#1: This is the Dark Time, My Love

Martin Carter

This is the dark time, my love,

All round the land brown beetles crawl about.

The shining sun is hidden in the sky

Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow.

This is the dark time, my love,

It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.

It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery.

Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious.

Who comes walking in the dark night time?

Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass?

It is the man of death, my love, the strange invader

Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.

Summary

This poem is written in the context of the pain and suffering associated with war, and
specifically the struggles of Guyana during British colonization in 1953. At that point, the
constitution had been suspended to allow Britain to send soldiers into Guyana to crush the
uprising of the people. It is likely that the ‘love’ spoken of by the persona is his country,
however it could also simply be a woman who he loves. The poet communicates a gloomy
atmosphere plagued with the sentiment of doom due to oppression by soldiers and
weapons of terror. Nature reflects this gloom, as seen in the absence of sunlight and
drooping flowers. The people of the country are all melancholy and anxiety-stricken, visibly
oppressed by the spoils of war. Death (and war) is personified as a man who tramples not
only nature, but the peace and dreams of the persona’s country underfoot. The mood of the
poem is dismal and gloomy. The tone is pessimistic and sad, and the themes include war,
conflict, doom, death and despair.

“This is the dark time, my love,”

The persona begins by declaring the dismal nature of their current time. This time is
characterized by darkness, and therefore a sentiment of impending doom and unfavourable
outcomes. The titular line conveys that the persona is speaking to someone, his ‘love,’ which
could simply be his lover, but could be better interpreted as being his country (like how the
persona of ‘It is the Constant Image of Your Face’ (Dennis Brutus) refers to his country as his
‘dearest love.’

“All round the land brown beetles crawl about.”

This refers to the British soldiers who occupied the country during this time. Note the use of
alliteration here in ‘brown beetles.’ The persona communicates a landscape filled with the
soldiers, corresponding to the atmosphere of war.

“The shining sun is hidden in the sky Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow.”

Now, nature seems to reflect the dismal mood, the ‘dark time’ if you well. The sun does not
shine in the sky, so it is not just dark in the sense of gloom, but also literally, with the
absence of sunlight. The sun, like any sign of positive outcome or optimism is hidden.
Reinforcing the mood, the poet personifies red flowers by saying that they ‘bend their
heads in awful sorrow.’ The flowers are given the quality of emotion and reflecting that
emotion. Thus, even the flowers are mourning the dark times of death and sorrow. They are
the colour red (the colour of blood), essentially the only colour mentioned in the poem.

“This is the dark time, my love, It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.”

The persona describes this dark time as a season, characterized by endless oppression, the
dark metal of the machines of war and sadness. Note the repetition of the word ‘dark,’ which
communicates the pessimistic outlook and an atmosphere of terror. The ‘dark metal’ likely
refers to tankers and guns which oppress the people of the persona’s country.

“It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery. Everywhere the faces of men are
strained and anxious.”

The poet utilizes two oxymorons here (two contradicting ideas in close succession). He
refers to this dark time of war as a festival (associated with joy and celebration) of guns
(machines of terror, oppression and violent death). Quite incompatible/contradictory terms.
He continues by describing it as a carnival (associated with fun and the joy of children) of
misery (a terrible emotion of helplessness and despair). The persona remarks the strained
emotions in the faces of everyone around him- including his own countrymen and the
soldiers.

“Who comes walking in the dark night time? Whose boot of steel tramps down the
slender grass?”

The poet uses rhetorical questions to lead into the reveal of a personification of war and
death. It hints at something being closely related to dark times such as these, who has a
‘boot of steel.’ This reflects the oppressive and abusive effect war has, pressing down on
not only the environment, but on the people of the country as well. It tramples the grass
underfoot, showing blatant disregard for nature- opting instead to fulfil selfish goals through
needless death and suffering.

“It is the man of death, my love, the strange invader Watching you sleep and aiming at
your dream.”

The poet personifies death as a strange invader to the persona’s country. This man of death
is said to not only crush nature under his steel boot, but also watch the persona’s love sleep
and aim at destroying her dream. If the love he refers to truly is his country, then the man of
death aims to wreck any possibility of realization of the dream held by the country overall
one of freedom and independence. The war and conflict spurred by the invasion of soldiers
to crush resistance and attempts at liberation directly intends to destroy the dreams and
optimism of the people of the country overall.
#2: An African Thunderstorm
David Rubadiri

From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind
Turning sharply
Here and there
Like a plague of locusts
Whirling,
Tossing up things on its tail
Like a madman chasing nothing.

Pregnant clouds
Ride stately on its back,
Gathering to perch on hills
Like sinister dark wings;
The wind whistles by
And trees bend to let it pass.

In the village
Screams of delighted children,
Toss and turn
In the din of the whirling wind,
Women,
Babies clinging on their backs
Dart about

In and out
Madly;
The wind whistles by
Whilst trees bend to let it pass.

Clothes wave like tattered flags

Flying off
To expose dangling breasts
As jagged blinding flashes
Rumble, tremble and crack
Amidst the smell of fired smoke
And the pelting march of the storm.

Summary
In the poem, we see the threat of an incoming thunderstorm to an African village. The
power of this storm is emphasized with the statement that the wind forces the trees to
bend as it whistles by. The theme of the poem is nature, or man vs nature, and the mood is
one of impending doom and terror.

Stanza 1
"Clouds come hurrying with the wind, Turning sharply, Here and there"
This shows that the clouds are moving with great speed and in erratic and unexpected
patterns/directions.

"Like a plague of locusts"

The wind is compared to a plague of locusts here to show it as destructive. Locusts are
associated with famine and destruction, most notably in the biblical story of Moses and
Pharaoh of Egypt- where one of the ten plagues was a plague of locusts.

"Tossing up things on its tail"

Once again, the destructive, disruptive quality of the wind is shown. As it moves, it leaves
things 'tossed up' in its wake.

"Like a madman chasing nothing"

The wind is now likened to a madman's unfocused wandering in its directionless
movement. A madman usually poses a threat to the people around due to his lack of
restraint and sanity, similar to how the wind is being painted as an impending doom ready
to wreak havoc upon anything it encounters.

Stanza 2
"Pregnant clouds ride stately on its back, "
The poet's choice of the word pregnant to describe the clouds shows that the clouds are
carrying something- probably rain, waiting to be released upon the land below. The clouds
are said to be riding 'stately' on the back of the wind, which shows how the wind carries the
clouds in a sort of dignified manner. This could be related to how high above the ground the
clouds are (a sense of dignity) and how slowly clouds move in the wind.

"Gathering to perch on hills, like sinister dark wings;"

The clouds are described as gathering over hills. The use of 'perch on' as opposed to 'hover
over' relates the clouds to birds. Comparing the clouds to 'sinister dark wings' also relates
them to birds, more specifically crows (in their dark colour). The clouds are described as
sinister as well, showing that their presence is threatening.

"The wind whistles by, and trees bend to let it pass."

These lines give the sound the wind makes, but more importantly, it shows the power of the
wind as it forces the trees to bow and bend before it.
Stanza 3
"In the village, screams of delighted children toss and turn in the din of the whirling
Wind."
Here, we can see that the quick, whistling wind and the looming clouds don't have an effect
of total fear on the children. They seem excited, either by the wind tossing up everything in
its path, or by the rain to come. By saying that their screams 'toss and turn in the din of the
whirling wind,' the poet relates that the children's delighted shouts are lost in the loud wind
as it blows.

"Women, babies clinging on their backs, dart about, in and out, madly;"
This shows a contrast to the delighted screams of the children. Instead of being excited,
babies latch on to the backs of their mothers (likely in fear), and the women move about
erratically in a sort of madness as the storm approaches.

Stanza 4
"The wind whistles by whilst trees bend to let it pass."
We see a repetition of the lines at the end of stanza 2, to once again show the wind bending
nature to its will as it blows past.

Stanza 5
"Clothes wave like tattered flags, flying off to expose dangling breasts"
The clothes of the people in the village wave violently in the powerful wind, to the point
that
they fly off of their bodies. This also brings attention to the state of their clothing- "tattered
flags"- showing that their clothes are torn and tattered.

"As jagged blinding flashes rumble, tremble and crack amidst the smell of fired smoke
and the pelting march of the storm."
The 'pregnant clouds' now seemingly release their terror upon the earth below. This terror
obviously includes lightning (blinding flashes), thunder (rumble) and heavy rain (pelting
march). We also get the possibility of lightning setting things aflame- "the smell of fired
smoke."

Note: There is an alternative analysis of this poem that suggests the 'storm' is a metaphor
for the European colonial masters 'from the west,' however, the poem is listed under nature
in the World of Poetry, so it is assumed that the poem should be analyzed in terms of a
commentary on nature.

Literary and Figurative Devices

Alliteration
"Clouds come hurrying with the wind" (line 2)
"The wind whistles by" (line 14)
"Toss and turn" (line 18)
"In the din of the whirling wind." (line 19)
"The wind whirls by" (line 25)

Personification
"Clouds come hurrying with the wind." (line 2)
The clouds are said to be 'hurrying,' which is a human action of quick movement.

"Pregnant clouds ride stately on its back, gathering to perch on hills" (lines 11-12)
The clouds are 'riding' on the back of the wind, which is really to convey how the clouds are
being carried by the wind. The clouds also gather to 'perch' on hills. This is to show how the
clouds, like birds, come to rest on top of the hill. The ascription of the clouds as 'pregnant' is
also a human characteristic, to show the clouds carrying something to be released.

"Trees bend to let it pass." (line 15)

The trees 'bend' to allow the wind to pass by. This personification shows, of course, the
power of the wind in its ability to force the trees to bow.

"Screams of delighted children toss and turn." (lines 17-18)

The screams of the children are said to toss and turn in the wind. This conveys the wind's
speed in how it throws around the sounds as well.

Simile
"Like a plague of locusts" (line 6)
The wind is compared to a plague of locusts due to its destructive power.

"Like a madman chasing nothing" (line 9)

The wind is compared to a madman chasing nothing due to its seemingly erratic, aleatoric
movements.

"Like dark sinister wings" (line 13)

The clouds are said to be like dark sinister wings to relate them to birds (as they perch on
the hill) and convey a sense of evil.

"Clothes wave like tattered flags" (line 27)

The clothes are compared to tattered flags due to their torn appearances and how they flap
and move in the powerful winds.
#3: Mirror
Sylvia Plath

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.

Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful ‚
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

Summary
Just as the title suggests, the poem is about a mirror in its many forms. It is written from the
perspective of the mirror as it comments on its own objective reflection of the things
around it. It considers itself wholly truthful, an impartial retelling of the physical appearance
of something devoid of preconceptions. The first stanza simply relates the mirror’s basic
function, and its regular meditation on the pink speckled wall opposite to it, separated
momentarily by the darkness of night cycles and passing faces. The second stanza shows
the mirror in the form of a lake. The mirror now relates saddening recurring interactions with
a woman who uses the lake as a mirror, trying to see what she is. The mirror (as the lake)
reflects her appearance truthfully, triggering great unhappiness and displeasure in the
woman, bringing her to tears. The lake and its objective reflection of her fading youth is like
an important ritual to her. Daily, she sees old age appear more and more in her features, as
though something horrible is rising in the lake each time she consults its impartial
reflection.

The themes of the poem include appearance vs reality, senescence, time and women. The
mood is somewhat reflective (hehe, get it?) and pensive. The tone is matter-of-fact
(dignified) based on the mirror’s pride in its impartial reflective properties.
Analysis
“I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.”
The poem begins with the mirror’s simple declaration of the nature of its existence. In this
form (as the conventional glass mirror) and in any other form, it is infallibly accurate and has
no biases that cloud how it represents the objects before it. It is impartial; no likes or dislikes
result in a muddling of details or tampering with the outcome of one’s appearance. It seems
prideful in the assuredness of its exactitude.

An alliteration is used in the second line:

‘Whatever I see I swallow immediately,’ communicating no hesitation or biased selection in
what it does or does not reflect.

“I am not cruel, only truthful‚ The eye of a little god, four-cornered.”

The mirror declares itself merely an agent of complete truth. By mentioning cruelty, it
suggests that the displeasure felt by someone at their own appearance in the mirror is not
the fault of the mirror itself- it intends to be only truthful regardless of the emotions felt by
the subject. The mention of being the ‘eye of a little god’ ties into the idea of an unyielding
truthfulness, as the concept of god is associated with an impartial judgement of subjects.

“Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. It is pink, with speckles. I have looked
at it so long I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers. Faces and darkness separate us
over and over.”
When not being used by people, the mirror reflects the pink-speckled appearance of the
wall opposite to it. The mirror considers the wall almost a part of itself because it has
looked at it for so long. However, this indefinite staring contest between them is broken up
by the darkness of regular night cycles and the faces of people who peer into the mirror in
search of their own appearances.

“Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me, Searching my reaches for what she really is.”
The mirror now describes another one of its forms- the reflective surface of a lake. It speaks
about a woman who bends over the lake, trying to see what she really is. This diction is
interesting, because the mirror states that she searches for ‘what she really is,’ as though
the mirror will define her identity somehow. This is quite strange, especially considering that
one’s appearance doesn’t define their identity.

“Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon. I see her back, and reflect it
faithfully. She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.”

The mirror refers to the moon and candles as ‘liars.’ These are both light sources, but that
still doesn’t necessarily explain why the mirror considers them liars. The innate beauty of
these light sources does not reflect the appearance of the onlooker. The mirror surface of
the lake reflects the woman’s back, but she is obviously displeased by her own appearance.
She ‘rewards’ the mirror with tears of sadness and agitates its calm surface by disturbing it
with her hands. This is an oxymoron, as the ‘reward’ for such faithful reflection is something
so negative and of obvious displeasure.

“I am important to her. She comes and goes. Each morning it is her face that replaces the
darkness. In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman Rises toward her
day after day, like a terrible fish.”
The lake is ‘important’ to the woman- returning daily to look at her own face as though it is a
ritual. This compulsive obsession with looking at herself ties into a need to watch her fading
youth. The poet uses a metaphor here to relate the aging of the woman: “in me she has
drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman rises toward her day after day.” Slowly, after
years of this ritual, the young girl has disappeared, and instead, an old woman is appearing
in her features, reflected by the lake.

The poem ends with a simile, “Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.” This
communicates that the old woman (her imminent senescence) is repugnant and repulsive
to her, but it continues to rise, day after day.
#4: Ol’ Higue
Mark McWatt

You think I like all this stupidness

gallivanting all night without skin

burning myself out like cane –fire

To frighten the foolish?

And for what? A few drops of baby blood?

You think I wouldn’t rather

take my blood seasoned in fat

black-pudding, like everyone else?

And don’t even talk ‘bout the pain of salt

And having to bend these old bones down

To count a thousand grains of rice!

If only babies didn’t smell so nice!

And if I could only stop

Hearing the soft, soft call

Of that pure blood running in new veins,

Singing the sweet song of life

Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been

Holding her final note for years,

Afraid of the dying hum…

Then again, if I didn’t fly and come

to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night,

how would you, mother,

name your ancient dread,

And who to blame

for the murder inside your head…?

Believe me –

As long as it have women giving birth

A poor ol’ higue like me can never dead.

Summary

The 'Ole Higue' is a supernatural character found in Caribbean folklore. This nocturnal being
is also called a jumbie, soucouyant and backoo as is a mixture of a vampire and a witch. In
Caribbean folklore the Ole Higue or Old Hag is an old woman. She sheds her skin at nights;
stores it in a mortar and turns into a ball of fire before going about to suck the blood of
babies.

In the poem, the Ole Higue appears bitter and unhappy with the circumstance she is in. She
defends the involuntary nature of her compulsive behaviour. She seems repulsed by the
mothers of young children, yet she believes she plays an important role in society by being
a scapegoat for the infanticidal tendencies of some mothers and the inexplicable. She
comes across as self-centered, but also clever and insightful.

The Ole Higue wishes that she didn't have such an affinity for children, however, she knows
that the myth of her existence can never die as long as mothers have children and need
something- or someone to blame for their deaths.

The mood of the poem is irritable, and somewhat smug and bitter. The tone is
argumentative and defensive, but also reflective and sensitive towards the end of the poem.

Analysis

"You think I like all this stupidness

gallivanting all night without skin

burning myself out like cane –fire

To frighten the foolish?"

The Ole Higue begins with an explosive and argumentative first line. Note that the diction
(choice of words/language) is distinctly Caribbean, and reflective of her identity as an old,
irritable woman. She expresses great dissatisfaction with what she does- however she is
compelled to do so completely involuntarily. This alludes to an old wives’ tale told in the
Caribbean of a hag who sheds her skin at night, turns into a ball of fire and scares
superstitious people. She considers this act stupid, simply to 'frighten the foolish'
superstitious who believe in the myth. Note the alliteration here in 'frighten the foolish.'

"And for what? A few drops of baby blood?"

She reasons that the whole act of setting herself on fire without skin and flying around is far
more effort than it is worth. After all, a baby's body contains barely any blood, and for a
mythical creature to compulsively go through this routine for such a negligible quantity is
ludicrous to her- it is not rewarding at all.

"You think I wouldn’t rather

take my blood seasoned in fat

black-pudding, like everyone else?"

Instead of the bland blood of babies, the Ole Higue would much rather have her blood like
everyone else does- well-seasoned and in black-pudding. This shows again that she in no
way wants to do such an unrewarding task, but is forced to do this nonetheless.

"And don’t even talk ‘bout the pain of salt

And having to bend these old bones down

To count a thousand grains of rice!"

These lines are another allusion to the folklore of the Ole Higue. She must look out for salt,
as it can injure or kill her (which makes sense since she has no skin). When salt is placed into
the mortar with her skin in it, she can no longer put it on (does that sound familiar? There's a
similar tale in Breath, Eyes, Memory). People may also obstruct her from reaching her infant
victims by placing rice in front of their doors. Once an Ole Higue sees the rice she must
count every grain before she can gain access. The intention is to keep her counting until the
sun rises, making it impossible for her to enter the house and suck the baby’s blood. Thus,
the Ole Higue is often obstructed in trying to drink the blood of babies adding to her
seemingly endless misery.

"If only babies didn’t smell so nice!

And if I could only stop

Hearing the soft, soft call

Of that pure blood running in new veins,

Singing the sweet song of life

Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been

Holding her final note for years,

Afraid of the dying hum…"

The Ole Higue is incredibly attracted to baby blood, and she presents this in a sort of
defence for killing them. The pure, untainted scent of babies' blood tempts her- she finds
their aroma irresistible. The alliteration in "singing the sweet song of life" conveys the
attractive quality of these infants' blood to the Ole Higue. The blood of the children
represent new life- life which she has been trying to hold on to for years. She knows that the
babies are at the beginning of the life cycle, and she is at the end; but she can alter the
passage of this natural cycle. She prolongs her aged existence by bringing the babies’ lives
to a premature end.

"Then again, if I didn’t fly and come

to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night,

how would you, mother,

name your ancient dread,"

Now, she identifies her own role in society. She also names to whom she speaks (when she
says 'you')- she refers to the mothers of these newborn children. It seems that the Ole Higue
is simply a mechanism by which these mothers may name the longstanding dread or fear of
the possible death of their babies. Without her, she contends that these mothers would
have no one to hold responsible for the death of their babies (even if it was just of natural
causes).

"And who to blame

for the murder inside your head…?

Believe me –
As long as it have women giving birth

A poor ol’ higue like me can never dead."

She suggests something interesting through these cryptic lines- possibly that these
mothers blame the Ole Higue for the death of their children even in the event that they had
committed infanticide. However, it could also be that they need someone- like the Ole
Higue- to direct their murderous rage for the death of their baby towards. Nonetheless, she
knows that for as long as there are women giving birth to children, they will need a
scapegoat to blame for the plight that befalls their children. Thus, the myth of her existence
can never die.
#5: Dulce et Decorum Est
Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through

sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And

towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all

blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and

stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or

lime.—

Dim through the misty panes and thick green

light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could

pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues—

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

Summary

The poem is written as a harsh, but ultimately fair criticism of the atrocities of war. The poet
wrote this whilst hospitalized after experiencing fighting in the trenches of Northern France
in World War I. The soldiers in a languid, drowsy state march slowly, shell-shocked by the
traumas of war and losing touch with their own senses. He recounts in graphic detail being
caught in the noxious gasses of chemical warfare and watching one of his fellow soldiers
unable to fit the gas helmet on in time. This man, stumbling, yelling and screaming suffers a
slow painful death, choking on the cruel toxic gas. This image of the man dying before the
persona's eyes, with him unable to help, stays with him in his dreams. This graphic,
traumatic sight leads the persona to a blunt conclusion. Having seen this man die before his
eyes, his lungs corrupted by the chemicals, he finds no true glory or goodness in
martyrdom for one's country. The image of an innocent man needlessly killed in his
country's conflict drives the persona to rebuke the hackneyed maxim 'dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori.' He doesn't believe that any child searching for glory should ever be told
this; a shameful falsehood that death on the battlefield is 'sweet.' Owen does not hold back
in this criticism, and sincerely concludes the gruesome death of war is not sweet, nor are
these innocent lives lost in such traumatic ways reflective of a joy in patriotic martyrdom.

The themes of the poem include war, propaganda, patriotism, trauma and martyrdom. The
mood of the poem is pitiful, and the tone is both critical and pitiful.
Analysis

"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,"

The soldiers are slouched over, lacking energy and vivacity as though encumbered by a
literal weight. The poet uses a simile in "like old beggars under sacks," showing that just like
beggars weighed down by heavy sacks and unable to stand up straight due to old age, the
soldiers are bent over in their slow trudge, fatigued by the spoils of war.

"Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares
we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge."

This line begins with an alliteration 'knock kneed' continuing a theme that progresses
throughout the poem- the description of the disfiguration of the soldiers. They definitely
didn't go to war looking like this, but they have been spent, and their bodies are reeling from
the deleterious effects of war. Another simile is used here 'coughing like hags' comparing
their dry, hacking coughing to that of an old woman (hag).

Now, they turn their backs on the 'haunting flares,' showing that they are leaving the
battlefield now, with its distressing explosions (flares) and gunshots. Finally, they can trudge
to their 'distant rest' away from the agonies of war.

"Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod."

The poet uses alliteration once again with the repetition of the 'm' sound: "men marched
asleep." The 'm' sound is often associated with the mindless humming of a person severely
tired or groggy. Thus, the drowsy way in which the men walked is communicated both with
the alliteration and the line itself, as their trudging makes it seem as though they are asleep
and merely sleepwalking.

Many men are said to have 'lost their boots,' which may be a euphemism for losing their
feet in explosions. Nonetheless, they limp onward 'blood-shod.' Shod here means to be fit
with a shoe (like a horse). So, having no boots (and maybe missing a foot), their feet are
instead covered with blood.

"All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells
dropping softly behind."

The soldiers are exhausted to such a point that they are losing their sense of touch, sight
and even hearing as they are intoxicated with enervation and fatigue. Their reactions and
senses dulled by tiresome battle on the frontlines, some are even unable to hear the gas
shells thrown out behind them.

"Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,"

Toxic gas, the cruel weapon of chemical warfare used by countries during WWI, begins to
spew out of the shells, and they must fumble madly to fit their gas masks over their heads
to survive the gas attack. The poet uses 'ecstasy of fumbling' to communicate the frenzy the
soldiers are in to try get their helmets on.

"But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or
lime.—"

Not everyone is able to slimly avoid breathing the noxious gas by slipping on their helmets
one man still struggles amidst the toxic fumes. He is yelling, stumbling and floundering
about, showing distress and agony. The poet uses simile again here in 'flound'ring like a
man in fire' to compare his struggling, stumbling, plunging movements to that of a man
doused in flames.

"Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him
drowning."

The poet uses vivid visual imagery to convey what the persona is seeing. Through the misty
panes of the eye-piece his gas mask and the thick green tint of the gas surrounding them,
he sees the struggling man stumbling about like he is drowning under a green sea. The
simile 'as under a green sea.' the thick green light around them is compared to a green sea.
In the same way the sea is a thick body of water surrounding the person submerged in it,
the gas has surrounded them and seems as thick as the water in the ocean.

"In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking,
drowning."

This graphic image seems to haunt the persona, as he speaks about it 'in all [his] dreams.'
The persona is helpless, unable to assist this man dying before him. He is guttering (tears
streaming down his face, a symptom of inhaling toxic gas), choking and drowning- the poet
paints a gloomy, disturbing image that communicates his critical view of war and its
casualties.
"If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him
in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of
sin;"

The poet comes to the final stanza, where he intends to drive home his point. The horrific
image illustrated previously leads directly into the gloomy atmosphere created here. They
throw the unfortunate man in a wagon, and the poet describes his eyes using a
personification: 'eyes writhing in his face.' His eyes are said to be writhing, moving
randomly, in the same way a human twists and squirms, contorting their body in pain.

A simile in 'his hanging face like a devil's sick of sin' compares the unnatural appearance of
his face to that of a devil horrified of its own evil.

"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues—"

The poet continues the description of the horrific state of the man. Blood gargles from his
lungs, corrupted by froth from the noxious chemicals. It is described with a brief simile
'obscene as cancer,' comparing the obscenity and fatality of this blood emerging from his
lungs to that of cancer. He describes it now with another simile, comparing the blood to the
bitter, regurgitated, half-digested material cattle ruminate/chew on. The sores on his
tongue are incurable, and he is now victim to this lifelong affliction despite his innocence.

"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate
glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori."

The poet now concludes with the scathing remark that, if you were able to experience
those atrocities, the gruesome corruption of an innocent man's lungs drowning amidst the
sea of green noxious gas- you definitely would not tell children the hackneyed maxim
"dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori." This line is taken from the Odes (III.2.13) by the
Roman poet Horace. The line translates: "It is sweet and fitting to die for the homeland." The
poet sees no true glory or anything sweet in such a painful, excruciating death.
#6: Birdshooting Season
Olive Senior

Birdshooting season the men

make marriages with their guns

My father’s house turns macho

as from far the hunters gather

All night long contentless women

stir their brews: hot coffee

chocolata, cerassie

wrap pone and tie-leaf

for tomorrow’s sport. Tonight

the men drink white rum neat.

In darkness shouldering

their packs, their guns, they leave

We stand quietly on the

doorstep shivering. Little boys

longing to grow up birdhunters too

Little girls whispering:

Fly Birds Fly.

Summary

The persona (likely a young girl due to their attention to the details of the women's
emotions) describes the beginning of birdshooting season. Men gather from far and wide to
the house of the persona's father, influencing an atmosphere of manliness and machismo.
The preparations of both the men and the women are described through the eyes of the
child. Women prepare tea and coffee for these hunters and make food for them as they set
forth on this seasonal exodus, with neither thanks nor acknowledgement. The little boys all
dream of becoming birdhunters like their fathers, while the little girls encourage the birds to
fly away, as though hoping that they themselves, like the birds, will escape the fearsome
grasp of the birdhunting men and the resulting cycle. The themes include gender roles,
nature and childhood experiences. The mood is reflective.

Analysis

"Birdshooting season the men make marriages with their guns"

The poem begins with the titular phrase 'birdshooting season,' communicating a
yearly/seasonal time period during which men go out shooting birds. The poet uses a
combination of alliteration and metaphor in "men make marriages with their guns." The
repetition of the deep, manly 'm' sound sets up birdshooting season as a time meant mostly
for the enjoyment of men and for them to display their male prowess. The metaphor 'make
marriages with their guns' conveys the care and attention they give to their guns, as though
actually marrying them. Thus, they prioritize the condition of their guns, doting on them like
in marriage- as they are, they are the primary tools they need to work in union with for
birdshooting.

"My father’s house turns macho as from far the hunters gather"

The persona's father's house 'turns macho' with the influx of several men. To be 'macho' is
to be manly in an excessively aggressive or assertive way, so it appears that with the
flocking of men from far and wide to one home, their masculinity has built upon one
another's, becoming more and more assertive to the point of machismo.

"All night long contentless women stir their brews: hot coffee chocolata, cerassie wrap
pone and tie-leaf for tomorrow’s sport. Tonight the men drink white rum neat."

The women are describes here as 'contentless,' meaning they are dissatisfied or unhappy.
This is likely due to the fact that they must stay up all night preparing the beverages and
food for these men without thanks, only for them to depart for a long period of time to shoot
birds. As the men have made marriages with their guns, they have neglected care for their
wives and children. The women must stock them up with food and drink year after year
without acknowledgement from their husbands. The poem alludes to a slew of traditional
Caribbean drinks and foods, and it is said that the men drink 'white rum neat,' meaning white
rum undiluted at full strength. This again communicates the assertive machismo of the men,
showing off their masculine resistance to strong alcohol.
"In darkness shouldering their packs, their guns, they leave"

The men now leave in the darkness of early morning carrying the guns they so dearly
cherish and the packs holding food and drink. There is no mention of acknowledging
anyone other than themselves.

"We stand quietly on the doorstep shivering. Little boys longing to grow up birdhunters
too Little girls whispering: Fly Birds Fly."

Shivering in the cold morning air, boys seem to idolize the birdhunting men, hoping to
become like them in the future. By contrast, the girls hope for the birds to fly away,
whispering encouragement for them to escape. This reflects a more empathetic and caring
sentiment that is contrary to the aggressive masculinity of the men. This could also be
because birdshooting takes their fathers away for a simple sport, and they can see
themselves in the birds, being grasped by an endless cycle surrounding a ritual of
birdshooting for the enjoyment of men.
#7: My Parents
Stephen Spender

My parents kept me from children who were rough

Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes

Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the street

And climbed cliffs and stripped by the country streams.

I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron

Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms

I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys

Who copied my lisp behind me on the road.

They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges

Like dogs to bark at my world. They threw mud

While I looked the other way, pretending to smile.

I longed to forgive them but they never smiled.

Summary

In the poem, the persona recalls a childhood where his parents kept him from 'rough'
children. His parents hope to protect him from the derision and harassment of these
children, which, throughout the poem, is shown to be true. However, it becomes evident
that in keeping him from these children (likely of a lower social class than he is), his parents
greatly restrict his freedom, and he is jealous of the freedom that these rough children
possess. In titling the poem My Parents and then only mentioning his parents once before
speaking about bullying, the persona seems to both blame his parents for his lack of
freedom and him being the target of the children's abuse. But, he also seems to appreciate
their protection, as the rest of the poem essentially proves his parents right. They play in the
street and climb cliffs and swim in rivers with no constraint. He feared these children and
their abrasive nature; their vituperative words and seemingly insurmountable strength. Even
in this fear though, there is an admiration of their strength that far surpasses his own.
Nonetheless, they would tease him constantly, mocking his lisp while pointing
reproachfully. The persona seems deeply troubled by their endless torment and abuse. He
pretends to smile, hoping to inspire some form of peace and fraternity, but to no avail. He
always longed to forgive them for their harassment, but is denied when they do not
reciprocate any desire for harmony. The persona and the children are of different
socioeconomic classes; the children, lower class and the persona, middle-to-upper class.
Thus, there is a divide between them, and their mockery of him is suggested to have a
separate motivation other than simple childish badinage- they are jealous of his privilege.
The persona himself is jealous of the rough children's freedom even though his social class
permits him far more privilege than they have. This is the implicit irony of the poem.

The mood of this poem is reflective. The themes include childhood experience, parental
influence and social segregation.

Analysis

"My parents kept me from children who were rough"

The persona begins with a somewhat accusatory phrase. His parents restrained him from
being near the 'children who were rough' as a preventative measure. They do not want him
to be teased and mocked for his disabilities, and the abrasive nature of these children
justifies their worry. Describing them as rough instantly creates a contrast between the
children and the persona himself, as his parents' effort to keep him from them means that
he himself is not like them. The use of the word 'kept' implies that sort of childish
resentment that the persona would have felt as a child, wanting to experience the same
freedom as these children but held back nonetheless.

"Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes

Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the street

And climbed cliffs and stripped by the country streams."

The rough children are said to throw 'words like stones.' This simile gives the reader insight
into the character and behaviour of these children, as their use of words is compared to the
destructive act of throwing stones. Their words, therefore, are used with the intention to
harm emotionally in the same way stones are thrown with the intention of causing physical
destruction. The sharp, monosyllabic language used in the simile communicates a harsh
use of words without etiquette characteristic of the lower class.

The children wear torn clothes, another indicator of their less than fortunate status. Despite
this suboptimal economic status, the children are able to explore and play uninhibited. They
run in the street, climb cliffs and swim in streams; all things that our dear persona could
never dream of doing. His overprotective parents keep him from both these children and
their carefree, unrestricted lifestyle. He is envious of them, and wishes to enjoy the same
wonders of freedom as they do. An alliteration is used here in 'climbed cliffs.' This shows
the agility of these children, and sort of portrays them in an animalistic and primitive light in
their scaling of natural landscapes. Their thighs are said to show 'through rags,' rags being a
symbol of poverty and communicating their poorer status in comparison to the persona.

"I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron

Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms"

Using hyperbole, the persona communicates how great his fear was of these boys. Tigers
are able rip a human limb from limb with sheer animalistic instinct and power, but he still
places his fear of their muscles above that (hence why it is an exaggerated expression).
Coupled with the use of simile to compare their muscles to the rigid strength of iron, the
persona conveys a very exaggerated fear along with a possible amount of admiration of
their strength. Being of a lower working class, they would perform more manual labour and
explore more, giving them physical strength far beyond the reach of the persona.

We also see the harassment he is subjected to, as he is pinned to the ground during some
sort of fight. He is made the victim of this torment, and it is possibly because of how
different he is from them. His superior social status is a likely cause, along with his disability
mentioned later on in the poem.

"I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys

Who copied my lisp behind me on the road."

The persona now states that he feared their 'salt coarse pointing.' This metaphor directly
compares their pointing to the coarseness of salt. The use of coarse continues the
description of the children as rough, but it also gives a tangibility to the derision of the boys.
The persona feels their mockery to be coarse and harsh, inflicting a near-physical abrasion
that goes beyond some sort of friendly badinage. By saying salt coarse, it also alludes to a
common phrase 'rub salt into the wound.' Although it is a bit of a stretch, their mockery, on
top of forcing him into compromising positions in fights, is like rubbing salt into an open
wound, as he experiences the emotional fallout as well as the physical.

The boys copy his lisp behind him on the road, showing that his speech impediment is a
point which they use to mock him. His disability is therefore one of the things that make him
a prime target of these rough children.
"They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges

Like dogs to bark at my world. They threw mud

While I looked the other way, pretending to smile."

The persona continues to describe their incessant harassment of him. They are lithe and
agile, and he is not. Using simile, he compares them to dogs, "springing out behind hedges
like dogs to bark at my world." Dogs usually bark to threaten intruders or those they think do
not belong. In the same way, like animals, the children jump out at him and threaten him
and his highly privileged world. Throughout their mud-throwing he would pretend to smile,
as though unperturbed by this torment. He hopes to inspire some form of friendliness
through this peaceable smiling.

"I longed to forgive them but they never smiled."

Even though he wants to forgive them for the torment they cause him, they never
reciprocate this desire, nor do they return a smile. The difference in their social classes
causes the children to envy his fortune while he envies their freedom. These strong societal
barriers of envy and jealousy create vitriol between them that cannot easily be overcome.
#8: Little Boy Crying
Mervyn Morris

Your mouth contorting in brief spite and hurt,

your laughter metamorphosed into howls,

your frame so recently relaxed now tight with

three year old frustration, your bright eyes

swimming tears, splashing your bare feet, you

stand there angling for a moment’s hint of guilt

or sorrow for the quick slap struck.

The ogre towers above you, that grim giant,

empty of feeling, a colossal cruel,

soon victim of the tale’s conclusion, dead

at last. You hate him, you imagine

chopping clean the tree he’s scrambling down

or plotting deeper pits to trap him in.

You cannot understand, not yet,

the hurt your easy tears can scald him with, nor

guess the wavering hidden behind that mask. This

fierce man longs to lift you, curb your sadness

with piggy-back or bull fight, anything, but dare

not ruin the lessons you should learn.

You must not make a plaything of the rain.

Summary

The poem is narrating an interaction between a father and his son, who he has punished for
playing in the rain. The little boy feels somewhat betrayed by his father, and finds no sign of
remorse in him. So, he sees him as evil figure, likening him to the evil giant from the fairy
tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. The poem accurately shows how the child feels in the
moment- a sudden emotion of cold hate and anger towards this 'colossal cruel' who has
harmed him. In the third stanza though, the poet introduces the perspective of the father,
who evidently cares for his son. Through the child's eyes, he is painted in a light of supreme
cruelty and callousness due to emotionally-caused exaggeration. The father is shown to be
caring because he feels guilt and remorse when he sees the tears of his son. But the
dilemma within is obvious- he doesn't enjoy making his son feel this way, but he must teach
him this lesson. He wants to comfort him and show his care; but he knows that he must
maintain his composure in order for his son to truly learn the lesson.

The poem is written from a third person omniscient perspective. The themes are parenting,
vulnerability and childhood experiences. The mood is tense.

Analysis

"Your mouth contorting in brief spite and hurt,"

This line begins to show the little boy starting to cry. His mouth twists (as shown with
'contorting'), showing not only his pain (emotional and physical) but also an attempt to spite
(deliberately annoy) his father.

"your laughter metamorphosed into howls,"

Contrast is introduced here, where the laughter of the child (happiness) metamorphoses (an
example of diction by the poet) into howls of pain and hurt. To metamorphose means to
change completely in form or nature- so, in the same way his laughter changes to howls,
his happiness changes to despair and pain.

"your frame so recently relaxed now tight with three year old frustration"

The poet continues to show contrast between his previous disposition and now- when his
frame has tightened as he contracts in beginning to cry. His frame tight with 'three year old
frustration,' which is sort of ironic considering that, being 3 years old, he would have very
little to be frustrated about, and the harsher more oppressive concept of frustration clashes
with the small non-threatening nature of a 3 year old.

"your bright eyes swimming tears, splashing your bare feet,"

This is an example of hyperbole, where the poet suggests that the child's eyes are
'swimming tears' that splash his feet. Obviously a human's eyes can't produce enough tears
to literally splash upon their feet- but the poet uses this device to show the exaggerated
crying of the child. The phrase 'eyes swimming tears' suggests that the child's eyes are
completely submerged in tears.

"you stand there angling for a moment’s hint of guilt or sorrow for the quick slap struck."

Now the boy searches for any sign of remorse, empathy or guilt in this unnamed person
who has hit him. Alliteration (slap struck) is used along with monosyllabic language ('quick
slap struck,' each word is one syllable to convey the speed of the slap).

"The ogre towers above you, that grim giant, empty of feeling, a colossal cruel, soon
victim of the tale’s conclusion, dead at last."

In this stanza, the little boy is now likening the evil of this unnamed person the best way he
can- using fairly tales and mystical fictional evils. Using a metaphor, he refers to this person
as an ogre towering over him. Using alliteration, the boy calls this person a 'grim giant' who
is cold and unfeeling, and a 'colossal cruel.' This is, of course, a caricatured/exaggerated
description of this man by a teary-eyed and hurt child. He is so angered and frustrated in
this moment that he compares his abuser to a giant, an allusion to the fairy tale Jack and
the Beanstalk ('...that grim giant') and hopes for him to eventually end up just like the giant at
the end of the fairy tale- dead.

"You hate him, you imagine chopping clean the tree he’s scrambling down or plotting
deeper pits to trap him in."

The boy continues with sentiments exaggerated by momentary pain, frustration and anger.
The boy is said to hate this man, and imagines for him the same defeat as the giant in the
tale- chopping down the stalk he climbs down. These plots correspond to the child's
feelings of sadness and anger, he wants to defeat this person who has harmed him.

"You cannot understand, not yet, the hurt your easy tears can scald him with,"

The speaker now considers the perspective of the father. The child doesn't understand yet
what happens beyond the steely exterior of his father. He doesn't know that his tears really
do harm him, and that he does truly feel remorse for hurting his son. The boy cries endlessly
and without restraint or difficulty, but he doesn't know that his father feels these tears and
they 'scald him' like acid or hot oil.

"nor guess the wavering hidden behind that mask."

Adding to the list of things the boy doesn't understand, he cannot guess the conflict within
his father that is hidden by an unfaltering facade. He doesn't want to hurt his son, but he
cannot show the hesitation.

"This fierce man longs to lift you, curb your sadness with piggy-back or bull fight,
anything, but dare not ruin the lessons you should learn."

The poet uses contrast again here, juxtaposing the description of this man as 'fierce' with
the description of this man as a vulnerable, loving, empathetic one who wants to curb the
boy's sadness. The father sees his son crying, and his natural reaction is to want to comfort
him- but he cannot, in order to ensure that he learns the lesson.

"You must not make a plaything of the rain."

This final line conveys what was likely the reason for the father punishing the child, he was
playing in the rain.
#9: A Stone's Throw
Elma Mitchell

We shouted out

'We've got her! Here she is!

It's her all right '.

We caught her.

There she was -

A decent-looking woman, you'd have said,

(They often are)

Beautiful, but dead scared,

Tousled - we roughed her up

A little, nothing much

And not the first time

By any means

She'd felt men's hands

Greedy over her body -

But ours were virtuous,

Of course.

And if our fingers bruised

Her shuddering skin,

These were love-bites, compared

To the hail of kisses of stone,

The last assault

And battery, frigid rape,

To come

Of right.

For justice must be done

Specially when

It tastes so good.

And then - this guru,

Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what -

Spoilt the whole thing,

Speaking to her

(Should never speak to them)

Squatting on the ground - her level,

Writing in the dust

Something we couldn't read.

And saw in her

Something we couldn't see

At least until

He turned his eyes on us,

Her eyes on us,

Our eyes upon ourselves.

We walked away

Still holding stones

That we may throw

Another day

Given the urge.

Summary

The poem alludes to the story of Mary Magdalene in the Bible (John 8:3-11), highlighting
themes of religion, violence, sexism and hypocrisy. The persona is addressing some sort of
unknown audience who he either wants to convince or shares his point of view. He appears
to be a misogynist, objectifying the woman who is the subject of the poem and the victim of
the abuse of the persona. The persona stereotypes the woman as a harlot, and considers
his assault of the woman to be righteous as a result. The recounting of this tale of violence
by the persona is laced with glee, self-righteousness and sexual overtones. As the
members of the village 'rough her up,' the persona notes callously that she had felt men's
hands greedy over her body before. There is a sense of irony throughout the poem due to
the assertion of the persona that they, assaulting this woman are more virtuous than the
woman herself or any man with whom she had been with. However, as the persona and
presumably a group of others in the village (as suggested by the use of 'we') prepare to
exact 'justice' upon this woman through stoning her to death, a guru/preacher (Jesus)
'spoils their fun' by speaking to the woman. He sees a sort of humanity within the woman
which the persona cannot and judges them, letting the woman judge them, and therefore
triggering introspection in the surrounding crowd. They now leave, still holding stones- and
their judgements against her- which they hope to throw another day given the urge.

The tone of the poem is nonchalant, callous and condescending. The mood is violent.

Analysis

"We shouted out, 'We've got her! Here she is! It's her all right '. We caught her."

The persona begins with the use of the pronoun 'we' to show that he was accompanied by
at least one other person. This could be in an attempt to share accountability, but it is more
likely a display of the involvement of multiple pursuers in search of this woman. The
subsequent lines are punctuated with exclamation points to show their excitement. 'We've
got her' shows a triumphant conquering of this woman who has apparently evaded them for
a while. 'Here she is' gives the impression of exhibiting her for all to see, like a trophy or an
elusive animal. 'It's her all right' and 'we caught her' echo that triumph in capturing the
woman.

"A decent-looking woman, you'd have said, (They often are)"

The persona evidently sees the woman as physically attractive, but uses the phrase 'you'd
have said' to somewhat distance himself from admitting to the idea of finding her attractive.
He continues to say 'they often are' showing that he simply classifies her as part of a group
rather than as an individual. She is made to be only a stereotype.

"Beautiful, but dead scared,"

The persona again reaffirms the fact that the woman looks beautiful even though she is
obviously deathly afraid.

"Tousled - we roughed her up A little, nothing much"

The word tousled here suggests that her clothing is slightly ruffled or her hair is disheveled,
as though playing around. The persona goes on to say that they 'roughed her up a little,
nothing much', a euphemism, insinuating that they didn't use any excessive force in
capturing her. His version of the tale is obviously a lie.

"And not the first time By any means She'd felt men's hands Greedy over her body - "

These lines show that the men took the opportunity to let their hands roam around the
woman's body. The persona makes a point of expressing that it wasn't the first time
something like this would have happened to her, so it wasn't out of the ordinary. This also
insinuates that she was a prostitute or a adulteress given to such promiscuity. The use of the
word 'greedy' suggests a violent ravaging of the woman's body by these men who hope to
sate a hunger by molesting this scared woman. They likely had long wanted to do so, but
had neither the audacity nor the opportunity before.

"But ours were virtuous, Of course."

The persona here tries to make it seem as though they are virtuous in probing her body with
their hands; as if they are above reproach for doing so. He tries to distance himself from
those men with whom she fornicates. This is irony in that the persona suggests that he and
those with him are 'virtuous' in fondling this woman's body, although they are doing the
same thing as those she 'sins' with. Hence, his obdurate assertion of self-righteousness is
ironic, since he is no different from those he tries to separate himself from.

"And if our fingers bruised Her shuddering skin, These were love-bites, compared To the
hail of kisses of stone,"
The persona uses 'if' here in an attempt to mitigate their cruelty. It is obvious that they did
bruise her skin, which is described as shuddering due to her fear. The persona introduces
more erotic overtones by comparing these bruises to 'love-bites' like a bite made during
intercourse meant to be pleasurable and painful simultaneously. He attempts to palliate
(mitigate) their maltreatment of the woman by saying that there was far worse in store for
her- particularly what is expressed in the speaker's euphemism for being stoned, 'the hail of
kisses of stone.' By saying that the hail of stone would be like kisses, he introduces the idea
that this violent execution of 'justice' would be pleasurable.

"The last assault and battery, frigid rape, to come of right."

The persona mentions the final punishment- like the final dish of a meal (assault and
battery)- to be given to the woman- 'frigid rape.' This is an oxymoron because the speaker is
inferring that the woman will be sexually assaulted, but not penetrated as in an actual rape.
The phrase expresses the inability to consummate the physical act of a sexual assault, as it
will be her corpse being violated. This is 'justice' to the persona as it correlates to how he
thinks the woman lived her life- an object for the sheer use and disposal of men.

"For justice must be done specially when it tastes so good."

It is made evident by this line exactly how self-righteous the persona really is, because it
isn't made clear in the poem exactly whose justice is being executed. These lines, then,
clarify that this is simply providing pleasure for the persona, who neither values the life of
the woman nor the idea of true justice. After all, whose laws did the woman break? What
authority have they to deliver punishment? And most of all, is anything done here even
close to justice? This extrajudicial punishment is clearly just enjoyable for the persona as
shown by the line "...it tastes so good." They relish in the brutal assault and violation of this
woman. This delight in her misfortune or Schadenfreude, continues this metaphor of a meal
to sate the appetites of these power-hungry, misogynistic miscreants.

"And then - this guru, Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what -Spoilt the whole
thing,"

The persona's tone takes a turn for the contemptuous as his masochistic euphoria is
interrupted. He spits out several names to label the man by, and it is obvious that he is
greatly upset by this man's intervention. He calls him a guru, as he is well-versed in matters
pertaining to God or philosophy and the gospel; a God-merchant, implying the man's trade
in things relating to God. The poet skilfully incorporates the use of the phrase 'God-knows-
what,' as it denotes the persona's frustration with this man and his inability to confine him to
a single category; but, it also indicates the fact that God does know the identity of this man
even if no one in the crowd does (Jesus).

"Speaking to her (Should never speak to them) Squatting on the ground - her level,"

The man speaks to the woman who they want to persecute- something the persona
considers taboo due to how he discriminates against this woman, stigmatizing her as a
prostitute/adulteress undeserving of any human decency. The man literally comes
between the mob and the woman, putting himself in harm's way.

The intervening man stoops to the ground, at the same level as the woman. This essentially
shows that he is not critical of the woman; he doesn't consider himself morally or socially
superior to her for any reason. Unlike the crowd, he sees her as a human being and not an
object of immorality and ridicule. The way that the persona says 'her level' gives the
impression of disgust and prejudice.

"Writing in the dust Something we couldn't read."

This line, where the man is said to write something that the mob couldn't read, has several
possible connotations. What he wrote could either be a foreign language or it could be
simply illegible. However, he could have intended to show the crowd that they lacked
discernment in their condemnation/persecution of another human being by writing in the
dust.

"And saw in her something we couldn't see at least until he turned his eyes on us, her
eyes on us, our eyes upon ourselves."

The man sees something in the woman that the persona and the mob could not see in her.
However, it became obvious once the man looked at the crowd, and the woman looked at
them as well. In turn, they began to look at themselves. In an attempt to persecute this
woman, they themselves had operated with no moral compass. They had descended to
such a level where nothing morally right had been achieved. No words were said, but the
crowd understood.

"We walked away still holding stones that we may throw another day given the urge."

The crowd leaves, feeling dejected and unable to satisfy their craving for brutality and
violence. However, they still have their stones in hand- showing that the insight given by the
man would not be permanently incorporated into the minds of the crowd. The precepts of
true justice- rationality, truth and fairness- has never been and will never be a part of the
crowd's purpose. They have no intention of changing. They will do the same again 'given
the urge.'

The entire poem, is of course an allusion:

The poet has used the concept of intertextuality in crafting her poem from an original story
taken from the Gospel of John 8: 3-11. In the Bible story a woman is accused of adultery
and is brought before Jesus because according to Mosaic Law, she should be stoned to
death. Jesus states the famous lines, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the
first stone at her.” Her accusers scatter. Jesus tells the woman he does not condemn her
and to go and refrain from sinning.
#10: It is the Constant Image of Your
Face
Dennis Brutus

It is the constant image of your face

framed in my hands as you knelt before my chair

the grave attention of your eyes

surveying me amid my world of knives

that stays with me, perennially accuses

and convicts me of heart’s-treachery;

and neither you nor I can plead excuses

for you, you know, can claim no loyalty –

my land takes precedence of all my loves.

Yet I beg mitigation, pleading guilty

for you, my dear, accomplice of my heart

made, without words, such blackmail with your beauty

and proffered me such dear protectiveness

that I confess without remorse or shame,

my still-fresh treason to my country

and I hope that she, my other, dearest love

will pardon freely, not attaching blame

being your mistress (or your match) in tenderness.

Summary

The persona seems to be a statesman (or some sort of stakeholder or representative of his
country) who is accused of heartbreak by his lover. It appears that there was an event in the
past where he was unfaithful- seemingly to his lover. However, there can be no excuse for

43
either of them, he believes, since loyalty to one's country supersedes all else. He can claim
no loyalty to her, but neither can she to him, as the persona considers his country to be
above all of his other loves. Now however, he pleads for forgiveness of some sort,
confessing freely his denial of his own country. His lover, the 'accomplice of his heart' in
denying his country, has treated him with such tender love that he cannot simply ignore it.
He hopes that his country will be able to forgive him. As he now compares the love he holds
for his lover and his land, he reveals his own confusion. He loves his land and this woman.
One, he believes should take precedence above all others, and the other, has conspired
with his heart to siphon some of his affection for the other. He cannot discern which one is
more dear to his heart, which one is more tender.

The tone of this poem is remorseful and wistful. The mood is solemn and sad, with a sense
of guilt. The themes of the poem include patriotism, divided loyalties and romantic love vs
love of one's country.

Analysis

"It is the constant image of your face, framed in my hands as you knelt before my chair
the grave attention of your eyes surveying me amid my world of knives"

The image of his lover's face remains ceaselessly in his mind. He holds her face in his hands
as she kneels before him. Her eyes inspect him gravely. This gives the impression of
anguish and deep emotion. The phrase 'world of knives' conveys the idea that the persona
is surrounded by a world of brutality, or even an internal conflict.

"that stays with me, perennially accuses and convicts me of heart’s-treachery;"

This image seems to haunt him, permanently embedded into his mind. It accuses and
convicts him of 'heart's-treachery." What he saw in the attentive eyes of his lover stayed
with him and caused a great deal of emotional pain. The use of the word 'convicts' gives the
impression of a direct encumbering of guilt upon the persona. 'Heart's treachery' here,
evidently meaning heartbreak, is an oxymoron, considering that the heart is a symbol of
love and compassion, completely contrasted by the concept of treachery and betrayal.

"and neither you nor I can plead excuses for you, you know, can claim no loyalty – my
land takes precedence of all my loves."

Neither the persona nor his lover can 'plead excuses' for his apparent infidelity. They can't
claim loyalty to each other, as the persona believes unequivocally that loyalty to his country
should be above all other perceived loves. Thus , he feels unbound to her due to how he
prioritizes patriotism.

44
"Yet I beg mitigation, pleading guilty for you, my dear, accomplice of my heart made,
without words, such blackmail with your beauty and proffered me such dear
protectiveness, that I confess without remorse or shame, my still-fresh treason to my
country"

Now, the persona is begging acquittal for his seeming perfidy. He admits his wrongdoing.
His lover is the 'accomplice of his heart,' a person who has conspired with him to take some
of his affection for his country. He sort of introduces the idea that they both share culpability
for betraying his greater love. Wordlessly, she blackmails him with her beauty, forcing him
to become a backsliding lover when it comes to his country. Her love, protective and
tender, has caused him to confess freely the way he now seems to have given his love to
another, apart from his precedent love (his country). He considers this treason, a betrayal of
the love he thinks should be above all else.

"and I hope that she, my other, dearest love will pardon freely, not attaching blame
being your mistress (or your match) in tenderness."

The persona hopes against hope that his country will be able to pardon him for this. The
final line reveals more of his confusion, as cannot discern which one is more dear and
tender to him.
#11: Dreaming Black Boy
James Berry

I wish my teacher’s eyes wouldn’t

go past me today. Wish he’d know

it’s okay to hug me when I kick

a goal. Wish I myself wouldn’t hold back when answer comes.

I’m no woodchopper now

like all ancestors.

I wish I could be educated

to the best of tune up, and earn

good money and not sink to lick

boots. I wish I could go on every

crisscross way of the globe

and no persons or powers or

hotel keepers would make it a waste.

I wish life wouldn’t spend me out

opposing. Wish same way creation

would have me stand it would have

me stretch, and hold high, my voice

Paul Robeson’s, my inside eye

a sun. Nobody wants to say

hello to nasty answers.

I wish torch throwers of night

would burn lights for decent times.

Wish plotters in pyjamas would pray

for themselves. Wish people wouldn’t

talk as if I dropped from Mars.

I wish only boys were scared

behind bravados, for I could suffer.

I could suffer a big big lot.

I wish nobody would want to earn

the terrible burden I can suffer.

Summary

The persona is a young black male wishing for things he should have already been
guaranteed for being a human. He has suffered great racial discrimination throughout his
life, and this has affected him to the point where he isn't as bold as he should be. He knows
that he is different from his enslaved ancestors, but he feels still trapped by the prejudice
he has to bear. He wants to travel the world and be educated, rather than having to do
demeaning jobs to get by. He wishes to be like the revolutionary Paul Robeson, whom he
idolizes. This boy has suffered through seeing members of the Ku Klux Klan discriminating
against and lynching black people like him, and he hopes that no one else has to bear this
terrible burden he does. The speaker’s tone is one of wistfulness, subdued optimism,
restrained anger, sadness and despair. Like the attitude of the black boy, the atmosphere of
the poem is one of despair, sadness and deep suffering.

Analysis

"I wish my teacher’s eyes wouldn’t go past me today. Wish he’d know it’s okay to hug me
when I kick a goal."

This boy is ignored by his teacher, evidently due to his race. He wants to be recognized for
his achievements in the same way the other students in his class are, but his teacher does
not acknowledge him.

"Wish I myself wouldn’t hold back when answer comes. I’m no woodchopper now like
all ancestors."
The persona confirms how he feels-voiceless and powerless. He holds back even when he
knows the answer, showing that his confidence has been undermined due to constant
prejudice. He knows that it doesn't make sense for him to not be bold, as, unlike his
ancestors, he is free.

"I wish I could be educated to the best of tune up"

The boy wants to receive the best possible education. He uses a metaphor here to
compare education to 'tune up,' as in how a car is well-serviced (or tuned) or how an
instrument has been tuned to play the perfect notes.

"and earn good money and not sink to lick boots."

He doesn't want to become the stereotype of that era, of blacks only being meant for
menial tasks. He is able to think critically, and he hopes not to be relegated to being a
proverbial 'hewer of wood and drawer of water,' or spit shoe-shiner. He doesn't want to
simply be subservient and servile in order to get by.

"I wish I could go on every crisscross way of the globe and no persons or powers or hotel
keepers would make it a waste."

He wishes to travel the globe without the restraints of discrimination. He longs for
unrestricted access to places where people and institutions do not discriminate against him
because his skin is black.

"I wish life wouldn’t spend me out opposing."

In this personification, 'life' is said to spend the boy out, as in exhaust him completely. He
doesn't want to spend his whole life on the defensive, constantly having to fight against
discrimination and assault.

"Wish same way creation would have me stand it would have me stretch, and hold high,
my voice Paul Robeson’s, my inside eye a sun."
He personifies creation here to be a sort of entity that controls his life. He wants 'creation,' in
the same way it gave him the ability to withstand prejudice, it would give him the ability to
grow internally, to have dignity- to 'stretch' beyond the limits society has defined for him.
The persona dreams of having Paul Robeson’s voice as his own. This alludes to Paul
Robeson, an African American icon known for his deep, distinctive voice. He was a
Renaissance Man who epitomized black manhood as a star athlete singer, actor, lawyer,
and human right activist. He wants to be like Robeson, and be as influential as him as well.

He wants his 'inside eye' to be a 'sun,' meaning that he wants his spirit and brilliance to be a
light that all people can see.

"Nobody wants to say hello to nasty answers."

This line seems sort of out of place, but it shows the persona's realization that being
exceptional is meaningless if people continue to be repulsed by him.

"I wish torch throwers of night would burn lights for decent times. Wish plotters in
pyjamas would pray for themselves."

These lines allude to the Ku Klux Klan, a group of white supremacists who would lynch and
torment black people. They did this under the guise of religion. The persona is highlighting
their hypocrisy, as they hurt others, instead of praying for their own salvation at night.

"Wish people wouldn’t talk as if I dropped from Mars."

The persona wishes that his differences wouldn't be highlighted to seem as though he
doesn't belong on this planet. He feels ostracized, as though he doesn't have the same
permission to live in society- like he was born on Mars.

"I wish only boys were scared behind bravados, for I could suffer. I could suffer a big big
lot. I wish nobody would want to earn the terrible burden I can suffer."

The persona wishes that only children were scared behind pretenses of valor- but he knows
that even though adults display brave facades to the world, they are equally as scared. So,
they are just as afraid and unable to oppose, and he cannot look to them for protection from
the forces that plague him.

The word ‘suffer’ is repeated three times in this final stanza. Being a black boy is apparently
synonymous with being afraid and suffering. He wishes that with adulthood things would
change, but from what he has seen, he knows that is not true. He hopes that no one else will
have to suffer through what he must suffer through because of the colour of their skin.

*'Wish' is repeated 12 times throughout the poem to reinforce the persona's mood of
longing.
#12: The Woman Speaks to the Man
who has Employed her Son
Lorna Goodison

Her son was first made known to her

as a sense of unease, a need to cry

for little reasons and a metallic tide

rising in her mouth each morning.

Such signs made her know

That she was not alone in her body.

She carried him full term

tight up under her heart.

She carried him like the poor

carry hope, hope you get a break

or a visa, hope one child go through

and remember you. He had no father.

The man she made him with had more

like him, he was fair-minded

he treated all his children

with equal and unbiased indifference.

She raise him twice, once as mother

Then as father, set no ceiling

On what he could be doctor,

earth healer, pilot take wings.

But now he tells her he is working

for you, that you value him so much

you give him one whole

submachine gun for him alone.

He says you are like a father to him

she is wondering what kind of father

would give a son hot and exploding

death, when he asks him for bread.

She went downtown and bought three

and one-third yards of black cloth and

a deep crowned and veiled hat for the

day he draw his bloody salary.

She has no power over you and this

at the level of earth, what she has

are prayers and a mother’s tears

and at knee city she uses them.

She says psalms for him

she reads psalms for you

she weeps for his soul

her eyewater covers you.

She is throwing a partner

with Judas Iscariot’s mother

the thief on the left-hand

side of the cross, his mother

is the banker, her draw though

is first and last for she still

throwing two hands as mother and

father.

She is prepared, she is done.

Absalom.

Summary

In this poem, the persona seems to be addressing a man who has taken a woman's son into
a life of crime and gun violence. The history of the woman's relationship with her son is
recounted and the love she felt for him even before his birth. She first knew she was
pregnant due to morning sickness- showing that this pregnancy was not necessarily
planned. This son had no father, so the mother played both roles in his upbringing. She saw
his potential as endless, he could become anything. However, she is the told that he has
been employed by a man who 'values' him so much that he gives him his own submachine
gun. The son for whom she had great hope for had now been inducted into a life of crime
that would ultimately cut his life short. She prepares for the funeral of her son, which she
believes will happen sooner rather than later because of what he has become involved in.
She compares this feeling of betrayal and misfortune to 'throwing a partner' (or sou sou
agreement) with notably untrustworthy people and drawing the first and last hand.

"Her son was first made known to her as a sense of unease, a need to cry for little
reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning."

This gives some sort of exposition for the life of the woman. It says that 'her son was first
made known to her' through morning sickness, discomfort and emotional hypersensitivity
showing that this pregnancy was a surprise and therefore completely unplanned. Chances
are that she was irresponsible, and did not use contraceptives.

"Such signs made her know that she was not alone in her body."

This continues to give the impression of a somewhat naive and irresponsible mother who
relies on 'signs' to confirm her pregnancy rather than having planned or being aware
enough to know. The line saying "she was not alone in her body" implies that she was being
taken over by some unknown being and had no choice but to accept this new presence.

"She carried him full term tight up under her heart."

The mother makes no attempt to abort the baby and carries him for the full nine months.
The phrase 'tight up under her heart' shows that she loved and deeply cared for the unborn
son.

"She carried him like the poor carry hope, hope you get a break or a visa, hope one child
go through and remember you."

This simile compares how she carried the child to how those in poverty carry their hope.
This shows that the mother likely saw the son as a potential ticket out of poverty- a child
that may secure that elusive visa and get an opportunity to work abroad, and, remembering
his mother, send remittances to her. Hope is repeated 3 times here, almost as if to show that
where there is a paucity (lack) of money, there is an excess of hope.

"He had no father. The man she made him with had more like him, he was fair-minded he
treated all his children with equal and unbiased indifference."

This line boldly states the lack of a father figure in the child's life. The man who had
biologically fathered the child had no intention of caring for him. The subsequent line, which
states 'the man she made him with,' gives an impression that the creation of the child was a
mechanical, routine process, that, much like the biological father's regard for his child, was
devoid of emotion or real care. There was a paternal gamete supplier, but no father.

The speaker goes on in sarcastically referring to the man as 'fair-minded,' due to his
indiscriminate disregard for his children. These lines would be somewhat comical, had they
not been given with such venomous indictment of the prevalence of parental truancy. He
has several children, but makes no attempt to support any of them emotionally or
financially.

"She raise him twice, once as mother then as father,"

This line continues to show the impact of the absence of the father- the mother takes the
role of both mother and father. She makes every effort to be supportive to this son of whom
she expects so much.

"set no ceiling on what he could be doctor, earth healer, pilot take wings."
This continues to establish the high expectations held by the mother. She believes his
potential is limitless- he could become anything in the world.
"But now he tells her he is working for you, that you value him so much you give him one
whole submachine gun for him alone."

This is the volta or turning point of the poem. Up to this point, the hopes of the mother have
been built up and her love and care for her son has been displayed. Her hopes are
completely dashed now though, when he tells her that he has been recruited by a gunman.
The persona now completely doubles down on the tone of anger/resigned sadness that
was underscored previously in the mentions of paternal absenteeism.

This line is a good example of irony. The mother is told that this gunman values her son so
much that he gives him his own submachine gun. This is ironic because the son feels this
false sense of pride because he is put in charge of this gun. He feels that he is held in a high
esteem by the gunman because he is given the responsibility of a terrible weapon that can
only cause destruction to himself and his community.

"He says you are like a father to him she is wondering what kind of father would give a
son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread."

The son, having had no father figure while growing up due to an indifferent father, now
views this gunman as his father figure. The mother questions his idolization of this donor of
guns using a biblical allusion to Matthew 7:9, which states, "Which of you, if your son asks
for bread, will give him a stone?" (a similar verse is at Luke 11:11). The son's penury has led
him to seek material goods, so why would this "father figure" offer him a weapon of certain
death? The woman accuses the man of being purely wicked and having no regard for her
son's wellbeing.

"She went downtown and bought three and one-third yards of black cloth and a deep
crowned and veiled hat for the day he draw his bloody salary."

The mother is completely convinced that this induction into gun violence will inevitably get
him killed. In melancholic resignation, she prepares for his funeral by purchasing a hat and
the material for a dress. She knows that he will eventually draw his 'bloody salary,' i.e. he will
reap the rewards of violence- death.

"She has no power over you and this at the level of earth, what she has are prayers and a
mother’s tears and at knee city she uses them."

The mother knows that she cannot physically combat the gunman, but, being religious, she
believes that she can implore the spiritual, righteous power of God. Faith is the only strength
she can possibly use to fight him. She uses her tears, a manifestation of her grief and
sadness for her son and a symbol of condemnation of the man who has given her reason to
cry, at "knee city." This is a sort of Jamaican term that refers to long sessions of prayer,
kneeling. So, the mother prays for her son and implores the intrinsic power of her motherly
tears.

"She says psalms for him, she reads psalms for you, she weeps for his soul, her eyewater
covers you."

The mother continues her spiritual warfare with this man who has recruited her son. She
says psalms for her son- hoping to shield and protect him. However, she reads psalms for
the man, (reading psalms for someone often means to hope for bad things to befall your
enemies) hoping to injure and inhibit him.

Her tears continue to flow for her son as she implores the forces of heaven.

"She is throwing a partner with Judas Iscariot’s mother the thief on the left-hand side of
the cross, his mother is the banker, her draw though is first and last for she still throwing
two hands as mother and father."

This stanza is rife with biblical allusions. She is engaged in a savings agreement (called a
partner in Jamaica, a meeting in Barbados or a sou sou in other Caribbean islands) with
Judas Iscariot's mother (the mother of the well-known betrayer of Jesus) and the thief who
was crucified with Jesus. The thief's mother is the banker, who keeps the money- meaning
that she may have her money stolen if the thief learnt it from his mother. These women
seem to belong to a club of mothers of 'infamous offspring,' reinforcing the point that even
people who have done some of the most ignominious acts in human history have mothers.

The fact that she must hold a savings agreement with these mothers of notorious biblical
men doesn't bode well for her, as a partner agreement requires trust and honour among the
members. The persona says the mother has two ‘draws’ (payments) coming from the
‘partner’ because she has borne the responsibility of both parental roles. being both mother
and father to the boy. She has the first and last payments- the last being particularly risky in
a partner since dishonesty begins to influence the participants the longer they wait to draw.
Similarly, she had the first draw and brought him into the world and she will be there when
his life comes to an end, taking the last draw.

"She is prepared, she is done. Absalom."

The mother has prepared herself for the inevitable passing of her son due to his
involvement in this criminal activity. She has bought her dress materials for his funeral, and
she has prayed. There is nothing more that she can do.

The final word, 'Absalom' is spoken sort of like an 'Amen' at the end of a poem. This is a
biblical allusion to David's son Absalom, who was killed after plotting to kill his father. David
however, still feels grief at the death of this son who plotted to kill him. In accepting to be
employed by the gunman, the son has basically plotted against his mother’s investment in
him and her limitless expectations for him. He has killed her hopes.

The mother, like King David, will experience profound grief over the death of her wayward
son.

Figurative Devices

Simile

"She carried him like the poor carry hope"

This simile compares how she carried the child to how those in poverty carry their hope.
This shows that the mother likely saw the son as a potential ticket out of poverty- a child
that may secure that elusive visa and get an opportunity to work abroad, and, remembering
his mother, send remittances to her.

"He says you are like a father to him"

The son compares the gunman to a father, showing that he fills a gap left by his own absent
father.

Allusion

"what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for
bread."

The mother questions the son's idolization of this donor of guns using a biblical allusion to
Matthew 7:9, which states, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?"
(a similar verse is at Luke 11:11). The son's penury has led him to seek material goods, so why
would this "father figure" offer him a weapon of certain death? The woman accuses the man
of being purely wicked and having no regard for her son's well being.

"She says psalms for him, she reads psalms for you,"

This is an allusion to the biblical book of Psalms. The mother says psalms hoping to protect
her child, but she reads psalms for the gunman in hopes of his defeat or injury.
"She is throwing a partner with Judas Iscariot’s mother the thief on the left-hand side of
the cross, his mother is the banker,"

This is a biblical allusion to Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus in the bible, and the
thief who was crucified on the left of Jesus in the bible. She is engaged in a savings
agreement (called a partner in Jamaica, a meeting in Barbados or a sou sou in other
Caribbean islands) with Judas Iscariot's mother (the mother of the well-known betrayer of
Jesus) and the thief who was crucified with Jesus. The thief's mother is the banker, who
keeps the money- meaning that she may have her money stolen if the thief learnt it from his
mother.

"Absalom."

The final word, 'Absalom' is spoken sort of like an 'Amen' at the end of a poem. This is a
biblical allusion to David's son Absalom, who was killed after plotting to kill his father. David
however, still feels grief at the death of this son who plotted to kill him. In accepting to be
employed by the gunman, the son has basically plotted against his mother’s investment in
him and her limitless expectations for him. He has killed her hopes.

The mother, like King David, will experience profound grief over the death of her wayward
son.
#13: Test Match Sabina Park
Stewart Brown

Proudly wearing the rosette of my skin

I strut into Sabina
England boycotting excitement bravely
something badly amiss.

Cricket. Not the game they play at Lords,

The crowd- whoever saw a crowd
At a cricket match? – are caged
vociferous partisans, quick to take offense.

England sixty eight for none at lunch.

‘What sort o battin dat man?
Dem kaaan play cricket again,
praps dem should-a-borrow Lawrence Rowe!’

And on it goes, the wicket slow

as the batting and the crowd restless.
‘Eh white bwoy, how you brudders dem
does sen we sleep so? Me pay me monies
fe watch dis foolishness? Cho!’

So I try to explain in my Hampshire drawl

about conditions in Kent,
about sticky wickets and muggy days
and the monsoon season in Manchester
but fail to convince even myself.

The crowd’s loud ‘busin drives me out

skulking behind a tarnished rosette
somewhat frayed now but unable, quite,
to conceal a blushing nationality.

Summary

The persona is an Englishman who comes to Sabina Park to watch a cricket match between
his home team and the West Indies team. A proud man, he becomes uneasy once he
realizes that something is wrong. His team appears to be abstaining from any exciting
gameplay, and the pace of the match is slow. He notices the stark differences between
cricket at Lords and here at Sabina Park. Here, there is a massive crowd unheard of in
England. The crowd is rowdy, and is restless due to the slow and unimpressive gameplay of
the English team. The persona, being essentially the only white man in the stadium apart
from the team, is targeted by the restless spectators who want to know why the English
team has so failed to produce a thrilling game. The persona, now feeling crestfallen and
embarrassed for his nationality, his team and himself, leaves the park- the complete
opposite of how he felt going in.

The mood here is tense and frustrated. The tone is one of frustration (from the West Indian
attendees) and embarrassment (the British man).

Analysis
"Proudly wearing the rosette of my skin I strut into Sabina"

This line serves to show the pride of the persona. The diction of the poet in using "strut"
here conveys the arrogance and sense of self-importance in his walk.

"England boycotting excitement bravely, something badly amiss."

These lines (3-4) are expressing multiple things. Firstly, it gives a sense of sarcasm, as the
English team is said to be 'boycotting excitement bravely' as though they are valiant
warriors of some sort, but really, they are performing very poorly and producing an
unexciting game. 'Something badly amiss' suggests that this is very different from usually
happens in England- maybe this poor performance is uncharacteristic of the national
team.

Secondly, these lines are a pun. The poet skilfully incorporates a play on words here to
ridicule the poor performance of the two English cricketers: Geoff Boycott and Dennis
Amiss.

"Cricket. Not the game they play at Lords, the crowd- whoever saw a crowd at a cricket
match? – are caged vociferous partisans, quick to take offence."

The persona notices a very big difference between the cricket here and the cricket at Lords.
He uses a rhetorical question, to show that the crowd at Sabina is large, loud and rowdy,
and definitely not like what he would usually see at a cricket match at Lords in England. The
crowd, he says are 'caged vociferous partisans,' which gives the impression that the crowd
is kept behind some form of iron bars or mesh to watch the match, unlike the unrestrained,
free park at Lords. This line also lets us know that the crowd is very loud and
unapologetically vocal in support of the West Indies team. It is also suggested that the
crowd takes offence for anything that happens to their team or is said against their team, as
shown in "quick to take offence."
"England sixty eight for none at lunch. ‘What sort o battin dat man? Dem kaaan play
cricket again, praps dem should-a-borrow Lawrence Rowe!’ "

At lunch, the score is poor and the crowd is evidently frustrated with this unimpressive
performance. One Jamaican speaker suggests that "praps dem should-a-borrow Lawrence
Rowe," an allusion to a well-known prolific Caribbean batsman at the time, in a mocking
manner. The dialect of the Jamaican speaker directly contrasts with the persona's standard
English. His interjection shows a use of language that truncates words and omits letters
somewhat dismissing and ridiculing the Queen's English, much like he ridicules the British
team.

"And on it goes, the wicket slow as the batting and the crowd restless. ‘Eh white bwoy,
how you brudders dem does sen we sleep so? Me pay me monies fe watch dis
foolishness? Cho!’ "

The game continues, and so does the ridicule of the crowd. The slow paced gameplay
continues to drive the crowd to restlessness, so much so that one man speaks directly to
the persona, saying that he feels his money was wasted on a match that is so boring. He
refers to the persona as 'white bwoy' showing that the rosette of his skin commands no
respect here. He is offhandedly placed in the family with his underperforming British
countrymen who continue to abstain from exciting gameplay.

"So I try to explain in my Hampshire drawl about conditions in Kent, about sticky wickets
and muggy days and the monsoon season in Manchester but fail to convince even
myself. "

The persona now attempts to explain why the English team is performing so poorly. He tries
to chalk it up to weather conditions that are different in England than in the Caribbean, and,
quite hilariously, the 'monsoon season in Manchester.' There is, of course, no monsoon
season in Manchester, England because monsoons are phenomena of South Asia and India.
He probably assumes that they wouldn't know this and is grasping at straws to create some
form of explanation.

However, all of this is pointless since the West Indian spectators are not convinced, and
neither is he. He is, like the cricketers, facing a 'sticky wicket' (which is a difficult situation).

"The crowd’s loud ‘busin drives me out skulking behind a tarnished rosette somewhat
frayed now but unable, quite, to conceal a blushing nationality."

This final stanza represents a large contrast from the start of the poem. Instead of being
proud and overly arrogant, strutting around, he leaves 'skulking,' cowardly- "unable, quite,
to conceal a blushing nationality." His use of the truncated word "'busin" suggests that he
has acquiesced. Like the West Indian cricketers, the West Indian dialect has proven
stronger than that of the English. His high and mighty attitude has vanished. The British
cricketers' colossal flop is a national and racial embarrassment for the speaker. His white
skin, his rosette, once his badge of honour and source of pride has lost its lustre, and is now
red with embarrassment.

#14: South
Kamau Brathwaite

But today I recapture the islands'

bright beaches: blue mist from the ocean

rolling into the fishermen's houses.

By these shores I was born: sound of the sea

came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then

with the strength of that turbulent soil.

Since then I have travelled: moved far from the beaches:

sojourned in stoniest cities, walking the lands of the

north in sharp slanting sleet and the hail,

crossed countless saltless savannas and come

to this house in the forest where the shadows oppress me

and the only water is rain and the tepid taste of the river.

We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace

in rivers: their flowing runs on like our longing,

reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose,

proves that our striving will founder on that.

We resent them this wisdom, this freedom: passing us toiling, waiting

and watching their cunning declension down to the sea.

But today I would join you, travelling river,

borne down the years of your patientest flowing,

past pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us,

hatred that washes us up on the flats;

and moving on through the plains that receive us,

processioned in tumult, come to the sea.

Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh us,

blue sea-shells shift in their wake

and there is the thatch of the fishermen's houses, the path

made of pebbles, and look!

Small urchins combing the beaches

look up from their traps to salute us:

they remember us just as we left them.

The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side

of the reef, stands up in his boat

and halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool.

And gulls, white sails slanted seaward,

fly into the limitless morning before us.

Summary

In the poem, the persona is reflecting on the island home of his childhood. He has travelled
to many places, but appears to be constantly homesick. He remarks the stark contrasts
between the "stoniest cities" and his own homeland, and seems overcome with happiness
once he recounts the wondrous memories of his childhood. The title, 'South' seems to refer
to the southern hemisphere, including the Caribbean islands (the likely origin of the persona
considering that the poet is Barbadian), the southern US states, South America and the
southern states of Africa, all of which are associated with racial tensions involving black
people. The persona juxtaposes his southern island home, full of bright beaches and warm
people, with the "lands of the north," the northern lands having unfavourable weather
conditions, colder people and a lack of the ocean which our persona so desperately longs
for. The theme is nature, idealization of childhood and nostalgia. The mood could also be
described as nostalgic and longing.

Analysis

"But today I recapture the islands' bright beaches: blue mist from the ocean rolling into
the fishermen's houses."

The persona here reminisces about the picturesque scenery of his island home. The use of
the words "but today" give the impression that the persona has experienced a change in
heart today, or that something has resulted in him having a different opinion. By saying that
he recaptures the islands' bright beaches, the persona communicates that he is taking hold
of something that belonged to him in the past.

"By these shores I was born: sound of the sea came in at my window, life heaved and
breathed in me then with the strength of that turbulent soil."

The persona was born on this island, this idyllic landscape of glimmering ocean and sea
breeze- however, the island has faced political turmoil/struggle that pushes people away,
as shown by the use of "turbulent soil."

"Since then I have travelled: moved far from the beaches: sojourned in stoniest cities,
walking the lands of the north in sharp slanting sleet and the hail,"

Since his childhood, he has travelled far from this tropical home. He uses "stoniest" to
describe the cities he's travelled to, and this could be considered to be representative of the
people he encountered in these cities, since 'stony' can also mean cold, and unfriendly. This
is very different from the very close communal setting he would have grown up in. The
sleet, hail and harsh wintry conditions he endured are also a contrast to the 'bright beaches'
from his childhood.

"crossed countless saltless savannas and come to this house in the forest where the
shadows oppress me and the only water is rain and the tepid taste of the river."

Now, the persona likely refers to Africa when he says 'saltless savannas.' Using saltless here
draws attention to the fact that the savannas are devoid of beaches (and the salty ocean)
which he misses deeply. He now lives in a house in the forest. This gloomy, dreary,
sheltered place makes him feel oppressed. Throughout his worldwide sojourns, he has
missed the ocean- and here still lacks its distinctive salty taste. To the persona, the rain
water is ordinary and the river water is unappealing. The river doesn't represent the same
limitless renewal of the ocean.
"We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers: their flowing runs on like
our longing, reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our striving will
founder on that."

The persona now switches personal pronouns from 'I' to 'we,' those who are 'born of the
ocean'- people who are likely from the islands like he is. He says that they cannot seek
comfort in the rivers. Rivers, like oceans, are bodies of water, but to him, that is where the
similarities end. The bland predictability of its unidirectional flow directly contrasts the
boundless nature of the ocean and its people. The sea has a characteristic ebb and flow,
but the river flows on continuously and endlessly, shown using simile to be similar to how
those born of the ocean can never stop longing for their homeland once they've left it- they
constantly yearn for the unknown.

The speaker now personifies the river to be almost wise and discerning. The river
showcases their lack of ambition and ability to make meaningful change.

The word 'founder' in this case means to fail or break down due a certain shortcoming. The
shortcoming of the people is that they cannot truly make meaningful change- therefore
their striving is pointless.

"We resent them this wisdom, this freedom: passing us toiling, waiting and watching
their cunning declension down to the sea."

The river is disliked because it brings into stark focus the fact that their lives are devoid of
purpose. The river passes them by as they attempt to better their situations through all sorts
of tasks, toiling constantly. But the river is free and unbound by the existential angst of
humanity give their lives meaning. It is completely indifferent to humanity's plight.

Using the phrase 'cunning declension' makes the rivers seem conniving and crafty in its
slow and methodical flow to the ocean as it reveals nothing about itself.

"But today I would join you, travelling river,"

The use of the phrase "but today" (line 19) is reflective of the use of the same phrase in the
beginning of the poem (line 1) to create a connection in how something has changed in his
view. This could be considered the volta (turning point) of the poem. He now states that he
would join the river, deviating from what would ordinarily happen.

"borne down the years of your patientest flowing, past pains that would wreck us,
sorrows arrest us, hatred that washes us up on the flats; and moving on through the
plains that receive us, processioned in tumult, come to the sea."

The river is like a conduit of human history; it carries with it an archive of past events.

Despite all this, the river flows on, through a world where human interaction is full of hurt
and pain, eventually reaching the sea. (This could be an allusion to the Trans-Atlantic Slave
Trade and a past of colonialism and dislocation of African people). In this way, the persona
can join the river in reflecting on the past- even though he may encounter troubles, like
hatred, sorrows and past pain.

Here, the 's' sound is also repeated constantly to mimic the sound of a river's flow.

"Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh us, blue sea-shells shift in their wake
and there is the thatch of the fishermen's houses, the path made of pebbles, and look!
Small urchins combing the beaches look up from their traps to salute us: they remember
us just as we left them."

The persona's tone takes on a massive change: he now seems incredibly excited as he
reminisces about his island home. He is welcomed and reinvigorated by the waves. The
river has gone, as both he and it have found their rightful place in the ocean. This entire
image is an idealized memory from his childhood- a wonderful, pleasant, picturesque scene
that embraces him (and the others who left) as someone who belongs there.

"The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side of the reef, stands up in his boat and
halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool. And gulls, white sails slanted seaward, fly into the
limitless morning before us."

This is a direct contrast to the "stoniest cities" he visited on his travels. The fisherman
amiably greets him, showing a warmth absent in the cities. The use of a starfish specifically
here is significant, as it lies in its pool- showing the leisurely lifestyle of the people of the
island. The starfish is also a symbol of regeneration and rebirth due to its distinctive ability of
limb regeneration. This correlates to the persona's desire to return to his homeland and
become rejuvenated by the ocean waves.

The seagull fly on to a limitless morning. This is significant in that the morning is symbolic of
a new beginning, infinite and filled with possibilities.
Figurative Devices

Alliteration

"bright beaches, blue mist from the ocean"(line 2)

"By these shores I was born, sound of the sea" (line 4)

"We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers" (line 13) "toiling,

waiting and watching their cunning declension down to the sea" (line 18) "past

pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us," (line 21)

"and gulls, white sails slanted seaward,"

Personification

"sound of the sea came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then with the
strength of that turbulent soil." (lines 4-6)

"...shadows oppress me" (line 11)

"their flowing... reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our striving
will founder on that." (lines 14-16)

Simile

"their flowing runs on like our longing," (line 14)

#15: Sonnet Composed Upon
Westminister Bridge, September 3,
1802
William Wordsworth

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Summary

In this 14-lined Italian sonnet, the persona is crossing the Westminister bridge and sees a
sight that he never has before. The city before him now seems to be more beautiful than he
ever had considered it to be before, in the early morning air. He notices the small details all
around him, and is awed by the stillness and beauty all around. The sonnet overall is an
expression of the persona's admiration of the world around him. The theme is natural
beauty, and the tone is reverent and somewhat celebratory of the beauty of nature. The
mood could be described as amazement, serenity or wonder.
Analysis

"Earth has not anything to show more fair:"

This is a hyperbole used by the poet to show exactly how incredibly 'fair' the sight before
him is. He thinks that this must be the greatest that the world has to offer simply because of
how he feels in this moment observing it.

"Dull would he be of soul who could pass by a sight so touching in its majesty:"

The persona continues on his admiration of the sight before him by remarking that anyone
able to simply walk past the beautiful sight would be "dull... of soul." The persona also
indicates how elevated above the ordinary this scene is by using the word 'majesty.' The
persona feels genuinely touched by the majesty of the scene.

"This City now doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning; silent, bare,"

Using simile, the city is said to wear the morning's beauty like a garment. This gives the
impression of a dress or similar item of clothing settling smoothly over a person's body.
Hence, the beauty of the morning settles over the city perfectly, the silence and emptiness
of the morning being ascribed to the city signalling the beginning of the new day.

"Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie open unto the fields, and to the sky; all
bright and glittering in the smokeless air."

The structures of the city, though manmade and different from the natural elements, seem
equally beautiful and sublime when adorned by the glory of the morning air. All is beautiful.
Even the air is clear, since factories and vehicles haven,'t begun to spit smoke into the air
yet.

"Never did sun more beautifully steep in his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; "

The persona continues with his hyperbole in expressing his adoration, stating that the sun
has never looked this beautiful, and makes the magnificence of the valleys and hils more
apparent. He uses the word 'steep,' which usually describes how a teabag is left to soak in
boiling water when making tea. However, here, it seems to describe the sun at sunrise, and
how it seems to be soaking slightly under the horizon like a teabag.

"Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!"

The persona's admiration seems to reach its highest point here, where the wonder of seeing
the allure of the world around him is overwhelming. He says (in what could be considered
hyperbole) that he has never felt such a deep calm before.

"The river glideth at his own sweet will"

The poet personifies the river to describe how it seems so casual and tranquil in its slow
flow. The river, usually disturbed by boats and vessels, is now free to glide at his own
leisurely pace.

"Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;"

The persona is overwhelmed and exclaims, likely acknowledging the presence of God in
such a serene scene. Even the houses, who he personifies to say they are sleeping, seem at
peace- quiet, with the people in them unmoving.

"And all that mighty heart is lying still!"

This line of the poem likely refers to the heart of the city, or the constant throb and stir of
people that would occur later in the day is absent- all is still, restful and silent.

Figurative Devices

Personification

Line 12- "The river glideth at his own sweet will"

The poet personifies the river to describe how it seems so casual and tranquil in its slow
flow. The river, usually disturbed by boats and vessels, is now free to glide at his own
leisurely pace.

Line 13- "Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;"

The poet personifies the houses to say they are sleeping, seeming at peace- quiet, with the
people in them unmoving.

Simile

Lines 4-5-""This City now doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning; silent,
bare,"
Using simile, the city is said to wear the morning's beauty like a garment. This gives the
impression of a dress or similar item of clothing settling smoothly over a person's body.
Hence, the beauty of the morning settles over the city perfectly, the silence and emptiness
of the morning being ascribed to the city signaling the beginning of the new day.
#16: West Indies, U.S.A.
Stewart Brown

Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the endless green

the islands seem like dice tossed on a casino’s baize, some

come up lucky, others not. Puerto Rico takes the pot, the

Dallas of the West Indies, silver linings on the clouds as we

descend are hall-marked, San Juan glitters like a

maverick’s gold ring.

All across the Caribbean

we’d collected terminals – airports are like calling cards,

cultural fingermarks; the hand-written signs at Port

au-Prince, Piarco’s sleazy tourist art, the lethargic

contempt of the baggage boys at ‘Vere Bird’ in St. Johns...

And now for plush San Juan.

But the pilot’s bland,

you’re safe in my hands drawl crackles as we land, “US

regulations demand all passengers not disembarking at

San Juan stay on the plane, I repeat, stay on the plane.”

Subtle Uncle Sam, afraid too many desperate blacks

might re-enslave this Island of the free,

might jump the barbed

electric fence around ‘America’s

back yard’ and claim that vaunted sanctuary... ‘Give me your poor...’

Through toughened, tinted glass the contrasts tantalise;

US patrol cars glide across the shimmering tarmac,

containered baggage trucks unload with fierce efficiency.

So soon we’re climbing,

low above the pulsing city streets;

galvanised shanties overseen by condominiums

polished Cadillacs shimmying past Rastas with pushcarts

and as we climb, San Juan’s fool’s glitter calls to mind

the shattered innards of a TV set that’s fallen

off the back of a lorry, all painted valves and circuits

the roads like twisted wires,

the bright cars, micro-chips

It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to someone else.

Summary

A man in an airplane on a stopover flight stops momentarily in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The
man remarks about Puerto Rico being different from the other countries of the Caribbean
he'd stopped in. He also laments the fear the US has of the poorer people of the Caribbean
stowing away illegally in the country. As the plane climbs above the streets of San Juan, he
recognizes the stark contrasts in the city: between shanties and condominiums, poverty and
affluence. He, in so doing, exposes the the 'dual reality' and economical segregation within
Puerto Rico itself and in the Caribbean as a whole. He makes note of the plush appearance
of Puerto Rico being 'fools-glitter,' showing that although the country appears wonderful, it
has serious underlying issues nonetheless. Brown ends the poem with the powerful remark
that Puerto Rico's dangerous clash of cultures and dualistic reality only belongs to the USA.
The mood of the poem is sarcastic. The tone seems to be bitter or resenting, and the
themes include oppression, discrimination

Analysis
"Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the endless green"

The persona is in an airplane above the lush greenery and foliage of the country below. This
provides us with some visual imagery.

"the islands seem like dice tossed on a casino’s baize, some come up lucky, others not.
Puerto Rico takes the pot,"

The poet uses a simile "islands seem like dice tossed on a casino’s baize," to compare the
islands to dice tossed on a baize (this is the soft velvet fabric used on pool tables and card
tables). This is used to show not only the small and insignificant size the islands seem to
have when looking down from that height, but also the way in which the prosperity of each
Caribbean island seems to be up to chance.

Puerto Rico has seemingly won this game of chance. The poet says that "Puerto Rico takes
the pot," showing that, like in poker, where the winner takes all of the money wagered,
Puerto Rico won in terms of prosperity.

"the Dallas of the West Indies, silver linings on the clouds"

In an allusion comparing Puerto Rico to Dallas, a city in the oil rich state of Texas, the poet
reinforces the idea of Puerto Rico being an incredibly prosperous and affluent standout
from the other Caribbean islands. The poet also seems to making a connection between the
USA's acquisition of Puerto Rico in 1898 and the USA's annexing of Texas from Mexico in
1845. He therefore establishes a relation between the prosperity of both the state and the
island.

The poet also alludes to the cliché of 'every cloud has a silver lining' to again make the point
that the island is wealthy, and a place of great economic opportunity (unlike some of its
fellow Caribbean islands).

"San Juan glitters like a maverick’s gold ring."

The poet compares San Juan to a maverick's gold ring using simile. The word maverick
suggests an outsider, or non-conformist. In this way, Puerto Rico is shown to be completely
different from the other islands in the region. San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean but is
not the same as the other islands- it belongs to the USA.
"All across the Caribbean we’d collected terminals – airports are like calling cards,
cultural fingermarks; the hand-written signs at Port-au-Prince, Piarco’s sleazy tourist art,
the lethargic contempt of the baggage boys at ‘Vere Bird’ in St. Johns... And now for
plush San Juan."

The persona states that they'd 'collected terminals' across the Caribbean as they travelled.
He compares airports to calling cards (using a simile), implying that the airport of each
country, like a calling card, gave them information of the country overall. The quality of the
airport would depict in a compact way the socioeconomic state of the rest of the country.
The poet also calls the airports 'cultural fingermarks,' as they all have unique aspects to
them that relate the wider cultural landscape of the island. He lists that the signs were
hand-written rather than printed in Haiti, that the art was produced solely for tourist
consumption in Trinidad, and that the baggage handlers in Antigua were slow, filled with
contempt and reluctant in doing their jobs. All of this contrasts starkly with the plush San
Juan.

"But the pilot’s bland, you’re safe in my hands drawl crackles as we land, 'US regulations
demand all passengers not disembarking at San Juan stay on the plane, I repeat, stay on
the plane.' Subtle Uncle Sam, afraid too many desperate blacks might re-enslave this
Island of the free, might jump the barbed electric fence around ‘America’s back yard’
and claim that vaunted sanctuary... 'give me your poor...'"

As they descend, the pilot (likely southern American based on the word 'drawl') states that
everyone not coming off in San Juan should remain on the plane instead of being able to
explore the airport. The speaker takes on sarcasm now, stating how 'subtle' Uncle Sam
(metonym for the United States) attempts to be by trying to disguise their discrimination
with regulation. This regulation is basically saying that you may not even step foot onto
Puerto Rican soil if it is not your intended port of disembarkment. The persona is disgusted
with the Americans for being so prejudicial.

He states his belief that the US is only fearful that an influx of 'desperate blacks,' i.e. the
people of the Caribbean in search of economic opportunities will undermine the prosperity
of the island.

The poet also uses a pun here with 'island of the free.' 'Land of the free and home of the
brave' is a line from the national anthem of the USA. The poet utilizes a play on words here
to again reinforce the idea that Puerto Rico belongs to America. This could also be seen as
an instance of irony, since it is ironic that the poet refers to Puerto Rico as an 'island of the
free' while subtly insinuating that it is not truly free and is property of the US. His use of 'free'
also brings up the idea that Puerto Rico is free in comparison to the other Caribbean islands
simply because of its affluence.
The persona states that the US fears too many desperate blacks might jump the fence
around America's backyard and 'claim that vaunted sanctuary.' This line alludes to a term
used in former US president Ronald Reagan's speech on anti-American regimes in the
Caribbean and Latin America in the 1980's. He said that the US government would not
tolerate the establishment of such governments in America’s backyard.

The final part of the line seems to be said with some bitterness or disgust by the persona.
The phrase "give me your poor" is a quote from the poem New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
placed on the Statue of Liberty. The full line states "Give me your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free." The poem highlights a humanitarian vision of the
US, one that welcomes the disenfranchised of the world, like how the early immigrants
were welcomed. But in Puerto Rico, the immigrants now are barred from even touching the
soil- showing that these 'American ideals' are not realized there.

"Through toughened, tinted glass the contrasts tantalise; US patrol cars glide across the
shimmering tarmac, containered baggage trucks unload with fierce efficiency. So soon
we’re climbing,"

As the persona looks through the toughened windows of the airplane, he realizes the
contrasts between Puerto Rico and the other islands. The patrol cars and baggage trucks
move with 'fierce efficiency' showing that the workers are working with military-like severity
and precision (unlike the lethargic St. Johns baggage boys). They are back in the air quickly,
so their efficiency seems to be a way to get them out of their country as quickly as possible.

"low above the pulsing city streets; galvanised shanties overseen by condominiums,
polished Cadillacs shimmying past Rastas with pushcarts"

The persona, now in the plane which is still low above the streets is able to see the contrast
between his first impressions based on appearance and the reality that would have gone
unnoticed at a higher altitude. He can now see the disparity between prosperity and penury
within San Juan- the shanties in small towns being overlooked by lush condominiums, the
pristine Cadillacs 'shimmying' past Rastas with pushcarts (this suggests a skittish avoidance
of the Rastas because of their poverty). The Rastas are juxtaposed with the owners of
expensive Cadillacs and condominiums who are at the top of the economic food chain and
can flaunt their material opulence.

"and as we climb, San Juan’s fool’s glitter calls to mind the shattered innards of a TV set
that’s fallen off the back of a lorry, all painted valves and circuits the roads like twisted
wires, the bright cars, micro-chips."

This lucid, perspicuous realization that the glittering golden maverick ring of Puerto Rico is
only fool's gold, that the reality is far different from the appearance, reminds the persona of
a shattered TV 'that’s fallen off the back of a lorry.' This is similar to the idiomatic expression
'to fall off the back of a lorry,' which means to come into someone's possession by illegal or
dubious means, usually stealing. The visual imagery created by the broken television
comparison shows a sort of confusing tangle of roads and streets as seen in the simile 'the
roads like twisted wires.'

"It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to someone else."

Here, the persona makes his final remarks about the island. He refers to the tangle of
American culture and Puerto Rican culture; and the juxtaposition of prosperity and penury
to be dangerous. From a distance, or even an altitude, Puerto Rico looks like a prosperous
modern country, but upon closer scrutiny, the island is not so desirable after all. Puerto Rico
is reduced to a shattered television set; it is broken and whoever possesses it, is in receipt of
stolen property.
#17: Once Upon a Time
Gabriel Okara

Once upon a time, son,

they used to laugh with their

hearts and laugh with their eyes:

but now they only laugh with their

teeth, while their ice-block-cold eyes

search behind my shadow.

There was a time indeed

they used to shake hands with their

hearts: but that’s gone, son.

Now they shake hands without

hearts while their left hands search

my empty pockets.

‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:

they say, and when I come

again and feel

at home, once, twice,

there will be no thrice

for then I find doors shut on me.

So I have learned many things,

son. I have learned to wear many

faces

like dresses – homeface,

officeface, streetface, hostface,

cocktailface, with all their conforming

smiles like a fixed portrait smile.

And I have learned too

to laugh with only my teeth

and shake hands without my heart. I

have also learned to say,’Goodbye’,

when I mean ‘Good-riddance’:

to say ‘Glad to meet you’,

without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been

nice talking to you’, after being bored.

But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be

when I was like you. I want

to unlearn all these muting things.

Most of all, I want to relearn

how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror

shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!

So show me, son,

how to laugh; show me how

I used to laugh and smile

once upon a time when I was like you.

Summary

In this poem, the persona, a father (or mother) seems to be speaking to his son about how
people, as well as he himself have changed from showing genuine emotion to being
insincere and ingenuine. The persona reminisces about times gone when people would
"laugh with their eyes" and "shake hands with their hearts." He disdainfully remarks about the
disingenuous pretenses people put on now of feigned laughs and heartless handshakes
whilst they search him for information about his financial status. The persona also speaks
about his own adaptation to this new insincere world by saying nice things and acting
amiably in contrast to what he really feels. However, he expresses to his son as well how
much he misses people being genuine, and being sincere himself- as he finds himself
unable to really laugh. He wants to be young and able to show his true feelings again like
his son.

The theme of the poem is societal changes, hypocrisy and values. The mood is one of
disdain and nostalgia.

The tone of this poem could be considered to be ironic, since not only does the father act
the exact way he despises, but his dream dream of turning the clock back to a time of
sincerity is nothing more than a fantasy as well.

Analysis

Stanza 1

"Once upon a time, son, they used to laugh with their hearts and laugh with their eyes"

The first stanza opens with the titular phrase of 'once upon a time,' showing that there is a
sort of story about to be told. The father begins to speak about 'they,' the people who used
to laugh genuinely, and show their true emotions.

"But now they only laugh with their teeth, while their ice-block-cold eyes search behind
my shadow."

These lines show how these people no longer laugh genuinely, but rather do it for show
while they inspect the persona closely- hoping to find secrets and flaws of some sort. He
describes their eyes using a metaphor- "ice-block-cold eyes"- to show how callous and
unfeeling they truly are.
Stanza 2
"There was a time indeed- they used to shake hands with their hearts: but that’s
gone,
son."
Once again, the persona recalls (nostalgically) time when people would shake hands
'with their hearts,' or with love- but states disdainfully that that time has passed.

"Now they shake hands without hearts while their left hands search my empty pockets."
The people shake hands callously, without any intention of showing trust and interpersonal
warmth. Instead, they want to find out how much money he has, his financial status; as is
exemplified in western capitalist values. This draws parallel with what was said at the end of
the previous stanza: "....their ice-block-cold eyes search behind my shadow." They only aim to
find or gain something, therefore losing the sincerity of the gesture or action.

Stanza 3
"‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’: they say, and when I come again and feel at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice- for then I find doors shut on me."
This connects again to what was previously said about the people inspecting and
evaluating the persona and putting genuineness and sincerity to the wayside in favour of a
newer culture where financial and social status is paramount. In this stanza, the persona is
invited to their houses and told gladly after each time to feel at home and come again.
However, once they see that his social or financial status doesn't quite measure up, he is
excluded without a second thought.

Stanza 4
"So I have learned many things, son. I have learned to wear many faces like dresses –
homeface, officeface, streetface, hostface, cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile."
The father has learned from this new culture of cold, unfeeling people, and now cycles
through faces for different occasions. Each one has a fixed smile whose aim is to please
those around and conform to other people.

Stanza 5

"And I have learned too to laugh with only my teeth and shake hands without my heart. I
have also learned to say, ’Goodbye’, when I mean ‘Good-riddance’; to say ‘Glad to meet
you’, without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been nice talking to you’, after being bored."
The persona again expresses what he has adapted to do over the years: to do things not
because he means them or they come from his heart, but rather for show in hopes of
gaining something.
Stanza 6
"But believe me, son. I want to be what I used to be when I was like you. I want to unlearn
all these muting things. Most of all, I want to relearn how to laugh, for my laugh in the
mirror shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!"
The father wants to be like his son again. Despite having learnt all of these tricks and hollow
expressions to conform to the changes in society, he wants to be able to embrace the
innocence and sincerity he once had as a child. These disingenuous things he has learnt
have only served to mute him ('these muting things') and silence his true thoughts and
emotions. He has adapted to this cold culture so much that when he sees his laugh in the
mirror, his teeth are the only things laughing- so he seems deceitful and mendacious like a
snake.

Stanza 7
"So show me, son, how to laugh; show me how I used to laugh and smile once upon a
time when I was like you."
The persona now pleads (pointlessly, one might argue) to his son to teach him how to laugh
and smile genuinely again. He wants to be innocent and sincere like he was when he was
younger, and lived in a society that encouraged honesty and a pure identity.

Literary Devices

Simile
"I have learned to wear many faces like dresses" (lines 20-21)
The 'faces' of the persona are compared to dresses, in that he cycles through them based
on where he is. He simply switches between the personality/face he puts on to conform to
where he goes.

"...with all their conforming smiles like a fixed portrait smile." (lines 23-24)
The persona's several faces have smiles compared here to a fixed portrait smile. The smile
a person puts on in a photograph or portrait of themselves is often not representative of the
normal state of being of the person, and is also often uncomfortable and an exaggerated
pretense of happiness- similar to the pretense the persona performs here with his several
smiling faces.

"my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!" (lines 38-39)
The father's teeth are compared to a snake's fangs because of the connotation of a snake-
deception and deceitfulness. The father no longer shows sincerity when he laughs, and so

his teeth are deceptive as they don't reflect his true feelings. He himeslf becomes
something like a snake through this deception.

Metaphor
"while their ice-block-cold eyes" (line 5)
The eyes of the people are compared to ice-blocks in how cold and unwelcoming they are.
It emphasizes how callous and unfeeling the people have become.

Repetition
"Once upon a time..." (lines 1 and 43)

Enjambment
This is when a line runs on to a new line without a stop or pause.
"And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart." (lines 25-27)

"they used to laugh with their hearts

and laugh with their eyes:" (lines 2-3)

Alliteration
"shake hands without hearts" (line 8)
"...after being bored." (line 32)
"But believe me, son." (line 33)
#18: Death be not Proud
John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Summary
“Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet
and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633. The poem is a direct
address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep”
between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear. The
sonnet is written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy
Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”).

In this poem, the speaker affronts an enemy, Death personified. This enemy is one most
feared, but in this sonnet, the speaker essentially tells him off. The way the speaker talks to
Death reveals that he is not afraid of Death, and does not think that Death should be so sure
of himself and so proud. The confident tone of ‘Death, be not Proud,’ and the direct
confrontation of Death provides an ironic sense of comfort to the readers by implicitly
suggesting that Death is not to be feared at all, but that in the end, Death will be overcome
by something even greater.

Themes:

1. Death
2. Appearance vs reality
3. Eternal life

Analysis
Lines 1-2
“Death, be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadful, for thou art not
so;”
The speaker immediately creates a personified version of death by talking directly to him. He
paints a picture of Death as an arrogant being, and one who needs to be humbled. The
speaker assumes the position of the one who must humble this being, Death. He tells him
that he ought not to be so proud, even though for generations people have feared Death and
called him “mighty and dreadful”. The speaker, however, with a voice of absolute authority on
the matter, simply states, “thou art not so”. This poet uses the literary tactic of “apostrophe” to
drive home his point. Apostrophe occurs when a writer addresses a subject who cannot
respond. Readers know immediately that this sonnet will consist of one speaker who will do
all of the talking and accusing of his subject. Death, though adequately personified, cannot
respond to the accusations of the speaker.

Lines 3-4
“For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou
kill me.”
Here, the speaker accuses the death of having illusions of grandeur. He claims that while
Death thinks that he has the power to kill, he actually does not. The speaker first humbles
Death by telling him that his idea that he has the power to overthrow lives is simply an
illusion, and that he has no such power at all. Then, to further humiliate Death, the speaker
calls him “Poor Death”. It sounds almost as if the speaker is making fun of Death for having
lived under the illusion that he had any sort of power over life or death. Then, he addresses
Death in a more personal manner, challenging him by saying, “yet canst thou kill me”. It
seems dangerous for one to threaten death in this way. However, knowledge of John Donne’s
background and ideologies can give some insight into the speaker’s confidence here. Though
everyone knows that physical death does indeed occur, the speaker is challenging Death in a
different way. He uses the Christian theology of eternity to taunt Death by telling him,
essentially, “Even if you take my physical body, you can never truly kill me.”

Lines 5-6
“From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much
more must flow,”
With these lines, the speaker compares death to “rest and sleep” and even uses the word
“pleasure” to describe how one should feel about death. Just as a restful night of sleep brings
pleasure, so should death. The speaker implies that sleep is simply a small glimpse of Death.
Thus, there is nothing to fear in death, for death will bring something like a pleasurable sleep.

Lines 7-8
“And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.”
Here, the speaker says that the best men seem to experience death the soonest. While
others have long questioned why it seems as if the best people die soonest, the speaker
offers an answer here, suggesting that the best among men deserve to experience the
peaceful rest of death sooner, without having to endure the agonies of a long life on the
earth. The speaker describes Death as “rest of their bones” and “soul’s delivery”. Both of these
descriptions make Death seem like a welcome friend who comes to graciously offer rest and
peace and the deliverance of one’s soul from an earthly body where pain and suffering abide.
Lines 9-10

“Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and

sickness dwell,”

Here, the speaker takes on a stronger tone and begins to taunt Death with more ferocity than
he did at first. Here, he calls Death a slave to “chance, kings, and desperate men”. He tells
Death that he is not mighty and dreadful, but rather a poor slave who cannot even act on his
own but is driven not only by fate and chance, but also by people, rich and poor alike”. He
then accuses Death of having lowly companions such as “poison, war, and sickness”. He has
taunted Death, telling him that he is not to be feared, but rather that he is a slave to the will of
fate and men, and that as a lowly slave, his companions are the even lowlier beings such as
sickness and war. These accusations serve to allow the readers to feel a sense of power and
victory over Death. The speaker certainly feels authority over Death, and he passes this
feeling along to his readers when he puts Death in his place by talking down to him.

Lines 11-12

“And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell’st

thou then?”

The speaker continues to taunt Death, even more, saying that all he brings is a little sleep,
and he doesn’t even do that as well as some other bringers of rest such as “poppy” or
“charms”. This comparison further portrays Death as something not only weak, but even
pleasurable. The speaker questions Death, asking “why swell’st thou then?” He is asking him
why he is so puffed up with pride, when he cannot even do his job, as well as others, can.

Lines 13-14
“One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt
die”
With these final lines of Death, be not Proud, the speaker reveals exactly why he has been
taunting death so relentlessly. Although it is obvious that Death is real, and that people who
experience Death do not come back to earth, the speaker reveals his reasons for claiming
that Death is weak and easily overcome. He claims that Death is only “one short sleep” and
that those who experience Death “wake eternally”. Then, he claims that “death shall be no
more”. Finally, he tells Death, “thou shalt die”. The speaker has not only told Death that he has
no real power over anyone, but that he will experience the end of himself when all wake in
eternity and death will be no more.

Poetic Devices

Personification
“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;”
#19: Landscape Painter, Jamaica
Vivian Virtue

I watch him set up easel,

Both straddling precariously
A corner of the twisted, climbing
Mountain track

A tireless humming-bird, his brush

Dips, darts, hovers now here, now there,
Where puddles of pigment
Bloom in the palette’s wild small garden.

The mountains pose for him

In a family group
Dignified, self-conscious, against the wide blue screen
Of morning; low green foot-hills
Sprawl like grandchildren about the knees Of seated elders. And behind them, aloof,
Shouldering the sky, patriarchal in serenity,
Blue Mountain Peak bulks.

And the professional gaze

Studies positions, impatiently waiting
For the perfect moment to fix
Their preparedness, to confine them
For the pleasant formality
Of the family album.

His brush a humming-bird

Meticulously poised …
The little hills fidgeting,
Changelessly changing,
Artlessly frustrating
The painter’s art

Summary

The landscape painter Albert Huie, a famous Jamaican painter by the poet admires the
painter’s process as he watches this method and speaks in awe as he captures the scenery
as if the landscape is a living thing getting ready to be painted and showing their best side for
this painter. Capturing the painter in his element.
Themes

● Nature

Analysis

Stanza 1:

The first stanza gives a feeling of awe and calmness as the pater sets up to begin painting.
The easel is set to cover a part of the mountain, “straddling precariously” the way the easel is
set can be said to reflect the free will and freeness of painting as well the tone of the poem
itself.

Stanza 2:

The poems encapsulate the essence of the environment, the painter paints the landscape as
well as him painting uses metaphors of parts of the environment to show the process. This
stanza describes the movement of his brush like a hummingbird, quickly moving from one
colour to the next drawn to them like the hummingbird drawn to the different flowers for
nectar in a garden. The use of the word like “tireless”, “Darts, dips” that are used add to the
feeling of quickness in this stanza.

Stanza 3:

This stanza begins to personify the landscape giving a mood of wonder and whimsicality to
the poem, it could also be that the painter has such command over his craft that it seems like
the mountains are in cahoots with him and are doing exactly as he wants. The mountains are
described as “Dignified, self-conscious, against the wide blue screen” showing the
prominence of the mountains in the painting against the sky as if showing authority. The hills
are referred to as grandchildren at the knees of the hill because compared to the mountains
they are small they have yet to reach the size of the mountains, but mountains still have a
ways to go. As the blue mountain peak is behind them, the highest point in jamaica.
“Shouldering the sky” gives an image of how high the peak is.

Stanza 4:

“And the professional gaze studies positions, impatiently waiting for the perfect moment to
fix” the painter is now getting ready to Paint the mountains we get the sense of the
meticulous nature of the painter how fixated he is on getting capturing the perfect scene.

“ their preparedness to confine them for the pleasant formality off the family album.” the
mountains are again being personified. We get the imagery of them all together ready to be
painted on canvas, it is not an actual album but a metaphor for them being on the canvas all
together in the painting.

Stanza 5:

“His brush a humming-bird meticulously poised” this line is repeated again bringing us back
to the beginning again the hummingbird although it is a quick bird keeps its balance a
beautiful bird that is also an emblem of jamaica itself, its scenery and nature. The image of
the painter with his brush painting in great detail, careful and precise . “the little hills
fidgeting” as it was referenced before the hills are seen as the grandchildren and as children
do they move but that is not the reality as hills are stationary. It could be how the painting is
viewed by virtue

Figurative Devices

Simile:

● “Grandchildren about the knees”

Imagery:

● “On corner of the Twisted climbing mountain track”

● “dips, darts, now here, now there”
● “…Puzzles of pigment bloom in the pallets wild small garden”

Metaphor :

● “ tireless hummingbird, his brush”

Personification :

● “ the mountains pose for him”

● “The little Hills fidgeting”
● “sprawl grandchildren about the knees”
#20: A Lesson for this Sunday
The growing idleness of summer grass

With its frail kites of furious butterflies

Requests the lemonade of simple praise

In scansion gentler than my hammock swings

And rituals no more upsetting than a

Black maid shaking linen as she sings

The plain notes of some Protestant hosanna—

Since I lie idling from the thought in things—

Or so they should, until I hear the cries

Of two small children hunting yellow wings,

Who break my Sabbath with the thought of sin.

Brother and sister, with a common pin,

Frowning like serious lepidopterists.

The little surgeon pierces the thin eyes.

Crouched on plump haunches, as a mantis prays

She shrieks to eviscerate its abdomen.

The lesson is the same. The maid removes

Both prodigies from their interest in science.

The girl, in lemon frock, begins to scream

As the maimed, teetering thing attempts its flight.

She is herself a thing of summery light,

Frail as a flower in this blue August air,

Not marked for some late grief that cannot speak.

The mind swings inward on itself in fear

Swayed towards nausea from each normal sign.

Heredity of cruelty everywhere,

And everywhere the frocks of summer torn,

The long look back to see where choice is born,

As summer grass sways to the scythe's design.

Summary

The persona is relaxing on a peaceful Sunday when he sees two children. The kids harm and
torture a caught butterfly, enjoying themselves and not caring about the pain they are
inflicting on it. The maid stops them and the hurt butterfly tries to fly away. This experience
disturbs the narrator and causes him to wonder whether cruelty is innate in humans or not.

Mood

Contemplative, Introspective

At first, the atmosphere was calm and content. However in the 2nd stanza when the narrator
sees the cruelty of the two kids, the atmosphere becomes horrified, shocked and troubled at
the implications of their actions.

Themes

● Morality
● Human Nature
● Death
● Man vs Nature

Analysis

Stanza 1:

The persona is relaxing and reflecting in his hammock on a Sunday. He describes how nature
and man are coexisting in harmony.

Stanza 2:

The persona’s interaction with nature is interrupted by small children hunting butterflies.
They end up catching a yellow butterfly and dissect it until the black maid stops them.
Stanza 3:

The persona implies that violence is normal in humans and that even the innocent children
have inherited this trait.

Figurative Devices

Simile

“Frail as a flower in this blue August air”

“Frowning like a serious lepidopterist”

“Crouched on plump haunches as a mantis prays”

Metaphor

“With its frail kites of butterflies”

Hyperbole

“In scansion gentler than my hammock swings”

Alliteration

“The thoughts of things”

Onomatopoeia

“Screams”, “cries”

Imagery

“The growing idleness of summer grass”

“Of two small children hunting yellow wings”