Nothing's Changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika Flashcards
Context:
- This poem is a clear criticism of the Apartheid movement and its long-lasting effects; it was a scheme where white people were separated from people of “colour”, with D6 being one of the sites of discrimination.
- Afrika wrote this biographical poem after visiting D6 after the abolition of Apartheid (1948-1990s), and expressed his anger about the fact that nothing had changed, and discrimination was still rife.
- He was part of the African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela, at one point even arrested for terrorism while fighting against apartheid, earning the name Tatamkhulu Afrika.
Form and Structure:
- Free verse, allowing freer expression to represent the volatility of anger.
- Unequal stanza length, with a short 2-line stanza for emphasis.
- Enjambment creates a ranting tone to express anger and disapproval even further.
- Very interesting cyclical structure to exemplify the lack of change.
KEY QUOTE: Monosyllabic words at the start build tension, combined with the sharp auditory imagery, reflecting the speaker’s footsteps:
“Small round hard stones click”
KEY QUOTE: The grass is personified, while the dynamic verb “thrust” implies violence, depicting the speaker’s inner state of anger and conflict:
“seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds”
KEY QUOTE: Further harsh, clashing auditory imagery to represent the speaker’s frustration:
“cuffs, cans, trodden on, crunch”
KEY QUOTE: Very interesting oxymoronic phrase reinforcing the sense of conflict; perhaps it is a reflection of the speaker’s own feelings and situation - friendly, inclined towards good intentions, but unwanted:
“amiable weeds”
KEY QUOTE: Anaphora and polysyndeton engage the entire body of the speaker; they have no control over their anger, effectively portraying the build-up of strong emotion and tension, emphasising how powerful their frustration is:
“and my hands, and the skin about my bones, and the soft labouring of my lungs, and the hot, white, inwards turning anger of my eyes”
(semantic field of rage and struggle)
- Perhaps the engagement of the speaker’s body in this tumult of emotion exemplifies an intimate relationship between them and D6.
KEY QUOTE: The fricative alliteration between “flaring” and “flag” create a sense of arrogance and self-importance associated with the white people, suggesting that the restaurant is unapologetic and shameless, building further tension and conflict:
“name flaring like a flag”
KEY QUOTE: Lexical field of wealth and affluence, reinforcing the divide between the whites and people of colour, creating tension and conflict, exemplified powerfully by the “whites only inn”:
“new, up-market, haute cuisine, guard at the gatepost, whites only inn”
KEY QUOTE: Effective two-line stanza that stands out from the rest of the poem, dramatically emphasising a sense of belonging and attachment, perhaps protectiveness of the rights of the people of colour; the inclusive pronoun “we” creates a sense of unity and strength, perhaps representing hope, while strengthening the sense of anger:
“No sign says it is: but we know where we belong.”
KEY QUOTE: Images of wealth, luxury, and lavishness associated with the interior of the restaurant, an interesting symbol of the divide that angers the speaker so much; exemplifies emotional tension:
“crushed ice white glass, linen falls, the single rose”
KEY QUOTE: The speaker refers to the working man’s cafe, a sharp contrast to the restaurant and yet another symbol of the racial divide:
“spit a little on the floor: it’s in the bone”
- The speaker uses an informal tone, perhaps reminiscing about when he was in the area, once again contrasting with the upper class attitude in the restaurant.
- The speaker feels more comfortable in the cafe, furthering his opposition to the restaurant.
KEY QUOTE: Poem ends on a hopeless, melancholic tone of finality - nothing has changed; the violent language of the speaker exemplifies his anger at the divide between whites and blacks, reinforcing the sense of conflict:
“Hands burn for a stone, a bomb, to shiver down the glass. Nothing’s changed.”
- The glass is a symbol of the unjust divide that has taken away the rights of the blacks, which angers the speaker so greatly.
Summary:
This poem depicts the speaker’s powerful emotions of anger and resentment at the fact that nothing has changed at all in terms of the racial segregation in district six, South Africa, despite the abolition of Apartheid; he feels agony and frustration to see the “whites only inn”, a symbol of this divide that he opposes so much. Despite his anger, the speaker seems powerless as a result of the cyclical nature reinforcing the fact that nothing has changed, and perhaps nothing can be changed.
