In the following essay I will endeavour to compare the two poems. Nothing changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika and An Old Woman by Arun Kolatkar. I will specifically look at the theme as well as relationship between people in their environment.

Diverse Culture & Traditions In the following essay I will endeavour to compare the two poems. Nothing changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika and An Old Woman by Arun Kolatkar. I will specifically look at the theme as well as relationship between people in their environment. The poem, 'Nothing Changed,' is about the poet that returns to the wasteland that was once his home, and relives the anger he felt when the area was first destroyed. This is described in stanza in stanzas 1and 2. In stanza 3' the narrator of the poem sees a new restaurant: expensive, stylish, and exclusive, with a guard at the gatepost' alliteration on g sounds emphasises harsh feeling towards white culture. He thinks about the poverty around it, especially the working man's café nearby, where people eat without plates from a plastic tabletop (stanzas 4). This makes him reflect that despite the changing political situation, there are still huge inequalities between blacks and whites. Even though South Africa is supposed to have changed, he knows the new restaurant is really 'whites-only'(stanzas 3). He feels that nothing has really changed. The voice of the poem is the poet's voice and it is angry in tone. This continuous through out. The deep anger he feels makes him want to destroy the restaurant - to smash the glass with a stone, or a bomb. 'Nothing's Changed' is an angry poem. It was written in the 1960s,

  • Word count: 1255
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Vultures' by Chinua Achebe, 'Night of the Scorpion' by Nissim Ezekiel, 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi, and 'Nothings Changed' - What are the main ideas in the four poems?

Essay title: What are the main ideas in the four poems? How do the poets describe experiences and inform us about their poems? Explain how the ideas presented in each of the poems revolve around the notion of the 'difference'. Relate these ideas to your own lives. Sources: * 'Vultures' by Chinua Achebe, * 'Night of the Scorpion' by Nissim Ezekiel * 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi * 'Nothings Changed' The characters in all four poems may all be different their situation and what they talk about but they are all similar as they all give the reader their opinion of as to how they see the world through their eyes and their beliefs. They question and reflect about their surrounds trying to make sense of what is happening and whether this is what life is like or is this something that will change. 'Nothings Changed' is about a young man who returns to where he once lived. There was apartheid when he was there, a law that divided blacks from whites. Despite apartheid being abolished people's ideologies and behaviour had not changed, still having that invisible barrier between the blacks and the whites. He describes the different classes whites (upper class) in their elegant restaurants, eating 'haute cuisine', whereas the blacks (lower class) are left in their 'working man's café' eating 'bunny chows', which is something of a cheap and filling

  • Word count: 1309
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Origins: Island Man and Nothing's Changed

Comparing the origins and cultures in Island Man and Nothing's Changed. Island Man is set in London, across the North Circular while Nothing's Changed is set in District 6. Island Man recounts a man originating from the Caribbean awaking from a dream and Nothing's Changed recounts a man revisiting his childhood to reveal nothing has changed. The speaker in Nothing's Changed is Tatamkhulu Afrika whereas Island Man has an omniscient narrator. Similarly both poems explore their past memories of their origins and compare them to present day. The speaker in Island Man appears to have an understanding attitude whereas the speaker in Nothing's Changed appears to have an angry attitude towards the issues explored. Language in Island Man is used effectively to convey the man's past origin to present day. For example 'of his small emerald island' This is particularly effective as the connotations of 'emerald' reflect a precious, rare and colourful island. This is later compared to a "grey" and "dull" North Circular to show the clear contrast between the man's origin and where he is currently at now. Further, light language is used which also engages the senses of the reader to portray the island the man loved so much. We can hear "the sound of the blue surf" which connotes a colourful and vibrates colours. A sense of understanding however is also visible as the narrator

  • Word count: 654
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Not my Business' by Niyi Osundare compared with 'Nothing's Changed' by Tatamkhula Afrika

In 'Not my Business' by Niyi Osundare when compared with 'Nothing's Changed' by Tatamkhula Afrika, the shared theme of injustice and segregation come across and are present in both poems. 'Nothing's Changed' is quite specific with its whereabouts and period: South Africa and post-apartheid. The poem, like its poet, is consumed with anger and bitterness and this is portrayed through its use of repetition of certain words (such as the repeated use of the word 'and' in the second stanza and the line, '...leaving small mean O of small, mean mouth' in the sixth stanza). The second stanza is stressing each part of his body with the use of the word 'and' because it is stressed; the tone becomes more heated and irate so the rhythm becomes quicker as if the poet were flying into a rage. The poem is in mainly-eight-line stanzas which each transpire developments in the plot (except for the The first stanza seems as if like it doesn't fit the rest of the poem; as it has nothing in it that could be interpreted as being about apartheid. However, the way that this stanza is worded, with hard consonants and sounds; it gives the area in which it describes, a hard and unruly feel, which was just as well because the description illustrates a harsh scene of weeds, stones and litter. But then, at the end of the first stanza, after all that, comes the last two lines: '...in tall, purple

  • Word count: 2419
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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In "nothings changed" the poet Tatamkhulu Afrika, focuses on the difference between the black race and the white race, where as in "two scavengers" Laurence Ferlinghetti focuses on the difference between rich people

Comparing "nothings changed" with "two scavengers" These two poems are both basically about inequalities but they both deal with different types of inequalities. In "nothings changed" the poet Tatamkhulu Afrika, focuses on the difference between the black race and the white race, where as in "two scavengers" Laurence Ferlinghetti focuses on the difference between rich people and poor people of a democratic society in America. In verse one of "nothings changed" the poet uses onomatopoeia in the first line: "small round hard stones click..." The word "click" is a stressed word and it is used to imitate the sound of the poet walking. Also onomatopoeia is used in line 6: "trodden on crunch..." "crunch" is the onomatopoeia word. The poet uses onomatopoeia words as he wants the reader to imagine they are with him as he walks. The poet is trying to bring the whole scene to life. In verse two there is repetition of the words "and" and "the", this shows the slow build up of anger that the poet feels. In this verse the poet talks about his body, this tells me he is angry but he is able to controlled his anger and that he is angry because things are still the same as what the were when he was a boy and although he apartheid has been demolished still nothing has changed and the blacks are still regarded as outsiders. In verse three the poet begins with the word:

  • Word count: 1399
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Charlotte O'Neil's Song" and "Nothings Changed".

English Essay - "Charlotte O'Neil's Song" and "Nothings Changed" Fiona Farrell and Tatamkhulu Afrika, the writers of the two poems convey similar feelings about oppression and injustice through many different techniques, such as layout, line length and choice of language. Charlotte O'Neil's Song is about a general servant working for an upper class family who finally decides she has had enough and moves on. She knows when she is treated badly and decides to do something about it. Nothings Changed is about a black man who lived in a poor town known as "district six" in South Africa that was run by white people. The whole society was extremely racist and only allowed whites to do as they wanted whereas black people, although they were free were only allowed in certain shops and to do certain things. This poem shows us that the man in the poem knows where he is not wanted and that the whites were racist towards them. "No sign says it is: but we know where we belong". Charlotte O'Neil's Song has a lot of repetition in the poem which emphasises certain things. In the third stanza the word "and" is used several times to emphasise that she had to do a number of things. This shows that Charlotte feels that she is unfairly treated and has far too many jobs to do, while her master enjoys parties and an expensive lifestyle. "You dined at eight and slept till late". This shows

  • Word count: 1198
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Humans in Their Environment

Humans in Their Environment By Paul Livingston In "Humans in Their Environment" by Paul Livingston, the topic of changed perspective is very apparent. This change of perspective, of an environmental protester being killed by the environment he is trying to save, is developed through the structure and the use of language devices. These devices include formal register, ambiguity, satire, black humor, verbs and adjectives. The structure helps develop the changed perspective. This is done, by the two paragraphs and the heading. The first paragraph is structured to look like a serious news report. The second paragraph on the other hand, is structured so that the use of irony is able to develop the changed perspective. The heading also helps develop the changed perspective, with the use of ambiguity. "Humans in their environment", complements the punch line in paragraph two that the protester is actually IN the environment, since "... he was turned into paper pulp..." The number of literary devices helps the changed perspective develop through out the passage. The formal register in paragraph 1 helps develop the sense that the story is actually true, until you gat to the second paragraph were irony is used to show that the story is too extreme to be real. Ambiguity in the heading changes our perspective of the saying "humans in their environment", since the protester was IN

  • Word count: 364
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare the two poems, "Nothings changed" by Tatamkhulu Afrika with Charlotte O'Neil's song by Fiona Farrell.

Compare the two poems, "Nothings changed" by Tatamkhulu Afrika with Charlotte O'Neil's song by Fiona Farrell When comparing the poems, 'Nothings changed' and 'Charlotte O'Neil's song' we see that they are set in different time periods and in different cultures. Charlotte O'Neil's song is set in the 19th century whereas; the poem Nothings Changed is set in the 20th century. However, despite this they are both autobiographical accounts about the injustices and inequalities of their own respective cultures. In effect, both poets are protesting about their life. The narrator of 'Nothings Changed' is a black peasant living in South Africa, and the narrator of 'Charlotte O'Neil's song is a maid serving a master in England. In 'Nothings Changed' the language of the poem is written in the present tense and although he is recalling the past, it is as if the poet is re-living the experience as he writes. Tatamkhulu is protesting about the differences in the way that black and white people are treated South Africa. He begins the poem in a calm mood, his description of the way he walks down towards where he use to live, tells the narrator that he is relaxed and is taking a leisurely walk, "Small round hard stones click under my heels", this statement reinforces what mood he is in as it is describing the way he walks. When he reaches the wasteland of where he used to live, district six

  • Word count: 1171
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How do the main characters in the poems "Charlotte O'Neil's Song" and "Nothings Changed" cope with change.

How do the main characters in the poems "Charlotte O'Neil's Song" and "Nothings Changed" cope with change. The poem "Nothings Changed" and "Charlotte O'Neil's song" both talk about the effects of change. The content in "Charlotte O'Neil's song" is of a maid who is extremely angry and is not willing to be a slave for hey "mistress" any more. She then makes up her mind to immigrate to New Zealand. In stanza one of "Charlotte O'Neil's Song" she makes a list of all the tasks and chores she used to have to do for her "mistress": You rang your bell and I answered, I polished your parquet floor." I think that this is an ironic start to the song because she mentions all of the physical challenges at hand but does not state how she can overcome all of this. In stanza two she tells us what a callous and bitter woman her "mistress" was and what differences there are between their life classes: "You dined at eight and slept till late, I emptied your chamber pot. The rich man earns his castle, you said. The poor deserves the gate." Which is saying the rich people deserves what they have earned by getting the castle and the poor only deserve the gate because that's what they have earned. This is also ironic because most poor class people have worked really hard for the money or food they get and the rich are sometimes born into money and are that tight fisted

  • Word count: 774
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Nothing's Changed' A poem by Tatamkhulu Afrika

Robert Gibson T10 'Nothing's Changed' A poem by Tatamkhulu Afrika 'Nothing's Changed' is by a South African poet named Tatamkhulu Afrika, it expresses his thoughts towards the Apartheid in South Africa. We watched a film interpretation of this poem with interesting scenes. The film starts with low camera shot of a can or a circular piece of rubbish in the grass reflecting the bright sky and a reflecting and dark image of an elderly man walking past with a stick. The low camera shot makes us feel as if we were actually in the grass or a piece of rubbish in the grass. The reflection gives the audience an idea that the writer's poem is all reflecting back on the past and maybe the blurred image of the man reflection could symbolise how blurred his life is, or how he doesn't know where he stands with the apartheid situation. This is the first of many reflections throughout the film also it also illustrates a 'small mean O' which is mentioned later on in the poem; 'Leaving small mean O of small, mean mouth.' Soon after, a man with old-fashioned brown shoes, treading on dusty stony ground, by showing only a sketchy reflection and the shoes of the man, creates a sense of mystery and wonder about who it is. Just after this a young boy briskly walks past, bends down and picks up a stick, it appears to the audience that it is the same person who is seen in the reflection and the

  • Word count: 2609
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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