Nothing's Changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika (1994) Flashcards
Context
Time hasn’t changed anything. Poet returns to a place that has changed physically but is exactly the same as he remembers it. The place holds difficult memories for the speaker. The place represents the injustices suffered under apartheid rule.
Form and Structure
The poem has 7 stanzas which all work to explain and describe the poets feelings. There is no particular rhyme scheme. This is an autobiographical poem about the poet returning to district 6.
Attitude
The poem is full of anger and a cry of pain. The poem symbolises confidence and arrogance, not shame.
Style
The poet uses sensual imagery to convey the sense of the surrounding. There are a lot of full stops used in the poem, with the last sounding final.
‘Small round hard stones click under my heels,’
This tells the irritation and anger when he says that the stones themselves create a hard clicking sound.
‘cuffs, cans, trodden on,’
Untidiness all around which is increased more by the spreading of weeds.
‘and my,,,and the’
the repetition of ‘and’ shows the growing anger of the poet.
‘my bones…of my lungs’
Imagery of body parts depicts that the poet is full of anger.
‘it squats’
Personification of something almost lurking or hiding in the grass and weeds.
‘No sign says it is: but we know where we belong’
The fourth stanza is brief but it speaks a lot about the state of apartheid through the two lines.
‘crushed ice white glass’
Poet has used all this imagery to put emphasis on the ‘whiteness’ of the restaurant.
‘Wipe your fingers on your jeans’
The unpleasant and uncivilised scenario of mans cafe totally contrast with the restaurant.
‘I back from the glass, boy again, leaving small’
The poet moves away from the scene and reverts to being a ‘boy again.’ The whole experience has left him feeling inadequate and small.
‘Nothing’s changed.’
The has said this in anger at the whole scene, and this is the anger that is still in the mind of the poet.
