LIST OF POEMS

Birdshooting Season
Little Boy Crying
West Indies USA
Test Match Sabina
Dreaming Black Boy
Ol’ Higue
Mirror
An African Thunderstorm
Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge
Death Be Not Proud
Dulce et Decorum Est
Lesson for this Sunday
A Stone’s Throw
The Woman Speaks To The Man Who Has Employed Her Son
This is the dark time my love
Theme for English B*

BIRD SHOOTING SEASON, Olive Senior

*Bird shooting is a sport.
*This poem focuses on Masculinity
*Persona and speaker are THE SAME; a child with undefined gender.
*Metaphor is the predominant device used.

● The title “bird shooting season” shows the rituals surrounding bird shooting season and
the happenings in a house when both women and men prepare for the season. The poem
is narrated by a child in the household as he/she tells the happenings in preparation for
the hunt, thus the poem is told as he/she reflects on the activities in the household: men
getting ready to go shooting while the women are inside preparing the food and children
watching.

STANZA 1
The poem opens with the persona addressing the men's attitude towards the activity of
birdshooting. She also speaks of the overwhelming number of participants as well as the
popularity of the sport. The speaker then describes the change in atmosphere at their father's
house, using words such as macho; masculine in an overly assertive or aggressive way.

The poem starts by saying “...men make marriages with their guns..”(line 1-2). Men use their
guns to hunt and shoot birds. This line shows the relationship men have with their guns, almost
as if the guns are replacing the woman. More and more men gather at the house and the
speaker/person uses the term “macho” to emphasize the definition of the poem of men as the
strong primal hunters in contrast to its portrayal of women.

STANZA 2
The contrast between the roles of women and men are highlighted in stanza 2. The persona
mentions contentless women preparing various foods for their male counterparts to take with
them on their bird shooting trip, an excursion exclusive of women. Any form of gratitude
towards the women's efforts isn't made mention of. The men don't assist with this aspect of the
preparation but instead are indulging in alcohol.

This shows what the women are doing in the house in contrast to the men who are going out
shooting; Roles of men and women are demonstrated here. “All night contentless women stir
their brews..”(line 5) the word contentless here could either mean that these women here are
docile and obedient doing the cooking as the strong men going out to kill, or contentless as in
women are dissatisfied with the role of having to cook for tomorrow's “sport” while the men
drink and enjoy themselves. Women in the poem are shown doing more domestic tasks.

STANZA 3
The briefness of this stanza gives a sense of quickness and suspense and also emphasizes the
movements and motions, “..in darkness shouldering their packs, their guns, they leave..”(line 11-
12) leaving the reading with anticipation as to what comes next. The men left at the brink of
dawn fully armed in packs.

STANZA 4
Stanza four diverts focus from the parental figures to children. The persona however doesn't
speak of the children in a collective manner but rather divides them based on gender. She then
describes the excitement of young boys and their longing to grow up and become bird shooters
themselves while the little girls whisper into the air "fly birds fly".

This stanza continues with the feeling of suspense and again shows the contrast between males
and females and the role expected of them “little boys longing to grow up bird shooters too” this
represents the role that the boys are expected to take up while the lines “little girls whispering:
Fly Birds Fly” show the emotions that are associated with the females, empathy, and softness. In
the last line “Fly Bird Fly” with each letter in each word capitalized emphasizing the words, this
leaves the reader wondering and left in suspense and speculation on what is to happen in the
hunt.

FIGURATIVE DEVICES:
1. Metaphor
-Lines 1-2: “..men make marriages with their guns..”. Not literal marriage but shows the close,
needed and relation men had with their guns.
2. Alliteration
-Lines 1-2: “Men Make Marriages”
3. Imagery
-Lines 11-12: “..in darkness shouldering/their packs, their guns, they leave..”. We can imagine
the scene of men cloaked in darkness with guns in hand and their sacks on their backs leaving in
the night/brink of dawn.
-Lines 13-14: “We stand quietly on the doorstep shivering”. Another image where we can picture
young children standing feeling the cold air, shivering as they watch the men leave.

THEMES:
1. Role of Men vs Women in Society
The poem presents domestic chores, eg. cooking, as the primary role/purpose of women within
the house. The roles of men on the other hand aren't necessarily mentioned but it can be inferred
that they partake in no form of domestic work. It is expected in their masculine nature to indulge
in more vigorous and demanding activities such as bird shooting. The young boys see the older
men as role models and hence long to become bird shooters themselves.
2. Nature
Birds are an aspect of nature that man takes advantage in the sport of bird shooting. The men do
have intentions of consuming the birds after shooting them, but there is a lack of sympathy
towards the matter that they are destroying nature (killing the birds) as for leisure
The young girls in the poem wish the birds to escape the shots of the men. This wish is made as
they hope for the birds not to die. They also make this wish for another reason to be discussed
during class.
3. Childhood Innocence
The children (the male children) don't recognize the unfairness of the roles that their mothers
serve vs their fathers.
4. Death
The normality of the sport amongst men makes one wonder what their attitude towards the value
of life and death is like. It can be inferred that the male (men and young boys) in the poem have
very little concern when it comes to taking the life of an animal. On the other hand it can be
observed that the young girls have more sympathy when it comes to the death of animals, this is
expressed in the line 17 "Fly birds Fly". This can also be tied in with society's expectation of
women to be more compassionate and emotional in response to certain situations.

LITTLE BOY CRYING, Mervyn Carter

*Free verse
*Four stanzas
*Allusion to the story Jack and the Beanstalk
*Tone: compassion, sympathy and empathy from the speaker towards the child.
*Speaker and Person are NOT the same. Speaker is 3rd person

STANZA 1
The poem begins with a description of a child crying. However, his cries seem harsh and fierce
“Your laugh metamorphosed into howls”(line 2). This also suggests that the child is normally a
happy one and something happened to have changed his happiness. The last line in the stanza
informs us the reason why the child is crying is because he has been beaten “..the quick slap
struck” (line 7). The little boy was also staring at the parent hoping that he might be feeling
guilty for hitting him which means the child is trying to play on the parent’s emotion. “You stand
there angling for a moment’s hint” (line 6)

STANZA 2
This stanza may be giving the parent point of view. The parent may be imagining that the child is
demonizing him for hitting him “The ogre towers above you, the grim giant,/empty of feeling of
colossal cruel” (lines 8-9). From those lines we can infer that the child believes that he is cruel
and evil for hitting him and there is thinking of ways to overcome and get away from the parent.

STANZA 3
In this stanza the poet made it clear that the father loves his son however the slap was for his own
good. It is suggested the father is hurt by the son’s tears and would do anything to make him stop
crying yet the lesson must be taught. “This fierce man longs to lift you, curb your sadness/with
piggy-back or bull-fight, anything/but dare not ruin the lesson” (lines 17-19).

STANZA 4
This stanza suggests that no matter what, there are often important behaviour or lessons children
must learn.

FIGURATIVE DEVICES:
1. Alliteration
-Line 3: “recently,” “relaxed”. -Line 5: “swimming”, “splashing”
-Line 9: “colossal”, “cruel” -Line 12: “chopping”, “tree”
-Line 13: “plotting”, “pits” -Line 17: “longs”, “lift”
-Line 18: “back”, “bull” -Line 19: “lessons”, “learn”
-Line 20: “must” , “make”

THEMES:
 1. Parent/Child Relationship
-The father is firm and strict with his son. Although he loves him, he does not allow him to have
his own way.
2. Childhood Experiences
-The little boy experiences pain and resentment for his parent.
3. Parenting
-The father tries to be a good parent. In his eyes there are some lessons that his son must learn
therefore he carries out physical punishment so that he can learn these lessons

WEST INDIES USA, Stewart Brown

The persona is traveling in a plane, looking down at San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the plane
descends. He is saying that this island is the wealthiest in the Caribbean because it has won the
jackpot, it has come up lucky. He then points out that he, and others, had traveled to many
Caribbean islands and received a hint of the flavor of each island through its calling card, – its
airport – all of which fail when compared to plush San Juan. As they land, they are instructed to
stay on the plane if their destination is not San Juan. The persona takes offense and states that
America does not want blacks in San Juan, implying that they might be a disruptive force. He
notes the efficiency with which things flow, enabling them to take to the skies once more. During
the ascent, the persona notes the contrast between the influences of the Caribbean and America.
He likens San-Juan to a broken TV, it looks good on the outside but broken on the inside.

LITERARY DEVICES:

1. Simile

-Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to dice that are tossed on a casino’s baize, it can either come up
with winning numbers or losing numbers. Puerto Rico comes up with winning numbers in the
game of chance, as reflected in its wealthy exterior, which is supported by America.

-Lines 7-8: San Juan’s glitter is compared to a maverick’s gold ring. The word maverick implies
a non-conformist, an individualist. This implies that San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean,
but not a part of the Caribbean. It belongs to America.

-Lines 10-11: Airports are compared to calling cards. This means that, like a calling card, the
quality of the airport gives you an idea of the island’s economic status. The airport is also
compared to a cultural fingerprint. A fingerprint is an individual thing, therefore the airport gives
the traveler an idea of the island’s cultural landscape.

-Line 39: The road is compared to twisted wires. This means that the roads, from above, look
both plentiful and curvy. This does not carry a positive connotation but implies confusion.

2. Allusion
-Line 5: Dallas is an oil-rich state in America. Therefore, many of its inhabitants are wealthy,
and the state itself is wealthy. By stating that San Juan is the Dallas of the West Indies, it implies
that it is a wealthy island in the West Indies.

-Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well-known cliche; ‘every cloud has a silver lining’.
It means that behind everything that is seemingly bad, there is good. In the context of this poem,
it means that the good, the silver lining, has a mark, or stamp, that authenticates its good quality;
it is hallmarked. This implies that it will always have its silver lining showing.

3. Sarcasm

-Line 20: This statement means the exact opposite of what is stated. The persona is disgusted that
Uncle Sam (America) would have such a regulation. This regulation bars anyone from stepping a
toe on Puerto Rican soil, if it is not your intended destination. You just have to remain in the
aircraft, no matter the waiting period, until it is time for takeoff. The persona believes that the
Americans are being blatantly discriminatory, and are attempting to camouflage it through the
use of regulations. He does not believe that they have achieved their goal of subtlety.

-Line 20: The statement, ‘give me your poor…’ is particularly sarcastic because it is a direct
quote from the New Colossus, which rests on a plaque on the statue of liberty, and signifies that
the disenfranchised of the world are welcome. The persona, as a member of the ‘disenfranchised’
masses, clearly feels unwelcome.

-Line 26: The persona implies that America is all talk and no action. They really do not want the
poor because they bar them from entering and expediently send them on their way when they
enter their airport. The statement is sarcastic because it is loaded with an alternate meaning, due
to the contrast in statement and action.

4. Pun

-Line 17-18: The pun is placed on ‘land of the free’, it becomes ‘Island of the free’. This pun
emphasizes how isolated Puerto Rico is from the rest of the Caribbean islands. It belongs to the
U.S.A. This state of belonging to, or being owned by the US is asserted through its insertion into
the Star-Spangled Banner.

5. Contrast

-The contrast in this poem is found in stanza 5. The American cars etc, against the pushcarts. The
American culture versus the Puerto Rican culture.

*Mood: sarcasm

*Tone: slightly bitter; fueled with sarcasm

THEMES:

-Discrimination

-Oppression

-Culture

-Places
 TEST MATCH SABINA, Stewart Brown
The persona, a white male, proudly enters Sabina Park to watch a cricket match between
England and the West Indies. The persona notices that the game is slow and that the crowd is not
reacting well. He is, in fact, initially shocked that there is a crowd at all because this is usually
not the case at Lords. By lunch, England is sixty-eight for none, and the crowd gets abusive.
They even state that maybe they should borrow Lawrence Rowe. The persona tries to explain the
reason behind the slow pace of the British side but fails to convince even himself. His
embarrassment at England’s performance has him eventually skulking out of the venue

LITERARY DEVICES

1. Rhetorical Questions

-Stanza 2, lines 6-7: This question reveals that, despite the fact that cricket is a popular sport in
England, the venues for the matches are not crowded. This question could also point to the fact
that Sabina Park was very crowded.

-Stanza 3, line 10: This question represents the general frustration of the West Indians in the
crowd. They are annoyed that the cricket match is progressing so slowly.

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

2. Allusion

–The allusion to Lawrence Rowe, a very colourful and successful West Indian cricketer,
emphasizes the fact that the match is slow and boring.

3. Sarcasm

- To ‘boycott’ is to abstain from, or to stop, doing something. Therefore, the persona is being
sarcastic because excitement is a good thing. People usually boycott for something negative,
therefore the persona is, again, highlighting the slow and boring pace of the cricket match.

4. Contrast

-between the beginning of the poem when the persona is proud, and ‘struts’. However, by the
end of the poem, he is embarrassed and ‘skulking’

*Voices: There are two distinct voices in this poem. The Englishman’s and the West Indian’s.

*Mood: The mood of the poem is tense.

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

*Themes: Discrimination, places, culture and sports

 DREAMING BLACK BOY, James Berry
The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he could have regular things in life. Things such
as a congratulatory hug, to be educated to the highest level and to travel without harassment. The
persona yearns to stop fighting for the basic right to be successful and to rise above societal
expectations.

The poem captures the voice of a black school boy in a racially prejudiced community.

He lists the many things which he wishes would come to life. For example: a hug to congratulate
him, to be able to achieve the highest level of education, to have freedom to go anywhere
without being harassed because of his skin colour, to be able to enjoy life without having to fight
for everything in it.

He wants to be successful and rise above society’s expectations of him.

The speaker/persona wants to be an advocate for change. He wishes for the priority of the KKK
to shift from tormenting people of colour to more beneficial practices

He wishes that no one else would have to suffer because of the colour of their skin.

The speaker also wishes to share his dreams with many generations to come after him.

*Mood: deep suffering, despair, sadness

*Tone of speaker: longing, despair, sadness, restrained anger, desperation, disappointment

LITERARY DEVICES

1. Repetition
- “I wish” are repeated frequently to emphasize the eagerness for his dreams and desires to
be fulfilled.
2. Allusion
- Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one’s own life
and destiny. The fact that reference is made to this hints to how the persona feels about
his life. He does not feel as if he has control over it.
- Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual, who attained
success despite difficult circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He
wants room to stretch intellectually.
- Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning
of crosses and the pyjamas alludes to their white outfits that look like pyjamas. The
persona wants them to leave him alone, find something else to do other than make his life
difficult by contributing to his wishes remaining in the realm of the dreams.
3. Simile
- Lines 6-7: “Im no wood chopper like all ancestors”
THEMES:

1. Desires
2. Effects of racism
3. Effects of oppression
4. Childhood experiences
 OL’ HIGUE, Mark McWatt
In this poem, the Ol’ Higue / soucouyant tells of her frustration with her lifestyle. She does not
like the fact that she sometimes has to parade around, in the form of a fireball, without her skin at
night. She explains that she has to do this in order to scare people, as well as to acquire baby
blood. She explains that she would rather acquire this blood via cooked food, like every-one else.
Her worst complaint is the pain of salt, as well as having to count rice grains. She exhibits some
regret for her lifestyle but implies that she cannot resist a baby’s smell, as well as it’s pure blood.
The ‘newness’ of the baby tempts the Ol’ Higue, and she cannot resist because she is an old
woman who fears death, which can only be avoided by consuming the baby’s blood. She affirms
her usefulness in the scheme of things, however, by claiming that she provides mothers with a
name for their fears (this being the death of a child), as well as some-one to blame when the evil
that they wish for their child, in moments of tired frustration, is realized. She implies that she
will never die, so long as women keep having babies.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. Simile
Cane-fire has a very distinct quality. It burns very quickly and its presence is felt through it’s
pungent smell. Therefore, when the Ol’ Higue compares herself to cane fire in her fireball state,
it implies that she uses a lot of energy quickly, and is very visible.
2. Rhetorical Question
-Stanza 1,line 4: This rhetorical question highlights the scant regard that the Higue has for the
average person. She is thoroughly annoyed that she has to literally waste her energy on them.
-Stanza 1, line 5: This highlights the fact that, again, she is annoyed that she has to expend so
much energy to obtain a few drops of baby blood.
-Stanza 1, lines 6-8: The Ol’ Higue is emphasizing the fact that regular people ingest blood too,
just in a more palatable manner. She would not mind if she could ingest it in the same manner as
well.
-Stanza 3, lines 22-23: At this point the Ol’ Higue is making excuses for her presence, claiming
that she serves an actual purpose in the scheme of life. If a child dies of unknown causes, she can
be scapegoated for it.
-Stanza 3, lines 24-25: ‘The murder inside your head’ refers to the moments, when out of pure
frustration and tiredness, a mother might wish ill on her child. The Ol’ Higue is implying that,
again, she can be used as a scapegoat if something unfortunate happens to the child. The mother
is relieved of bearing the burden of guilt.
3. Repetition
The repetition of the word ‘soft’ emphasizes the fact that the call of the child’s blood has
captured and beguiled the Ol’ Higue’. She implies that she cannot resist that call.
4. Alliteration
This device emphasizes the Ol’ Higue’s dependence, even addiction, to the sweet blood of the
baby.

*Mood: reflective
*Tone: slightly bitter, resigned. She accepts the cycle of her life cannot change
*Theme: supernatural/superstition, aging, death
 MIRROR, Sylvia Plath
*The speaker is a mirror, not a human
*Personification is the predominant device used.
*The main message is that a mirror will show you what is there. You will see through a mirror a
tainted image because of your perception of yourself
*The poem speaks to the ideas around aging and beauty
*The “life” of a mirror owned by a woman recapping what it is seeing and what he has seen. The
monotony of the day to day occurrences set the scene for the poem and the plain and sagacious
way of speaking because of this we see that the mirror seems to be quite old. It recalls the
woman who seems to be the owner searching the mirror to find herself as she is now an old
woman who has spent time in the mirror since she was a young woman and now seems to be
going through a crisis trying to accept the image of herself in the mirror as she is now. She finds
alternative ways to view herself but she is unable to come to terms with aging is trying to grasp
at her youth as her perception of her now old self causes her grief.

STANZA 1

● The poem begins with the mirror explaining what he is and sets the scene for it being a
truthful and reliable albeit monochromatic character. The first stanza is very slow-paced
and calm as we go through the day to day “life” of the mirror as it is a personified thing.
● “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately”
the mirror gives no judgment but instead shows exactly what it sees. “I am not cruel, only
truthful ‚//The eye of a little god, four-cornered.” This sets up for the second stanza
reinforcing the statement that the mirror only reflects what is in front of it and does not
form its own judgment. The mirror refers to itself as a little god, a god is seen as the
amplification of truth in the realm of humans and what is said or shown by a god is
considered to be the only truth.
● The mirror continues to speak of the monotony of its existence as it sits facing the
opposite wall ” pink with speckles”, “I have looked at it so long I think it is part of my
heart.” The mirror has faced this wall so long it seems to be a part of it as it would only
reflect that surface. The fact that the mirror is pink and has been pink so long even into
the old age of the woman could this be an attempt by the woman to latch on to something
of the past and a semblance of her youth by keeping the wall in the room that colour.
Also seeing that the colour pink is a vibrant colour associated with youth.
● “But it flickers.//Faces and darkness separate us over and over.” The flickering could be
a reference to time moving, darkness then light over and over again as each day passes.
These last two lines set up stanza two. Which faces are seen in the mirror?

STANZA 2

● “Now I am a lake”. They say that water has memories, the mirror referring to itself as a
lake, a large body of water that if looked on is usually reflective, it could hold memories,
the memories that this woman holds of the past. “A woman bends over me,//Searching
my reaches for what she really is.” The woman is unable to come to terms with the fact
that she is now old , searching for her youth, but the mirror only reflects what is in front
of it and what it sees is an old lady.
 ● She looks to other things to show a different image “Then she turns to those liars, the
candles or the moon.” The candle and the moon can only shed light on what is there and
cannot reflect, they only show shadows which are not the actual image which may be
why the mirror calls them liars.
● We see that the woman is not satisfied with the image that is shown by the mirror , we get
the feeling of melancholy from this stanza. She hates the image she now sees “I see her
back, and reflect it faithfully. //She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.”
Seeing her image and her trying it distort the image or rather her trying desperately to
change what she sees.
● “I am important to her. She comes and goes.//Each morning it is her face that replaces the
darkness” even though the woman hates the image she sees in the mirror she seems
reliant on it compelled to look each day. The mirror has seen her face every day since she
was a young woman aging until she now she is an old woman and now her reflection
seems to be something of a crisis or point of hurt for the woman .”In me she has drowned
a young girl, and in me an old woman//Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible
fish.”

LITERARY DEVICES:

1. Metaphor:
● “In me she has drowned a young girl,”- the woman, she has been looking at the mirror
since she was a young woman now her youth has passed and she is now old
● “I think it is part of my heart”- the mirror has been reflecting the wall for so long is has
become a standard part of its existence as it always there
2. Simile:
● “Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.” – making a comparison to the
woman’s reflection and her perception of herself as a terrible fish showing how much
she disdains her reflection.
3. Personification :
● “Now I am a lake”-
● “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.” – the mirror is personified
throughout the poem as it is the narrator it now gives itself more human qualities and
referring to itself as a being.
4. Imagery:
● “It is pink, with speckles.”- the description of the wall allowing us to imagine the wall
● “But it flickers.
● Faces and darkness separate us over and over.” we can imagine the moving of faces,
the darkness and the light which give the impression of time moving

THEMES:

1. Identity
2. Loss of youth
3. Woman vs nature(aging)
4. Depression
 AN AFRICAN THUNDERSTORM, David Rubadiri
The poem tells of a storm violent storm moving, this storm makes its way towards an African
village causing havoc has it moves toward and through the village having the trees themselves
bending over the strength of the winds. Clouds heavy with rain moving quickly, children laugh
and shout as the storm makes it way but the mothers take them as they try to find shelter from the
storm. The duality of the actual storm and colonization in the poem gives a hidden meaning in
lines of the poem much like those of the songs of the slaves.

STANZA 1

The first stanza gives the reader the imagery of the storm moving across the sky and the direction
in which it is coming from, the west, this may also be a reference to the intrusion of colonizers in
from the west. The “worldwide” of them entering Africa. “From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning sharply

Here and there “showing the manic movement of the “storm”

“Like a plague of locusts

Whirling,

Tossing up things on its tail” locust are pests which cause huge devastation and where they go
and are feared. The storm has an ominous feeling to it, out of control, ready to cause havoc.
These people came and just like locusts sucked the contents dry of its resources, the people, etc.

“Like a madman chasing nothing ‘again showing the manic movement of the storm and sets the
tone for the rest of the poem, the violent frenzy of what could be colonialism.

STANZA 2:

Again we get more imagery of the sky, clouds heavy with rain described as being pregnant for
the emphasis of them ready to burst ready to pour rain on the land. But what is about to be
unleashed? The clouds are high in the sky thing to look up at that could be a reference to how
these colonizers see themselves or how they perceive that people see them”Pregnant clouds Ride
stately on its back, ” the word stately brings contrast as it means pristine, proper and order
whereas the storm is meant to be disorderly. The stately proper men

“Gathering to perch on hills

Like sinister dark wings;” this line again bringing the ominous feeling, like a bird of prey
waiting, looking for its target.
The mear mass and force of this storm as it travels is depicted through the last line of the
stanza”The wind whistles by And trees bend to let it pass.” As the trees bent it could be
signifying that the tree is showing that the storm is stronger from acknowledging a superior

STANZA 3

“In the village

Screams of delighted children,

Toss and turn” the innocence of children personified, they do not understand the danger of the
storm and see it as exciting which is in contrast to the mothers looking for shelter from the storm.
This is the first stanza that lets us see how the storm is affecting the people.

“Women, Babies clinging on their backs Dart about In and out”. The repetition of the last line
shows the emphasis on the strength of the storm and also to show movement. “The wind whistles
by Whilst trees bend to let it pass.”

The storm as finally settled on the village the stanza again gives the imagery of a violent storm
tearing up the village. “Clothes wave-like tattered flags

Flying off”

The emphasis of the onomatopoeia “Rumble, tremble and crack” allow the reader to get a vivid
picture of the destruction caused by the storm. But the relentless storm continues not caring
about the carnage that it has left behind “And the pelting march of the storm.”

FIGURATIVE DEVICE

1. Simile:
● “Like a plague of locusts, ” the storm is coming with a destructive force
● “Like a madman chasing nothing.” Show the chaotic movement of the storm
● “Like sinister dark wings;” showing the harshness and “evil” of the storm
2. Imagery:
● “From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning sharply

● “…on their backs Dart about In and out”.

● “Clothes wave-like tattered flags Flying off”
3. Onomatopoeia:
● “Rumble, tremble and crack”
● “The wind whistles”
4. Personification :
● .”Pregnant clouds,” not literal pregnant clouds but clouds filled with fain
● The wind whistles
THEMES

● Nature
● Man vs nature
● Colonization/Colonialism
SONNET COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 3,
1802, William Wordsworth
NB: The title: Although in the title it is dated “September 3, 1802” the poem took place
earlier that year, on July 31

The poem is a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, arranged into an octave or eight-line section and a
sestet or six-line section (although unlike some Petrarchan sonnets, Wordsworth does not have a
blank line dividing the eighth and ninth line), rhyming abbaabba and cdcdcd (the abba abba
rhyme scheme in the first eight lines is the giveaway that this is a Petrarchan sonnet). The first
eight lines praise the beauty of London in the early morning light, as the poet stands on
Westminster Bridge admiring the surrounding buildings.

Earth has not anything to show more fair: (1)

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by (2)

A sight so touching in its majesty: (3)

Wordsworth begins by offering the view from Westminster Bridge the highest possible praise:
there is nothing fairer in all the world. And anyone who could see such a sight and just carry on
walking past without stopping to appreciate the view would be soulless indeed.

This City now doth, like a garment, wear (4)

The beauty of the morning: silent, bare, (5)

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie (6)

Open unto the fields, and to the sky; (7)

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. (8)

London appears to wear the morning’s beauty like a piece of clothing. The ships, towers, and
other buildings that make up the London skyline are silent (the world hasn’t begun to stir yet)
and ‘bare’. Here there is no gaudiness but plain and simple beauty, despite the man-made origins
of these structures.

These buildings appear to be submitting to nature: they ‘lie / Open’ to the fields and the sky,
those earthly and ethereal landscapes that sandwich them, as if the London buildings are between
earthly beauty and the beauty of the heavens, and exist not in contrast to them but as a natural
bridge between them. Because the workaday world hasn’t started yet and the wheels of industry
are still, the air is ‘smokeless’ at the moment: clear and clean.
Never did sun more beautifully steep (9)

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; (10)

This is high praise indeed from Wordsworth, well-known as a nature poet: the sun never rose
among anything, not even the natural features of valleys, rocks, or hills, more beautifully than it
now scales the outlines of these city buildings.

Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! (11)

Wordsworth often writes about the calm that nature provides: see his ‘Lines Written a Few Miles
above Tintern Abbey’, for instance, or his talk of poetry as being ‘emotion recollected in
tranquility’. But here, it is not the quiet and calm of the English countryside that Wordsworth
connects with but the calm of the country’s capital before the business of the day begins

The river glideth at his own sweet will: (12)

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; (13)

And all that mighty heart is lying still! (14)

Even the Thames appears to be taking its time, languidly flowing through the city and under
Wordsworth’s very feet. Wordsworth returns to the buildings of the city in his reference to the
houses: the inhabitants are indoors asleep, but the bricks and mortar of the houses themselves
seem to be existing in a state of soporific calm. The heart of London, the people who make it
what it is, are all lying asleep, still and calm.

FIGURATIVE DEVICES:

1. Hyperbole.
- Wordsworth has used this device in the opening lines poem as he exaggerates about the
beauty of London city. For example “Earth has not anything to show more fair:/Dull
would he be of soul who could pass by..” (lines 1-2)
2. Imagery
- For example, “The river glideth at his own sweet will” (12) and “This City now doth,
like a garment, wear.” (4)
3. Personification
- In the fourth line “This City now doth, like a garment, wear”, the city is personified.
4. Simile:
- For example, “This City now doth, like a garment, wea

THEMES:

1. Nature
 DEATH BE NOT PROUD, John Donne

- Death is personified in the poem, is inferred by the tone of the speaker

- The speaker isn't scared of death and thinks it should not be so sure of himself
- “Death, be not proud..” is a metaphor(compared to proud man)
- “Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me” is mocking and challenging death
- Line 5-6 is comparing death to resting. Rest brings peace. Don't fear death because its
like a good sleep
- Authoritative tone

In this poem, the speaker affronts an enemy, Death personified. This enemy is one most fear, 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.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty 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.

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

● Here in Death, be not Proud, 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.”

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.

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

● Here in Death, be not Proud, 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.

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.

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

● Here in Death, be not Proud, 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.

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.

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.
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.
FIGURATIVE DEVICE- Personification is the predominant device used
THEMES: Death
 DULCE ET DECORUM EST, Wilfred Owen
- War and Death poem
*Sludge- mud
*Five nines- bombs
*Trudge-walking slowly/tiredly
NB: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” - how sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country.

STANZA 1
British soldiers would trudge from trench to trench, seeping further into France in pursuit of
German soldiers. It was often a miserable, wet walk, and it is on one of these voyages that the
poem opens. Immediately, it minimizes the war to a few paltry, exhausted soldiers; although it
rages in the background (’till on the haunting flares we turned our backs / and towards our
distant rest began to trudge’). Owen uses heavy words to describe their movement – words like
‘trudge’, ‘limped’; the first stanza of the poem is a demonstration of pure exhaustion and mind-
numbing misery.
STANZA 2
The second stanza changes the pace rapidly. It opens with an exclamation – ‘Gas! Gas! Quick,
boys!’ – and suddenly the soldiers are in ‘an ecstasy of fumbling’, groping for their helmets to
prevent the gas from taking them over. Again, Owen uses language economically here: he uses
words that express speed, hurry, and almost frantic demand for their helmets. However, one
soldier does not manage to fit his helmet on in time. Owen sees him ‘flound’ring like a man in
fire or lime’ through the thick-glassed pane of his gas mask.
STANZA 3
For a brief two lines, Owen pulls back from the events happening throughout the poems to revisit
his own psyche. He writes, ‘In all my dreams,/ before my helpless sight’, showing how these
images live on with the soldiers, how these men are tortured by the events of war even after they
have been removed from war. There is no evading or escaping war.
STANZA 4
In the last paragraph, Owen condenses the poem to an almost claustrophobic pace: ‘if in some
smothering dreams you too could pace’, and he goes into a very graphic, horrific description of
the suffering that victims of mustard gas endured: ‘froth-corrupted lungs’,’ incurable sores’, ‘the
white eyes writhing in his face’. Although the pace of the poem has slowed to a crawl, there is
much happening in the description of the torment of the mustard gas victim, allowing for a
contrast between the stillness of the background, and the animation of the mustard gas victim.
This contrast highlights the description, making it far more grotesque.
Owen finishes the poem on a personal address to Jessie Pope: ‘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.’ Jessie Pope was a journalist who published, among others, books
such as Jessie Pope’s War Poems and Simple Rhymes for Stirring Times. The Latin phrase is
from Horace, and means, ‘it is sweet and right to die for your country’.
FIGURATIVE DEVICES
- Imagery
- Simile- “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” and “And floundering like a man in
fire or lime”
THEME:
- War
- Death
 A LESSON FOR THIS SUNDAY, Derek Walcott
In this poem the persona is lying in his hammock and is enjoying the beauty of nature, “the
summer grass” and “furious butterflies” (lines 1-2) Two children; a boy and a girl (brother and
sister) are chasing a butterfly with yellow wings. After they caught the butterfly they dissect it
(operate on it) then the black (African) maid sees them and stops them but the girl in the lemon
dress begins to scream.

The poem is focusing on man’s cruelty to nature (human’s nature’s inability to stay pure).The
persona is also extremely contradictory to his culture, this may hint at the writer ( Derek
Walcott)
own identity crisis, “who may break my sabbath with a thought of sin, brother and sister with a
common pin” (lines 3-4 stanza 2) , this is evident sarcasm as the persona speaks of killing
without remorse in God’s Holy Day (Sunday the day people go to church) Frail as a flower in
this blue August air,” expresses the view that the little girl is just as fragile as the butterfly.
“Cries” in line one of stanza two and “screams” line seven stanza two are used to show the
disruption of the peace and the persona’s reaction to them “The mantis prays” (line stanza 2) is a
pun which can suggest that the mantis is resting on its front legs and rose as if in prayer It can
however, mean “preys” showing how man attacks nature for their own benefit and pleasure.
In the last stanza, line three “heredity of cruelty eery"here” In this statement the persona says that
violence is present in man and even innocent children have inherited this trait the last line of the
poem can be paralleled with the first where the poet is reinforcing the cruelty of man by showing
how grass grow and are cut down by the “scythe design”.

FIGURATIVE DEVICE
1. Metaphor
- “The lesson is the same” is an extended metaphor throughout the poem. It examines
human’s nature and the belief that bigger and stronger will dominate and destroy the
weaker simply because they can.
2. Personification
- “The growing idleness of the summer grass”- this also helps the reader to get a clearer
picture of the day described by the persona
THEMES
1. Man vs nature
2. Religion
 A STONE’S THROW, Elma Mitchell
● A crowd has caught a woman (Line 2: ‘We’ve got her! Here she is’). The persona implies
to the reader that the woman is not decent (Line 6: ‘A decent-looking woman, you’d have
said,’// Lines 11-14: And not the first time//By any means//She’d felt men’s
hands//Greedy over her body’). The persona states that the woman has experienced
men’s hands on her body before, but this crowd’s hands were virtuous (Lines 15-16: ‘But
ours were virtuous,//Of course’).
● He also makes a proviso that if this crowd bruises her, it cannot be compared to what she
has experienced before. The persona also speaks about a last assault and battery to come.
He justifies this last assault by calling it justice, and it is justice that feels not only right,
but good. The crowd’s ‘justice’ is placed on hold by the interruption of a preacher, who
stops to talk to the lady.
● He squats on the ground and writes something that the crowd cannot see. Essentially, the
preacher judges them, thereby allowing the lady to also judge the crowd, leading to the
crowd inevitably judging itself. The crowd walks away from the lady, still holding stones
[which can be seen as a metaphor for judgments that can be thrown another day.
● This poem is a very closely and cleverly crafted dramatisation. It illustrates the way
poetry uses implicit dramatisation to reveal and comment on issues. This is done without
any specific reference, without explanations. It shows something without telling it. There
are no explicit details, but the dramatic nature of the narrative in the poem directs the
minds, the thinking, of the readers to the issues the poem wants to focus. There is a
speaking voice – a man who narrates an event in his own words, providing details of the
incident while unintentionally revealing much about himself and his companions.
● A group of men caught a woman who seems to have committed some serious offence or
violation punishable by stoning to death. The poem does not tell us what it is, but the
several lines and references suggest it is something of a sexual nature and the men are
about to carry out their judgment. They are, however, interrupted by a stranger who
causes them to take a good look at themselves, have doubts and abort their mission. The
final stanza suggests that, though prevented on this occasion, the men have not changed
or repented and are prepared to do the same thing again.
● While the poem does not tell explicitly what was happening we are not really left
guessing, because the poem is obviously using a biblical allusion. It retells a story from
the Bible (John 8; 3 – 11), well known even to many who might not be Christians or who
might not know the Bible. A woman was caught in adultery, punishable at that time,
according to the law, by stoning to death. She was taken to Jesus, who was urged to
pronounce the expected sentence of death. But Jesus spoke quietly to her while writing in
the dust on the ground and, instead, challenged her accusers, uttering the oft quoted
words “let him that is without sin cast the first stone.” This effectively halted them and
the woman was spared.
● The poet uses the technique of narrative point-of-view. A great deal is gained by having
the story told in the poem by one of the men eager to stone the woman. Several lines in
the poem tell us about him and his companions who take a very perverse, greedy, sexual
pleasure out of their mission – “we roughed her up”; “men’s hands/Greedy over her
body”; “our fingers bruised/Her shuddering skin”; “it tastes so good”, and “Given the
urge”. The poem uses several ironies. The men are self-righteous, ready to condemn
others while they themselves are guilty. They describe their own greedy hands as “ours
 were virtuous, /Of course”; their violation of the woman as being “of right”, claiming
“Justice must be done.”
● Another important technique used by Mitchell is the central metaphor or central imagery
of the poem, which has to do with sex and violence. The woman is roughed up,
indecently handled by her captors who are about to stone her; note the startling chilling
crude imagery (typical of Mitchell) of sexual violence in the fourth stanza especially, but
running through the poem. Note also the other sexual innuendos elsewhere. Note as well
the use of almost throw-away understatements, such as those remarks in brackets which
come from the dramatisation – the conversational tone of the narrative which reveals the
speaker’s thoughts and biased, prejudicial, judgmental attitudes.
● Then in stanza six the poet pinpoints that people are quick to pass judgment upon others
but hardly ever look at themselves. Probably for the first time these men are forced to do
that and are quite uncomfortable and wrong-footed. The final stanza, though, shows that
they are unrepentant, unchanged. This brings to mind a powerful statement of the poem –
that even in modern times, long after biblical days our society has not changed because
men behave the same way.
● The poem’s title is significant in this respect. The poem is about the throwing of stones,
but it also refers to the troubling issue of violence against women; the occasional cases of
women condemned to death by stoning in extreme Islamist states according to Sharia
law. What took place in the Bible all those years ago is still with us. It is only “a stone’s
throw” away.
LITERARY DEVICE:
1. Sarcasm
- The persona is making the point that the lady was in fact NOT decent looking.
2. Personification
- This device is particularly effective because the word ‘kisses’ is used. Kiss implies
something pleasant, but it is actually utilized to emphasize something painful that has
happened to the lady; she was stoned.
3. Pun :
- Title: The title of the poem is itself a pun on two levels. A stone’s throw is used by many
people in the Caribbean to describe a close distance. eg. “She lives a stone’s throw
away”. The other use of the title is to highlight the content of the poem. It is a figurative
stoning, or judging, of a woman.
4. Allusional (biblical)
- The content of the poem alludes to the story of Mary Magdalene in the Christian Bible.
See John 8 v 5-7.
5. Contrast
- Lines 13-15: These lines show that the men who were ‘holding stones’ believe they are
more morally upright than the other men with whom the woman associates.
6. Irony
- One would think that men with ‘virtuous’ hands would have only pure thoughts, but these
men intend to stone the woman , who seems utterly defenseless. Also, images of cruelty
are used, such as ‘bruised’, ‘kisses of stone’, ‘battery’ and ‘frigid rape’.
7. TONE
 - The tone of the poem is mixed. At times it is almost braggadocious, then it becomes
sarcastic, moving to scornful.
THEMES:
- Discrimination- The poor treatment the persona receives by the men in the poem as a
result of her profession.
- Religion
- Appearance vs Reality
- Hypocrisy
- Oppression
- Power and Powerlessness
 THE WOMAN SPEAKS TO THE MAN WHO HAS EMPLOYED HER
SON, Lorna Goodison
The persona in this poem is telling the story of a mother who loved her son. The mother became
aware of the child’s presence when she experienced morning sickness. She placed all her hopes
in the child and raised him as a single parent because his father was indifferent to the child’s
existence. The mother had set no barriers on what the child could become, but is told that he has
an employer who values him so much that he is given his own submarine gun. The son tells his
mother that his employer is like a father to him, but the mother wonders at the father figure who
purposefully endangers his child. She prepares for her son’s death by going downtown to buy
funeral apparel. The mother feels powerless, so she prays for her child and says protective
psalms for him. On the other hand, she reads psalms of retribution for the employer and weeps
for her son. Her situation does not look good and is likened to a partner system in which she
draws both the first and the last hand.

The poem focuses on the theme single parenting and the challenges mothers often face. It
highlights how a mother feels when all she hopes her child will become does not materialize.

The first stanza basically highlights the effects of pregnancy such as being emotional, having a
metallic taste in the mouth and general discomfort. All throughout the pregnancy she had
envisioned him becoming a success story. “She carried him like the poor carry hope” – this
simply highlights just how much she expects of him. She hopes he gets a visa so he can achieve
something in order to help her.

Gradually, the reader learns that she is struggling on her own because the father has neglected his
responsibilities. In fact, he has failed to maintain any of his children who he treats with “equal
unbiased indifference”. This forces her to take on two roles – a mother and father.

So great is her dreams for him that she does not limit nor “set no ceiling” on his ambitions. If he
wants to be a doctor, a pilot or an earth healer, she would support him fully.

However, all she envisions happening to her son fails to materialize because he has chosen to be
a gunman instead. The young man views the man who he now works for as a father figure; he
has replaced his absentee father.

The mother is quite disturbed by the fact that this man has given her son a sub-machine gun and
she questions the intentions of the man. She does not believe he values her son because no father
would give his son a weapon that will lead to his untimely death. He wants bread (clearly he is
hungry or wants better for himself) and the man directs him to a life of crime.

She is convinced that her son is going to die and so she prepares herself for his funeral. She buys
black cloth and a hat in preparation for the day he collects his “bloody salary”.

She resorts to praying and crying at “knee city” as her only source of help to rescue her son from
destruction. She has no control over the situation at the earth level but believes God has the
power to intervene and regain control of his life and soul.
The poem ends with her likening herself to the mothers of Judas (Judas committed suicide) and
the thief on the cross. She too will end up with a dead son. As a result of her son’s chosen
lifestyle, she has been forced to resign herself to his demise – his death.

LITERARY DEVICE:

1. Simile
- Lines 1-2: The persona emphasizes that the mother placed all her hopes in her son. When
you are poor, generally, you have no prospects, you only dream and hope. Therefore, the
persona uses this metaphor to emphasize the mother’s dependence on her son’s success.
- Line 17: The employer is being compared to a father figure. This implies that this person
fills a gap in the son’s life.
2. Sarcasm
- The persona appears to praise the child’s father by referring to him as ‘fair-minded’. She
is, however, chastising him for not only ignoring his son, but all of his other children.
3. Irony (situational)
- The son innocently tells his mother that his employer values him so much that he gave
him a whole submachine gun for himself. The irony in this situation is that if you really
care about someone, you do NOT give them a gun due to the negative results that are
bound to occur.
4. Allusion(biblical)
- nLines 28-29: This line alludes to a particular verse in the Christian Bible, Luke 11 vs 11.
The verse questions what the actions of a good father should be.
- Lines 38-39: Psalms is a particular chapter in the Christian Bible. In this chapter there are
verses for protection, the mother uses those for her son, as well as verses for retribution
and rebuking. It is implied that the mother chooses those for the employer.
- Lines 43-45: In the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Therefore, it does not
bode well for the mother if she is in a ‘partnership’ with this person’s mother because she
might also be betrayed. The banker in the ‘partnership’ also happens to be the thief on the
left hand side of the cross’ mother. This also does not bode well for the mother if the
apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
- Line 49: Absalom is the son of David, in the Christian Bible. Absalom betrayed his
father, which implies that the mother feels betrayed by her son because she has placed all
her hopes in him.
5. Metaphor
- “bloody salary”, “knee city”, “metallic tide”

THEMES

● Death
● love/love and family relationship,
● survival,
● dreams and aspirations,
● childhood experiences,
● Religion
 THIS IS A DARK TIME, MY LOVE, Martin Carter
The persona is metaphorically speaking to his country which he calls “My love”. He tells this
person that it is a dark time, which is, in essence, a time of sadness, war and oppression. It is
implied, by certain key terms; such as ‘dark metal’, that it is a time of war. The persona warns
his ‘love’ that in this dark time it is important to be vigilant as the invader may take away all that
they hoped for.

- Lines 1-4 - Persons movements were conveyed as they were fighting for
independence(british and US soldiers were invading the country and were present)
- “Brown beetles crawl about” (line 2) refers to the army vehicles.
- Line 3-4 -Personification
- “..awful sorrow” mirrors the state the persons are in.
- Lines 7-8 are oxymorons
- Line 7 is a contrasting sentence
- “Festival of guns” refers to a large number of guns
- Line 8 means the people are afraid of getting caught/losing their life, and also emphasizes
line 9.
- Lines 9-10 are rhetorical questions
- Lines 11-12 refers to the oppressors, who are watching and are always there waiting for
the right time to strike the oppressed. This is also in reference to the grim reaper .

THEMES:

- Oppression
- Conflict
- Death
- Patriotism
- Loyalty to country
 THEME FOR ENGLISH B, Langston Hughes
The poem describes the assignment, one page of writing, and the speaker’s apprehension about
completing it. He isn’t sure that he’s going to be able to simply sit down and write. He is sure
that it’s more complicated than that. His apprehension turns into success as he mulls over his
feelings and explores his personality and heritage. He speaks on his similarities to his classmates
and his differences, as well as his relationship with the white instructor.

In the first lines of ‘Theme for English B,’(lines 1-5) the speaker begins by laying out the
assignment he was given. The speaker, who is a young boy, explains in simple terms that he was
told to “God home and write a page tonight”. It could be anything, it just needs to ‘come out of
you”. This use of personification makes it feel as if the page is acting on its own, making its own
choices. It should be a natural process the teacher suggests.

The third stanza (lines 6-14) is ten lines long and contains the young speaker’s thoughts about
the possibility of writing. He wonders if it’s likely that it’s “that simple” to write. He gives the
reader a bit of his background. The speaker is a young man, twenty-two years old, black, born in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He’s the only coloured student in his class. These facts set him
apart from those around him. They make him wonder if he will be able to write.

The next stanza (lines 15-19) of ‘Theme for English B’ is shorter, only five lines long. It
expresses his uncertainty about where he is in life and how that position relates to those around
him. It’s hard to know when you’re young what’s true and what isn’t. But, he knows the basic
facts. He’s there and he can “feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you”. This place calls to him
and jumbles the language making it hard to tell who is speaking and what they are referring to.
He is at a place in his life where he is just starting to understand who he is and what role he has
to play.

In the next set of lines(lines 20-27), the speaker compares the life he lives with that of his
classmates. They are similar in a number of different ways, the primary ones being reading,
learning and understanding life. He is not that different where he doesn’t like “the same things
other folks like who are other races”. But, he adds, he is different in an important way. The page
that he writes will “not be white”.

The speaker comes to understand in the last lines (lines 28-40) of ‘Theme for English B. That
there are different parts of himself that are all important in their own way. The page he writes, a
metaphor for the life he is going to live, will be influenced by “you, instructor”. This person is
white, so it will have their influence as well as that of New York and Harlem.He thinks over his
relationship to “you,” the instructor, and wonders about how much a part of one another they are.
Sometimes they don’t want to be part of one another’s lives or stories, but they are “that’s true!”
He learns from his white instructor and suggests that maybe they learn from him as well. This
might be the case even though they are “older—and white— / and somewhat more free”.

The poem ends with the line “This is my page for English B”. He set out to write and let land on
the page what was “true,” as the instructor suggested. The assignment completed itself.