Lost or Found World by Mongane Wally Serote

Question 1

What figure of speech is the opening line and what does it convey?

Answer 1

The opening metaphor of ‘skies of truth’ convey the speaker’s reluctance to confront the harsh truth.

Question 2

Which line reinforces the fact that he is trying to evade the truth?

Answer 2

This is reinforced by ‘scenes at the mercy of my curtain eyes’ which suggests closing his eyes to the truth and rejecting it.

Question 3

What are the connotations of mercy?

Answer 3

The connotations of ‘mercy’ suggest a reprieve.The closing of his eyes against the harshness of the world offers him a temporary respite.

Question 4

Comment on the line ‘often and more often’?

Answer 4

The idea of winking ‘often and more often’ suggests his deliberate effort to shut out the world as well as the idea that it is increasing in frequency.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the line ‘cut and forget the skies’?

Answer 5

He wishes to evade the truth of what the world has become hence his need to ‘cut and forget the skies’ which is a quick, purposeful action.

Question 6

What is the tone in this stanza?

Answer 6

The speaker has a disenchanted and distressed attitude.

Question 7

What is his attitude in stanza 2?

Answer 7

His attitude in stanza 2 is grief-stricken and the mood is desolate.

Question 8

What notion is conveyed in the line , ‘The sea of identity is tears’?

Answer 8

‘The sea of identity is tears’ conveys the notion that his identity has been shaped by tears. It can refer both to the oppression he has had to endure and the pain and anguish which were consequences of his oppression.

Question 9

What does the line ‘A too salty expression’ reinforce?

Answer 9

‘A too salty expression’ reinforces that there has been too much grief in his life.

Question 10

What is his creativity a byproduct of? (2)

Answer 10

His creativity is a byproduct of his aguish and pain.

• Poetry gives voice to his tears and allows him to articulate the pain and anguish through ‘bleeding my blue veins’.
• The speaker needs to achieve catharsis through ‘bleeding’ onto the page.

Question 11

What does ‘On the loose sand that shall sip, and the wind shall help cover it’ convey?

Answer 11

‘On the loose sand that shall sip, and the wind shall help cover it’ conveys his futility as it suggests that his words will be absorbed by the sand and will be covered by the wind implying that they will not leave a lasting impression.

Question 12

What does the use of shall imply?

Answer 12

The use of ‘shall’ implies that this is the nature of things and is inevitable.

Question 13

What does the ‘the needy arteries’ refer to?

Answer 13

‘the needy arteries’ refer to his need to express his emotions as well as his need to regain his identity through his writing.

Question 14

Is there a shift tone at stanza 3?

Answer 14

Yes, There is a shift in tone at the beginning of stanza three and is more hopeful, but this is merely temporary and the hope is merely illusory.

Question 15

What does ‘mountains of hope’ convey?

Answer 15

‘mountains of hope’ convey the speaker’s capacity for great hope, represented by the ‘flowers’ which bloom.

Question 16

What does the entire stanza convey?

Answer 16

However, this stanza conveys an all-consuming focus on capitalism and reflects how people focus on ‘money’ to the exclusion of all else. The bees are attracted to honey while humankind is attracted to money.

Question 17

Comment on the alliteration of the letter m?

Answer 17

‘This modern madness’ reflects what our society has become. The alliteration of the ‘m’ can heighten the effect of the focus on money.

Question 18

Comment on the significance of the line ‘snaps flowers from their stems’ and what the flowers represent?

Answer 18

‘snaps flowers from their stems’ is a harsh, uncaring action which suggests the economic exploitation that took place during apartheid and continues to exist in democratic South Africa. The flowers are the people that have never been allowed to flourish.

Question 19

Comment on the line ‘leaves dry dead bodies, walking up the street’ ?

Answer 19

‘leaves dry dead bodies, walking up the street’ entrenches the monotony and futility of their lives as they have nothing to show for it – they are dried out husks.
This exploitation of the workers suggests the reason for him trying to close his eyes to the harshness.

Question 20

What idea does line ‘Old wishes is present deeds’ convey?

Answer 20

‘Old wishes is present deeds’ conveys the idea that the old wish was to realise personal prosperity, but humankind is still striving to achieve this amplified by the ‘present deeds’.

Question 21

‘Bright with blinding for old’ is contrasted with ‘Dark with wonder for the new’, what does the brightness represented?

Answer 21

The brightness represents the hope that prosperity represented for the people seen as something blindingly bright for which everyone is striving.
It also represents the idea that with a new dispensation there was hope that this could be achieved, but the darkness reinforces that the people’s wonder and anticipation for the new has been unfounded and that darkness and lack of hope persists.

Question 22

What does the line ‘That’s where we are’ amplify?

Answer 22

That’s where we are’ amplifies the idea that nothing has changed.

Question 23

What is the significance of the exclamation mark in the final line?

Answer 23

The speaker’s exhortation, shown by the exclamation mark, affirms that nothing has changed and asserts the speaker’s sense of disbelief

Question 24

What is the tone?

Answer 24

The tone is reflective.