Caribbeanjournal
- Submitted by: Angelyn
- Views: 706
- Category: English: Poetic Works
- Date Submitted: 04/12/2014 05:52 PM
- Pages: 3
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Read the following poem and answer all the questions that follow
Caribbean Journal
He stands outside the fencing looking in.
Inside, sunbathers relishing their flesh -
some white, some black, and some of other skins -
diving and swimming, feign not to notice him,
fingers of doubt spread wide, gripping holes of mesh.
Some people on the grass are picnicking.
His pants are torn; he does not have a shirt;
his face, a mask of sun-flaked grease and dirt,
too young to understand his day’s events,
dreams mountain-slide of magic dollars and cents
to cancel knowledge of the stomach’s pain;
eyes learning what will later reach his brain.
In time they’ll be afraid to hear his curse
at god’s unholy Sunday-school arrangement,
put him inside wire-mesh or worse,
and sunbathe in the same sun on his hearse
or perish if his bullet gets them first.
[Cecil Gray]
1. In a single word or short phrase, state what you consider to be the most dominant subject or idea that the poem communicates. (1 mark)
Answer: Resignation to a life of poverty.
2. In a single sentence, state the theme or statement that the poem makes (implies) about the subject you selected. (2 marks)
The indifference of the affluent/haves/privileged to the plight of the poor/underprivileged/have nots can lead the underprivileged to conclude that their station/fate is doomed.
3. Identify and list three effective techniques or devices that help to convey this statement. For each device you identified, write a brief statement (one sentence) explaining its effectiveness (what it contributes to the poem, its function). (6 marks)
1) The use of symbolism. The use of the chain link fence in the poem is a concrete symbol of separation. Not only was there a socio economic barrier but there was also physical barrier which kept the two worlds separate.
2) Imagery – the visual description of the boy’s appearance in contrast to the persons on the other side...
Caribbean Journal
He stands outside the fencing looking in.
Inside, sunbathers relishing their flesh -
some white, some black, and some of other skins -
diving and swimming, feign not to notice him,
fingers of doubt spread wide, gripping holes of mesh.
Some people on the grass are picnicking.
His pants are torn; he does not have a shirt;
his face, a mask of sun-flaked grease and dirt,
too young to understand his day’s events,
dreams mountain-slide of magic dollars and cents
to cancel knowledge of the stomach’s pain;
eyes learning what will later reach his brain.
In time they’ll be afraid to hear his curse
at god’s unholy Sunday-school arrangement,
put him inside wire-mesh or worse,
and sunbathe in the same sun on his hearse
or perish if his bullet gets them first.
[Cecil Gray]
1. In a single word or short phrase, state what you consider to be the most dominant subject or idea that the poem communicates. (1 mark)
Answer: Resignation to a life of poverty.
2. In a single sentence, state the theme or statement that the poem makes (implies) about the subject you selected. (2 marks)
The indifference of the affluent/haves/privileged to the plight of the poor/underprivileged/have nots can lead the underprivileged to conclude that their station/fate is doomed.
3. Identify and list three effective techniques or devices that help to convey this statement. For each device you identified, write a brief statement (one sentence) explaining its effectiveness (what it contributes to the poem, its function). (6 marks)
1) The use of symbolism. The use of the chain link fence in the poem is a concrete symbol of separation. Not only was there a socio economic barrier but there was also physical barrier which kept the two worlds separate.
2) Imagery – the visual description of the boy’s appearance in contrast to the persons on the other side...