A Comparison of two poems for different cultures

Authors Avatar

A Comparison of two poems for different cultures

I have read two poems “Nothing’s Changed” by Tatamkhulu Afrika and “Two Scavengers in a truck, two beautiful people in a Mercedes” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Both poets have very different styles of writing and views on how people form other cultures are treated. I will be comparing the two poems to find similarities and difference between them.

“Nothing’s changed”

The poem “Nothing’s changed” is about a man who returns to the wasteland that was once his home and relives the anger he felt when the area was first destroyed. The poem is a protest against a racially divided society. The man feels angry that the town has a new exclusive “white’s only” restaurant that has a “guard at the gatepost” but still there is poverty around it, in the near by working men’s café people have to eat without plates and off a plastic tabletop

Despite the changing political situation there are still huge inequalities between the black and white people.

I think the title of the poem highlights that racism is happening in South Africa even thought it is supposed to have changed into a place where both black and whit people are accepted.

In the poem’s first stanza the poet describes the moment he first saw the restaurant where his home once was. The poet goes on to say in the second stanza that even thought there aren’t any actual signs stating that its “whites  only” he still fells that the black people aren’t welcome….this upsets the poet, he feels there has been no improvement in how the black people are treated.

Join now!

In the third stanza the poet describes the restaurant as he once remembered it. The poet says the restaurant stands out and is surrounded by “Port Jackson trees”. The poet also talks about a guard that stands at the guard post which made him fell like only white people were welcome inside, describing it “white’s only inn”.

In the fourth stanza monosyllables dominate the poem; this reflects the blunt, angry, aggressive mood. The stanza is a short one with a simple message. The poet feels that even thought there isn’t a sign stating that black people aren’t welcome “No sign ...

This is a preview of the whole essay