The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
13 And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
14 The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

Words to
know
Word Basic meaning
faint feeling weak
mead meadow, a piece of grassland

22
 delights pleasure, joy
wrought brought about
shrills produces a sharp and penetrating sound

2. Type and Form

The poem ‘On the grasshopper and cricket’ has 14 lines and is known as a Sonnet. This
sonnet has two parts, i.e., the octave (8 lines) and the sestet (6 lines). This makes it an
Italian/Petrarchan sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abba abba cde cde.

3. Analysis
With this sonnet, the speaker celebrates the continuous beauty of nature. As
a Romantic poet, Keats praises nature and its capacity to bring joy to people.
He believes that love and nature are interconnected. He feels that nature
offers love and joy, and so humans must be receptive to that.

Octave (the first 8 lines)

The poetry of earth is never dead:

a
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
b
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
b
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
a
That is the Grasshopper’s — he takes the lead a
In summer luxury— he has never done b
With his delights; for when tired out with fun b
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed. a
Line 1
By ‘poetry of earth’, the speaker refers to the sounds made by nature. These
sounds are always alive. Even in extreme weather conditions, they do not die.
The first line is metaphoric.

Lines 2-8
In summer, when the sun is too hot, the birds find it difficult to keep to their habits
(line 2) and find comfort in the shelter of trees (line 3). However, the
grasshopper flies from one place to another (lines 3-4) and one continuously

hears a buzzing sound from all over the meadow (line 4). The grasshopper will
not stop singing. When the grasshopper is tired (‘when tired out with fun’), he
rests at ease under the weeds.

23
 Hot sun Cooling trees
Newly-mown mead

Pleasant weed Indicative of summer

Luxury

Sestet (the last six lines)

The poetry of earth is ceasing never: c
On a lone winter evening, when the frost d
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills e
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever, c
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost, d
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills. e

The poet uses poetic licence in line 9 (‘The poetry of earth is ceasing never’)
to reinforce line 1 (The poetry of earth is not dead). When winter comes with
frost and snow, and when creatures hide in their homes, the sound of the
cricket will not be silenced. So, instead of growing quiet because of the cold
temperatures, the cricket will find a corner in some warm kitchen near a
stove and sing its song (‘from the stove there shrills/ A Cricket’s song’). The
artificial warmth of a small room will make people feel drowsy, thus making
the sound of the cricket seem like that of a grasshopper (lines 12-13).

In summary, the grasshopper and the cricket will survive the harshest
weather conditions, even when the other animals surrender to it. When the
other creatures feel weak because of the heat, the grasshopper continues
singing. For the grasshopper, summer is a time of joy. In summer, Nature is
alive, and the grasshopper will sing to provide music to nature. When winter
comes and creatures are hiding, the cricket will take over from the
grasshopper and sing to the world. These two insects keep the poetry of
Nature alive.

4. Theme
Beauty of Nature
This sonnet describes the physical world and its natural beauty. We hear the voice of Nature in
the sounds made by the grasshopper and cricket. These voices speak to us, creating the
‘poetry’ of Nature. The music of Nature is always alive.

Endurance
The poetry of earth symbolises beauty and endurance. Like the poetry of the earth, Nature
endures. Conditions may be harsh, but they can be overcome. The grasshoppers sing despite
the heat and the crickets find their song, even when it is winter.

24
Immortality
One of the themes of this sonnet is the eternal delight of the beauty of nature. The sonnet’s
message is that beauty of nature, endurance of life and love of poetry will never die.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Run-on-lines
The run-on lines indicate the interconnectedness between creatures and Nature. These lines
also symbolise continuity in Nature.

Repetition
Line 1 ‘The poetry of earth is never dead:’
Line 9 ‘The poetry of earth is ceasing never:’
The poet uses a declaration in the first line. This declaration that the poetry of earth is forever
and never ending is repeated to emphasise the immortality of Nature.

Imagery
Line 1 ‘The poetry of earth’ - The earth is made up of different sounds which include the calls of
birds and the buzz of insects. These sounds are the ‘voice of the earth’, which is represented as
the poetry of the earth.

Personification
Lines 10 and 11 ‘the frost has wrought a silence’ - Frost is personified as a person who brings
silence.

Contrast
In summer Nature is noisier than winter when the frost ‘has wrought a silence’. The contrast is
further emphasised by the creatures of summer who hide from the heat while the grasshopper is
having fun.

Alliteration
Line 4 ‘new-mown mead’ - Repetition of the m-sound.

Metaphor
In the octave the sound of the grasshopper represents summer, while the sound of the cricket in
the sestet represents winter.

6. Tone and Mood

The tone is joyful and merry because the sounds made by the calls of the
birds and the buzz of insects create a celebratory mood.
ACTIVITY 2

Read the poem, ‘The grasshopper and the cricket’, and answer the questions below.

25
 1 The poetry of earth is never dead:
2 When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
3 And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
4 From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
5 That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
6 In summer luxury—he has never done 7 With his delights; for when
tired out with fun 8 He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
9 The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
10 On a lone winter evening, when the frost
11 Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
12 The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
13 And seems to one in drowsiness half lost, 14 The Grasshopper’s among
some grassy hills.

2.1 Give a detailed description of the structure of this poem. (3)

2.2 Refer to lines 1-4 (‘The poetry of …the new-mown mead’)

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Quote TWO words from the poem that suggest a sense of relief from the heat

of summer. (1)

2.3 Which creature’s voice is dominant in the octave? (1)

2.4 Refer to lines 10-11 (‘On a lone… stove there shrills’).

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:
The figure of speech used in these lines is a/an ….

A simile. B personification.
C onomatopoeia.
D metaphor. (1)

2.5 Explain why the poet believes the poetry of the earth is not dead. (2)

2.6 Name the insect responsible for breaking the silence in winter. (1)

2.7 Explain the contrast in the octave. (2)

2.8 Identify the main theme of this sonnet. (1)

2.9 What constitutes the poetry of earth? State THREE points. (3)

2.10 The poet succeeds in illustrating the commonality between the grasshopper and the
cricket.
Discuss your view. (3)
Total [19]

26
 Suggested Answers

2.1 This sonnet is an Italian/Petrarchan sonnet.

It comprises 14 lines.
The first eight lines are referred to as the octave.
The last six lines are referred to as the sestet.
The rhyme scheme is abba abba cde cde.
(3)

2.2 (a) Metaphor (1)

(b) ‘cooling trees’ (1)

2.3 The grasshopper’s voice (1)

2.4 B/ personification (1)

2.5 The poetry of nature does not stop soothing us with its music . It soothes us
throughout the year irrespective of the season. (2)

2.6 The cricket (1)

2.7 The contrast is created by the birds who hide in the extreme heat while the
grasshopper is moving from hedge to hedge. (2)

2.8 Poetry and music in nature do not die/ The beauty of Nature/Endurance . (1)

2.9 The poetry of the earth is not written in words like normal poetry but is made up of
the sounds of nature. These sounds are produced by insects. (3)

2.10 Open-ended.

Accept a relevant response which shows an understanding of the following viewpoints,

among others:
Yes.
● Both the grasshopper and the cricket represent voices in nature’s music. ● The
grasshopper’s song balances the extreme heat during the summer by providing
music that is comforting and pleasing and the cricket does the same during winter.
● In Nature, the grasshopper and the cricket are audible whereas the other
creatures are silent and hiding.
No.
● These two insects provide irritating sounds referred to as poetry.
● The sounds made by these insects keep us awake instead of awakening a
positive memory of summer. ● Not all readers will see the commonality
between these insects because the cricket is hiding in winter whereas the
grasshopper is active in summer.

NOTE: You will not be awarded marks for only YES or NO.

27
 To obtain full marks, your response must be well-substantiated. You
can score 1 or 2 marks for a response which is not well-substantiated. (3)
Your interpretation must be grounded in the text of the poem.
Total [19]

3. Sonnet 73
by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and
actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in
the English language and the world’s greatest
dramatist. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-
Avon, a small town in England in 1564.

3.1
Summary of the poem
In the first quatrain, the speaker compares aging to late autumn when the leaves have fallen off
the trees and the weather is cold. The church buildings (metaphor for bare branches) where the
choirs once sang are now in ruins and the birds no longer sing.

The speaker compares aging to the dusk when the sun has set in the west and introduces the
darkness of night-time in the second quatrain. Night-time is compared to death’s second self. In
the third quatrain the speaker compares aging to the coals of a fire that is about to die. He
compares old age that cannot exist without the figments of the youth to how the coals cannot
burn without the ashes.

In the couplet, the speaker advises that these things must be noted so that love can be strengthened
by the knowledge that we depart from our loved ones when life is extinguished.

Sonnet 73
by William Shakespeare

28
 1 That time of year thou mayst in me behold
2 When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
3 Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
4 Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.
5 In me thou seest the twilight of such day
6 As after sunset fadeth in the west,
7 Which by and by black night doth take away,
8 Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
9 In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
10 That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
11 As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
12 Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
13 This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
14 To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Words to know
Word Basic meaning
bough branch of a tree
ruined reduced to a state of collapse
twilight period just before it becomes completely dark in the evening
seals a tight and perfect closure
ere before (a specified time)

3.2 Type and Form

This is a Shakespearean sonnet, also known as an Elizabethan sonnet. Like all sonnets, it
has fourteen lines. It is divided into 3 quatrains (units of four lines) and has a rhyming
couplet (a unit of two lines). The rhythm in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is abab,
cdcd, efef, gg.

3.3 Analysis
In each quatrain, the speaker uses a different image to show the progression of life from
youthfulness to old age and death. The following images have been used: In quatrain 1 the
tree, quatrain 2 the sunset and quatrain 3 the glowing fire.

29
Quatrain 1
In the first quatrain, the speaker compares his current state to autumn, a season when the
leaves fall from the branches. The branches shake because of the cold wind. This means that
he is getting older and losing his youth just like the trees lose their green leaves. There is a
quietness that comes with getting old when the youthful exuberance no longer exists.

Quatrain 2
In this quatrain, the speaker compares his progress towards death as moving from dusk, (after
the sun has set) to night-time. The change in the comparison from a season to a day shows
the speed with which aging affects the body.

Quatrain 3
The third quatrain clarifies the end that the speaker talks about represents death that the
speaker is moving to. In this quatrain, the speaker’s life is compared to a fire that will soon be
extinguished. He refers to both literal death and figurative death which signifies the end of his
youth.

The Couplet
The speaker introduces the reader to the importance of love. He wants the reader to see what
life is like, so they value their time together. He reminds us that we need to love well because
we will have to leave (die) soon.

3.4 Themes
Aging
In this poem, the speaker explores what it feels like to get older and face the reality
that death is imminent. The effects of time on one’s physical health and mental fear
are compared to moving further from youth and closer to death. Part of growing old is
longing for the years gone by. Aging is also associated with a sense of peace and
calm as life begins to slow down. By comparing the speaker to a tree in late autumn
his age is revealed. However, the yellow falling leaves that shake from the cold are
clear signs that the tree is not ready for winter. The comparison of the bare branches
where the birds no longer sing to ruined churches where the choir no longer sings,
reveals how the speaker mourns the loss of his youthful appearance. The absence of
birds implies the peace and quiet that comes with old age.

30
Death
The speaker seems to be haunted by the inevitable truth that all living beings are
subjected to death. The poem includes several metaphors for death. In the second
quatrain the moving image of twilight fading as the sun sets in the west and turning
into darkness, symbolises the last moments of the speaker. The image of fire that is
extinguished and turning into ashes, in the third quatrain, represents a youthful life that
is well lived. The ashes represent a beautiful life that has come to an end.

Love
In line 13 the speaker introduces the theme of love. Although love can triumph over
many obstacles, it is still limited by mortality and nature. In the poem, love is
discussed in relation to the life cycle. The speaker wants the reader to understand
that life is not too long, and it may be too late to enjoy this light feeling of love. The
speaker, therefore, advises the reader to fall in love as often as possible and to love
when possible.

3.5 Diction and Figurative Language

Assonance
Line 2 ‘When yellow leaves…’

Alliteration
● Line 4 ‘sweet birds sang’ - contrasts with ‘bare ruin’d choirs’. This emphasises the change that
has taken place.
● Line 7 ‘by and by black night’ - supports the feeling of death fast approaching.
● Line 8 ‘Death’s second self … up all in rest’ - links the dark hours of night to Death.
● Line 14 ‘To love that … leave ere long’ - The alliteration in this line emphasises the strong,
positive emotion of love.

31
Metaphor
● Line 10 ‘ashes of youth’ - The speaker compares life to fire that is burning out. His once
youthful nature has turned to ash.
● Lines 7-8 ‘Death’s second self …of such fire’ – death is compared to night.

Metonymy
● This is a figure of speech that replaces the name of things with something else with
which there is close association.
● Line 4 ‘Bare ruined choirs’ - substitute the bare branches that are stripped of their leaves.

Simile
● Lines 5-6: ‘As after sunset …doth take away’ - The speaker compares his life to daytime
when twilight is replaced by sunset.

Symbolism
● Lines 2-4 ‘When yellow leaves…sweet birds sang.’- Trees are a symbol of life and
growth. The physical changes of the tree as the winter season sets in reflects how
the speaker’s body is degrading as death approaches.
● Lines 5-6 ‘In me thou …in the west’ - Light is a symbol for life and hope and darkness
is a symbol for death. In these lines the speaker refers to death slowly taking away
his life.

Imagery
● The use of imagery clarifies the speaker’s feelings and emotions. In this sonnet, the speaker has
used the following images:

Images of Autumn:
Lines 2 - 3 ‘When yellow leaves,... shake against cold ’

Images of Death:
● Line 7 ‘black night’
● Line 6 ‘sunset fadeth’

Apostrophe
Line 13: ‘This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong’.

3.6 Tone and Mood

In the quatrains, the tone is pensive and mournful as the speaker perceives his proximity
to death. It is also melancholic as the speaker explains that he is aging. The tender tone
creates a sentimental and sorrowful mood.

32
ACTIVITY 3
Read the poem, ‘Sonnet 73’, and answer the questions below.

Sonnet 73
by William Shakespeare

1 That time of year thou mayst in me behold

2 When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon
3 those boughs which shake against the cold,
4 Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.
5 In me thou seest the twilight of such day
6 As after sunset fadeth in the west,
7 Which by and by black night doth take away,
8 Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
9 In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
10 That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
11 As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
12 Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
13 This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
14 To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

3..1 Give a detailed description of the structure of this poem. (3)

3.2 Refer to the first quatrain.

Identify the time of year the speaker is referring to. (1)

3.3 Explain the comparison in line 4. (2)

3.4 Refer to lines 5-6 (‘In me though…in the west’). Explain the imagery in these
lines. (2)

3.5 Refer to line 7 (‘Which by and …doth take away’).

(a) Identify the literary device used in this line. (1)

(b) Explain how this literary device enhances the message of this poem. (2)

3.6 Refer to lines 8-12 (‘Death’s second self … was nourished by’).
Give ONE word which best describes the speaker’s state of mind in these lines.

Substantiate your answer. (2)

3.7 Identify the speaker’s tone in the third quatrain. (1)

3.8 One of the themes in this poem is death.

Discuss this theme. (3)

3.9 The couplet is a fitting conclusion to this sonnet.

33
 Discuss your view. (3)
Total [20]
Suggested Answers

3.1 This sonnet is an Elizabethan/Shakespearean sonnet.

It comprises 14 lines.
It has 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet.
The rhyme scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
(3)

3.2 Autumn✔ (1)

3.3 The leafless branches where the birds used to sit, and sing are compared to the ruins
of the church building where the choirs once sang. (2)

3.4 The speaker compares his fast-fading life to a day when twilight is quickly replaced
by night-time. (2)

3.5 (a) Alliteration (1)

(b) It indicates the speed with which the twilight fades and gives way to the night.
This shows how fast time flies and brings his death closer. (2)

3.6 The speaker is depressed/melancholic.

He realises he is getting older, and he is reaching the end of his life. (2)

3.7 mournful/pensive (1)

3.8 The discussion of the theme of death should include the following points, among
others:

● The speaker is haunted by the inevitable truth that all living beings are subject to
death. ● The moving image of twilight fading as the sun sets in the west
and turning into darkness symbolises the last moments of the speaker.
● The image of fire that is extinguished and turning into ashes, in the third quatrain,
represents a youthful life that is well lived. The ashes represent a beautiful life that
has come to an end.

NOTE: The interpretation must be grounded in the poem. (3)

3.9 Open-ended. Accept a relevant response which shows an understanding of

the following viewpoints, among others:
Yes. ● The speaker wants the readers to see how short life is so that they value
their time together. ● He reminds us that we need to love well because we will
have to leave (die) before long. ● The couplet ends the poem with positivity
and hope instead of it dwelling on sadness and death.
No.

34
 ● The couplet has no link to the poem, it cannot be a suitable ending.
● Telling a person who is thinking of death to focus on love could be insensitive.
● Some people do not need to be reminded of the importance of love because love is
their life.
NOTE: You will not be awarded any marks for only YES or NO. To
obtain full marks, your response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2
marks for a response which is not well-substantiated.
Your interpretation must be grounded in the text of the poem. (3)
Total [20]

4. Reciprocities
by Cathal Lagan
Cathal Lagan was born in Northern
Ireland in 1937. He served as a priest in
Port Elizabeth, Alice and King
William’s Town before teaching English
Literature at the
University of Fort Hare.

1. Summary
In this narrative free verse, the speaker reflects on how he used to help his mother during her knitting
sessions. He remembers how his mother would make him hold the skeins of wool so she could roll it
into a ball. He is also reminded of the relationship they had. He is now a writer and his writing
process reminds him of those childhood years. He compares his writing to his mother's knitting. His
mother benefitted from him just like he benefited from his mother’s experience, commitment, talks
and skill.

Reciprocities for my mother

By Cathal Lagan

35
 1 She gave me skeins of wool
2 To hold out (like a priest at Mass),
3 With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she
4 Wound it into a ball, unwinding me,
5 Unravelling my hands and arms, checking
6 My lapses with a gentle tug
7 When I wandered off through images
8 Her chat had made, for though She kept the line between us taut
9
10 She kept my heart at ease with all her talk.

11 And when her ball compacted grew,

12 And my few strands fell limp away, I knew there was no loss, for
13 she
14 Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly.

15 But richer still,

16 I see today these lines are drawn out from me
17 To knit through this faltering verse
18 A thread of memory
19 Time has pulled away from consciousness.

Words to know
Word Basic meaning
skeins length of thread loosely coiled or knotted
rubrics instructions on how a church service should be conducted
lapse brief or temporary loss of concentration
taut tight
compacted compressed or firmly packed together
strand a thin length of thread
faltering imperfect

2. Type and Form

This is a narrative poem written in free verse. It does not follow a specific set
of rules. The first stanza comprises 10 lines, the second stanza 4 lines and
stanza 3 comprises 5 lines.

3. Analysis

36
The speaker remembers how he helped his mother by holding the skeins of
wool to wind into a small ball so she could do her knitting. He details the
process focusing on her mother’s precision and attention to detail. He then
compares that whole process to that of him writing his poetry.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines reciprocity as a state of mutual

dependence. So, this poem is about mutual benefits. The mother would be
assisted by the boy when knitting. The boy has grown up to be a man, and he
now writes poetry. He compares his writing to his mother’s knitting.

Stanza 1
In stanza one, the speaker looks at the process of winding or spinning wool
into a ball. His mother would give him skeins to hold with two hands held up
and wide apart. Holding his hands like that would make him look like a priest
at a mass (line 2). He would be given instructions to follow just like a priest would follow
instructions from the rubrics (line 3). He would be told not to move or twitch (‘not to fidget’ in line
3). As the process goes on his head would spin, resulting in his confusion
and wandering. He would drop his hands. She would check his concentration
by pulling the strands harder (‘… checking/ My lapses with a gentle tug’ in
lines 5 and 6). If he loses concentration and his mind starts wandering, his
mother puts him at ease by talking to him.
Stanza 2
When the ball of firm, strong wool grew bigger and bigger (line 11) it is a
sign that there was no loss and they had enough for his mother to knit
something for him.

Stanza 3
Looking back, he now realises that his imperfect poems that he creates are not
as perfect as his mother’s knitting. His writing is like a thread that connects him
to his mother. Writing poetry always prompts his thoughts
about his mother’s knitting. ‘But’ (line 15) is used to show transition or to link
his childhood to adulthood.

4. Theme
Nostalgia
The speaker longs for the time he has spent with his mother and some of the activities they
did while being together. When he writes, he feels connected to his mother and this reinforces
the idea of nostalgia.

Mutual dependence
The mother benefits from the boy who holds the skeins of cotton for her. The boy also benefits
from spending time in his mother’s company. Her focus and creativity find its way into his
writing.

37
5. Diction and Figurative Language
This poem is written in free-verse, and it uses a language that is visually descriptive.

Simile
Line 2 ‘To hold out (like a priest at Mass)’ - the poet is ordered to lift his hands up just like a priest
would lift his hands up during a sermon.

Personification
Lines 18-19 ‘A thread of memory/Time has pulled away’ - time is personified as a person who
has pulled a thread of memory away from consciousness.

Contrast
Lines 15 - 19 ‘But richer still … away from consciousness’)’ - His imperfect writing (‘faltering
verse’) forms a contrast to his mother’s perfect knitting.

6. Tone and Mood

The tone is appreciative because the speaker appreciates the lessons he learnt from his mother. This
creates a nostalgic and sentimental tone when the speaker writes poetry.

ACTIVITY 4
Read the poem, ‘Reciprocities’, and answer the questions below.

1 She gave me skeins of wool

2 To hold out (like a priest at Mass),
3 With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she
4 Wound it into a ball, unwinding me,
5 Unravelling my hands and arms, checking
6 My lapses with a gentle tug
7 When I wandered off through images
8 Her chat had made, for though 9 She kept the line between us taut
10 She kept my heart at ease with all her talk.

11 And when her ball compacted grew,

12 And my few strands fell limp away,
13 I knew there was no loss, for she
14 Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly.

15 But richer still,

16 I see today these lines are drawn out from me

38
 17 To knit through this faltering verse
18 A thread of memory
19 Time has pulled away from consciousness.

4.1 Describe the structure of this poem. (2)

4.2 Refer to line 2 (‘To hold out (like a priest at Mass’).

(a) Identify a figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain the meaning of this figure of speech. (2)

4.3 Why does the mother check the boy’s lapses? (2)

4.4 Refer to line 9 (‘She kept the line between us taut’).

Explain the use of the word ‘line’. (2)

4.5 Give ONE reason why the ball grows. (1)

4.6 Refer to Stanza 2

Quote ONE word from stanza 2 that has the same meaning as strings. (1)

4.7 Identify the tone the speaker uses in lines 1 to 15. (1)

4.8 Explain the role and the effectiveness of the word ‘But’ at the beginning of the third
stanza. (2)

4.9 Refer to line 16.

Discuss the meaning of the phrase ‘these lines’. (2)

[16]

Suggested Answers
4.1 This poem is a narrative poem in free verse comprising three stanzas of unequal
length. (2)

4.2 (a) Simile (1)

(b) The same way a priest would hold out his hands during a mass to bless
people✔, the speaker holds out his hands when assisting his mother. (2)

4.3 The boy has a tendency for his thoughts to wander and that might lead to him losing
his grip. (2)

4.4 The word refers to the string he is holding as he helps his mother, and also to the
relationship they have where his mother would pull him back on track when he goes
astray. (2)

4.5 It is a sign that they have been doing this task for some time. / They have spun more

39
 string. (1)

4.6 ‘strands’ (1)

4.7 nostalgic / sentimental (1)

4.8 The word ‘But’ is transitional in its use because it links the speaker’s past to the
present. (2)

4.9 The phrase ‘these lines’ refers to the poetry that he is now writing while the lines are also
associated with the thread he used to help his mother spin. (2)
Total [16]

5. What life is really like

by Beverly Rycroft
Beverly Rycroft was born in the Eastern
Cape. She qualified as a teacher at the University of
Cape Town and furthered her studies at the
University of the
Witwatersrand. After teaching for several years,
she turned to writing. As a qualified teacher, she
taught widely at various schools before she
focused on writing full-time. Her debut poetry
collection, missing, won the 2012 Ingrid Jonker
award. In 2013, she was awarded the Thomas
Pringle Prize for best poem in a journal.

In 1997 Beverly Rycroft was diagnosed with stage

three breast cancer. The themes of the poems in
her debut collection, missing relate to the
experience of facing mortality, illness and the hope
of recovery.

1. Summary of the poem

The poet relives some of her childhood experiences when her dad exposed her to a number of
experiences that, in his view, would prepare her for life. His demeanour changes after she
returns home, recuperating from invasive surgery.

What life is really like by

Beverly Rycroft

40
1 You need to toughen up
2 my father would complain
3 when I was small
4 I ought to take you to see
5 chickens having their heads
6 chopped off.
7 That’d teach you
8 what life is really like.

9 He’d seek me out

10 when one of his pigeons
11 - crazed for home or
12 mad with terror from a
13 roaming hawk –
14 would tumble into
15 the loft
16 mutilated by
17 wire or beak.

18 I was the one made to

19 clench my palms round
20 its pumping chest,
21 to keep it still while
22 my father’s hairy fingers stitched
23 its garotted throat
24 angrily to rights again.

25 You see life is a fight for survival

26 he’d shout, forgetting
27 he was not lecturing his students
28 or giving his inaugural address
29 You gotta roll with the punches.

30 i waited and waited for the bitter

31 roughness to spy me and circle
32 in to land
33 years and years
34 of flinching anticipation until
35 the day i came home from hospital

36 and my father dressed my wound.

37 Easing with practiced hands

38 the drip from my bulldozed chest
39 he renewed the plaster in breathing silence

41
 40 never speaking never
41 once saying

42 Life’s a bastard
43 Toughen Up.

Words to
know
Word Basic meaning
to toughen up to become hardened to the ways of the world, and to be less
emotional when dealing with pain and suffering.
complain express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something
terror extreme fear
roaming moving about aimlessly or unsystematically, especially over a
wide area
tumble move or rush in a headlong or uncontrolled way
loft a pigeon house

mutilated inflicted a violent and disfiguring injury

garotted kill (someone) by strangulation, especially with a length of wire
or cord
survival the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of
an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances
inaugural marking the beginning of an institution, activity, or period of office

flinching making a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to

fear, pain, or surprise.
anticipation the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction
dress wound clean, treat, or apply a dressing to a wound

2. Type and Form

The poem ‘What life is really like’ is a lyric written in free verse. The poem consists of 8
stanzas of 43 lines of unequal length.

3. Analysis
Stanza 1
The poem starts with an instruction from a father to his young daughter,
‘You need to toughen up’, but the girl experiences it as a complaint about
her innocence. The father implies that the child needs to get used to the
real experiences in life in line 8 (‘what life is really like’) which implies that

42
she does not yet understand the intricacies of life. Furthermore, ‘really’ in
line 8 is printed in bold, emphasising the importance of his message.

Stanza 2, 3 and 4
In these three stanzas the child describes the father using another real-life
situation to teach her about the cruelty of life. He forces her to assist when
he stitches up an injured pigeon. The father uses anecdotes like ‘life is a
fight for survival’ (line 25) and ‘you gotta roll with the punches’ to get his
message across. His child experiences his tone as harsh and angry. She
feels her father forgets she is his child and not one of his students at
university.

Stanza 5
In this stanza, ‘I’ is now reduced to ‘i’ (lower case). This corresponds with
the mood of vulnerability she experiences due to the expectation she had
for ‘years and years’ (line 33) that harm will come her way one day. This
expectation is realised when she falls ill.

Stanza 6
This stand-alone line must be read in conjunction with lines 34 and 35. It
is effective that the father, who used to warn her to toughen up, is the one
to dress her wounds.
Stanza 7
The poet describes the way her father dresses her wounds. It is significant
because he does it in silence which contrasts with his conduct during her
childhood when he was described as loud and insensitive.

Stanza 8
These lines are effectively isolated from the previous stanza. The poet tells
us that her father is now a changed man. He believes she has received
her share of toughening up by the invasive surgery she experienced.

4. Themes
Cruelty
The father believes life is hard and he attempts to make his child aware of the harshness of life by
exposing her to events that are seen as harsh. Examples of these are chickens that are killed by
decapitation and a pigeon injured in flight that the father has to stitch up.

Fate
Fate is part of life and human beings cannot act in any way to change the outcome of what has
been planned. The father does his best to ensure that his child is aware of the cruel nature of life,
but still, when the family is faced with a medical incident that influences their lives, he is shocked.
He therefore treats her wounds in silence and realises that they are now experiencing the fact that
‘Life’s a bastard’.

Psychology of growing up
The father presents his child with many examples of how ‘Life’s a bastard’ and ‘Toughen up’ and
he repeats these words to enforce the idea that his daughter has to develop resilience to be ready

43
to face the cruelty of fate. The effect of his actions is that she grows up waiting for a cruel event
for ‘years and years’ to strike her. She describes fate as a predatory bird that spies on her causing
her to flinch in anticipation of the harsh event that will happen.

Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties,

toughness.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Metaphor
● Lines 30 - 32 (‘i waited and … in to land’) - The speaker describes
the toughness expected by her father as a ‘bitter roughness’ and
compares it to a bird of prey, as it circles above her looking for a
place to land.
● Line 38 (‘my bulldozed chest’) - The way she describes the effects of
the surgery (breast removal) is indirectly compared to the state of
soil churned up by a bulldozer.

Personification
● Lines 10-12 (‘when one of … mad with terror’) - the pigeon is described as a crazy or
mad person. It is effective because the speaker successfully emphasises how
unsettled the pigeon was.

Contrast
● There is a contrast between stanzas 1 and 7. In stanza 1 the father is constantly uttering
lessons to ‘toughen’ her up, whereas in stanza 7 he is quiet while he is dressing her
wound.

Images
● The speaker makes use of imagery to assist the reader to understand her emotions
when she has to assist her father to stitch up the bird. She has to hold the bird
tightly, ‘clenched’, and we can picture how frightened the bird is by the description
of his ‘pumping chest’ – referring to his heartbeat. She also mentions his ‘garotted
throat’ which is a very strong image derived from strangling a victim with a cord,
thong, or length of wire. The pigeon could have blindly flown into a wire because he
was so anxious to get home (‘crazed for home’) or a hawk looking for prey,
(‘roaming’), could have sliced his neck.
● The father is also pictured vividly through the description of his ‘hairy fingers’
working ‘angrily’ to stitch the wound. He is shouting that the girl should remember
that ‘life is a fight for survival’.

Repetition
● In stanza 5, ‘waited and waited’ and ‘years and years’ are repeated to emphasise how
the girl always expected to receive a blow from the universe.

44
6. Tone and Mood
The poem starts on a serious, cautionary tone when the father warns his child to expect life to be
tough, but it changes in stanza 7 to one of resignation* when the father realises that his child has
experienced her share of toughness.

The speaker’s mood is one of anticipation as she is forever waiting on fate to deal her a blow.

*resignation - the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable

ACTIVITY 3
Read the poem, ‘What life is really like’and answer the questions below.

What life is really like – Beverly Rycroft

1 You need to toughen up
2 my father would complain
3 when I was small
4 I ought to take you to see
5 chickens having their heads
6 chopped off.
7 That’d teach you
8 what life is really like.

9 He’d seek me out

10 when one of his pigeons
11 - crazed for home or
12 mad with terror from a
13 roaming hawk –
14 would tumble into
15 the loft
16 mutilated by
17 wire or beak.

18 I was the one made to

19 clench my palms round
20 its pumping chest,
21 to keep it still while
22 my father’s hairy fingers stitched
23 its garotted throat
24 angrily to rights again.

45
 25 You see life is a fight for survival
26 he’d shout, forgetting
27 he was not lecturing his students
28 or giving his inaugural address
29 You gotta roll with the punches.

30 i waited and waited for the bitter

31 roughness to spy me and circle
32 in to land
33 years and years
34 of flinching anticipation until
35 the day i came home from hospital

36 and my father dressed my wound.

37 Easing with practiced hands

38 the drip from my bulldozed chest
39 he renewed the plaster in breathing silence
40 never speaking never
41 once saying

42 Life’s a bastard
43 Toughen Up.

5.1 Give TWO reasons why this poem can be described as ‘free verse’. (2)

5..2 Refer to stanzas 1 to 3.

Name two events the father uses as examples to teach his child that life is tough. (2)

5.3 Refer to lines 11-12 (‘-crazed for home … terror from a’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to the poem. (2)

5.4 Refer to stanza 3.

Quote ONE word that proves the pigeon was not coming home slowly. (1)

5.5 Refer to line 38 (‘The drip from my bulldozed chest.’).

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:
The words ‘bulldozed chest’ is an example of a/an …. A alliteration. B
oxymoron.
C onomatopoeia.
D metaphor. (1)

46
5.6 Refer to stanza 4.

(a) What tone would the father use in this stanza? (1)

(b) Why would the father use this tone in this stanza? (2)

5.7 Refer to stanza 5.

(a) What is the significance of ‘i’, being used in lowercase (lines 30 and 35)? (2)

(b) Which words are repeated in this stanza? (1)

(c) Explain the purpose of the repetition. (2)

5. 8 Refer to stanza 7.

Why does the speaker describe her father’s dressing of her wound as ‘practiced’? (2)

5.9 The father is justified in emphasising that ‘Life’s a bastard’

(3)
Discuss your view.
Total (22)

Suggested Answers

5. 1 The stanzas differ in length and there is no fixed rhyming scheme. (2)

5.2 The slaughter of a chicken Assisting with treating an injured pigeon. (2)

5. 3 (a) Personification (1)

(b) It effectively describes the agitated state of the pigeon after he nearly does not
make it home or is accosted by a hawk by comparing him to a crazy person
who is mad with terror. (2)

5. 4 ‘tumble’ (1)

5.5 D/metaphor. (1)

5. 6 (a) serious/stern (1)

(b) He is adamant that his child must become stronger and face the challenges
in life.
He needs her to understand that life is hard.
(2)

47
5.7 (a) It effectively portrays her feelings of defencelessness while waiting for the arrival of her bad
luck as predicted by her father. (2)

(b) ‘waited’ and ‘years’ (1)

(c) It emphasises how long she has been waiting for the toughness of life to
attack her. (2)

5. 8 He gained previous experience on treating wounds by caring for his pigeons. (2)

5.9 Open-ended. Accept a relevant response which shows an understanding of

the following viewpoints, among others:
Yes.
● A father needs to warn his children that ‘Life’s a bastard’ otherwise they may live
in a dream world. ● He uses his life experiences, e.g., a chicken being slaughtered
in a violent way and stitching up a wounded pigeon.
● His child’s chest was ‘bulldozed’ in an operation which is a good reason for a person
to ‘toughen up’.
No.
● It is unfair to put that burden on a child, making her wait for years and years to be
stricken down. ● She finally experiences a bad thing, but her awareness of the
tough nature of life does not make it any easier to deal with it. ● Her father changes
his mind in the end and stops his sayings showing that he has reconsidered.

NOTE: You will not be awarded marks for only YES or NO. To obtain full marks,
your response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks for a
response which is not well-substantiated. Your interpretation must be
grounded in the text of the poem. ((3)
Total [22]

48
6. You laughed and laughed
and laughed
by Gabriel Okara

Gabriel Jibaba Okara was a Nigerian poet and novelist.

He was born in Bomoundi State in Nigeria on 24 April
1921. He was well known for his Novel, ‘The Voice’. He won
an award at the Nigerian Festival of Arts in 1953.

He was awarded the Commonwealth Poetry Prize In 1979.

He died in Federal Medical Centre, Nigeria on 25 March
2019.

1. Summary of the poem

This poem depicts the life of Africans who faced racism at the hands of white people. They were
‘laughed at’ or mocked by white people for their song, dance and music which they used to express
their pain and emotions. White people laughed at the Africans because they did not understand
the meaning dancing and singing had for black people. The poem ends on a positive note when
the speaker describes how white people learn to understand the importance of dancing and
singing to Africans.

You laughed and laughed and laughed

by Gabriel Jibaba Okara
1 In your ears my song
2 is motor car misfiring
3 stopping with a choking cough;
4 and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

5 In your eyes my ante

6 natal walk was inhuman, passing
7 your ‘omnivorous understanding’
8 and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

49
 9 You laughed at my song,
10 you laughed at my walk.

11 Then I danced my magic dance to the

12 rhythm of talking drums pleading, but
13 you shut your eyes and laughed and
14 laughed and laughed.

15 And then I opened my mystic

16 inside wide like
17 the sky, instead you entered your
18 car and laughed and laughed and laughed

19 You laughed at my dance,

20 you laughed at my inside.

21 You laughed and laughed and laughed,

22 But your laughter was ice-block
23 laughter and it froze your inside froze
24 your voice froze your ears froze your
25 eyes and froze your tongue.

26 And now it’s my turn to laugh; but

27 my laughter is not ice-block
28 laughter. For I know not cars, know
29 not ice-blocks.

30 My laughter is the fire of the

31 eye of the sky, the fire
32 of the earth, the fire of the air,
33 the fire of the seas and the
34 rivers fishes animals trees and
35 it thawed your inside, thawed
36 your voice, thawed your ears,
37 thawed your eyes and thawed
your tongue.
38

39 So a meek wonder held your

shadow and you whispered:
40
41 ‘Why so?’
42 And I answered:
43 ‘Because my fathers and I are
44 owned by the living warmth of
45 the earth
46 through our naked feet.’

Words to know

50
 Word Basic meaning
ante natal before birth, relating to pregnancy
omnivorous understanding understanding everything indiscriminately (extensively)
mystic magical
thawed softened, melted
meek quiet, gentle, shy, patient

2. Type and Form

The poem ‘You laughed and laughed and laughed’ consists of 10 stanzas, unequal in
length, it has no defined metre, no consistent rhyme scheme, and no specific length or
formal requirements. The only consistency is repetition of the title at the end of the first
four stanzas and again in stanza 7.

3. Analysis
Stanza 1
In this stanza, the speaker portrays the attitude of white people towards African songs.
The sound of their song is harsh and loud, white people do not understand it, as a result
it sounds like a ‘motor car misfiring’, making an awkward noise. He says white people do
not value African culture, instead they laugh and laugh and laugh. The repetition of
‘laughed and laughed and laughed’ adds to the beauty of the poem as the words
emphasise the racial discrimination that black people experience.

Stanza 2
The African people are not as stylish and modern as the white people. They have a clumsy
walk, ‘ante natal walk’ (image of a pregnant woman) which is considered ‘inhuman’ (not
like a human) and they are mocked about it.

Stanza 3
These two lines summarise and put emphasis on how white people mock African
people for their song and walk.

Stanza 4
African people are mocked for their ‘magical’(cultural) dance by the speaker who
describes the reaction of white people who close their eyes to avoid looking at it. They
dance to their music, and to the ‘rhythm of talking drums pleading’, (the image of the
‘talking drums pleading’ represents the beat of the drums).

Stanza 5
The speaker invites the white people to experience the beauty of his world
(mystic/magical). Instead of the whites enjoying that space (the African sky) they prefer
their materialistic world, represented by their cars.

51
Stanza 6
The white people laughed at everything that mattered most to the African people: their
culture and dance.

Stanza 7
The speaker describes the continuous laughter of the white people as icy-cold. Mocking
freezes their ability to empathise with Africans and the understanding of African culture.
Furthermore, the laughter closed all the senses of the white people (hearing, seeing and
tasting), preventing them from relating to the African people.

Stanza 8
In this stanza, the speaker uses ‘And now’ to indicate a change. It is now the turn of
African people to laugh, but their laughter is not mocking like the laughter of the white
people. African people are not materialistic, and they are naturally warm-natured unlike
white people, therefore they do not mock white people.

Stanza 9
The intensity of African laughter is portrayed using fire, sun, water (natural elements).
The speaker describes the African’s laughter as the fire of the sun (eye of the sky). The
intensity of the heat of the sun is emphasised. The speaker uses fine elements of the
earth (animate and inanimate objects) to intensify how fire can melt (thaw) their frozen
hearts.

Stanza 10
This stanza concludes the poem. It is at this point that the white man realises that despite
all the humiliation African people endured, they are still warm-hearted. They are very
close to Nature.

4. Themes
Racism
The issue of racism is explored in the poem. The speaker mentions the disgrace of racial
intolerance with special reference to how white people mock African people about their
music and dance.

Culture
African culture is mocked and ridiculed by white people who misunderstand their songs
and dance. White people show no empathy with the culture of Africans and
misunderstand the connection that Africans have with Nature.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Repetition
The constant repetition of the title, ‘you laughed and laughed and laughed’ emphasises
the humiliation black people suffered at the hands of the colonials.

52
Metaphor
Line 22 and line 30 ‘But your laughter was ice-block’ and ‘My laughter is the fire’ - The
laughter of whites is compared to ‘ice-blocks’ and then the speaker compares his
laughter with fire.

Contrast
The speaker uses contrast between the black indigenous African culture and the white
colonialist traditions.

Images
The speaker uses natural elements (water, the sky and fire) to capture images of beauty
and energy.

6. Tone and Mood

The tone of the poem is humiliating and offensive, but it becomes assertive from the last 3
stanzas.

ACTIVITY 6
Read the poem, ‘You laughed and laughed and laughed’ and answer the questions below.

6.1 Describe the structure of this poem. (2)

6.2 Refer to lines 2-3 (‘is motor car … a choking cough’).

Explain the meaning of the phrase ‘misfiring and choking cough’ as used in the
context of the poem. (1)

6.3 Refer to stanzas 1 and 2.

Name TWO activities of African people that white people ridicule. (2)

6.4 One of the themes in the poem is racism.

Discuss the theme. (3)

6.5. Refer to line 22.

(a) Identify the figure of speech ‘(But your laughter was ice-block’). (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant to the poem. (2)

6.6 Refer to lines 5-8 (‘In your eyes … laughed and laughed’).

(a) Identify the tone used by the speaker in these lines. (1)

53
 (b) Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? (2) (c) Choose the
correct answer to complete the following sentence.

‘Omnivorous understanding’ (line 7) means understanding is … A

omniscient .
B omnipresent. C onomatopoeia.
D undiscriminating. (1)
Total [15]

Suggested Answers

6.1 The poem consists of 10 stanzas that are not equal in length. It has no defined
metre/no consistent rhyme scheme/no consistent length. (2)

6.2 The speaker is comparing the noise of cars misfiring to the awkward ‘noise’ of the
African people’s songs. (1)

6.3 They ridicule their songs and the way they walked. (2)
.

6.4 The discussion of the theme of racism should include the following points, among others:
● White people do not accommodate the culture of Africans, as they see them as uncivilised or
barbaric.
● They ridicule their way of singing, dancing and walking.
● When Africans open up to them, they ignore it and turn to their materialistic ways. (3)

6.5 (a) Metaphor (1)

(b) The speaker compares the laughter of white people to ice-blocks implying that
their laughter is devoid of any warmth. (2)

6.6 (a) mockery/ridicule (1)

(b) White people pretend their knowledge is superior, but they know very little
about African people and are not prepared to open themselves up to gain
more knowledge. (2)

(c) D/ undiscriminating (1)

Total [15]

54
7. The lake isle of
Innisfree
by William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland on

June 13, 1865, and died in 1939. After his birth, his
family moved to Merville, Sligo, where Yeats grew
up. He was a poet, playwright and novelist who
wrote about the area and its influence on his art.
‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ is one of William Butler
Yeats’ most celebrated poems. It was published
several years after it was written, in 1893, and is a
perfect example of Yeats at his best.

1. Summary of the poem

‘The lake isle of Innisfree’ portrays the speaker’s longing for country life on an (isle/small island)
and taking a break from city life. The speaker intends to live a simple life on an uninhabited
island. The speaker wishes to have peace on his own in the natural environment.

The lake isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats

1. I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

1. And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
2. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
3. And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

4. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
5. Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

55
 6. There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
7. And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

8. I will arise and go now, for always night and day 9. I hear lake water lapping with
low sounds by the shore;
10. While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
11. I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Words to know
Word Basic meaning
arise stand up or get up
Innisfree an uninhabited island within Lough Gill, in Ireland, near
which Yeats spent his summers as a child
cabin a small wooden shelter or house in a wild or remote area
clay stiff, sticky fine-grained earth that can be moulded when wet,
and is dried and baked to make bricks/pottery
wattles material for making fences/walls consisting of rods/stakes
interlaced with twigs or branches
hive structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; like a
hollow tree
glade an open space (with grass) in a wood or forest
veils things that serve to cover, conceal, disguise
cricket an insect related to grasshoppers but with short legs
linnet a mainly brown and grey finch (seed eating bird) with a
reddish breast and forehead

2. Type and Form 3. Analysis

The poem consists of 12 lines, divided into 3 stanzas of three rhyming quatrains. The rhyme
scheme is abab cdcd efef.

56
Stanza 1
The speaker highlights his desire to go to Innisfree. The urgency of his intention to leave is
emphasised by the repeated use of ‘go’ in the first line. The speaker is determined to go to
Innisfree.
The second line introduces his plans. When he is at the island, he
wants to erect a tiny ‘cabin’ as his house. The use of ‘I’ strengthens the idea of staying alone,
and it is evident in line 4.

The choice of building material ‘clay and wattles’, planting ‘nine bean
rows’, having a bee ‘hive’ adds to the simplicity of the speaker’s ideal
life. It is ironic that the speaker prefers the noise of bees which survive
in a large family group-colony while the speaker desires to live alone.

Stanza 2
The speaker reveals the benefits of staying in Innisfree, the main

benefit being peace. The repetition of ‘peace’ emphasises the main

idea/theme of the poem. The speaker describes peace as he links
peace to morning dew which will drop from the leaves on the trees to
the grass on the ground.

The speaker further describes the different times of day and the
extraordinary qualities they possess at the lake isle of Innisfree. The
imagery calls up sequences that further emphasise the importance of
the daydream to the speaker.

Stanza 3
The speaker shakes himself out of his daydream in which he has
described the scenes on the lake isle of Innisfree and begins to
address the real world. Once again, he states he is going to leave
for the isle.

The speaker’s daydream is clear, causing him to hear the sounds

he has imagined hearing on the island. It seems that the speaker
lives in a city, or at least somewhere where he is surrounded by
roads and pavements, which are not signs of nature.
The poem ends on a serious/ sombre note. The poem’s last line, ‘I
hear it in the deep heart’s core’ refers to the sounds of the waves
lapping on the shore. The haunting images of the lake isle of Innisfree
are heard not in his head but in his heart. The speaker causes the
reader to wonder whether he will ever make it from his current home
to the peace he needs to be happy.

4. Themes

57
Peace/Tranquillity of Nature
Throughout ‘The lake isle of Innisfree’ the poet engages with interrelated themes which
include nature and peace. The speaker wants the readers to see the natural environment
without human involvement. It is a place to find peace and connect with the world on a
deeper, spiritual level. The isolated nature of the island that he’s longing for is also an
important element of his happiness. It is an escape from noisy city life.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Alliteration
Line 10 ‘I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore.’ - the repeated use of the
letter ‘l’ recreates the sound made by the waves.

Repetition
Line 1 ‘and go now, and go to Innisfree’ - the speaker repeatedly uses the word ‘go’ to
emphasise his intention to leave the city.
Lines 5-6 ‘peace’ and ‘dropping’ are repeated to emphasise the longing for silence and
calm.
Lines 1 and 9 ‘I will arise and go now’ is repeated to emphasise his determination to go
on a journey.

Imagery
The speaker uses visual and auditory words to capture the reader’s attention for
example ‘bee-loud’, ‘cricket sings’, ‘linnets wings’, ‘water lapping’ and ‘I hear’ -the
speaker arouses several different senses, encouraging the reader to feel, hear, and see
the natural scene.

6. Tone and Mood

The repetition of the word ‘peace’ creates a sense (tone) of calm.
The mood is joyful because the speaker is looking forward to leaving the city.

ACTIVITY 3
Read the poem, ‘The lake isle of Innisfree’, and answer the questions below.

The lake isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats

1. I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

2. And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
3. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
4. And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

5. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
6. Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
7. There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

58
 8. And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

9. I will arise and go now, for always night and day

10. I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; 11. While I stand on the roadway, or
on the pavements grey,
12. I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

7.1 Give a detailed description of the structure of this poem. (2)

7.2 Refer to line 2 (‘And a small … and wattles made’).

Describe the speaker’s plans by using your OWN words. (2)

7.3 Refer to line 4 (‘And live alone … bee-loud glade’).

Explain the irony in this line. (2)

7.4 Refer to line 10 (‘I hear lake… by the shore’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is effective. (2)

7.5 Refer to line 12 (‘I hear it… deep heart’s core’).

(a) Identify the tone the speaker would use in this line. (1)

(b) Why would the speaker use this tone? (1)

7.6 One of the themes in this poem is the tranquillity of nature.

Discuss this theme. (3)

7.7 The speaker paints a life-like picture of island life.

Discuss your view. (3)

Total [17]

Suggested Answers

7.1 The poem consists of 12 lines divided into 3 quatrains.

The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef. (2)

7.2 The speaker plans on building a small shelter/cabin using basic material (‘clay and
wattles’) which is available on the island. (2)

59
7.3 It is ironic that the speaker prefers the noise of bees which survive in a large family
group/colony, yet the speaker desires to live alone. (2)

7.4 (a) Alliteration (1)

(b) The repeated use of the letter ‘l’ in lake…lapping …and low’ recreates the
sound made by the waves. (2)

7.5 (a) dreamy and wistful (1)

(b) The speaker is sad because he longs to leave the city for the island, but at
present it is only a dream. (1)

7.6 The discussion of the theme of the tranquillity of nature should include the following points,
among others:

● The speaker views the lake isle of Innisfree as a peaceful space.

● It is a space to find solitude and to connect with nature.
● The speaker describes the calm by looking at different times of the day;
‘dripping slow’ in the morning, ‘glimmer at midnight’, ‘purple glow at noon’ and
‘linnet’s wings’ in the evening.

NOTE: The interpretation must be grounded in the poem. (3) Open-ended.

Yes. ● He describes a picture of the relaxing activities that will occupy him. ● He refers to
insects and birds like bees, crickets and linnets.
● He recreates the sound of the waves .

No. ● His does not consider his friends and family who might miss him. ● He
remains in the city which proves that he prefers the city.
● His descriptions are not enticing enough to make every reader move to an island.
NOTE: You will not be awarded marks for only YES or NO. To obtain
full marks, your response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks
for a response which is not well-substantiated.

Your interpretation must be grounded in the text of the poem. (3)

Total [17]

60
8. The Slave Dealer
by Thomas Pringle
Thomas Pringle was born in Roxburghshire in Scotland on 5
January 1789. He died in London (England) on 5 December 1834.
Pringle emigrated to South Africa in 1820. He is often called the
father of South African poetry.

Whilst in Cape Town, he published a newspaper and a magazine, but

these were suppressed because of the reformist views Pringle
expressed. He returned to London in 1826 where he spent all his life
as an activist in the anti-slavery movement.

1. Summary of the poem

The speaker highlights the subject of slavery from a slave dealer’s point of view. The slave
dealer is a person who deals with the sale of people from poor to upper-class backgrounds and
forcefully remove and transport these people from their families to other countries or
continents.

The Slave Dealer

by Thomas Pringle

1 From ocean’s wave a W anderer came,

2 With visage tanned and dun:
3 His Mother, when he told his name,
4 Scarce knew her long-lost son;
5 So altered was his face and frame
6 By the ill course he had run.

7 There was hot fever in his blood,

8 And dark thoughts in his brain;
9 And oh! to turn his heart to good
10 That Mother strove in vain,
11 For fierce and fearful was his mood,
12 Racked by remorse and pain.

13 And if, at times, a gleam more mild

14 Would o’er his features stray,
15 When knelt the Widow near her Child,
16 And he tried with her to pray,
17 It lasted not - for visions wild
18 Still scared good thoughts away.

19 ‘There’s blood upon my hands!’ he said,

61
 20 ‘Which water cannot wash;
21 It was shed where warriors bled -
23 It dropped from the gory lash, As I
22 whirled it o’er and o’er my head,
24 And with each stroke left a gash.

25 ‘With every stroke I left a gash,

26 While Negro blood sprang high; And
27 now all ocean cannot wash
28
My soul from murder’s dye;
30
Nor e’en thy prayer, dear Mother, quash
31
That Woman’s wild death-cry!
32
33 ‘Her cry is ever in my ear,
34 And it will not let me pray;
35 Her look I see - her voice I hear-
36 As when in death she lay,
37 And said, “With me thou must appear
On God’s great Judgment-day!”’
38
39 ‘Now, Christ from frenzy keep my son!’
40 The woeful Widow cried;
41 ‘Such murder foul thou ne’er hast done -
42 Some fiend thy soul belied!’- ‘- Nay,
43 Mother! The Avenging One Was
witness when she died!
44
45
‘The writhing wretch with furious heel
46
I crushed - no mortal nigh;
47
But that same hour her dread appeal
48
Was registered on high;
49
And now with God I have to deal,
And dare not meet His eye!’

Words to
know
Word Basic meaning
wanderer a traveller
visage image, facial expression, appearance
fierce angry, vicious
gory brutal, gruesome, violent, bloody
gash wound or a deep cut
quash cancel
woeful sad, miserable, unhappy
writhing twisting about from pain

62
 frenzy extreme mental agitation
fiend evil spirit

2. Type and Form

This poem is a ballad which retells the story of a son who returns home to his mother
after being away for a long time, trading in slaves. The poem has 8 stanzas of 6
lines each. Each stanza has its own rhyme scheme.

3. Analysis
Stanza 1
In lines 1-2 the slave dealer is compared to a traveller whose face has
tanned to a brownish colour because he has been spending a lot of time
in the sun.

His mother does not recognise him (lines 3-6) because the harshness of
the sun has altered his outward appearance. The evil path he had
chosen is also reflected in his ‘face and frame’. She only recognises him
after he tells her his name. The ‘long –lost’ suggests that she last saw
him a long time ago.

Stanza 2
In lines 7- 8 the anger in him is compared to a fever which makes him
hot. He is angry at himself. The bad thoughts of what he has done haunt
him and he cannot get rid of them. His mother tries unsuccessfully to
make him change his thoughts and forgive himself. He is tormented
(‘racked’) by the pain of what he has done. He is remorseful.

Stanza 3
At times, just for a brief moment, the slave driver gets a gleam of hope, but
it does not last for too long (lines 13 - 14). This happens when the mother
prays with him (lines 15 – 16). The mental pictures and thoughts of all his
bad deeds chase the good thoughts away (lines 17 -18).

Stanza 4
In lines 19-20, the speaker continues to be haunted by the horrible deeds
he committed. The ‘blood’ that is on his hands refers to the blood of
innocent people he killed during his days as a slave trader. He feels that
he cannot be forgiven for his actions (‘which water cannot wash’). In line
20 there is a tinge of regret in the speaker’s tone. He believes that it would
have been better if the blood was spilled on a battlefield – which is
considered heroic.

In lines 22-24 the speaker gives a clear picture of what causes his hands
to be covered in blood. Using a whip to vigorously lash at the slaves,

63
each stroke opens a deep cut from which the blood flows. There is a
contrast between someone who kills when he is brave in war and the
speaker who is a coward and beats up helpless people who can offer no
resistance.
Stanza 5
In lines 25 -26 the speaker continues giving clear images of his horrific
actions. He uses hyperbole to emphasise the enormity of the pain he
inflicted on the slaves (line 26). No amount of water can wash the blood
from his hands (lines 27-28).

In line 28, the speaker uses a metaphor of ‘dye’ to refer to the blood of
the slaves that the slave trader is guilty of shedding. The blood is
compared to dye that can never be washed out.

In lines 29-30, the speaker says his mother’s prayers cannot erase the
sounds of the woman’s cry before she died. The agony that he put her
through still haunts him.

Stanza 6
In line 31 the speaker confesses that the sound of the woman’s cry
keeps on ringing in his ear (‘… ever in my ear’). It makes it very difficult
for him to pray. He still has clear mental images of how she looked as
she lay, dying from the injuries the speaker had inflicted on her. He can
still hear the sound of her voice. The woman reminds him that he will be
judged, with her, on ‘Judgement-day’.

Stanza 7
The alliteration in line 38 emphasises the torturous thoughts the mother
has. She prays and says that her son has been possessed by an evil
spirit. The son explains that it is not true, and that the avenging angel has
witnessed his evil deeds.

Stanza 8
The alliteration (wr -sound) in line 43 hardens the words to show how she
moved to try and save herself from him.

The angry heel (‘furious heel’) creates a clear image of the brutality with
which he kills the slave.

In lines 45-46 the woman’s pleading cries are ignored by the speaker,
but God listens as she cries out. In lines 47-48 the speaker states he
must face his fate before God, and he is scared.

4. Themes
Torment
The speaker reveals the slave dealer’s torment and anguish, turmoil
and sadness through the emotive language that is evident throughout

64
the poem. The poem tells us that the slave dealer is haunted by the
deeds he committed when he was involved in slave trading.

Slavery
The horror of slavery is told through the personal experiences of the speaker
who is a slave dealer. The slave dealer, ‘Wanderer’, was the person who
forcefully removed slaves from their families and loved ones.

Remorse
The speaker expresses the slave dealer’s feelings through stanza 4:
‘There’s blood upon my hands!.......’ This shows he feels responsible
for someone’s death. He is filled with remorse for killing people and
taking what is not his.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Metaphor
● Lines 1-2 ‘From ocean’s wave … tanned and dun’ - the slave dealer is compared to a
normal traveller who has a deeply tanned face because he has been out in the sun
for a long time.
● Line 7 ‘There was hot fever in his blood’ - the anger he is carrying inside him is
compared to a fever which makes him hot.
● Line 19 ‘There’s blood upon my hands’ - a figurative image. The fact that he has killed
people is compared to someone who literally has the blood of a murdered person on
his hands.

Contrast
In stanza 4, there is a contrast between someone who kills in war (which is a sign of
bravery) and the speaker who is a coward and beats up helpless people who are
tied up and can offer no resistance. This thought now haunts him.

Alliteration
● Line 11 ‘For fierce and fearful was his mood’ - the f-sound slows down the pace.
● Line 38 ‘The woeful Widow cried’ - the soft ‘w’ sounds emphasise the torturous thoughts
of the mother.
● Line 43 - ‘The writhing wretch with furious heel’ - the ‘wr-sound’ hardens the words to
show how vigorously she moved to try and save herself from him.
Imagery
The speaker uses images to provoke feelings of sadness, shock or disbelief.
● Line 12 ‘Racked by remorse and pain’ - image of torture
● Line 43 - 44 ‘The writhing wretch … no mortal nigh’ - image of evil

Hyperbole
Line 20 ‘Which water cannot wash’ - to indicate that his guilt cannot be removed.

65
6. Tone and Mood
The tone is remorseful as the speaker regrets his misdeeds.
The mood is sombre and sad as the speaker is haunted by dreadful memories of what
he has done in the past.

ACTIVITY 8
Read the poem and answer the questions below.

66
 The Slave Dealer by
Thomas Pringle
1 From ocean’s wave a Wanderer came,
2 With visage tanned and dun:
3 His Mother, when he told his name,
4 Scarce knew her long-lost son; So
5 altered was his face and frame
6 By the ill course he had run.

7 There was hot fever in his blood,

8 And dark thoughts in his brain;
9 And oh! to turn his heart to good
10 That Mother strove in vain,
11 For fierce and fearful was his mood, Racked
12 by remorse and pain.

13 And if, at times, a gleam more mild

14 Would o’er his features stray,
15 When knelt the Widow near her Child,
16 And he tried with her to pray,
17 It lasted not - for visions wild
18 Still scared good thoughts away.

19 ‘There’s blood upon my hands!’ he said,

20
‘Which water cannot wash;
21
It was shed where warriors bled -
23
It dropped from the gory lash, As I
22
whirled it o’er and o’er my head,
24
And with each stroke left a gash.
25
26 ‘With every stroke I left a gash,
27 While Negro blood sprang high; And
28 now all ocean cannot wash
30 My soul from murder’s dye;
31 Nor e’en thy prayer, dear Mother, quash
That Woman’s wild death-cry!
32
33 ‘Her cry is ever in my ear,
34 And it will not let me pray;
35 Her look I see - her voice I hear-
36 As when in death she lay,
37 And said, “With me thou must appear
On God’s great Judgment-day!”’
38
39
‘Now, Christ from frenzy keep my son!’
40
The woeful Widow cried;
‘Such murder foul thou ne’er hast done -

67
 41 Some fiend thy soul belied!’- ‘-
42 Nay, Mother! The Avenging One
43 Was witness when she died!

44 ‘The writhing wretch with furious heel

45 I crushed - no mortal nigh;
46 But that same hour her dread appeal
47 Was registered on high;
48 And now with God I have to deal,
49 And dare not meet His eye!’

8.1 Quote ONE word from stanza 1 which proves that the son seldom visited his
mother. (1)

8.2 Refer to line 2 (‘With visage tanned and dun:’). Rewrite this line in your own words.
(1)

8.3 Refer to line 1 (‘There was hot fever in his blood,’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is appropriate. (2)

8.4 One of the themes in this poem is remorse. Discuss this theme. (3)

8.5 Refer to lines 37-38 (‘Now, Christ, from …woeful Widow cried’).

Describe the state of mind of the mother as reflected in these lines. (2)

8.6 Refer to stanza 4.

Why is the following statement FALSE?

The slave trader has killed people on a battlefield. (2)

8.7 Refer to line 27 (‘And now all ocean cannot wash’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant. (2)

8.9 The slave dealer deserves absolution.

Discuss your view. (3)

Total [20]

68
 Suggested Answers

8.1 ‘long-lost’ (1)

8.2 His face was sun-burnt. (1)

8.3 a) Metaphor (1)

(b) The boiling anger inside him, is compared to a fever. (2)

8.4 The discussion of the theme of remorse includes the following points, among others:
● The slave trader states that there is ‘blood on his hands’ which shows he is feeling
responsible for the ill-treatment of slaves. ● He is tortured by the memories of
his horrendous actions.
● He realises that God will judge him for what he did.

NOTE: Your answer must be grounded in the poem. (3)

8.5 The mother is desperate as she is pleading for redemption for her son. (2)

8.6 He has killed slaves in the course of his trade. (1)

a) Hyperbole (1)
b) The exaggeration emphasises the guilt he carries after
committing
horrendous deeds. (2)

8.8 A/ alliteration (1)

8.9 Open-ended

Yes

● He really regrets what he has done, his actions haunt him.

● He reveals his horrendous actions to his Mother.

● He tries to pray but he is distracted by what he has done.

No.
●
He himself believes the way he murdered the innocent woman is beyond absolution.
● He cannot even pray for it himself without becoming distracted. ● He knew
exactly what he was doing when he mistreated the innocent slaves.

NOTE: You will not be awarded marks for only YES or NO. To obtain full marks,
your response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks for a
response which is not well-substantiated.
Your interpretation must be grounded in the text of the poem. (3)

69
 Total [20]

9. Inversnaid
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Hopkins was born in Stratford in London on 8 July
1844. He passed away in Dublin (Ireland)on 8 June
1889. Hopkins was a very spiritual man. He
converted (changed) from being an Anglican
Christian to a Catholic priest when he was an adult.
Hopkins did most of his work as a priest in industrial
(factory) communities, where people were poor,
hardworking and suffering. He became very
depressed. His poetry was a way to cope with his
sadness about the world. Hopkins’s poetry was only
published thirty years after he died in 1889.

1. Summary of the poem

In 'Inversnaid' Gerard Manley Hopkins was inspired by the time he spent in the Scottish
Highlands. He adapted many Scottish dialectic words to this particular poem and titled the poem
after a small village where he stayed. This poem is an example of how he continually explores
the possibilities of words.

The poem was written at the height of the Industrial Revolution in England and Scotland and
the poet makes an appeal that such places should not be destroyed forever by man’s search
for wealth at any cost. The poet praises the special and irreplaceable beauty of the ‘wetness
and wildness’ of the world.

Inversnaid
by Gerard Manley Hopkins

1 This darksome burn, horseback brown,

2 His rollrock highroad roaring down,
3 In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam
4 Flutes and low to the lake falls home.

5 A windpuff-bonnet of fáwn-fróth
6 Turns and twindles over the broth
7 Of a pool so pitchblack, féll-frówning,
8 It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning.

70
 9 Degged with dew, dappled with dew
10 Are the groins of the braes that the brook treads through,
11 Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern,
12 And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn.

13 What would the world be, once bereft

14 Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
15 O let them be left, wildness and wet;
16 Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJAmCYqnEU&ab_channel=SpokenVerse

Words to know
Word Basic meaning
Inversnaid a remote part of the Scottish Highlands, on the east bank of
Loch Lomond
darksome dark and gloomy
burn a stream
highroad main road
coop Hopkins described a coop as an ‘enclosed hollow’
fleece woolly covering of sheep
comb water rippling or running freely

71
 flutes to make a shape like the flute or stem of a long-stemmed glass;
to make the whistling sound of the musical instrument with the
same name
windpuff bonnet froth which sits on top of the water like a lady’s hat, or part of a
sail.
fáwn-fróth fawn-coloured foam created by running water in streams
twindles twists, turns and dwindles
broth soup consisting of meat or vegetables cooked in stock,
sometimes thickened with barley or other cereals.

féll-frówning frowning fiercely

a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England
degged from the Scots dialect: a word meaning to water a plant
dappled marked with spots or rounded patches
groins sides
braes hills
tread to walk or proceed along
wiry resembling wire in form and texture
heathpacks heath is a dwarf shrub with small leathery leaves and small pink
or purple bell-shaped flowers, characteristic of heaths and
moorland
flitches patches or streaks
beadbonny made beautiful – ‘bonny’ – by being beaded with berries
ash a type of tree
bereft deprived of or lacking (something).

3.
Analy
2. Type and Form sis
The poem has four quatrains consisting of two rhyming couplets.
Line 1
These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of aabb ccdd eeff
gghh. The first three stanzas depict a picture of Nature and the ● a description of a
poem concludes with a plea for the preservation of the beauty of fast-flowing dark
Nature. stream (‘burn’)
● ‘darksome’ is a
word the poet
Hopkins invented a rhythm called ‘sprung rhythm’. invented to
describe the
colour of the
Sprung rhythm is stream (‘burn’)
based on the number of ● the use of the
stressed syllables in a word ‘horseback’
line and permits an creates an image
indeterminate number of the stream
of unstressed syllables. flowing fast like a
It is designed to imitate horse running
the rhythm of natural down
speech.

72
 A rhyming couplet is two lines of the same length that rhyme and
complete one thought. There is no limit to the length of the lines.
Rhyming words are words that sound the same when spoken,
they don't necessarily have to be spelt the same.

A quatrain in poetry is a series of four-lines that make one

verse of a poem, known as a stanza.

Line 2
● ‘rollrock’ is a combination of the words ‘rock’ and ‘roll’ to emphasise
the speed of the stream; it is flowing so fast that some rocks are
dislodged and rolling down
● the poet uses the words ‘roaring down’ to imitate the speed and
sound of the stream

Lines 3 and 4
● when the stream reaches a pool, it is contained (‘coop’)
● the force of the water tumbling down leaves a residue of foam that resembles
wool (‘fleece’) covering (‘comb’) the pool
● the energy of the river is now ‘cooped up’ in a rockpool and the water gently
‘combs’ over the rocks and falls to the lake
● ‘flute’ creates an image of a narrowing in the stream before it continues to the
lake which is its ultimate destination (‘home’)

Line 5
● the wind causes the foam covering the pool to look like a bonnet
made of foam
● the foam is fawn coloured which is coined ‘fawn-froth’

Lines 6 and 7
● ‘twindles’ effectively describes the force of the water as being
calmer
● ‘broth’ creates an image of a soup which is dark in colour and is
made of a mixture of meat and vegetables
● ‘broth of a pool’ should be read together as the poet makes use of
enjambment (run-on line) to link the description
● the colour ‘the broth/Of a pool’ is ‘pitchblack’, which is an intensive This Photo by Unknown
form used to describe a particularly dark night
● ‘Despair’ is written with a capital letter. The poet personifies it

implying that as the pool ‘rounds and round’ (going in circles), it

drowns Despair, based on his view of Nature Bonnet

● ‘féll-frówning’ is a compound word invented by Hopkins. It refers to the hills looking down on
the pool and they are appearing to be frowning

73
Lines 9 and 10
● the sides (‘groins’) of the steep banks (‘braes’) through which the small
stream (‘brook’) flows, are wet (‘degged’ and ‘dappled’) from the dew.

● the use of enjambment effectively creates a mental picture of the

stream flowing at a calmer pace
● the stream is personified as a person walking along, implying a more
leisurely pace

Lines 11 and 12

● in these two lines the vegetation growing on the banks of the stream is described

● By using words like ‘wiry’ and ‘flitches’, the vegetation is described

as a combination of plants that can withstand extreme weather
conditions.

● on the banks of the stream ash trees covered with berries grow

● In stanza 3, the description of Nature is vivid, but a true image of the countryside is
presented to us.

Lines 13 and 14
● the stanza opens with a rhetorical question
● this poetic device introduces a change in mood
● the use of enjambment forces the reader to consider the
rhetorical question
● through the effective use of alliteration, Hopkins emphasises the
importance of Nature
● Hopkins makes a plea to his fellow men to leave Nature to run
its course

Line 15
● the repetition of ‘let them be left’ emphasises his earnestness
about the preservation of Nature ● the use of ‘O’ invokes a
pleading tone
● the inversion of ‘wildness and wet’, emphasises the importance
of the natural state of Nature
● he ends the poem with a rallying cry where the alliteration
serves to emphasise the call to arms: ‘Long live the weeds and the Ash tree
wilderness yet’
● In stanza 4 Hopkins no longer describes Nature, but rather makes an appeal to mankind
to preserve Nature.

74
4. Themes
Natural wonder
The speaker is in awe of the beauty of Nature. He expresses it through newly-coined words
like ‘darksome’, ‘rollrock,’ fáwn-fróth. By using alliteration, the reader hears the sounds in
Nature.

The preservation of Nature

The speaker is concerned that the Industrial Revolution might destroy Nature because
mankind was more concerned about prosperity. He therefore starts stanza 4 with a
rhetorical question.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Alliteration
The poet uses alliteration throughout the poem.
Line Quotation Purpose
1 ‘This darksome burn, horseback brown’ The alliteration of the ‘b’, emphasises the
dark colour of the river.
2 ‘His rollrock highroad roaring down’. One hears the sound of the rocks rolling
when the force of the water hits them.
13 ‘What would the world be, once bereft’ The repetition of ‘w’ forces the reader to
consider the question.
There are more examples of alliteration in lines, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8,9,10,11,12, 14, 15, 16. Alliteration
gives a lyrical tone to the poem.

Enjambment (run-on lines)

Line Quotation Purpose
5-7 ‘A windpuff-bonnet The enjambment effectively matches the
of fáwn-fróth speed of the stream and assists the
Turns and twindles over the broth reader to understand the lines. .
Of a pool so pitchblack, féll-frówning,’
Refer to lines 3-4, 5-7, 9-10.
13-14 ‘What would the world be, once bereft In this example the enjambment helps the
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,’ reader to understand the question.

Metaphor
● Line 1 ‘This darksome burn, horseback brown’) -the colour of the river is compared to the brown
colour of a horse.
● Line 3 ‘the fleece of the foam’ - the foam on the pond is compared to the fleece of a sheep.
● Line 5 ‘A windpuff-bonnet’ - the foam is also compared to the bonnet of a lady that has been
swept up by the wind.

75
● Line 6 ‘Turns and twindles over the broth’ - The colour of the pond is compared to a ‘broth’. ● Line
8 ‘Despair’ - is compared to a person drowning.

Personification
● Line 8 ‘Despair’ -the capital letter indicates that Despair is personified.

6. Tone and Mood

The tone in the first three stanzas is appreciative but in the last stanza it becomes quizzical
when he questions the wisdom of the progress of the Industrial Revolution.

The mood created is stanzas 1-3 is reverence as the speaker describes the beauty of
Nature. In stanza 4 it changes to concern as the speaker wonders what the world would
be without Nature.

ACTIVITY 9
Read the poem, ‘Inversnaid’ and answer the questions below.

Inversnaid
by Gerard Manley Hopkins

1 This darksome burn, horseback brown,

2 His rollrock highroad roaring down,
3 In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam
4 Flutes and low to the lake falls home.

5 A windpuff-bonnet of fáwn-fróth
6 Turns and twindles over the broth
7 Of a pool so pitchblack, féll-frówning,
8 It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning

9 Degged with dew, dappled with dew

10 Are the groins of the braes that the brook treads through,
11 Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern,
12 And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn

13 What would the world be, once bereft

14 Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
15 O let them be left, wildness and wet;
16 Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

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9.1 Complete the following sentences by using the words in the list below. Write only
the word next to the question numbers.

lyrical, rhyming, sestets, quatrains, octave, couplets

This (a) ...poem consists of four (b)… The stanzas are further broken down into
(c)…(d)… . (4)

9.2 Refer to line 2 (‘His rollrock highroad roaring down’).

(a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

(b) Explain why this figure of speech is effective. (2)

9.3 Refer to line 6 (‘Turns and twindles over the broth.’)

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:

The quotation is an example of …. A alliteration. B an oxymoron.

C onomatopoeia.
D a pseudonym. (1)

9.4 Refer to lines 13 and 14 (‘What would the ….and of wildness’.)

Give ONE word which best describes the speaker's state of mind in these lines.

Substantiate your answer. (2)

9.5 Refer to stanza 3.

Quote ONE word that means the same as ‘riverbank’. (1)

9.6 One of the themes in this poem is appreciation.

Discuss this theme. (3)

9.7 The speaker succeeds in convincing the reader that Nature is worth saving.

Discuss your view. (3)

Total [17]

Suggested Answers
9.1 (a) lyrical

(b) quatrains

(c) rhyming

(d) couplets (4)

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9.2 (a) personification (1)

(b) The speaker compares the sound made by the rushing river to an animal or
person roaring. (2)

9.3 A / alliteration (1)

9.4 anxious/concerned

The speaker fears that the beauty of Nature will be lost forever due to the
encroachment of Industrialisation. (2)

9.5 ‘braes’ (1)

9.6 The discussion of the theme of appreciation should include the following points,
among others:
● The speaker mentions many details of how the stream is flowing into the lake.
● He pictures how the swirling of the stream manages to take away negative
feelings (‘Despair’).
● He makes a plea to mankind to leave the wildness of Nature to flourish.

NOTE: Your response must be grounded in the poem. (3)

9.7 Open-ended.
Accept a relevant response which shows an understanding of the following points,
among others:
Yes.
• The speaker gives a number of images that are typical of the beauty of Nature. • He
makes up new words to describe the sounds of a river flowing, e.g., ‘rollrock’. • He uses
alliteration and metaphors to describe the beauty of Nature. No.
● He uses strange new words to describe Nature. ● He does not effectively show
that if Nature is destroyed it will have detrimental effects on mankind. ● Describing
the flow of a river is not sufficient evidence to ensure that Nature is preserved.

NOTE: You will not be awarded marks for only YES or NO. To obtain full
marks, your response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks
for a response which is not well-substantiated. Your interpretation must be
grounded in the text of the poem. (3)
Total [17]

78
10. The night-jar and
Inkosazana
Yasezulwini
by Chris Mann
Chris ‘Zithulele’ Mann, born in Port Elizabeth (South
Africa) in 1948, was a leading South African English
poet, teacher and cultural icon. His prayer-like and
joyous poems offer deep reflections on apartheid
times, nature, God, the cosmos and inevitability of
death. He was diagnosed with cancer. He died
peacefully at his home in Makhanda, Eastern Cape in
2021.

Although what Mann does is often described as

‘poetry’, much of his work can be considered music.
The ‘poetry’ in his work
should be understood more
as a
Chris ‘Zithulele’ Mann methodology – experimentation within
systems of signification – than a formal boundary.

1. Summary of the poem

The poem describes how a night-jar, a bird which is active at night and makes a jarring noise,
becomes a messenger and a guide. The night-jar points humans to a place where they can
receive relief from their troubles.

The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini

The Princess of the Heavens – Zulu by Chris Mann

1.The speckled bird as brown as dust

2.which roosts inside a bush by day,
3.hiding its head against the glare,
4.at midnight pecked against the pane,
5.and gently pecked, until I saw
6.the starlight glitter through its beak.

79
7.On calm and tender summer nights,
8.when fishes bite the wobbling moon,
9.and moths rise to silvery fruit
10.sprinkling the space among the boughs,
11 it wakes and glides from sill to sill
12 across the worn-out, curtained town.

13 It shook the sandman from my sight,

14 and when the tar-bound slope had turned
15 to bush and rocky hill it said,
16 ‘There is a grass-house in the hills,
17 above the coast where sugar spumes,
18 18 and lilies sprout, and no storms fly.

19 ‘There, the Princess of Heavens,

20 beside her dark as honey feet,
21 gathers up the dreams which reach her
22 and stooping to her woven pots 23 rinses them in rainbow water,
24 or stores them with the morning mist.

25 ‘Go, waking sleeper, call to her,

26 and wading through the icy stream
27 in which the golden pebbles shine,
28 ask her if her power is love,
29 for she is old as she is young,
30 and without her, no one dreams.’

31 She leaned against a leafless tree

32 on which a crown of crimson burned,
33 and then the hill began to dim,
34 and standing in the greying rocks,
35 I heard the nightjar fade, from sill
36 to sill, across the windowed town.

Words to
know
Word Basic meaning
speckled covered or marked with a large number of small spots or
patches of colour
glare shine with a strong or dazzling light
pecked (of a bird) struck or bit by something with its beak
wobbling move or cause to move unsteadily from side to side
boughs main branches of a tree
sill a ledge or sill forming the bottom part of a window
sandman fictional man supposed to make children sleep by
sprinkling sand in their eyes
spumes froth or foam, especially that found on waves

80
 sprout (of a plant) put out shoots
woven interlaced long threads passing in one direction with others
at a right angle to them
wading walk with effort through water or another liquid or viscous
substance
pebbles a small stone made smooth and round by the action of
water or sand
crimson a rich deep red colour

2. Type and Form

This poem combines characteristics of a narrative poem, prose and a sestina (six
stanzas of six lines).

3. Analysis
Stanza 1
The speaker introduces the night-jar. In line 1 it is described as a
brown- speckled bird.

This is a nocturnal bird because during the day it nests in the bush, hiding
from the brightness of the sun. It comes out of the bush at night and
moves around and sits on windowsills. At midnight it visits the speaker’s
window and pecks on the windowpane. The reflection of the stars is seen
through the movement of its beak.
A night-jar Stanza 2
In this stanza, the speaker gives a clear description of a calm summer night
and what the night-jar does. In line 8, the presence of the moon is evident;
‘fishes bite the wobbling moon’. The moon is said to be wobbling. The
movement of the reflection of the moon on the water is caused by the
movement of the fish in the pond. In line 9, the fruit looks silvery because of
the moonlight. In line 10, the moon shines through the space between the
tree branches.
The night-jar wakes and flies from one windowsill to the next, across town.
The speaker refers to the town as curtained to indicate that it is night and curtains
are drawn.

Stanza 3
The speaker has insomnia, he cannot fall asleep, and he blames his lack
of sleep on the night-jar. In line 13, the speaker says the bird ‘shook the
sandman from my sight’, this means that the sandman who is supposed
to make the speaker drowsy and fall asleep is being removed by the night-
jar. In line 15, the speaker is receiving directions to a place where he will
get help. Lines 16-18 give a clear picture of the place the speaker is
directed to:

81
 • a thatched roof hut built on a hill. • in a coastal area where
‘sugar spumes’. This refers to the area on the coast of Kwa-Zulu
Natal with sugar cane plantations.
• the area where the hut is built is beautiful, there are lilies on the hill.

• it is a peaceful place (line 18: ‘no storms fly’).

Stanza 4
The night-jar, in this stanza, informs the speaker of someone who can
help him get relief from his trouble. The Princess of Heavens, a being
who collects dreams, helps human beings by bringing them new hope.
In lines 21-23 the Princess of Heavens receives the dreams, puts them in
a woven pot and cleanses them in rainbow water.

A rainbow is a symbol of hope, promise, peace and new beginnings.

Washing dreams in ‘rainbow water’ means giving back hope and it is a
promise of new beginnings. This idea is reinforced in line 24 when she
stores the dreams with the morning mist, a sign of rebirth.

Stanza 5
The night-jar instructs the speaker to go to the Princess of Heavens to seek
help. The walk is not going to be easy (line 26 – ‘wading through the icy
stream’), but there is great promise and hope (line 27 – ‘golden pebbles
shine’). The princess of Heavens is ageless, line 29 ‘for she is old as she is young’. This
means that she is accessible to everyone, and she A woven pot identifies with people of
all ages. Her remedy is love (line 28).

Stanza 6
In line 31 the speaker sees the Princess of Heavens leaning against a
leafless tree. Leafless trees symbolise the end of an era and lack of
vitality. In line 32 the tree has bright red flowers, ‘a crown of crimson’.
Although the crimson colour can be associated with danger, it also
symbolises excitement, love and power.

In line 33, the hill begins to fade – it is dawn, the morning mist is
appearing, resulting in the hill beginning to dim. In line 34 the speaker is
standing in the greying rocks. The speaker has reached a turning point.
He has decided to act by using the grey rocking technique. Grey rocking
is a technique used to divert a toxic person’s behaviour by acting
unresponsively when interacting with them. The speaker in this line
decides to stop being responsive to things that disturbs his peace. As he A leafless tree with
makes this decision, the night-jar fades away, it has accomplished its a crimson crown mission.

4. Themes

82
Hope
The night-jar, as a messenger and a guide, brings hope to humans by pointing them to a
being who can renew their hope and make them dream again.

Humans’ physical and spiritual needs

Human needs of inner peace, understanding and acknowledgement can be attained by
spreading love to other human beings. Humans only reach this point when they start
to ignore and stop entertaining people with toxic behaviour.

5. Diction and Figurative Language

Simile
● Line 1 ‘as brown as dust’ - the speaker compares the night-jar’s colour to dust.
● Line 20 ‘dark as honey’- the colour of the skin of the Princess of Heaven’s feet is
compared to honey.

Metaphor
● Line 26 ‘wading through the icy stream’ - the water is as cold as ice water.
● Line 32 ‘a crown of crimson burned’ - the speaker compares the crimson flowers on the
leafless tree to a burning crown.

Images

Images to capture beauty and energy:

● Line 7 ‘calm and tender summer nights’
● Line 8 ‘fishes bite the wobbling moon’
● Lines 17-18 ‘…the coast where sugar spumes, and lilies sprout, and no storms fly’.

Alliteration
● Line 11 – ‘sill to sill’
● Line 31 – ‘crown of crimson’

6. Tone and Mood

Tone
● The tone is placid as the night-jar is peaceful in its manner while it guides
the speaker to find a solution to his problems.
● The tone is sympathetic because the night-jar portrays a sense of
understanding and being non-judgemental as it assists the speaker.

Mood
● The mood is encouraging and reassuring.

83
ACTIVITY 10
Read the poem, The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini, and answer the questions below.

84
The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini

The Princess of the Heavens – Zulu by Chris Mann

1 The speckled bird as brown as dust

2 which roosts inside a bush by day,
3 hiding its head against the glare,
4 at midnight pecked against the pane, 5 and gently pecked, until I saw
6 the starlight glitter through its beak.

7 On calm and tender summer nights,

8 when fishes bite the wobbling moon,
9 and moths rise to silvery fruit
10 sprinkling the space among the boughs, 11 it wakes and glides from sill to sill
12 across the worn-out, curtained town.

13 It shook the sandman from my sight,

14 and when the tar-bound slope had turned
15 to bush and rocky hill it said,
16 ‘There is a grass-house in the hills,
17 above the coast where sugar spumes, 18 and lilies sprout, and no storms fly.

19 ‘There, the Princess of Heavens,

20 beside her dark as honey feet,
21 gathers up the dreams which reach her
22 and stooping to her woven pots
23 rinses them in rainbow water,
24 or stores them with the morning mist.

25 ‘Go, waking sleeper, call to her,

26 and wading through the icy stream
27 in which the golden pebbles shine,
28 ask her if her power is love,
29 for she is old as she is young,
30 and without her, no one dreams.’

31 She leaned against a leafless tree

32 on which a crown of crimson burned,
33 and then the hill began to dim,
34 and standing in the greying rocks, 35 I heard the nightjar fade, from sill
36 to sill, across the windowed town.

10.1 Refer to line 1.

a) Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1)

85
 b) Explain the effectiveness of this figure of speech. (2)

10.2 Refer to lines 2 - 4 (‘which roosts inside…against the pain’).

Explain what the speaker means. (2)

10.3 Refer to lines 7-10 (‘On calm and …among the boughs’).

Explain this image. (2)

10.4 Give a synonym for ‘glides’ in line 11. (1)

10.5 Refer to line 12 (‘across the worn-out, curtained town.’)

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:
The phrase ‘curtained town’ indicates that …. A the town looks like a curtain.
B the houses have no curtains. C the curtains are closed.
D the curtains are opened. (1)

10.6 What is the role of the sandman? (1)

10.7 Refer to line 25 (‘Go, waking sleeper, call to her’).

a) Identify the tone the night-jar uses in this line. (1)

b) Explain why the speaker is referred to as a ‘waking sleeper’. (2)

10.8 Quote FIVE consecutive words from stanza 5 which show that the journey to the

‘Princess of Heavens’ might not be easy. (1)

10.9 Using your OWN words, explain the meaning of line 29 (‘for she is …she is young’).
(2)

10.10 Refer to stanza 6.

State TWO things that are done by the Princess of the Heavens. (2)

10.11 One of the themes in this poem is hope.

Discuss this theme. (3)

10.14 The night-jar can be admired.

Discuss your view. (3)
Total [24]

Suggested Answers

10.1 (a) Simile (1)

86
 (b) A comparison is drawn between the colour of the night-jar and dust,
creating a clear picture of the bird. (2)

10.2 The night-jar is a nocturnal bird.

It hides in the bush during the day (and only comes out at night). (2)

10.3 The speaker paints a picture of a beautiful summer night the moon is shining brightly;
its reflection is seen on the pond filled with fish and its light gives the fruit a silvery
colour. (2)

10.4 flows (1)

10.5 C / the curtains are closed (1)

10.6 He helps children fall asleep. (1)

10.7 a) instructional/commanding (1)

b) The speaker is in bed, but he cannot fall asleep/ he remains awake. (2)

10.8 ‘wading through the icy stream’ (1)

10.9 It means that the Princess of the Heavens is ageless . People of all age groups can
(2) identify with her.

10.10 Any TWO of the following responses: The Princess of the Heavens
collects the dreams that reach her.
She rinses the dreams in rainbow water.
She stores the dreams with the morning mist. (2)

10.11 The discussion of the theme of hope must include the following points,
amongst others:
● The night-jar is a messenger that brings hope by pointing people to the
Princess of Heavens. ● When the Princess of Heavens cleanses the dreams
that she has gathered, it is a sign of the renewed hope.
● The presence of the spirit guide is an indication that hope will remain alive. (3)

10.12 Open-ended Yes.

● The night-jar is a messenger who brings hope to people.
● Not only does the night-jar wake people up, it also leads them to a solution.
● When it has done its job, it goes away. It is not bothersome, and it does not linger.

87
 OR
No.
● The night-jar disturbs people who are sleeping. ● He makes people believe in ‘The
Princess of the Heavens’ who could be a fictitious being.
● It imposes itself on people and gives unsolicited advice. NOTE: You will not be
awarded marks for only YES or NO. To obtain full marks, your response must be well-
substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks for a response which is not well-
substantiated. (3) Your interpretation must be grounded in the text of the poem.

Total [24]

References
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manleyhopkins/.

3. http://sittingbee.com/a-bag-of-sweets-agnes-sam/. (n.d.).

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Catholic%20school%20in%20Port%20Elizabeth. (n.d.).

88
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Two/docs/prescribedpoetry/Hopkins%20Inversnaid.pdf. (n.d.).

8. https://www.google.com/search?q=inversnaid+poem+analysis&rlz=1C1GCEU_enZA903ZA903&oq
=Inversaid&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j46i10j0i10l4j46i10i175i199j0i10j46i10.7913j0j15&sourceid=chro
me&ie=UTF-8. (n.d.).

9. https://www.google.com/search?q=resilience+definition&rlz=1C1GCEU_enZA903ZA903&oq=resili
ence&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i271l2.11899j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. (n.d.).

10. https://www.google.com/search?q=rhyming+couplets&rlz=1C1GCEU_enZA903ZA903&oq=rhymin
g+couplets&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l9.7932j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. (n.d.).

11. https://www.ilmuk.org/news/giving-gifts-in-islam/#:~:text=Giving%20gifts%20is%20one%20of,
reward%20people%20for%20giving%20them.%22. (n.d.).

12. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/setting. (n.d.).

13. https://www.pngitem.com/middle/TimJhhm_tree-with-no-leaves-tree-with-no-background/.

89