UNDERSTANDING LITERATURE IN ENGLISH A’LEVEL

COMMENTARY 2024 - 2028

S SITHOLE

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 CONTENTS
PAPER 2: ZIMBABWEAN LITERATURE .................................................. 4
Every stone that turns – Bvuma S. Thomas ................................................ 4
Songs from the Temple – Emmanuel Ngara ............................................. 30
Tomorrow’s people and other plays – Raisdon Baya ............................... 82
The Tribe of Graves – Basil Diki............................................................ 133
Changamire Dombo – The Legend ......................................................... 149
Coming of the Dry Season – Charles Mungoshi .................................... 173
PAPER 3: AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LITERATURE ............................................................................................ 210
Things fall apart – Chinua Achebe ......................................................... 210
Maru – Bessie Head ................................................................................ 227
Miguel Street – V.S. Naipul .................................................................... 231
Native Son – Richard Wright.................................................................. 297
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass: An American Slave – Frederick
Douglass ................................................................................................. 305
PAPER 4: ENGLISH LITERATURE......................................................... 328
Volpone – Ben Jameson .......................................................................... 328
Twelfth Night – William Shakespeare .................................................... 338
The Mayor of Casterbridge – Thomas Hardy ......................................... 346
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift ....................................................... 351
Songs of Innocence and of Experience – William Blake ....................... 367
PAPER 5: WORLD LITERATURE ........................................................... 369
Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ..................................... 369
In the Continuum, and other plays – Roy Kilalea .................................. 383
Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller ...................................................... 402

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 PAPER 2: ZIMBABWEAN LITERATURE
This is a compulsory paper which has three sections: Section A- Zimbabwean
Poetry, Section B- Zimbabwean Drama and Section C- Zimbabwean Prose.
SECTION A – POETRY

Every stone that turns – Bvuma S. Thomas

The snake never stirs
The title is a metaphor of the never ending and immobile queues that were an
indicator of economic instability as there was a shortage of basic commodities
such that people were forced to queue for them. There is the employment of
visual imagery and symbolism in the title “snake”. The snake has a negative
connotation of a poor environment that brings suffering to the people. The
poem is written in a post-colonial background as it comments on the troubles
encountered under black leadership.
The poet introduces a jungle scene of a predator and its prey which gives
imagery that these are times of survival of the fittest. This is shown in the quote
“A hunting paw quietly pounces out a cricket in mid chirrup” The quote is
effective to reveal deprivation where big animals are resorting to hunt meager
meagie prey. This shows desperate circumstances. The metaphor “apless
skeletons of msala trees” is instrumental in revealing a dry and barren
environment. Personification as they are described in “groun to dusty winds”
shows that nature itself is suffering in the black and inconclusive environment.
The season of hunger is further explained through the use of animal imagery
in the quote “A hungry monyiel… fops onto boney buttocks aims muzzle at
moon and moans. The poet effectively uses onomatopia to show the far-
reaching effects of hunger and lack which also affected domestic animals.
The poet snitches to his personal experience where first person poetic voice
effectively reveals the suffering experienced in urban areas. The idea is
introduced in the quote “so many years I have squatted in the queues”. The
years reveal a lengthy time of suffering, squatting is the employment of choice
diction to show physical discomfort that accompanied waiting in the queues.
The poet employs a simile to describe the queues in the quote “long as the
folkloric snake”. It reveals long ending queues showing a vast population
seeking goods. The snake which are the queues tell a story of economic woes.

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 The quote “you can see neither head nor tail” suggests that these are never
ending challenges.
This is the repetition and revelation of the title in the poem which has a literal
and symbolic meaning.” The Snake Never stirs” literally refers to the queues,
however symbolically it points to an ineffective political system that has
brought financial challenges to its general populace. This is further supported
by the person who says “starving l keep groaning down and dwindling
dreams”. There is an intense feeling of disappointment in his lost hopes and
ambitions in the post-colonial era.
As the poem concludes the persona shows intra-personal conflict and
psychological trauma in the quote “So many acts with happy ending rehearsed
on the lone stage… but never played out on the public stage”. In other words
he is revealing that he is contently reprieve, however these are never
implemented.
The poet reveals a population that is long suffering physically and mentally
due to hunger and starvation, there is a suggestion of the betrayal of the
independence struggle through poor governance.
Atmosphere Tone
Sad Frustrated
Futile Dejected
Depressing Weary
Melancholic

The Mirror Stares Back

The poem is a flash back memory of the persona addressed to his close friend
and comrade Takafirenyika. He remembers fondly a memory of themselves
looking into a mirror. The mirror symbolizes a luxury that was rarely found in
the bush during the war.

The title “The Mirror Stares Back” is a personified statement of the reality that
the comrades are forced to face. Their images in the mirror are alien to them

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 We surrender our balls
The poem is a challenge to the post-colonial man who the poet accuses of
emasculation. He does so by reviving the spirit of Chimurenga which had
different kinds of men who showed bravery labour during the war.
The poem leads like a war praise song where stanza a group of men is named
by their colloquial identity. The “mu Comrades” show tenacity and strength as
they withstood the attrescites of war “who survived the weather, defeat disease
and outstrated death”. They are praised for the ability to withstand the violent
pressure of war.

The “Volmana” reveal the role of every man during the liberation struggle.
They are described as loaded with Luzoekas, bandolias and Akis” show that
they formed the military muscle of the arm. Visual imagery “romantic boys in
blue jeans” shows that they worked heroic and attractive.
The “magandanga” are revealed as the team that attended to the social
mobilization of war supporters. This is evidenced when they motivated the
povo to sing and dance and pungwes and the feeding structure of the army and
in their pungwes they spread a spirit of patriotism.
The Zimbabweans in Mozambique were those who travelled to foreign
neighbouring countries to source and fund for the guerrillas items like clothes,
cigarettes and food. The poet describes a fierce group of guerillas called
“Vanamukoma” who are described in a hyperbole to have cut lan Smith mad
thousand years into a very short thirteen. Those are men who waged acting
welfare against the Rhodesian army. The poet describes real men of action
However, the persona complaints that the “Macomrades” are now suffering as
villains showing that they have become misrepresented in the post-colonial
era. This is evidenced in the rhetorical questions “What happened to that never
say never spirit” This shows a people who are failing to overcome postcolonial
challenges.
The poet reveals the masculation of the war veterans in post-colonial era when
l questions “Comrades is that when we surrendered our grenades at
demobilization we surrendered our testides too” The cowardice of the
comrades is attacked once more in a simile “like children surrendering tennis
ball to the matter after a game. He is commenting that the purpose of the

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 struggle has been managed the land with the tenacity they showed during the
liberation struggle.
Warming another man’s groin
This is a painful and emotional title, intentionally provocative to reveal a
persona who is an ex-combatant who has been betrayed by his wife. The title
suggest a woman who is found in an adulterous affair in the aftermath of the
liberation struggle of which the persona participated in. The poem is emotional
in nature as it speaks of a lover betrayed after sacrificing his marriage to purse
political freedom.
The first stanza opens in persuasive tone where the persona attempts to
persuade loved one Yeukai. This is shown in the quote “Put these splintered
pieces back together “, this is metaphor used to show that the persona is
interested in fixing the broken down relationship.
The quote “You never understood why” is relevant to show that during the
liberation struggle men had to make a choice between their wives and political
freedom between marital bliss and war.
This idea is amplifies through the use of euphemism where Yeukai bottom is
a symbol of physical intimacy that was sacrificed for wood and sted, symbols
of war.
Ironically the persona complains that it was Yekuai who inspired him to join
war. This is evidenced in the quote “it was you Yeukai who constricted me into
the war to right all wrongs.” This shows that his love for Yeukai made him
desire a world of personal and political freedom.
The persona confirms his love for Yeukai when he reveals his physical
intimacy. This is evidenced through tactile imagery where he comments on the
shiver of her skin, her whimpering and weeping as the very actions that pushed
to desire political freedom.
The heartbroken persona reveals the terrible conditions of war such as being
infested by lice and sleeping under sounds of bullets and bombs, this is
contrasted sharply from sleeping with Yeukai. The persona shows that he felt
easy of domestic bliss as a bigger sacrifice for the country which Yeukai is part
of.

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 The persona reveals that upon ceasefire, “when the killing crippling stopped”
he uses the metaphor of alcohol to show that he wanted to refresh himself with
their love. This is evidenced in the quote “I sought the moist lips of the
calabash we curved. Yeukai in representing after the struggle was meant to be
a source of comfort and solace for the war veterans.
The thematic concern of betrayal is exposed in the quote “a parasite was
cowering and feasting between those thighs” The choice of diction reduces
Yeukai to a common prostitute showing the persona huge disappointment and
bitterness caused by Yeukai’s betrayal. Women are shown as lacking in
patience and purity as they betrayed their guerilla husbands.
The injustice of the situation is shown in the quote “those thighs you refused
to let me into.” Instead they were “warming another man’s groin.” The cruelty
of the situation that the persona paid bride price for Yeukai yet she allowed an
opportunist who did not participate in the war to enjoy her body.
In the quote “the people won their war, but l lost my struggle” shows that
although the war came with independence it also came with broken marriages.
The sweetest table of independence comes with the bitter betrayal of wives
against their husbands.

Smile Mother
This is a poem written in epistolary mode of writing. It is dedicated to a mother
from a child involved in the liberation struggle. The title encourages mother
to keep hope alive despite devastating circumstances of war.
A mother in the poem is embodied as a heroic maternal figure whose
importance is noted by the dedication of the letter to them. The poem addresses
mothers to show that they too were affected by the war as they had to give up
their children to fight in the war.
The poet reveals the burden of motherhood in the quote “for your mother you
have waked and wondered dangling on the sting of fear”. This is significant in
revealing the agony and suffering of mothers who feared for the lives of their
children. The metaphor “danging on the srings of fear” is significant to show
intrapersonal conflict.

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 The poem euphimises ceasefire in the quote “triggers in the personifies\d
quote” triggers took a nap” to show political freedom and release.
The poem has a narrative form which reveals that the comrades assembled at
demobilization points and this revealed the survivors who refured home. Pthos
is employed when some mothers lost their sons in the wars. This is shown in
the quote “but your sons did not come home.” Those are the comrades who
failed to return home to their mothers. In the quote “a tormenting tug of fear
and hope” The persona shows intrapersonal conflict between optimism and
perimissim. The mothers suffered anxiety from the uncertainty of not knowing
about their sons’ whereabouts.
Direct speech is employed to explain to the parents that “some are still outside
on missions, several thousands have fallen”. The poet makes the reader aware
of the sacrifices of the comrades for a free Zimbabwe.
There are heartbroken mothers in poem suffering from despair and grief to
which the comrades complain “An motter you sorch and mock is with your
tears”. The comrades seems to be communicating that mothers should be
celebrating the hard worn independence. There is the employment of repetition
of the title “Smile mother as a means to encourage mothers to celebrate the
political freedom their children died for.
The persona reveals through initial linkage and historical facts (historical
illusion) that they are laid for rest at Nyadzonia, Chimoimo and Tembwe”.
These are settings of political conflict where the comrades were combashed
and killed during the liberation struggle.
The persona reveals that it is their mothers who inspired them to join the
liberation struggle. He reveals that the mothers were “trapped” in tribal
reserves and locked in black locations. Choice diction shows that they desired
personal and political freedom for the many Zimbabweans suffering under the
colonial rule.
The persona reveals that the blood shed was necessary for independence, he
encourages his mother to see the flag of independence intagent with the blood
that was shed. The flag is a symbol of the lives they sacrificed and their
contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe therefore mother is encouraged to
smile and enjoy the fruits of liberation.

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 Free sod for my sister
The title reveals that this is a poem about the land issue. The persona is
emotional concerning the death of his sister. He laments the innocent victim
of man whose crime is being caught up in the liberation struggle. In the first
stanza he acknowledges that a soldier may die in war, however in the rhetorical
question he criticizes the death of the girl child by the land of a soldier.
He questions the integrity of the soldier who guns down a little girl.
Choice diction is employed to evoke paths in the quote “my baby sister is gone
devoured by war”. The quote is repeated as “gone” is a euphemism of death
“detoured” suggests a brutal kind of death in times of war.
The major thematic concern is the vulnerability of the girl child in war times.
Her youth is highlighted in the simile “her sprouting breasts hard a green
mangoes.” This shows that she is an underage girl, an innocent child who
suffered the worst brunt of the war. In the quote “prodding and expecting an
extended metaphor is employed, it is effective to reveal that is not just the
breast that were growing but as well as the girl child who was growing with
expectation of a bright future.
The idea of the bitter taste of freedom is raised through the use of repetition in
the quote “even a free sod, on free anthill of a free country offers no comfort”.
This reveals that the persona is inconsolable over the death of his sister. For
him the price of freedom has become too high, the land gained at independence
offers no consolation for the life that was stolen by the reckless soldier.
Semantic of stones
The title of the poem literally translates to the meaning of rocks. The stones
could be symbol of bareness or dryness.
The persona is presented as lacking in direction, this is evidenced as he is
wandering among rocks in ruins. This could be an abstract idea of barren land
and its destruction. The persona states that they are searching for “the essence
of stone.” This could ambiguously be an idea of land, liberation or peace
represented by Zimbabwean stone bird.
The poem presents a fragmented persona whose mind zones in and out
between the past and the present. This reveals that he suffers from
intrapersonal conflict, a kind of trauma related to his experiences. The
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 living in a society where they are sacrificed for the desires of the male gender
and this is upheld by African tradition and culture.
A thematic concern of disillusionment shows that at a younger age the woman
infatuated and optimistic about marriage, however disillusionment sets in as
explained in the metaphor “crushing down to earth fragmented on thrashing
stone.” This shows the complete breakdown and mental fragmentation of
women as the illusion is shattered.
Grabbing the bull
The poem “Grabbing the Bull” shows the harsh survival in post-colonial times.
The poet uses abstract expressions to show how chance n opportunity were
scarce in post-colonial era.
There is an abstract presentation of political conflict. The poem itself is an
extended metaphor of a persona trying to make it in life. The quote “weary of
tiny rolls crumbs and roaches”. The quote introduces a persona who has
realized that he is living mediocre lifestyle.
The persona grabs an opportunity for success in the revelation of the title
“grabbing his bull by the ball.” The metaphor seeks to show that the persona
took a hostile and aggressive action in order to survive in a dog eat dog
environment.
The poet shows the value for self -preservation the post-colonial era. This is
revealed in the quote “finally he played leading actor, producer and director”.
This shows a self-serving kind of individualism that beset African leading in
post-colonial era.

The poet’s diction in “branch of a sapless tree” reveals a dry empty pessimistic
environment found in post-colonial times.
Peace corpse

In the poem “Peace Corpse” where the title is an oxymoron that is effective to
reveal the escalating deaths that is effective to reveal the escalating deaths of
people from HIV and AIDS in the post-colonial era. The poet is implicit in his
portrayal of scourge of HIV and AIDS yet he laments sexual corruption in
society.

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 The metaphor “the invisible devils inside the sweet apple Eve and Adam
shared” employs biblical illusion where sexual sin is blamed for the high
mortality rate in the post-colonial era.
He seeks to bring social awareness towards the vice of sexual immorality in
the Rhetorical question “We count peace corpse and wonder who is next.” He
seeks to engage post-colonial society in need to be aware for their cause of
death. The simile describes love causing destruction “like the mad spirit of a
person murdered” shows that intimate gender relations have led to corpse
during a time of peace.
To conclude the poet is successful revealing post-colonial challenges he paints
a gloomy picture of post war lifestyle hence encouraging the need for change.
To a little invisible being
- Both titles are explicit showing that extracts are about babies.
A B
• 1st person poetic voice. • The major style is third person
narration and dialogue.
• Narrative poem.
• Narrative passage.
• Rhyme scheme.
• Rhythm in the form of
• A mother dedication to an unborn
repetition.
baby. • Mother’s repetition to the
unborn baby however,
• Archaich language diction “ for
detached from the midwife.
many a moon’’ – Victorian
• Colloquial diction.
background.
• Conflict midwife vs baby
• Unity events.
midwife irritated by the
• Long awaited with love.
expecting mother.
• Enticing jubilant atmosphere.
• Midwife long awaited with
frustration.
• Tense atmosphere.

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 Prickly Pride
The poem has an explicit and alterative title that immediately exposes pride a
vice. The poem is an attack on arrogant people. Pride is described as “the
flerolities that throfle a friendship.” The metaphor seeks to show that pride is
an unnecessary attitude that destroys friendship. The poet also shows that
prude kills love between two people, his use of choice diction in description
of love as freolbust and trifles shows its insignificance and unnecessariness in
ones live,
Visual imagery of a person who swears never turn back exposes pride as
stubborn and inflexible showing that it is a hindrance to human relations. The
poet shows that insisting on pride human beings are adopting an unnatural
behavior, this is evident in the quote “we ran down our self-throats” this shows
that pride is an aggressive entity that does not fit in the sense of humanity.
The poet suggest that pride gives one intrapersonal conflict. This is evidenced
in the quote “at night one tosses, tormented and dissolute on a double bed “this
shows sleepless nights that can be avoided.
The poem is proved to be a satirical attack that mocks human attitudes when
he compares them to dogs. The poet exclaims that human beings have no right
to insult dogs which eat as they too have arrogant tendencies which exhibit
animal behavior. Tone of the poem
Bitter
Mocking
Sarcastic
Indignant
Moralizing
Feelings evoked
Shame
Indignation
Sorrow
Insulted

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 The Shell
The Shell is a poem that employs the extended metaphor of the life of tortoise
which is meant to symbolize the life of materialist people. The poet intention
is to speak against vanity of acquiring material thing. In the first stanza the
poet states that the shell lives on long after the life sheltered is gone. He teaches
that the houses and any other material good that people attain often remain
standing long after the person has died.

In the second stanza he reduces material things to mere trinkets in the quote “
brightening a shelf in some rain room” This is effective to show that so much
effect spent in taking care of material things but they become useless artifices
to the people who remain behind. In the concluding stanza the poet makes an
open attack when he compares the hell to a tombstone, he describes it a
beautiful but lane. A sense of social alienation and an empty life lived is ducted
from his choice of words. The reader is led to assume that the poet seeks to
show the importance of social interactions while people are still alive that their
material thing upon death.

Message in Stone
A patriotic poem that shows the poet’s sense of national pride. The title refers
to the Great Zimbabwe found in Masvingo built by ancestors.

The poet refers to them as a past that sauces, enslaves, enlightens, darkness.
By the use of oxymoron the poet seeks to show that there is both virtue and
vice in the black man’s history captured by the monument.

There are implications that the past cannot be fully interpreted in the rhetorical
question “what secret message did my ancestors fossils in stone so cryptic,
historian, and politician folklore cannot decipher?
This shows that the secrets and origins of the monument have not yet been
unlocked they remain a great and enigmatic mystery.
The poet is awe stricken by the greatness of Great Zimbabwe. He concludes
the poem by showing that he is greatly impressed by the fact that no human
has cracked the mystery of Great Zimbabwe.
The poem is an appreciation of the county’s heritage site. It shows the great
value it has as an intricate part of our identity.

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 Tone
Admiration
Pride
Complimentary
Passionate
Jubilant
Reverent

Good Citizen
The poem exposes the societal hypocrisy shown by people at funerals. The
good citizen is the deceased whose funeral wake attracts various members of
the society. The persona’s voice is that of the deceased.
The poem satirizes human behaviour, hence the poet attacks them for singing
praises that blow away immediately with ashes. This shows that he is
castigating vain empty words that are spoken at funerals.
Mourning neighbours are exposed for their pretentiousness as they attend the
funeral of the neighbor whom they complained to about the deceased‘s kids,
dogs and chickens. However, despite the conflictious relationship they attend
the funeral.
Relatives are attacked for attending the funeral simply because they felt
‘reminded of their mortality. Their motives are shown to be stemming from
self-awareness that they are fortunate to be alive.
Exploitative behavior of work place supervisors is also exported in the quote
“the buss who used my work as his own but kept me nailed to the same
wrong.” This shows that the buss exploited and held back the deceased’s
promotion yet he appeared seemingly sincere at the funeral.
The bitterness of the persona is reflected in the quote “They all come relieved
that l will irritate then no more” The persona reveals the brutal truth on the real
sentiment of the mourners gathered at his funeral.
The persona also exposes that his funeral is also used as a social gathering.
The elderly men meet to recite juicy tales were beer biltong and his corpse. He
shows that his corpse is as meaningless and valueless as the beer and biltong
they enjoy at the funeral.
The death of war veterans are also exploited by politicians who use them
funerals as a platform for gathering votes for political parties. The persona is
exposing that many came for selfish reasons at the funeral.

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 A thematic concern about social oppression is raised through Tambudzai, the
persona’s sister, who "failed the daily tests of your (uncle’s) striking and
tormenting tongue." This highlights the plight of a girl child who is subjected
to physical and verbal abuse by a relative who is supposed to look after her.
The poet employs pathos as he describes the physical pain experienced by
Tambudzai, who pleaded and called out to her mother. The great extent of
suffering is revealed through the use of visual imagery and personification.
In the quote, "the furious stick gushed open soft tissue and blood,"
emphasising the great extent of physical abuse suffered by children at the
hands of their guardians. Moreover, the persona says the images of her sister’s
abuse "remain charred in my head." This emphasises the psychological trauma
the persona is suffering from witnessing her sister’s abuse.
The reader is led to assume that the persona and his sister became victims of
domestic abuse after the death of their father. This is evidenced by the quote,
"When mother came to take us away...", which suggests a traditional setup in
which a brother, their uncle, may have assumed paternal authority over them.
The persona reveals that he made a regretful decision to stay with his abuser
at age ten. His innocence as a child is corrupted by his abuser, as shown years
later when he feels betrayed. The betrayal is well explained in the quote, "You
deserted with so many issues undiscussed." This shows that the persona
needed emotional closure despite migrating to America, a symbol of greener
pastures in one’s life.
The poet concludes his poem by employing a rhetorical question where the
persona wonders if his guardian ever regretted his ill treatment of the children
in his last moments of life. This shows an embittered persona.
The Baby Who Came Too Early
The poem is about a person’s cynical view of the premature birth of a child,
despite the fact that the baby is a symbol of life and innocence.
The persona has a harsh view towards both the baby and life, as evidenced in
the quote, "You were in such a rush, impatient baby, to push yourself onto this
earth." This demonstrates the persona's displeasure, as if the baby sharp
elbowed its way into this world in an obtrusive manner.

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 The paradox "earlier than your five decades, I know the ambushes that await
with surprises" seeks to show that the persona views himself as carrying
wisdom typical of the elderly who know more about life. The baby, in contrast,
seems to represent the impulsive and foolhardy ways of youth, which always
lack forethought.
In the third stanza, the persona seems to be lamenting life itself. The quote
"next to the tomb, the mother’s womb is the safest place to hideote "next to
the tomb, the mother's womb is the safest place to hide" This suggests that the
persona has faced many trials and tribulations in his life, and therefore, to him,
the baby is rushing to experience a distressing lifetime.
He calls the baby a "restless brat," attacking it for being in an incubator instead
of its mother’s womb, which is one of the attributes of the baby he views as
wayward.
The poet reduces the tension in the final stanza by justifying the baby's rush
for life as a quest for reincarnation; that perhaps it had purpose in this life
assignment.

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 Songs from the Temple – Emmanuel Ngara

Introduction

The analysis covered all the five sequences and eventually established the
connecting thread from the title to the last poem in the sequence. A lot more
could have been done in the analysis but greater attention was given to
allusions, allegorical references and parabolic statements-nursing the
conviction that students are often dazzled by these in sleuthing meaning, and
when these are clear, sifting of possible metaphorical meanings will be within
reach. Also to widen the route to possible meaning, synonyms, hypernyms
holonyms, meronyms and hyponyms were used in the analysis. The student is
also invited occasionally to make some errands into the poems through
questions so as to goad attention and concentration.

Title Analysis

Use of the definite article “the” in the title indicates “Temple: with
precision…these are not songs from any temple (a temple) but “the temple” a
place known already and hence a reliable source.

Song - by definition it is a distinctive or characteristic sound…and there are

many types of songs e.g.

• Carol - joyful religious song [celebrating the birth of Christ]

• Cradle - song/Lullaby-a quiet song intended to lull a child to sleep.

• Requiem/Dirge - a song or hymn of mourning composed as a memorial to a

dead person.

Temple - a place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity.

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 From the title we know a temple to be a house of god, house of prayer, house
of worship and a place of worship hence we can surmise the types of songs
we are to hear from the temple… e.g. praise, supplication, veneration,
adoration, deification, apotheosis.

SEQUENCE 1

Knocking On the Sacred Door

• SACRED…We already know the persona is at this place at least for

religious purposes…this is a place worthy of respect or dedication. This is a
consecrated, heavenly or pious door, and also this sanctified door {a door of
solace, relief, succor or ministration} is metaphorical for the persona knows
this is the spiritual realm and even the knocking is not a vigorous blow {a
smash, a rap, a whang or a knap} but a tap, some gentle blow for it is some
providential visitation - seeking divine providence. And, the first poem of
sequence 1 ‘The Prologue’ takes the reader directly to this ‘pietistical' or
sanctimonious journey.

The Prologue

The persona is using the first person singular ‘I’ in introducing the search into
this extraterrestrial journey...a pilgrimage to have tellurian {worldly} issues
computed or puzzled out. The use of the first person singular indicates that
matters of the soul are personal, no team work is involved. The persona has
[travelled far]…implying divine providence is a clamber. And, the search has
been made to fine a shrine- {some place of god, prayer, worship or a place of
worship}.The pilgrimage is longish [many moons and many suns] and has
taken a toll to the persona’s physical being. The persona is physically
exhausted [knock kneed…joins aching…limbs wobbling]. It is a wearisome

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 journey and even upon arrival, there is no relief at the holy entrance-the
persona is afraid to knock.

The persona has this feeling of diffidence and indecision to knock -implying
there are inadequacies that usurp the search for spiritual salvation…absolution
and expiation can be fetched when piety appears not a whole number. A series
of rhetorical questions nudge the persona…in fact this thinking aloud indicates
emotional turmoil.

There are inmates in the shrine, the persona notes, but doubts the audibility of
his the knock although fully aware the teachers [sages] and other students
[initiates] are inside to give the spiritual guidance so desperately hunted for
and is not within earshot. The persona cites some own deficiencies…knows
about songs but never sings, knows about dances but does not dance--this
implies the persona is aware of the rules of piety but is into impiety. The
persona contemplates singing Randy Crawford’s song…after all “randy”
means desire, the persona equally has desire… but unlike “Randy’s which is
sexual, the persona is spiritual.

The general expectations in the shrine are known by the persona, like
possession of instruments of worship or singing e.g. drum, flute and the mbira
{a Shona hand piano}.These are concerns that make the persona have a [timid
knock] and a [frightened face].The persona is also aware visiting the shrine
is required of an emissary, not direct confrontation hence the possibility to be
asked what royalty [King] would have given the authority to embark on such
a journey. Also there is the mythical which can be solicited like the voice of a
mermaid. A mermaid is mythical sea creature with a woman’s body and a
fish’s tail. To see or hear a mermaid is generally considered a portent of danger
and disaster hence the persona is in some oxymoronic situation.

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 will his leitmotif [tune] be bankable in the wisdom of their thinking [depth of
their hearts].

The possible meaning can be that freedom can be elusive despite one doing
the right thing, to the right person, at the right time with right intentions so
much so that divine intervention [Temple and the pyramids] can be sought
in the hope of getting the right methods--be it to get freedom unconditionally
and wholeheartedly [depth of their hearts]. Christopher Okgbo was eluded
by freedom despite him doing the right thing. Life can be a drama of pain
[escorted by waves] and all achievements or successes can be ephemeral [like
a lioness being crowned with moonlight…] and hence cosmetic comfort.

Task

Work out the metaphorical or symbolic meanings of the following:

i. heart
ii. river
iii. stream
iv. mermaids [Qoeen of…]
v. Temple and the pyramids

Let it Rain in Showers

When it rains in abundantly [showers] all the land will be saturated and
drenched.

Rain (water) - represents life

Shoots - represent hope

Flowers (fruits) - represent contentment, fulfillment, gratification, expiation

or some form of indemnification Seeds - represent inspiration

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 Ripe - represent maturity

When life is availed, there would be inspiration [seeds] and hope [shoots] will
begin and contentment [flowers, fruits] will result in wealth as evidenced by
sumptuous living [fruits ripen].

At present the field is so dry [with drought]--emphasizing that this famine is

purely one directional…it is caused by lack of rain and hence there would be
great merriment [mirth] as intellect [cerebral seeds] is rejuvenated and there
would be propriety or modesty not only now but for the future [along the
roads of time]

When rejuvenation [pollen that impregnates] is properly propagated there

would be elicitation or stimulation to other areas [other fields] [other
terrains]--guarantee of success will only be detectable if embraced by all and
sundry [beget and bloom in other minds].

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 SEQUENCE II

The Rhythm of Pyramid Drums

Rhythm can be

• the basic rhythmic {recurring with measured regularity} unit in a piece

of music or
• an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs.

Pyramid - a massive monument with a square base and four triangular sides,
begun by Cheops around 2700 BC as royal tombs in ancient Egypt.

This sequence from the title suggests that canorous tunes are expected where
royalty is inhumed.

The Awakening of the Sphinx

Sphinx can be

• a mythical creature with the head of a human, body of a lion and wings
of an eagle or
• The Great Sphinx of Giza---a 4500 year old limestone stature situated
near the Great Pyramid of Giza. Nile a major north-flowing river in
north east Africa-it flows in the Mediterranean. The Nile is the longest
river in Africa--and historically can be considered the longest river in
the world (although research now says the Amazon River is slightly
longer)

The persona says he had a dream (dream represents wish, hope desire) on a
particular night [the other night] when a marvelous view [wondrous sight]
of this mythical monster {representing the supernatural} sloping upward
[rising] from a long hibernation [centuries of silent sleep] announcing

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 of burden] and usurped [weary] the potential of the people to erect their own
defenses [barren to bring forth a race of warriors].

The last stanza becomes an advocation for an insurrection [refuse], a rebellion

against kowtowing [bow]--that obeisance to oppression [bondage]. There is
need to mutiny or revolt [hold your head straight and high] and be the doers
[subject] not the done [object] of history. Only within that courage will it be
possible to produce children [cubs] who can stand [roar] for their rights. Only
then will they stop being followers who hang around a host itself defending
their rights [Pan-African progress].

Task

What figures of speech were used here to bring out the meaning? Pay special
attention to the lineal structure in the imagery in meaning exposition.

Thoughts of Africa in Paris

Aime Cesaire

French author and one of the founders of the Negritude Movement in

Francophone Literature and he is the one who coined the word ‘negritude’ in
French.

Leopold Sedar Senghor

Was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first
president of Senegal. He was a theoretician and proponent of Negritude.

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 Alexandre Dumas

French novelist and playwright best known for the historical adventure tales
The count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers--the exploits of Athos,
Porthos, Aramis and their friend D’Artagnan.

David Mandessi Diop

Was a French West African poet known for his contribution to the Negritude
Movement?

Negritude…See notes under the poem A Call to Mother Africa above

The persona is in the French capital, Paris and esteems the city for being the
source [seeds] of the new social reveitte [new times]…awakening to the
affirmation of the African cultural heritage {NEGRITUGE} as represented by
Francophone Literature gurus on African concerns. One of these, Cesaire,
actually coined the term Negritude and the other proponent was actually a
president of an African country, Senghor. All these authors popularized and
explicated [singing] the grandeur of yesteryear military conquests [warriors
of ancient times] and also the physical torment and clamber [scourges and
struggles] in order to get independence [rebirth].

These French authors on African resurgence were looked down upon

[humiliation, debilitating disgust, spat upon] by fellow Francophone
writers [literature lovers from the North]. The persona now goes into a
stream of rumination| oxcogitation about the possibility of a quicker redress
of the political anomaly through young Africans [little black flower]
spreading the message across the social strata [workers, thinkers and
leaders]. The ideas should grow and flourish [burgeoning] across the

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 continent [Africa]…but for this to happen, there is need to fertilize and water
the idea [plant the flower and irrigate the garden].

Let us Dream our Dreams

All mammals dream save two, echidnas and dolphins. According to scientists,
dreams could be safety valves to relieve worries, tensions, and unfulfilled
wishes. Dreams renew peoples’ energy by giving emotional balance to their
lives. (Strafford, Patricia. Dreaming and Dreams: Atheneum, New York,
1992)

The persona opens by posing a question whether the wishes [dreams] will
come true and the following are highlighted;

• The dreams [wishes] are always there all the time [daylight or lamplit
rooms]
• The dreams [wishes] are about the identity [unity] of the children
[seeds] of the king [Pharaoh]
• The identity [unity] is compromised by experience [time] location
[region] and linguistic [tongue] variations.
• The identity [unity] is also compromised by the teachings of
colonizers [coos of the parasitic vulture].

All this happened because of ignorance about

• That all have the same ancestry [common roots] That all have the
same destiny [common goal].

If hindsight [look back] and foresight [look forward] the wishes become
some mirage [glorious shadows].

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 In the 2nd stanza the persona introspects. If the wishes [dreams] remain
contemplations [thoughts] only documented [on paper] all will remain a
white elephant [monumental shadow]. As a result, the land will remain
thorny [horned continent] and exposed to weak struggles [divided strife] and
abject exploitation [plunder of gluttonous marauders].

The 3rd stanza becomes a warning that the colonizers are not overwhelmed by
wishes, they are practical people who wholeheartedly practice their plans all
the time [Day in day out/In season and out of season] as their
geographers/land surveyors [engineers] divide the land [plot your land] and
they use chicanery in their methods [Playing a cunning and crooked game
of chess].

The 4th stanza furthers the argument that the chameleon like approach
[steaming coffees…folded maps] they employ is only a decoy as they
determine your fate, both economically [measure…life] and politically
[mortal…reign…how long].

The 5th stanza accuses the entirety of the population [We] of wishing [ dream]
for resplendence [glory] in a land that has seen the acclivity and declivity [rise
and fall] of illusionists [men of vision].The illusionists wished [dreamt] of
corona [glory],some Shangri-La [paradise] but only to be rebuffed [on the
other side of the river].Failure was initiated by unsighted [blindfolded]
men-supporters of the oppressors, using fallacious arguments [aimless
weapons] to encourage [driving] the weak [frightened] members of the
population [people] into the hands of cruel exploiters [clinging claws of the
vulture].

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 Boon - A desirable state

Rachel - Jacob’s wife-mother of the Jews-representing all mothers. {The

Bible}

Visuvius - Volcano, 1277m high, rising behind the Italian city of Naples.
Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, but its best known eruption was AD79, when
the city of Pompeii was buried under ash and lava. The volcanic soils are fertile
and vines are grown on the lower slopes.

Cold War - Rivalry between the USA and USSR from 1945 to 1990-both
countries had the hydrogen bomb.

Adam & Eve - The first man and woman, ancestors of all humanity. (Book of
Genesis)

Sodom - An ancient city near the Dead Sea that along with Gomorrah was
destroyed by God for the vice and depravity of its inhabitants. (Book of
Genesis)

Noah – the Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the
animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of
rain; the story of Noah and the flood is told in the Book of Genesis. (Book of
Genesis)

Dance of death - meaning sexual intercourse in the poem.

AIDS (the disease) was discovered in the early 80s-almost the same time
Zimbabwe got its Independence persona is insinuating it is this independence
[freedom] which made men be excited, unfortunately sexually [pointing the
lances] and spread the disease [rabid].

Through money [AID] the women were lured into sex [dance of death].

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 The persona seems to allude the spread of the disease to an international
conference which was held in Harare {NAM--Non Aligned Movement} in the
mid-80s. The disease then spread fast [like a missile] and this resulted in the
death of many including children.

Towards the end of the poem the narrator says the disease was so ravenous
that it was outflanking the other natural disasters which had happened before
e.g. The Food, Earthquakes etc.

Magicians (Root-Hunters) mushroomed [boomed] claiming to have a cure

[anoint the blade…lips and gulf of the gourd] ---anoint can be taken to mean
use of the roots or use of condoms.

Work out the meaning of the poem using the notes given--you do not have to
necessarily agree with the proposed meaning--as long as you support yourself
whatever you say will be acceptable.

The Handshake and the Fish Eagle

Sputnik

The sputnik is an artificial satellite. The world has over 500 working artificial
moons or satellites that orbit the earth. Many of them relaying telephone calls
and television signals between ground stations around the world. Most are
positioned in Geo-stationary orbit--about 35900km above the earth’s equator,
the height at which they complete one orbit of the earth in 24 hrs. The first
artificial satellite was the Soviet Union’s Sputnik I, launched on 4 October
1957, the 40th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It measured 58cm in
diameter.

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 Apollo

Greek Roman god of music, prophecy, medicine and the Sun. Apollo
represents order and civilization, and is sometimes contrasted with Dionysus
{or Bacchus}, who represents the relaxation of inhibitions.

Or

Apollo Project - American space programme aimed at landing a man on the

moon. The 1st successful landing took place on 20 July, 1969, when Neil
Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin emerged from Apollo II’s lunar module, code
named Eagle, to spend 13hrs on the moon.

Red

Can mean Bolshevik {Russian red army}-referring to extreme radicals or

revolutionaries [Marxists].

Blue

Can be seen to signify the Union forces in the American Civil War {who wore
blue uniforms}.

Black

Negroid, black persons - Africa

The poem can be taken to mean the feud between the USA [blue] and the
USSR [red]. The influence of the USSR [once…a third of the Globe] has
dwindled [hacked to its original tenth]--probably as a result of its
disintegration. The battle of these countries is now in outer space [Sputnik,
Apollo] and the fate of Africa [Black flags] now in a precarious condition like
the vulnerability of the Fish Eagle in the sight of the vulture.

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 Jesus - was an Asian (Palestine) - religion his area of specialization. He wanted
reform in Judaism and the result of that reform was Christianity, almost totally
a different religion.

Karl Max - a German Jew-an economist-he wanted to see change in the

economic structure of society-he argued capitalism was flawed and society
will eventually be socialist/communist.

W.B. Yeats -poet/playwright-a social scientist-his writings dominated by

advocacy for historical change…obviously change for the better.

The persona uses birds to portray this confused multitude of religious,

political, economic and social issues smashing, bullying, and cracking each
other.

Work out what is represented by the following

• Dove
• Vulture
• Falcon
• desert birds
• Eagle
• sleeping lion.
The persona is directing this message to these three persons. Marshal .out the
specific given about.

• Jesus
• Marx
• Yeats.

Comment on why all the stanzas end with a question mark.

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 The Bird and the Vision

The poem was written in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR (union of
Socialist Soviet Republics). The Country that from 1922 to 1991 covered
nearly one sixth of the earth’s land surface and had inhabitants of more than
100 different nationalities. It was established after the Russian revolution.
Soviet leaders included Vladmir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev,
Leonid Brenshev and Mikail Gorbachev. After World War II the cold war
developed between USSR and the west. In 1985 Gorbachev introduced an era
of glasnost, or political “openness” and perestroika, or economic
“restructuring”-in effect the liberalization of communist policies. In 1991 one
after another of the USSR’s 15 republics broke with Moscow-signaling the
collapse of communism. The “Eagle” in the poem is the USSR.

The “vulture” is the west-herein called the vulture because of the exploitative
nature of their doctrine of capitalism. A very good example of this exploitation
is colonization-in Asia, Africa and the Americas. The West can also be taken
to mean NATO (National Atlantic Treaty Organization) founded in 1949 in
response to the expansion of the Soviet’s influence in Eastern Europe and to
Soviet blockage of Berlin (1948-49). The formation of NATO led to the soviet
bloc countries signing the Warsaw pact in 1955.

The feud between communism [eagle] and capitalism (vulture) is the gist of
the poem. The persona brings in an alternative [Dove, Christianity] and
suggests that this can be the time to revisit and evaluate these ideologies [And
re-examining the sacred and fossilized doctrines?].

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 Task

1) The above information has been given figuratively in the poem. Dismantle
the images.
2) Explain how Nehanda, Neliwe and the queen of the Mermaids are linked
to the main message tabled and eventually to the main theme(s) expounded
in the anthology.

Prayer to the Queen of Muses

Muses-see notes on “Murmurs of the Novice’’

Ramses- see notes on ‘murmurs….’

Green Island – see notes on “Which Boat to Green Island?”

Ferrywomen - a woman who separates a ferry (a boat that transports people or

vehicles across a body of water and operates on a regular schedule

Longest river - World’s longest river is historically the Nile -but latest data
shows that the Amazon River is slightly longer.

Universal sea - this can be the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest ocean. It
stretches from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

Task

1) The persona petitions the Queen of Muses. Identify 5 areas raised by the
petition.
2) Explain what is symbolized by the following
i) Lightland/ green island
ii) Queen of Muses
iii) Sons and daughters of Ramses

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