D1 Poetic devices

Source Grade 12 Republic of South Africa Basic Education National senior Certificate

AN ELEGY - Laban Erapu

 

When he was here

We planned each tomorrow

With him in mind

For we saw no parting

Looming in the horizon

When he was here,

We joke and laughed together

And no fleeting shadow of a ghost

Ever crossed our paths

Day by day we lived

On this side of the mist

And there was never a sign

That his hours were running fast

When he was gone,

Through glazed eyes we searched

Beyond the mist and shadows

For we couldn’t believe he was nowhere

We couldn’t believe he was dead 

1. What is the message of this poem? (4 marks)
2. Comment on the use of repetition (2 marks)
3. Using example from the poem, discuss the persona's nostalgic tone. (2 marks)
4. What is the effect of the enjambment used in the poem. (2 marks)
5. Discuss the use of imagery in the poem.( 4 marks)
6. Comment on the effectiveness of the last line of the poem. (2 marks)  
7. What would you say is the the of the poem. Explain using examples.

        

Read the Poem Building the Nation by Henry Barlow