POEM HISTORIAL CONTEXT INTENTION/MEANING STRUCTURE POETIC DEVICES TONE/MOOD

For Oom Piet Finuala Dowling is a "For Oom Piet" is a For Oom Piet is written in The poem has a natural, almost The tone of the
South African poet, subtle, poignant free verse and does lyrical, rhythm that mimics poem an
Finuala Dowling author and meditation on the not have a formal rhyme the pattern of everyday appreciation for
lecturer. She was born in healing power of scheme or meter. The speech, perhaps most the subtle
POST-COLONIAL Cape Town in 1962, the connection and poem comprises four noticeable when read aloud. This gestures of
SOUTH AFRICAN seventh of eight community. The poem stanzas of varying seems appropriate for a poem kindness and
POETRY children, to Eve van der uses the unexpected lengths. The structure that explores how love, not
Byl, a radio presenter, bond that forms of the poem appears to transformative and healing necessarily
and Paddy Dowling, a between support its content, with the seemingly small gestures from someone
copywriter and neighbours to each stanza and moments shared between familiar or
broadcaster. Dowling's explore how simple, presenting a neighbours can be. known, can
childhood appears to unfussy, everyday description of aid in the
have had a significant gestures of love sequential events. The use of enjambment healing and
influence on her later and The structure also subtly throughout the poem supports recovery after a
works. Kalk Bay, in kindness can help a echoes the archetypal its casual, tragedy.
which she grew up and person endure their transformational story conversational tone, as does
until recently lived, is sorrow and suffering known as the ‘hero's its use of straightforward and The mood of the
the setting of several of and begin to heal. The journey'. In the first plain diction and simple poem is a
her novels, and she verse suggests that the stanza, the speaker is sentence constructions. feeling of
credits her 'very verbal, care and support we dragged into the hopefulness,
theatrical, witty' all need to recover unknown by her recovery and
family as her biggest and mend after a daughter. In the second revitalisation,
creative influence. tragedy can be found in stanza, the speaker though slow,
the most ordinary of meets her mentor or ally after the
Dowling says of her own places and even right on (her neighbour) for the despair and pain
writing that 'it brings our doorsteps if we have first time. In the third of a tragedy.
understanding, the courage to stanza, the speaker's ally There is
consolation, disregard the 'gates and supports her with gifts of almost a feeling
companionship [...] I fences' (line 5) that we love and support (ducks) of being
think of myself as have erected around that will help her face surprised by
keeping my readers and between us. In the future and real. In how small
company. I am laying a paying tribute to the the fourth and final gestures of
little person who offered stanza, the speaker kindness and
neural pathway, in her acknowledges how she love can
words, between my 'tea' (line 11) and has been changed or actually make
consciousness and succour in her time transformed by the one feel
theirs'. This connection of need, the poet experience. It is also better.
between people, encourages us to do noteworthy that the two
described here as the same. middle stanzas, which
empathy, seems to be describe the first
reinforced by Dowling's meeting and the gift of
belief that she writes ducks respectively, are
'because of a sense both eight lines in
that something length.
important has been
left
unsaid in my ordinary,
day-to day
conversations’. Indeed,
in describing one of her
 novels, The Fetch, she
explains how writing
the book was an
attempt to explore how
a character 'doesn't
want to live
anymore', an
endeavour spurred by
Strangers Forever Amin Kassam is a Guy
her ex-husband, "Strangers forever" is a "Strangers forever" is The poet also uses enjambment His tone is
Kenyan of Indian
Willoughby's choice to provocative and written in free verse. It and repetition to create a decisive,
Amin Kassam descent andby
die of HIV was raised
refusing challenging comprises one stanza sense of rhythm in the definitive, and
astoatake
Muslim.
anti-retroviralit
Perhaps examination of the of 25 lines in length. poem. absolute. The
POST-COLONIAL is this dual persona idea that we can ever The poem has no set poem begins
drugs.
SOUTH AFRICAN as both an African know ourselves or rhyme scheme and The extensive use of with
POETRY and an Indian that 'anyone else' (line 23) has an irregular enjambment creates the 'strangers
generated the fully. meter, with no impression of speed as the forever' yet
feelings of alienation The poem compares the repeating pattern of eyes move quickly across the ends with
and estrangement experience of being stressed and short lines of verse. 'forever
that pervade many of the alive to finding unstressed syllables. strangers’,
poems, such as "Leper", ourselves 'thrown The lengths of the lines The absence of punctuation showing we
"You Made Me" and together' (line 7) as vary from two to eight (there are only four punctuation begin the
"Strangers forever". 'strangers' (line 6) on syllables. There is a marks in the poem and two of journey as
His poetry also a train heading into subtle sense of those are the full stops at the individual
demonstrates a an unknown future. rhythm to the verse, ends of lines 24 and 25, the strangers,
fascination with, and The verse suggests that nonetheless, with a short concluding lines ) creates a foreign to each
keen our inability to know line of verse, two or three sense of monotony. The other, yet the
understanding of and share ourselves syllables in length, being speed and monotony of the transition
social completely followed by one or more verse evokes the movement shows
relationships and undermines our ability longer lines before and momentum although along
interpersonal to connect with one another short line. There 'passenger[s]' (line 2) this journey
dynamics, which another. The poem are usually two or three experience when riding on a we attempt
may well have been concludes that, longer lines of verse train. to form
developed by his ultimately, these 'hidden' between each of the connections,
studying social (line 11) or impenetrable shorter lines; for The repetition of words and we will still
sciences at McGill parts of ourselves example, the first line of phrases also brings a sense of remain
University in Quebec, prevent us from the poem consists of rhythm and rhyme to the 'forever
Canada. Kassam also achieving true three poem, most notably as the verse strangers”.
studied at the University intimacy and leave us syllables, the second and builds to its climactic conclusion,
of Nairobi and was the estranged from one third lines consist of five for example, there is the The mood
assistant editor of the another '[f]orever' syllables each, then the repetition of the words 'you' seems
literary journal Busara, (line 25). fourth line reverts to (lines 12, 13, 15 and 16), 'one' hopeless
before leaving the three syllables, and so (lines 19, 20 and 22) and and
country to study in on. This rough 'part' (lines 19, 20 and 22), ominous as the
Canada. The modest alternating pattern which also subtly emphasises “crowd” is
tone and unobtrusive mimics the gentle the central message of the uncharacteristi
subjects of his verse swaying movement of poem. cally “silent”.
often suggest that the a train running on its They have
meaning of life and a rails and the familiar nothing to say
deeper understanding alternating long short, to
of the nature of being 'clickety-clack' sound each other but
human can be it makes as it travels somehow this
discovered in and over the expansion silence does
explained by the gaps in the tracks. not
processes and events of seems
the natural world around peaceful and
us. rather
menacing.
POEM HISTORIAL CONTEXT INTENTION/MEANING STRUCTURE POETIC DEVICES TONE/MOOD
The Discardment Alan Stewart Paton was a "The Discardment" "The Discardment" is The poet uses enjambment to The tone of the
South African writer and portrays the sobering written in free verse. create a sense of rhythm and poem begins
Alan Paton anti apartheid reality of a The poem is pace in the poem; for example, with a sense of
activist. He was born in 'servant' (line 9) or composed of one stanza its use between lines 8 and 13 distaste at the
COLONIAL AFRICAN Pietermaritzburg in domestic worker's of 19 lines. It has no set lends the verse a rhythmic garment being
POETRY 1903 and worked as a unexpected and rhyme scheme and has quality and lively energy that discarded but
science teacher and the disproportionate an irregular meter builds and supports the 'joy' (line then evolves
principal of a outpouring of delight with the lengths of lines 13) the woman is expressing. into joy and
reformatory or youth and `joy' (line 13) at varying and no repeating excitement as
detention centre before being given a worn- pattern of stressed and The repetition of words and the women
publishing his first out unstressed syllables. Like phrases is also used accepts it. This
novel, Cry, The Beloved article of clothing. By other examples of free extensively to create a sense of continues until
Country, in 1948. A exposing the absurdity verse, rhythm and rhyme; for example the tone shifts
moving examination of of the situation and nevertheless, the poet the phrases 'called and cried' into something
the tragic highlighting the employs a selection of (line 5) and 'danced and more
consequences of `intolerable' (line 13) subtle mimed' (line 7) inject judgemental and
racism and the unjust disparity between the techniques to create a movement and tempo into the critiquing,
social structures that wealth of the sense of rhythm and description of the woman's forcing the
paved the way for employers and their rhyme, including happy excitement. reader to
apartheid in South worker, the poem enjambment, contemplate the
Africa. His novel was an transforms the shabby alliteration, anaphora The use of anaphora, the author’s words
immediate dress into an arresting and the repetition of repetition of the word '[t]o' at and intention.
success and a worldwide metaphor for the cruelty words and phrases. the start of lines 10, 11 and 12,
bestseller, raising and inhumanity of for instance, makes the lines The mood is a
awareness of the colonisation. The reader sound like a litany or refrain. critiquing of the
situation in South Africa is invited to appreciate Similarly, the repetition of the treatment of
globally and winning the extent to which phrase 'so for nothing' in lines black people
Paton international colonisation has 14 and 18 brings a sense of during
acclaim. While he is subjugated the woman, rhythm and rhyme to the final apartheid. It is
known for his prose alienated from her six lines of the poem. imperative
primarily, Paton wrote `world' (line 19), deprived that the
poetry throughout his her of her agency and The poet also uses punctuation reader,
life and maturity, and marooned to create a sense of rhythm and although
considered himself to her as cheap labour in an pace in the poem; especially initially happy
be a poet first and alien, westernised through the use of commas and for the woman,
foremost. society. In a dramatic full stops to create small pauses, contemplates the
inversion, the poem as can be seen in lines 3 and 5. magnitude of
suggests that it is not Additionally, the longer pauses what the author
the tatty clothing that is denoted by the full stops at the is trying to say.
no longer useful or end of lines 3, 7, 13, for instance, At first, the mood
desirable and needs to allow the tempo of the verse to is energetic and
be discarded, but the slow before building again. happy then
racist and cruel makes a
exploitation of black drastic shift to
South Africans. something more
demure and
contemplative,
with an
element of
judgment.