For Don M - Banned (serote) Flashcards
Elegy
Tribute to don m (speaking out against gov during apartheid through poetry)
Universal
- protest poetry
Mourning legacy of Don M (lamenting legacy)
(Result of experiences) — outlet stolen away
Structure
No structure
- accessible to all
- convey imp of simple message
“It is a dry white season”
Dry: devoid of fluidity & poetic creativity - no end in sight
WINTER: season of transformation & change (lesson to be learnt)
White apartheid regime (supremacy) : Season
- desolation & suffering
Period of: harshness, hardness, lack of life & vitality, no potential
“Dark leaves”
Oppressed individuals
(People of colour)
- lives were short and fragile(living under harsh conditions)
Resistance: poetry & songs (inconspicuous & hidden)
“Broken heart”
PERSONIFICATION: leaves do not gave hearts
- cannot experience heartbreak : desensitisation to survive
Sense of resignation & sorrow : quiet, unnoticed fall/ loss
Not even bleeding
Silent & unremarked: numbness & normalisation of suffering
- impact of oppression - pervasive (natural)
-unidentified / unimportant lives (black masses)
- just another number
- people fall/ are defeated without outcry/ recognition : JUSTICE?
“Brother”
Unison: I will protect you & stand with you : universal shared experience
SOLIDARITY
“Only the trees know the pain as they still stand erect”
Suffering in solidarity = strength
-collective endurance of oppressed communities
New generation will change narrative
Erect: endure , bare and witness pain but remain strong in stance
STRENGTH & ISOLATION: stand tall but bear pain alone
“Dry like steel”
“Dry like wire”
SIMILE
apartheid regime // unnatural & damaging
- nature warped into: industrial & unyielding
—- * mechanical resistance: constant oppression (desensitised)
Survival : demands emotional strength
Man- made & rigid
Repetition : “Dry White SEASON”
Emphasises Bleakness of situation
Infiltrates every part of that time
“But seasons come to pass”
HOPE
suffering may feel endless: reminder that this season is temporary
In solidarity: it will be overcome — give way to something new
Message of the poem:
A belief in change
- possibility of overcoming oppression through solidarity
- wisdom and value in each season of life: resilience
- subtle yet powerful encouragement for hope & perseverance ( period of hardship & adversity)
Contrast:
Harshness: DRY WHITE SASON
//
ending note of resilience
*oppression is a season and WILL PASS
Metaphor (extended)
Nature // Sufferers of Apartheid
Imagery (relates to diction)
- dry leaves, barren trees, unyielding steel
- desolation and stoic endurance of community in solidarity
