He uses onomatopoeia in the first stanza, “Crush”. He also uses a lot of repetition in the second stanza, “and”. The third stanza is interesting because of the way it leaves the identity of the centre of interest, the “whites-only inn,” until the end of the sentence and stanza. This increases the tension and the sense of the poet’s anger, like an inferno. Its, the new whites-only inn - is “brash”; its name stands out. In the fourth stanza we are told that there is no sign saying this is a whites-only inn, but the black people know it in their very bones. They know where they belong, and it is not there. They are separated from it by a literal and metaphorical glass window through which they can look, but cannot pass.
The poem has six stanzas, each eight lines long. There is no regular rhyme scheme or line length, but most lines have two or three main stresses. In the fourth stanza you can immediately see that there are two lines broken off. This is because he wants it to stand out, to stick in the readers head.
The viewpoint in the poem is carefully shown. The first stanza puts us in the poet's shoes. It is as if we are walking with the poet across the rough ground. As the poem develops, it is easy to imagine where we are walking or standing, and what we see like when he says “I press my nose to the clear panes”. This makes it more that we will see things from his point of view. In the last stanza where he says “hands burn” we can imagine how his hands burn to take revenge. This is a physical image, one we can almost feel ourselves.
Overall this poem shows us a lot of prejudice and how something like this can leave a scar on some ones life for ever, even when it has gone physically, it will never go mentally.
The story “Desiree’s Baby” is about prejudice about black and white as well. The short story, “Desiree’s Baby” is about a woman who is abandoned as a baby and adopted and raised by a loving family. After she and her husband have a baby, and the baby has a dark complexion, her husband Armand accuses her of being of black descent and orders her to leave. The story ends with Desiree disappearing into the bayou with her baby.
At this time slavery was taking place. Armand ran a plantation full of slaves. Armand was evil to them, Desiree says “he hasn’t punished one of them, not one of them, since the baby is born”, this shows he was cruel to the slaves. It also says “Young Aubigby’s rule was a strict one, too….negroes forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old masters easy-going and indulgent lifetime”, this tells us that as soon as he took over from his father he was very harsh on the slaves so harsh that they forgot how to be happy, it also shows that his father was tolerant of blacks and in love with a coloured women. The story also shows, master over slave, white over black, and man over woman.
Armand was so proud, “Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish”. He was on top of the world because of his child. He didn’t treat his slave badly anymore which shows a lot because Armand is a cruel person, “Even Negrillon, who pretended to have burnt his leg that he might rest from work, he only laughed”. This shows how happy he was and when he finds out that his son is of mixed race he shuns his wife and the child he was so proud of only days before. “He absented himself from home and when here, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse.” He turned back into his old nasty self and turned on his family and plantation slaves, “Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves”.
Desiree is described by the writer as vulnerable and innocent, giving off the impression of her being pure and naive about what was going on around her. This will make the reader have sympathy for her as she does not know what is happening. Desiree is being stuck in the middle by Armand and she is confused and depressed. She couldn’t handle that she is being accused of being black. Desiree wrote to her mother in hopes of finding answers, but all she offered was a place for her and the baby to stay. Desiree went to Armand asking him if he would like her to stay or go. This is an example of the dominance of men over woman. The evil Armand truly believed that God had punished him and he was getting God back by what he feels was unjust treatment. Persecuted Desiree leaves with the baby and disappears into the bayou and they are never seen again. Desiree is feeling she wants to commit suicide, “Desiree was miserable enough to die”. It also shows that Desiree is very emotionally disturbed.
The story is ironic because Armand discovers a letter written by his mother, “…I thank God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery,” which explains that it is he who is of mixed race. The writer puts this twist at the end so we feel strongly against Armand. The time sequence of the story is very important, it makes the story more interesting to read, without it the story wouldn’t affect the reader as much. It is done buy the story starting of with happiness for both Armand and Desiree and everything is perfect for them, this makes the reader feels happy for them. The next part is when they find out the baby is black and the story makes the reader become angry towards Armand and sad towards Desiree and the final part, where the reader finds out that it is Armand’s fault and not Desiree’s fault that the baby is black, this makes the reader have mixed emotions; angry because Armand deserves it and really sad that he spoilt both the baby and Desiree’s life and it was his fault.
The language of the story is intricate. Originally they spoke French because they came from France. The writer uses a lot of different ways to express colour, “white”, ”fair”, ”dark”, ”black” this is to get a more better image of the surroundings or it could be to remind us of the focus of the class. The writer tells the readers about the baby when Madame Valmonde says “this is not the baby” the reader thinks the same thing as Desiree (he has gone big) but the twist at the end will make you think about this as well. L’Abri is described as “a sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress,” this tells us that it the atmosphere here is quite dull and boring. Madame Valmonde also “Shuddered” which could also show that a civilised person might not be here. It could also relate to Armand’s evil nature.
The writer’s viewpoint is very simple. The writer at the end of the story wants us to feel angry at Armand as he is to blame for everything that happened to Desiree and his son. The writer wants us to think about how Armand cares about his respected name and that he will send away his wife and child just because his child is black. The writer wants us to think that Armand abolished his family for his power and respect in the society. Armand is a man of power and will react by keeping this all a secret. What he did to Desiree and his child will affect him to a certain degree, but it will not affect his power on the plantation. After a while he will realise what he did to his family. He will regret his actions and appreciate what he had at one time. No problems will arise because of the letter being a secret, but he has to face a future of sadness and remorse. Armand’s identity will stay strong in the plantation and he will hold the same power as he did before, at the cost of his family.
I think the both the poem, “Nothing’s Changed” and the story, “Desiree’s Baby” are both sad and tragic. Both the writers concentrate on how racism affects people’s lives and how it can alter them dramatically. They have both done this very well because of how it has been written and how the language is used. Overall I think the readers of the two pieces will be affected by what they read because how well it’s written. They both concentrate on prejudice and racism and they both want the reader to see what people were going through at that time.
By Fayyaz Noorgat
