Thirteen Caleb Femi

Question 1

Summary of Thirteen

Answer 1

-About a boy who gets stopped by the police about a robbery that he is suspected of doing.
-This is all done 4 minutes from home which shows how ubiquitous and inevitable racism is in London. Even close to home, young black boys are not safe.
-The poem is symbolic of the experiences of young black men in London.
-In the prologue to Poor, Femi describes it as “an ode to a troubled yet enchanted world, and to the Black boys raised in it”.

Question 2

Key Themes

Answer 2

Racism, internal conflict, growing up, violence and power.

Question 3

‘you’

Answer 3

-The repetition of the pronoun ‘you’ emphasises that this racist behaviour is happening not just to this one young boy but to all black men all over London.
-He is not alone in experiencing this. It makes it impersonal and broad.

Question 4

’ you will be four minutes from when you are cornered’

Answer 4

‘you will be four minutes from when you are cornered’ -the repetition of the verb ‘will’ alongside pronoun ‘you’ shows the inevitably of black men being stopped by the police in London.

Question 5

‘thirteen you’ll tell him, thirteen’

Answer 5

-The repetition of thirteen shows how innocent and young this boy was simply returning from school before he suffers a racist attack which creates sympathy for the speaker.

Question 6

‘you’ll be patted on the shoulder by another fed whose face takes you back to Gloucester primary school’

Answer 6

Shows in primary school officers are not seen as a threat

Question 7

‘you are all supernovas, the biggest and brightest stars’

Answer 7

Shows that in school they use METAPHOR to tell children that they are exceptional and have bright futures
-Life is filled with hope

Question 8

‘two men cast lots for your organs’

Answer 8

Shows the violence on the streets of London.

Question 9

‘fear condenses’

Answer 9

-Highlights the amount of fear he has

Question 10

‘teacher speaking more about supernovas, how they are dying stars which will become a black hole’

Answer 10

-The extended metaphor shows that the policeman was misleading, and contradicts the policeman and his childhood experience
-Shows nowadays he has grown up to have fear and not as innocent as the past.
-‘Black hole’ can highlight that the racism he has experienced sucked all his hope away and realised there isn’t equal opportunities

Question 11

Negative semantic field

Answer 11

-There is a negative semantic field throughout the poem which could mirror the boy’s negative feelings about the interaction. For instance, “powerless”, “fear” and “dying”. These describe his adult experiences.

-This contrasts with the positive language which is used when the boy remembers his past in primary school: “stars”, “horizon”, “brightest” and “warmth”.
-These words contrastingly describe his childhood which he was filled with hope and possibility.