Poetry Exam Questions on "Conscientious Objector", "Our Sharpeville", "Cousin Kate", "Half-Caste", "August 6, 1945" and "The Drum".

Q1) Explore how the writer presents violent events in ‘Our Sharpeville’ (15)

The poem Our Sharpeville by Ingrid de Kok is based on the cruelty of apartheid in the late 20th century.  The narrator of the poem is a young white girl; made clear by the opening line, “I was playing hopscotch on the slate” Hopscotch is a child’s game, which expresses innocence and lack of understanding towards violence. Kok uses this to present racism through the eyes of a child, whom is unknowing of the differences between races and why segregation takes place.

The miners arriving bring disruption and resistance to the village, ‘their chanting foreign and familiar, like the call and answer of road gangs.’ ‘Foreign and familiar’ is an oxymoron, perhaps representing the feelings of the residents towards the miners. They are familiar as they have passed the girl’s house frequently in the past few years, showing that they are essentially part of that area. However, they are also foreign because they do not belong; they are different to the residents of Sharpeville, and they are treated differently by being given lower-class related jobs (miners). The miners also bring violent behaviour to the village, ‘call and answer of road gangs’ insinuates a careless approach towards the mines. The noun, ‘gangs’ represents a group of similarly related people whom are separate to outsiders. They are written to suggest they are going to cause trouble or turmoil, however they are simply going about their daily business, and have no bad intentions. This is used to represent how actions can be misconceived, and also influenced by race.

Our Sharpeville is structured into five different stanzas. The third stanza is significantly shorter than the rest, signifying that it is the climax of the poem and holds an important message. “Come inside, they do things to little girls.” This is simply a generalisation of black people being violent and assertive. Kok may have used this dialogue ironically, as it was spoken by the girl’s grandmother, whom would have been assumed to be wise and unbiased. This is a cruel comment, which Kok may use to represent the hostility of segregation and the implications that come with it. Her grandmother’s tone of voice is perceived as a ‘stiff broom’ which perhaps relates to brooms being used to ‘sweep away dust’ or other undesirable things. ‘Stiff’ specifically relates to forcefulness, and how the grandmother is quite firm with her warning and does not give a second thought to it. She is potentially exaggerating to ensure the child safety.

The poem is a ballad, despite its free verse structure. There seems to be no specific rhyme scheme, which suggests that the topic is solemn and serious. This relates to the imagery presented in the fourth stanza, ‘For it was noon, and there was no jade pool.’ The jade pool is an illusion that contrasts significantly with the first recollection and occurs after realization in the third stanza. This relates to the lies told by society, and the verbally violent nature that society withholds. This is used to present the lies as an opinion, which is biased, but yet used to brainwash children into thinking similarly, ‘I remembered from my Sunday School book’.

Overall, Kok uses a variety of different techniques to present the theme of violence in Our Sharpeville. The poem consists of irony which implies the topic is self-explanatory, yet it is made difficult by the differences of human nature. Our Sharpeville uses other poetic devices to display violence and hostility towards other groups, and this results in segregation and ignorance towards the thoughts and feelings of others.

Q1) How does Rossetti display the theme of relationships in the 19th century?    (15)

Cousin Kate is based in the 19th century, where males were seen as dominant in a coupling. The theme of relationships is strongly referred to throughout the poem, which suggests it holds significance to the plot and purpose of the poem. Rossetti attempts to portray the lacklustre consequences of male behaviour to their actions.

 The use of language in Cousin Kate is notable; poetic devices are used to emphasise certain points. Rossetti creates the idea that Kate lived a simple, rustic life before being courted by her husband, “Hardened by sun and air” relates to outdoors and nature. This insinuates that her lifestyle was very basic, perhaps consisting of washing, cooking and other household chores. This matches the stereotype of women in the 19th century, as they were expected to clean, wash and cook, and live very simple yet restricted lives. It also suggests that Kate was naive, as she lacked experience in the real world. Her life was tedious and continuous, and the word ‘air’ gives a dull interpretation of how her life was.

Q1) How does John Agard express the theme of prejudice in Half-Caste?     (15)

Agard uses a variety of different techniques to visit the theme of prejudice in the poem Half-Caste. There are different examples of language, structure and poetic devices which advocate this idea, and create an image in the mind of the reader. This is used to create empathy, giving the reader the ability to ask the question; why?

Language is an imperative feature in Half-Caste, which is used idiomatically in attempt to relate to the lifestyle of the narrator. The opening line, “Excuse me” immediately gives the reader the impression of an apology taking place. This is used sadistically almost, to create and element of sarcasm and a mocking tone. This sets the scene for the poem, allowing the reader to understand that the narrator isn’t genuinely serious about his apologies. Instead, it seems the narrator wants to put a point across. This relates back to the initial theme, prejudice. This is a concept not taken lightly, yet the narrator presents this issue as a joke, something to laugh about. He perhaps feels that the idea of prejudice is ridiculous, and to treat someone differently because of difference is preposterous.

Q1) Compare August 6, 1945 and The Drum.     (15)

August 6, 1945 and The Drum covey a similar theme of war and destruction, yet the way which this is presented differs significantly.  August 6, 1945 is a ballad, an anecdote of a past event, which was unmistakeably life-changing for thousands of families in the past.  The poet emphasises the themes of nature, which creates a symbolic interpretation of how the bomb disrupted the natural world. “Bees drizzle over.” The word ‘drizzle’ is not essentially powerful, but dreary. This emphasises the insignificance of nature; what has been done has been done, and it cannot be changed nor prevented by nature. The poet advocates that man overpowers nature, that nature will always be inferior and defenceless. This is further reinforced with the final lines, “Ladybirds, ladybirds” This is based on a children’s poem, which implies that ladybirds are free and able to fly away at will. The poet gives the impression that this is not the case, that nature, under the influence of man, is powerless. Ladybirds are bright red, with black dots, mirroring the victims of the bombing.  Blood red, speckled with jet black dust.