Geography Past Papers

SHORT STORY NOTES
PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE ANALYSIS PART OF THE SHORT STORYINVOLVING THE THEMES AND
THE TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN THE STORIES.THIS PART HAS
USEFUL QUOTATIONS THAT YOU OUGHT TO MEMORIZE.
SUMMARY
This short story is about a white American woman's encounter with a black man on the street of an
unnamedisland in the Caribbean. The story opens with the young lady waiting at a bus stop on the
night of a blackout.She encounters a young man who approaches her and politely asks for a light (for
his cigarette). She explainsthat she does not have a light, but he points out that she is smoking a
cigarette. She grudgingly acquiesces togive him a light from her cigarette. She holds her arm out for
him to take her cigarette and light his, but instead,as is the case with many smokers, he bends over
the offered arm and lights his cigarette. He looks up to thank her and realizes that she has discarded
her cigarette. An ongoing internal monologue occurs, where it is revealedthat the white woman is
racist. The black male proceeds to educate her on the differences in race relations in theCaribbean
versus America. The situation remains unresolved as the woman boards the bus and goes on her
wayand the man remains at the bus stop, where he picks her half smoked cigarette out of the gutter.
SETTING
An unnamed island in the Caribbean.
The story occurred around the time of World War II.

CHARACTERS
American Woman (White)
Took pride in the fact that she was an American young woman who did not scare easily.
Considered herself to be superior to the young man.

Caribbean Man (Black)
Had a sense of pride about being black.
Did not consider himself to be inferior to the American woman.

THEME
Racism
This is a strong theme in this short story. The simple act of asking for a light becomes a tensionfilled
moment in time where two individual's honestly confront each other about their beliefs. Thefact that
the woman feels that she is superior to the man, based on race, is highlighted when sheexpresses the
following views:1. 'She could snub him quietly, the way she should have properly done from the start"
(Mais,p.10)2. 'In America they lynched them for less than that' (Mais, p.10)3. 'Do you really think that
all men are created equal?' (Mais p.10) The young man's reaction to her rejection of him is to be
quietly contemptuous, a reaction thatshe categorizes as insolence, proving that she believes herself to
be superior to him. Herreaction implies that he should be accepting of whatever she 'dishes out' to
him. She boards herbus, shaken, but still holding on to her beliefs, as seen in her refusal to take a last
look at him.
However, the young black males show of strength is, ironically, lessened by the fact that he picksher
cigarette out of the gutter.
Shabine Literature Notes
SUMMARY
'Shabine' is the story of Justene, a mixed race woman who is constantly mocked for being poor, of
mixedheritage, and presumably promiscuous. She was taunted with the words jametteand shabine
(half white, or of mixed heritage) on the streets. The story opens with the narrator explaining that she
had a fiery temper, whichshe unleashed on her tormentors when provoked. Her two sons, Gold and
Silver, were subjected to similar taunts, with Silver reacting in the same way as his mother, while Gold
tried to do damage control. The reader then learns that Justene had lived with her mother, who was a
maid in Justene's father's house. It is implied, bythe narrator, that her mother invited white sailors
surreptitiously into her house to sleep with Justene. The rest of the story is filled with the narrator's
regret for what could have existed between him and Justene.
SETTING
The name of the Caribbean island is not mentioned.
The story is set around the time of WWII, when American troops were prevalent in the Caribbean.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Justene (Shabine)
She is described as having 'pale, reddish skin colour, the mass of coarsish red hair that resembled
thewool of sheep, the grey eyes ... the chocolate freckles.' (Simmonds-McDonald, p.14).
She is very coy and provocative, as can be seen in her response to the narrator.
She does not fear her taunters, but boldly defends herself.
She is fiercely protective of her children, as can be seen when she defends them.
She is a proud woman who does not want her children to stoop to the level of their taunters.
Narrator
He is male.
He seems to be completely enthralled by Justene, as is seen with the token of fruit, paradise plum,
thathe ritualistically left for her on the gate post.
He mourns the loss of the possibility of a future that he might have had with Justene.
MINOR CHARACTERS
Gold
- Justene's son. He had thick wooly red curls, red bushy eyebrows, a freckled face and grey eyes.
Silver
- Justene's son. He was sort of blond, he had straight close cropped, sun bleached white hair and he
wasfearless.
Mr. Cazaubon
- Justene's mother's employer. He is also Justene's father, but he does not acknowledge her.
Mrs. Cazaubon
- Wife to Mr. Cazaubon. She is aware of Justene's parentage, and treats mother and child in a
contemptuous manner.
Shabine's mother
- Mrs. Cazaubon's maid. It is rumoured that she died from 'too much rum and grief becauseMisie
Cazaubon had never kept his promise to her to acknowledge Justene as his daughter and to send her
toConvent School.' (Simmonds-McDonald, p.13).
THEMES
Love and Family Relationship
This theme is brought out by Justene and her two children. She protects them by dispersing her
children'stormentors in a hail of her own words and stones. She then told them that they should not
respond to their tormentors because they would become like them. This is the hallmark of a loving
mother. She defends and protects her children, yet teaches them the value of maintaining their pride.
This is in contrast with the veryvague details surrounding the relationship with her mother.Whereas the
reader sees Justene hugging and comforting her children, there is only the implication thatJustene's
mother allowed white sailors to 'visit' her home, implying that Justene might have been the lure, or
themother herself. The narrator also implies that he had good intentions towards Justene through his
shy, patientand consistent courting, however, Justene's mother discourages this: 'Justene's mother had
come to complainabout his giving of paradise plums and putting ideas in Justene's head and upsetting
her life' (Simmonds-McDonald, p.14 ). The narrator implies that she robbed her daughter of a future
that was close to 'paradise' asJustene would have gotten. She is not a totally bad mother, however,
because she stands up for her child whenMrs. Cazaubon attempted to treat her like a servant.
Women in Society
This short story highlights the fact that women, in general, have very few choices. Justene's mother
has a child by her employer and remains under his roof. Many people would argue that she had a
choice to leave with her child, but that is easier said than done. Raising a child takes a village, so it is
difficult for anyone to decide toleave a space of financial security. The argument is the same for Mrs.
Cazaubon. She stays with a man who hasfathered a child, in her own home, with their maid. What is
even worse is that the maid and the child, theevidence of her husband's indiscretion, remains in her
home. Her impotence, concerning the situation and her life, is seen in her treatment of Justene and her
mother, as well as her quarrels, or rather, abusive monologues,with Mr. Cazaubon. Both women are
tied to this man based on the fact that he provides financial security in aworld that can be even more
cruel to women who lack this.The severe hypocrasy in the society, as it concerns the sexual
indiscretions between men and women, is alsohighlighted in this short story. Justene and Mr. Cazaubon
are treated very differently for their sexualindiscretions. Mr. Cazaubon remains a respected gentleman,
despite fathering a child with the maid, and havingthem reside under the same roof with his wife, while
Justene is stoned and castigated in the streets for keepingcompany with white sailors, as implied by
the narrator. Society appears to have different rules for women andmen in the sexual arena.
SYMBOL
Paradise Plums
Paradise plums represent the alternate life that Justene could have had. The fact that this fruit was
used to courtJustene in such a shy, innocent and consistent manner, implies that her life with the
narrator could have been
very pleasant and healthy.
Emma Literature Notes
SUMMARY
This short story is told from the first person perspective of a little girl called Dorian York. The focus of
her thoughts is her mother; the games that they play together, and the games that she plays with her
friend, thatrevolve around her mother. The first person perspective of the narrative gives the reader an
intimate view of how the little girl sees her mother, as well as how she feels about her. We are also
able to garner informationabout the people around her from her innocent narrative, innocent because
the little girl does not understandmany of the things that she reports. The audience learns that Emma
and Mr. York have a volatile relationshipthat is seemingly caused by his infidelity. This infidelity is
initially implied by Emmas constant watching of theclock and waiting for her husband to return home,
as well as the fight that Dorian reported. Grandfathers visit brings a happy atmosphere to the family
unit because daddy starts to do things with the family, and they seemmore like a conventional happy
family. The audience is given the impression that things go back to normal after grandfather leaves,
however, due to the spectral presence of the lady at the train station, as well as Mrs.Robinsons
pointed discussion about Mr. Yorks status as a player. The narrative climaxes with the death of Emma
at the train station. She saw her husband with the mysterious lady and runs away, followed closely
byDorian and Jack. Unfortunately, when Jack caught her by the arm, she ran into the path of an
oncoming vehicleand was killed. Jack and Mrs. Robinson then get romantically involved, and they send
both Maria and Dorian toSt. Agnus, a boarding school, in the country.
SETTING
The story occurs in three places; the York residence, an unnamed mall and the old train station.
The mood of the story fluctuates from happiness to sadness.

CHARACTERS
Jack York (Daddy)
He is Dorans father and Emmas husband.
He is characterized as a player by Mrs. Robinson.
He is not faithful to his wife.
He was not ready for the arrival of his daughter, Dorian, and does not seem to have a close
relationshipwith her.
Emma York
She is Dorians mother and Jacks wife.
She is a good mother who plays with her child and treats her well.
She is a good wife who loves her husband (as seen in how she greets him when he gets home) and
isconsiderate of his feelings; as seen in her reasons for not having another baby.
She is a very smart and polished lady who can handle herself with people who are coy and critical
of her; as seen in her argument with Mrs. Robinson in the mall.
Dorian York
A very innocent little girl who is the first person narrator of the story.
She is younger than her friend Maria, who is nine (9) years old.
She adores her mother and her grandfather.
She is often puzzled by the content of adult discussion.

Grandaddy
Emmas father.
Brought joy into the family because daddy stayed home, came home early, and spent quality time
withthe family, due to grandaddy's implied interference.
Loved her grandfather because he seemed to do what her dad didnt spent time with her and her
first person perspective of him reflected her love.
Ruby Robinson
She is Emmas friend and Marias mother.
She is not a good friend to Emma because she is both critical and jealous of her.
She gets romantically involved with Jack after Emma dies.
Shes very impatient with both girls.
She sends Maria and Dorian to boarding school in order to enact her plan to keep the player.
Maria Robinson
She is the nine (9) year old daughter of Ruby Robinson.
She is Dorians playmate.
She filters and explains a lot of the adult conversations that Dorian does not understand.
THEMES
Innocence
This theme is epitomized by Dorian York. The story is told from her perspective, therefore, the reader
gets afirsthand view of the innocence behind her misunderstanding of adult conversation and
situations. She sensesemotions, but misses a lot of the innuendo, as is seen when she tells the
audience about the fight that her parentshad. Her innocence is also seen in her expectation that her
mother would come home after the accident, butinstead, she finds Mrs. Robinson in her mot hers bed.
Her growth, or advancement into maturity, is highlightedin the end of the short story when Dorian
reassures Maria that everything will be ok, they will play adult games better.
Love and family relationship
There are two types of families in this short story, the nuclear family and the single family unit.
Dorians familyis the nuclear family, consisting of mother, father and child. This family is a troubled
one because the father isseemingly more absent than present due to an implied other woman, who is
later confirmed as very real. Healso seems uncomfortable around his only child, as is confirmed by
Emma, who decides to forgoe havinganother child because Jack wasnt ready for Dori (Cole, p.53).
Emma, on the other hand, seems to live to please both her child and husband. She is very affectionate
with Dorian, and this love is returned ten fold, asseen in the adoration that imbues the tone of the
narrator. She is the same with her husband, but the reception isless enthusiastic. It would be unfair to
say that the family is dysfunctional, because one parent is at leastinvested in the emotional happiness
of the child, but the family has issues because the head of the householdsconcentration lies
elsewhere.
Mrs. Robinson is a single mother, parenting her only child; Maria. She does not appear to be
particularly liked by both girls because no-one wants to play at being her. She aggravates her child
constantly and appears to beunhappy with her life. This family structure can be seen as dysfunctional
because the parent does not seem todevote her energies toward making her child feel loved and
comfortable, which is one of the primary aims of any family structure.
Friendship
There are two contrasting friendships in this short story. There is the friendship between Dorian and
Maria,which is characterized by play, conversations and support of each other. Then there is the
friendship betweenthe adults, Emma and Mrs. Robinson, which is contrastingly characterized by
cattiness and jealousy; mostly onMrs. Robinsons part.
MOTIF
Play
The motif of play appears to be a strong one in this short story, perhaps due to the fact that the
narrator is ayoung child. The children play at being adults, immitating and fighting over their
favourite adult. Theyalso literally see the life of adults as play. Dorian confirms this at the end of the
story when she reassures Mariathat I learned a lot about this game. When its our turn to play, well
play smarter. (Cole, p.58).
SYMBOL
Deck of cards
The deck of cards that Emma carries around in her purse is a powerful symbol for life. In any card
game that is being played, every-one has a chance at success, or failure, depending on how they play
the game. Mrs.Robinson gives Emma an alternate way to play the game of life, with success being the
joy of keeping her player husband. Emma, however, chooses to play the game in an another way, one
in which she attempts tosatisfy the needs of both Dorian and Jack. Emma is the loser in the game,
however, because she dies with the joker in her hand. This signifies that her future could have gone in
any direction because the joker introducesthe element of chance to the game; it can be a bonus, a
penalty, or both, depending on how it is used in thegame. In the game of life, Emma lost because she
chose to take a chance with pleasing both members of her family, instead of concentrating solely on
her husband, as Mrs. Robinson suggested. The game of life gives every-one chances however, just like
acard game, and Mrs. Robinson was given a chance to bag her rich man with Emmas exit from the
game.
The Man of the House Literature Notes
SUMMARY
This short story is about a little boy called Dooley who has a sick mother. Dooley is initially
unconcerned abouthis mothers illness, and mildly pleased, because he got to stay home and play at
being the man of the house.However, his initial delight changes to concern on the second day due to
his fear that his mother has pneumonia. The second night and the third day are even more frightening
because he had to fetch the doctor andtravel to the North Dispensary to get her medication. At the
dispensary he meets a young girl who tricks himinto drinking, and sharing the medicine, with the result
being an empty bottle to take home to his mother.Dooley suffers extreme guilt as a result of this and
goes home crying. His mother consoles him and forgives hischildish misdemeanor.
SETTING
A town called Cork, in England.

CHARACTERS
Dooly (Sullivan)
A very responsible little boy.
Enjoys playing at being a man by taking care of his mother and the household chores.
Mother
A sickly lady.
She feels guilty that her son has to display such maturity by taking care of her.
Displays what a loving mother she is by understanding that Dooley is an innocent boy that succumbed
to peer pressure.
She also takes excellent care of her son when she is able to do so.
Minni Ryan
She is a family friend who advises Dooly during the course of his mothers illness.
A middle aged woman who is very knowledgeable.
Very pious and gossipy; according to Dooly.

Doctor
He was a fat, loud voiced man.
He was the cleverest doctor in Cork.

THEME
Love & family relationship
This is shown in the relationship between the mother and her son. Dooly is frightened that his mother
will die of pneumonia, so, despite his fear, he enters a public house (pub) in order to ensure that she
gets her home-maderemedy, and travels to an unsavory neighbourhood in order to get her medicine.
The mother is equally devotedto her son, as seen in her guilt over the fact that he has to take care of
her. She is also very understanding whenhe succumbs to the peer pressure of drinking her medicine.
She understands that one cannot expect a child to bea man, no matter how well he does at playing at
being a man. Her love for her child is also manifested in the pride she feels when he displays the level
of maturity akin to an adult.
Innocence
The fact that Dooly does not recognize that his new friend is using him for a taste of his cough syrup
proves thathe is still an innocent young man, at least in relation to the ways of the world. Despite
playing at being a man,he is still an innocent child. His reaction, after realizing that he was used, also
points to his innocence. He reactsin the manner that any child would, he ran home crying.
Septimus Literature Notes
SUMMARY
The short story 'Septimus' is set in Barbados. It is told from the perspective of an adult and opens in
thepresent. Mama is crying over a letter that she has received from Septimus. The last sentence of
the letter makes Mama cry at last I can have a whole apple for Christmas. A flashback occurs at
this point.Septimus family resides in the Gap and the reader learns that the seven children have
claimed the place and itsresidents. The story really begins one Christmas Eve when Mama sent the
girls on an errand to Aunt Blesshouse. She had recently returned from shopping in town and Septimus
saw three shiny apples on the top of theshopping bag. He ran off with one because he wanted it for
himself. He was told that this was impossible because the three apples had to be shared among the
nine members of the family. Septimus was not pleased, buthe was appeased by Aunt Bless, who later
gave him an apple for himself. When he returned home, he sliced theapple in nine pieces and offered it
to his mother.
SETTING
The story is set in Barbados.
CHARACTERS
Mama:
Gentle and caring.
Strict with her children, for example, the girls thought that Septimus would get in trouble for
acceptingthe apple.
Septimus:
The seventh child out of six.
The only boy and the youngest child.
6 years old at the beginning of the story with a childish selfishness.

Performs a caring and beautiful thing by sharing his apple.
Aunt Bless:
Real name is Letitia.
Given the nick name by Septimus because of her habit to greet people with a blessing.
Loves all the children.
Septimus is her favourite of the seven children.

Old Bostic:
A watch maker.
A very grumpy man who tolerates the children.

THEMES
Poverty:
The family is very poor, as seen in the description of where they live, the Christmas gifts that Mama
bought andthe sharing of three apples among nine people. The narrator herself confirms that the
family is poor, the
principle had to be established that what we had which was not much had to be shared p. 107.
Happiness:
Despite their physical state of being poor, the seven children were very happy. A major part of this
happinesswas their ownership of the Gap and the people in it, they had a sense of belonging.
Innocence:
Septimus defines this through his youth, as well as his actions based on his youth. He is perturbed by
theconcept of sharing, initially, but once he got pass this feeling, he embraced the concept with the
vivacity of innocence and youth.
SYMBOL
Apple:
The apple represent knowledge and a loss of innocence because a six year old child is forced to face
the realityof being poor. He cannot have a whole apple for himself. The child is no longer innocent after
he is faced withthis reality because he learns that life is not fair because he cannot always get what he
wants. The apple alsorepresents growth as well because Septimus is able to accept his situation by
voluntarily sharing his apple.
Literature Notes
The Day the World Almost Came To An End
SUMMARY
This short story was told from the perspective of an adult and chronicles the events behind a childs
(the adultnarrator) belief that the world was about to end. The story is set on a plantation in Louisiana
in 1936, where thechurch was the axis around which plantation life revolved. Despite this fact, the
narrator was holding on to being a sinner because she believed that she could not live upright. One
day, while she was playing, her cousinRena informed her that the world was coming to an end. This
was based on a conversation that Rena overheard,and misunderstood, about the eclipse. The hellfire
sermons in church did not help to stem the narratorsmounting panic and she worried herself into a
frazzle as a result. She had a conversation with her father aboutthis issue and he tried to quell her
fears, but unfortunately, he only managed to increase it with his statementthat the world could come
to an end at any time. The narrator spent the night conjuring images of dooms day,which led to her
overreaction to hearing the rumblings of an old airplane. She ran out of her house screamingthat the
world was coming to an end. Her father caught her on the road and calmed her down. She
appreciatedlife a lot more after that and lived her life to the fullest.
SETTING
The story occurs on a plantation in Louisiana in 1936.
CHARACTERS
Daddy:
Understanding
Has a good relationship with his daughter

1st person narrator:

Imaginative
Bold
Naive
Rena:
Naive
THEMES
Religion:
This is the central theme in this short story. Plantation life was centered on religion to the extent that
even thenarrators father was a deacon. Religious fervor, in the form of hellfire preaching, is also the
fuel for the panicthat overtakes the narrator/protagonist in this short story.
Love & Family Relationship:
The love and trust between father and daughter is glaring. When the narrator/protagonist was worried
about theworld coming to an end, the first person that she thought to consult on this issue was her
father. His response toher childish fears, in turn, highlights the easy relationship between the two.
Daddy's care in covering hisdaughter after her mad dash through the turnrow is also an indication of
the love that he has for his child.
'The Day the World Almost Came to an End'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor
It has been three weeks now that we have not looked at the short story on which we were working
earlier.This week we will return to it. Let us deal with those questions that I had given you and which
you havehad ample time to answer.
1. Is the speaker describing something that has happened or something that is happening?
How do we know this?
You will agree with me that the speaker in 'The Day the World Almost Came to an End' is telling us
aboutsomething that had already taken place. We know this because she uses the past tense and
informs usthat she guesses that she 'got some good out of it too'. While she does not seem sure of
this, there is thesuggestion that she has had time since the incident to reflect on the impact it had on
her. Notice she saysthat the event, to which she refers as a calamity, 'befell' her 'back in 1936'. If she
had been describingsomething that was happening at the time, she would not have used the word
'back' in addition to thepast tense.
2. What is the relationship between the church and its members?
The church, in this short narrative, is influential. The pastor is described as a hell-fire preacher, one
whoscared people with his description of the devil and hell. He would have kept his congregation, that
is,those members who took the Bible literally, in a state of fear. I want you to notice that although
thespeaker's father is a deacon and church council member, he is not as easily frightened as other
members.The church was more than that. It meant a great deal to those who lived on that Louisiana
plantation.Everything on that plantation revolved around the church. People worked in partnership with
it."...the Mother to whom the folks took their problems, the Teacher who taught them how the Lord
wantedthem to live, the Chastiser who threatened them with hell."It is clear that the church was
powerful, whether that power was in the hands of the pastor or the churchcouncil is not important
here. What is, however, is the control that the church would have been able toexercise over these
people as it found solutions to their troubles, interpreted the Bible and the mind of God, and doled out
punishment.
3. What does Rena mean when she tells her cousin to 'get some religion'?
Do you think Rena understood what she was telling her cousin to do? I have my doubts. This was
aphrase, it appears, that she had heard her elders using. It is likely, though, that she believed that it
hadsomething to do with saving one from going to hell but the specifics do not seem to be clear to
either girl.If they are, they do not come out in the story. Miss Daya throws some light on the situation
when shesays:'Lord bless you down there on your knees, baby! Pray to the Lord 'cause it's praying
time!'She continues with the question of whether both girls 'had got religion', thereby establishing a
linkbetween prayer and getting religion.
4. What convinces the speaker that the world was coming to an end?
She had probably heard the pastor deliver several hell-fire sermons, the information in the Book
of Revelation terrified her, and the warnings from Rena and Miss Daya made her jittery, but it was
therolling, terrible rolling sound (of the plane) that convinced her that the world was coming to an end.
5. What do we learn about those persons who interpreted the occurrence of an eclipse as
theend of the world?
Those persons who interpreted the occurrence of an eclipse as the end of the world obviously
lackedknowledge of this phenomenon. It showed their limited education. Mark you, the garbled
explanation thatRena gave may not have been the one that the ladies shared.
6. What is Daddy's role in this story?
Daddy was the anchor in his daughter's life. She trusted him. He was an active Christian, husband
andfather, seemingly hard-working and sensible. He is presented as a level- headed character in our
story;and although a member of the church, he does not accept or seem to be bothered by the
pastor's scaretactics. He has explained to his daughter that:'Nobody knows anything about
Revelation...''Ain't never been nobody born smart enough tofigure out Revelation since that Mr John
wrote it.He's just going to have to come back and explain it himself.It is Daddy who gave a rational
explanation about the end of the world. He informed her that only Godknows when the world will end
and, therefore, she was not to be alarmed by prophecies. He comforted herand informed her of the
source of the noise that had frightened her so very badly. His laughter at herreaction to the passing
airplane must have calmed and reassured her. Instead of being worried or judgemental about her
behaviour when he caught her, he made a joke of the situation. Daddy was theonly adult in the story
with a sound and balanced view.Every time I read Pearl Crayton's story The Day The World Almost
Came To An End, I laugh. What aboutyou? What do you find amusing in it?
Our storyteller is also our major character. She is reflecting on a childhood incident. She was 12 and
stillinvolved in childish pastimes. When we meet her she is playing in the mud and she is comfortable
in herown company. She is, however, old enough to recognise that she is a sinner and that there is a
way toescape punishment for her sins. Like many human beings she has decided to continue enjoying
her 'sinful'ways for as long as possible. You see, it was her belief that when she is old, it would be time
enough toget religion. (Do you know anyone who thinks this way?)I wonder if you remember the sins of
which she accuses herself. We are told that she had 'saved' herneighbour's ripe plums and peaches
from going to waste, 'neglecting to get the owner's permission'; 'thefights' she 'had with the sassy little
Catherine'; 'the domino games' she 'had played for penny stakes'; thelies she had told as well as 'other
not so holy acts'. These, she believed, would earn her a place in theburning fires of hell.It strikes me as
strange that although the church or rather the teachings of the denomination sheattended, yes
attended, perhaps, very regularly, for she was a church-going sinner, warned her, she didnot stop
doing what she considered to be wrong. She finds her sins too sweet, 'delicious' she call them, togive
up. It is obvious, though, that she knows right from wrong.Her unwillingness to 'get religion' in her
childhood is something that makes our story very realistic, for to achild death would have seemed far
away, and associated with old age. After all, many 12-year-olds arenot particularly interested in their
salvation. Realism is maintained through several other means. Theincident is set in 1936, reference is
made to a real person, Ralph Waldo Emerson - American lecturer andessayist and poet, Rena warns
her of the impending end of the world on a Friday, there is talk of aneclipse although the information is
garbled, and a real airplane does fly over the area.
As is customary in a story of this length, there are few characters and of these only two are
developed.These, as you are aware, are our narrator and her father. Pearl Crayton has created two
likable charactersin them. Our child storyteller is honest in talking about herself and her actions and
her attitudes to others.We are able to learn that she loves her father dearly and seems to have a closer
relationship with himthan with her mother. Daddy plays the crucial role of being her support. She trusts
his knowledge andoutlook. He listens to her concerns, explains matters that she does not understand,
such as the sections of the book of Revelation that she has read; he is the breadwinner of the family
and an officer in theirchurch. This suggests that he was an exemplary member of the community. Her
skeptical position isclearly the result of her preferring to accept what her father says above what
others say.I began this week by asking if you too find humour in this story and I think that would have
alerted you tothe fact that it is one aspect of the work on which you should reflect.How does the writer
make her story humorous? I would like you identify the methods that are used. Letme start you off!
The very first sentence is not only humorous, due to its surprising information, but itarouses the
interest of the readers. The following sentence is also funny, made so through exaggeration,
atechnique that is employed again as the story develops. Did you laugh out loud when you read
theexplanation that was given for an eclipse? Some readers did. I can easily visualise the little girl in
her longnightgown running and hollering loudly that the world was coming to an end. What a
spectacle! Part of this humour is because the storyteller makes fun of herself - but wait a moment,
what I am doing? Youspot the rest.I cannot close without pointing out how the writer creates tension in
our narrator. She does not get thenews until Friday afternoon that the world would end on Sunday;
soon after Miss Daya, who is passing,tells them that the Lord is coming soon, (the time must have
seemed very short in which to 'get religion')her father on whom she depends for reassurance takes
longer to come than he usually does, then he tellsher that the world could end that night and, to top it
off, it was a moonless night on which this was tooccur!
Literature Notes
The Boy Who Loved Ice Cream
SUMMARY
This short story is about a little boy's obsession with ice-cream. Benjy is a little boy who lives in rural
Jamaica.His family is extremely poor and the most important, and festive, day for them is the Harvest
Festival. It is aneven more important event for Benjy because this is the only place that he can access
the coveted ice cream.Benjy has never tasted ice-cream, but he relishes the very thought of it through
the second hand description thatis passed on to him by his sister. The story opens with the family's
preparations to attend the festival and their scenic journey down the hill. Benjy's obsession with icecream becomes evident at this point because he cannotenjoy himself due to his anxiety surrounding
when the ice-cream will be forthcoming. This mirrors his father'sobsession with scouting out the man
whom he believes to be his wife's lover and Benjy's father. The obsessionscollide when Benjy finally
gets his ice cream and it falls out of his hand because his father sees a male talking tohis wife and
drags Benjy along to confront him. The story, therefore, ends in disappointment for Benjy.
SETTING
The story occurs in the small town of Springville in rural Jamaica.
The family is from an even smaller town called One Eye, located in the mountains of Springville.
CHARACTERS
Benjy
The second youngest child.
He is a really intense child in terms of achieving his desires.

Elsa
Benjy's older sister.
She takes care of Benjy when his mother is busy.
She introduces Benjy to the foggy concept of ice cream.

Mother
She was very progressive and forward thinking.
She was a very sociable and friendly person.
Always eager to go or do something different.

Papa
He was a farmer.
The short story reveals that he was wedded to the soil.
He did not like to go out.
He preferred a predictable lifestyle.
He was very jealous.

THEME
Jealousy:
Papa is irrationally jealous about his wife's activities. It is revealed that he believes that she cheated on
himwhen she spent three weeks away from him in Springville, where she was attending to her dying
mother. Hewatches her like a hawk at the Harvest Festival, thereby getting very little enjoyment out of
the fair. This jealousy has serious implications for his relationship with his son Benjy. He does not
believe that Benjy is his biological child, but a product of his wife's 'affair' in Springville. Benjy,
therefore, is not treated well by hisfather, but viewed with suspicion and slight contempt. The narrator
tells us that Benjy is in a state of constantsuspense in terms of what his father's response to him will
be.
SYMBOL
Ice cream:
Ice cream, in this short story, is the symbol for anything that is intensely desired, anything that is
anticipated to bring great pleasure.
Berry Literature Notes
SUMMARY
Berry is about a young black man called Millberry Jones who is employee at Dr. Renfield's Home for
CrippledChildren. He was reluctantly employed by Mrs. Osborn, the housekeeper, because the
Scandinavian kitchen boyhad left without notice, leaving her no choice in hiring Berry. Her reluctance
to hire Berry stemmed from hisrace, initiating questions like where he would sleep? How would the
other servants react to the presence of a Negro? She had a meeting with Dr. Renfield and they decided
to hire Millberry on a reduced salary. He wasoverworked and underpaid, but took solace in the children,
whom he loved. An unfortunate incident occurred,however, where a child fell from his wheel chair
while in the care of Berry. The result was that Berry was firedand given no salary for the week that he
had worked.
SETTING
Dr. Renfiled's Home for Crippled Children
New Jersey coast

CHARACTERS
Millbury Jones (Berry)
A Black male, approximately 20 years old.
Described as good natured and strong.
Poor and uneducated.
Very observant and intuitive about people and places.
Very good with children due to his gentleness.

Mrs. Osborn
The housekeeper at the children's home.
Rumoured to be in love with Dr. Renfield.
Very high handed with her staff, but docile with Dr. Renfield.
Displays racist characteristics in subtle forms.

Dr. Renfield
Rumoured to have romantic affairs with his female staff.
Berry observes that the Home is 'Doc Renfield's own private gyp game' (Hughes, p. 162), meaning
thathe runs his establishment for his own profit, instead of a desire to take genuine care of the
children.
He is blatantly racist.
THEMES
Racism
This theme is apparent when Berry was being considered for employment at the Home. Mrs. Osborn
wasconcerned about where Berry would sleep, implying that he could not sleep with the white servants
because he
was considered to be beneath them. His salary was also cut due to his race, and he was overworked,
with nodiscussions of days off, 'everybody was imposing on him in that taken-for-granted way white
folks do with Negro help.' (Hughes, 162). Even more importantly, when the unfortunate accident
occurred with the child,there was no attempt at discerning what had occurred that led to the incident,
but blame was laid on the obvious person - Berry. As a result, he was relieved of his job a hail of racist
slurs.
Mom Luby and the Social Worker Literature Notes
SUMMARY
This short story is about an elderly woman, fondly called Mom Luby, who fosters two small children.
The storyopens with her visit to the Social Welfare office, in order to obtain monetary assistance in
taking care of thechildren. She then returns home to find people waiting to get let in to
thespeakeasythat she runs in her back room. There is a knock on the door, but instead of the police coming to collect money - it is a social worker.The social worker, Miss Rushmore, visits in order to
investigate the living conditions of the children. She isskeptical about some of the answers that Mom
Luby gives, but gives her information about the many forms,along with lengthy directions, regarding
the acquisition of clothes and shoes for the children. Mom Luby isastonished, yet slightly amused,
about the length of time it could take to obtain clothes and shoes for thechildren. She responds by
stating that she simply did not have enough time because she had a long list of choresto attend to.
Miss. Rushmore volunteers to go along with Mom Luby, expressing her disbelief that she
couldaccomplish so much in such a short time. They both return from completing the chores, with Miss
Rushmorelooking very bedraggled. She states that Mom Luby does not need her help because she got
more things done intwo hours, than Miss Rushmore has managed to complete in two years. The great
irony of the situation isrevealed when Mom Luby comments that the Social Welfare office should
consider hiring her, but MissRushmore comments that that is not possible because Mom Luby is not
qualified.
SETTING
The United States of America.
Between 1920-1933, the time of the Prohibitionin the United States.

CHARACTERS
Mom Luby
An elderly woman who is as strong as any young woman.
She has white hair and false teeth.
She runs a speakeasy in the back room of her house.
She fosters two young children.
She is a midwife, herb doctor and ordained minister of the Gospel.
She's a very productive woman who helps the people in her community.
She is very proud.

Miss Rushmore
She works at the Department of Child Welfare, Bureau of Family Assistance.
She is very thorough in her investigation of Mom Luby.
She is awed by Mom Luby's productivity.

Elijah (narrator) & Puddin'
The two young children that Mom Luby fosters.
THE
ME
Love and Family Relationship
The love that Mom Luby has for her two young charges is apparent by her simple act of fostering them.
She is a poor, older woman who runs a speakeasy to survive, this is not the profile of someone who
should be willing totake care of two young children, as well as a whole community. The act of visiting
the Social Security Office isa testament to her commitment to taking care of the two children. The
great irony in this short story is that a poor, older lady, is able to take better care of two little children
than the State agency that is assigned to do so.This is because she can get more accomplished in two
hours, to benefit them, than the agency can accomplish intwo years with their most motivated agent.
To Dah-Duh in Memoriam Literature Notes
SUMMARY
This short story is about a young girl's visit, from New York, to the island of Barbados. The protagonist,
alongwith her sister and mother, visit Dah-Duh. The visit is an interesting one in which Dah-Duh and
the protagonistdevelop a caring, yet competitive, relationship. Dah-Duh introduces her to the riches of
Barbados (nature),while the protagonist introduces her grandmother to the steel and concrete world of
New York (industrialism).There is a competitive edge to their conversations because they each try to
outdo each other on the merits of their separate homes. Dah-Duh, however, is dealt a blow when she
learns of the existence of the Empire State building, which was many stories taller than the highest
thing she had ever laid her eyes on Bissex Hill. Shelost a little bit of her spark that day and was not
given a chance to rebound because the protagonist left for NewYork shortly after. The story progresses
with the death of Dah-Duh during the famous 37 strike. She hadrefused to leave her home and was
later found dead, on a Berbice chair, by her window. The protagonist spent a brief period in penance,
living as an artist and painting landscapes that were reminiscent of Barbados.
SETTING
The story is set in Barbados, in the 1930's.

CHARACTERS
Dah-Duh:
A small and purposeful old woman.
Had a painfully erect figure.
Over eighty (80) years old.
She moved quickly at all times.
She had a very unattractive face, which was stark and fleshless as a death mask (Marshall, p.178).
Her eyes were alive with life.
Competitive spirit.
Had a special relationship with the protagonist.

Protagonist:
A thin little girl.
Nine (9) years old.
A strong personality.
Competitive in nature.
Had a special relationship with Dah-Duh.

THEMES
Race:
This theme is apparent when Dah-Duh and the protagonist discuss the fact that she beat up a white
girl in her class. Dah-Duh is quiet shocked at this and exclaims that the world has changed so much
that she cannotrecognize it. This highlights their contrasting experiences of race. Dah-Duhs
experience of race relations isviewing the white massa as superior, as well as viewing all things white
as best. This is corroborated at the
beginning of the story when it was revealed that Dah-Duh liked her grandchildren to be white, and in
fact hadgrandchildren from the illegitimate children of white estate managers. Therefore, a white
person was some-oneto be respected, while for the protagonist, white people were an integral part of
her world, and she viewedherself as their equal.
Love and family relationship:
This story highlights the strong familial ties that exists among people of the Caribbean, both in the
islands andabroad (diaspora). The fact that the persona and her family left New York to visit the
matriarch of the family, inBarbados, highlights this tie. The respect accorded to Dah-Duh by the
mother also shows her place, or status, inthe family. The protagonist states that in the presence of
Dah-Duh, her formidable mother became a child again.
Gender Issues:
This is a minor theme in this short story. It is highlighted when it is mentioned that Dah-Duh liked
her grandchildren to be boys. This is ironic because the qualities that are stereotypically found in boys
- assertive,strong willed, competitive - are found in her grand daughter. An example of this is the
manner in which the protagonist / narrator was able to win the staring match when she first met DahDuh, this proved her dominanceand strength.
SYMBOL
Empire State Building
This building represents power and progress. It is in the midst of the cold glass and steel of New York
city and,therefore, deforms Dah-Duhs symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident that the
knowledge of this building shakes Dah-Duhs confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of progress, is
what shakes the nature lovingDah-Duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to the knowledge of
the existence of the Empire StateBuilding defeat is a foreshadowing of her death. This is the case
because it is metal, in the form of the planes, that rattled her trees and flatten[ed] the young canes in
her field. (Marshall. p.186). This is a physicalecho of her emotional response to the knowledge of the
existence of the Empire State building. The fact that sheis found dead after this incident is not a
surprise to the reader.
sample essay
Shabine and Blackout are both short stories written by West Indian writers. Theyshare other
similarities as well, such as social interaction between the two sexes andraces. Social interaction
between men and women are common, inevitable and theyoccur for different reasons.In Blackout, a
white female tourist finds herself at a lonely bus stop during a blackout in a Caribbean island (possibly
Jamaica). She is met by a local who is in need of alight for his unlit cigarette. As she is the only one
around and has a lit cigarette, heassumes she can be of some assistance to him. This sparks a
conversation on equality,race and gender. On the other hand, the man in Shabine never speaks to
Justine. Here,a young man recounts his fascination with the Shabine, the red haired woman
whomsociety rejects. Years after he is still fascinated by her. His interaction with Justine islimited to the
paradise plums he leaves on the wall for her. Despite several warningsfrom his grandmother, the boy,
though too coward to speak to or profess his love to Justine, a girl of mixed race and frowned upon by
society, uses the paradise plums toshow his affection for her.Her acceptance of the paradise plum is
her acceptance of his affection towardsher. And also her showing her resentment towards society and
how they treat her. Shesees it as him going against society, his resentment of society and how they
treat her;but he is too much of a coward. He accepts the boundaries placed on him when herefuses to
cross the wall. The interaction (lack of conversation) highlights the starkdifference with how society
sees her and how the young man sees her. At the sametime, the lack of conversation cements the
distance that exists between them.We learn a lot about Justine through the boy/mans visit to his
grandmother. Welearn of her love for her children when he observes her shouting profanities at
theneighbourhood boys and hugging her children. We learn of her history from the narrator.And also,
we learn of her finally giving in to society when the boy refuses to come rescueher; she walks back,
shoulders drooping. If not for the boy, we may not have been ableto see Justine as human instead of a
shabine, a thing to be lusted and teased, to beshunned and secluded.Similarly, in Blackout we learn
more about the woman than the man. The writerputs more focus on the womans thoughts as she
seems the more complicated of thetwo. The man appears to speak his mind, unlike the tourist who
tries to use tactunsuccessfully to hide her true thoughts. The local, however, reads her up quite
easilyand exposes her for what she is, prejudiced. She not only finds the man demeaningbecause of
the colour of his skin, but also she feels, like the stories she has heard, hemay want to take advantage
of her sexually. The man tries to put her mind to rest,assuring her that she is not his type and tries to
educate her of the culture of the placeshe is in. He tries to preach equality to her, to bring her out of
the darkness, out of ignorance. Her refusal to look back at him from the bus suggest she is not
totallychanged. But the fact that she wanted to, suggests that he has placed a seed of questionin her
mind and had given her something to think about.Also, in Blackout, the themes are exposed through
the interaction between thetwo. Her hesitation at first highlights the social tension she is used to while
the ease withwhich he requests a light from her shows how he views her as an equal. Though at first
she appears to be smart, the dark figure turned out to offer a form of enlightenment tothe woman.
He addresses her thoughts about her prejudices. The writer uses simplelanguage and sentences to
highlight the fact that a simple situation is being dealt with,its just a man and a woman conversing.
This makes the conversation more universal.Even the narrative point of view employed aides in the
development of the theme as wemay not have known the ladys true intentions had we not been able
to hear her viewson the man. When she leaves, he bends and takes the discarded cigarette from
thegutter exposing him as a lower class than her, but enlightenment comes from anywhereand the
message delivers is of no less importance; which is probably why the writer doesnot allow her to see
this act. Racism is also the theme in Shabine. The boy is prohibitedfrom speaking to the girl because
of the stigma attached to her because of her mixedrace. Sleeping with the white man is her mothers
way of having Justine climb up thesocial ladder. She is confined to the two room adjoining the
Cazabauns house. We neverhear of her leaving the confines of the yard. Unlike the view of blacks in
blackout, theblacks in Shabine verbally and physically abuse those of the lighter complexion.
Theboys refusal to follow the instructions of his grandmother shows his refusal to conformto societys
views. Like the man in Blackout, the boy accepts her as an equal despitethe colour of her skin or the
class she is associated with. The paradise plum is a meansof escape for them both but he is not brave
enough to make a stand for his beliefs. Helives in regrets, just like her. Through social interaction much
can be discovered about the characters involved. The two stories explored share similar themes
though the circumstances vary greatly.Both authors try to encourage the notion of equality, though the
conflicts are not fullyresolved we are left with a small spark of hope for the characters as each has
resolved toaccept things as they are. Justine walks back to her two room apartment, the boy walksback
over to his grandmothers, the man picks up the ladys discarded cigarette andreturns to the darkness
and the lady drives off in the lit bus refusing to look back lest thepassengers thinks negatively of her.
note the introduction sets up the reader for what is to come.
note the use of transitional phrases and sentences: similarly, also, unlike in ..., another example etc.
each paragraph seems to flow into the next
all points are backed up with references to the stories.
the mandate of comparing and contrasting is maintained throughout.
conclusions sum up the gist of the essay, and in this case explores another point that stems from
the points discussed previously.
NOTES ON POETRY
PLEASE BE REMINDED THAT YOU MUST QUOTE PROPERLY FROM EACH POEM. ITENHANCES YOUR ESSAYS
AND MAKES IT SEEM AS THOUGH YOU KNOW YOURWORK.
A Contemplation Upon Flowers Literature Notes
The physical structure of this poem has been altered from theoriginal layout in the text.
Brave flowers,1.that I could5.gallantit like you, and be as little vain;You come abroad and make
a6.harmless show,And to your beds of earth again;You are not proud, you know your birth,For your
embroidered garments are from earth.You do obey your months and times, but I would have it
everspring;My fate would know no winter, never die, nor think of such a thing;Oh that I could2.my bed
of earthbut view,1.and smile and look as cheerfully as you.Oh teach me to see death and not to
fear,But rather to take truce;3.How often have I seen you at a6.bier,And there look fresh and
spruce;You fragrant flowers then7.teach me that my breath like yoursmay sweeten and perfume my
death.Berry, J. 'A Contemplation Upon Flowers' in A World of Prose.Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. PearsonEducation Ltd, 2005.
This is the OPINION of one individual, which might not coincidewith the views of others.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona wishes that he could be as brave as the flowers, whoknow who they
owe their life to - the earth. They know their placeand obey the order, or cycle, of life and death. The
persona wishesthat he could be this way because he is the opposite, he wants tolive forever. The
persona wants the flowers to teach him NOT to feardeath, but to accept it.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILE
Stanza 1, line: The persona is wishing that he could be asbrave as the flower. This implies that the
persona does notthink that he is brave, but a coward in the face of death.
Stanza 2, line 14: This is another comparison between the persona and the plant. The persona wishes
that he could lookdeath in the face and be cheerful, like the plant. Again, this emphasizes that he
lacks.2. EUPHEMISMThis phrase is a replacement for the word death. It softens death and makes it
appear welcoming and pleasant.3. IRONYIt is ironic that the flowers look so fresh and alive when it is
facing its very mortality, on the top of a casket. Death is a sad affair, and theflowers are at their best
when ushering people back to the earth.4. PERSONIFICATIONThe persona is speaking directly to
flowers and giving them human qualities, therefore, the whole poem is an example of the use
ofpersonification at it's best. He even goes as far as to ask the flower to teach him things that will
make him be like it.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES5. 'galant'This word literally means brave or heroic.
The word, however, also brings to mind adjectives such as charming and attentive, like aknight would
be in olden days. So the plants are not simply brave in their acceptance of death, but they are also
gracious.6. 'harmless show'The word harmless sticks out in this phrase because it implies that the
flowers are demure and quiet in their beauty.7. 'bier'
This is a movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or cremation, or on which
they are carried to the grave.8. 'teach me that my breath like yours may sweeten and perfume my
death'This implies that if death is not feared, then the person will go into deaths arms joyfully, without
any sorrow, remorse or bitterness.TONE: Thetone of the poem is admiration, because the persona
literally admires the flowers for its accepting attitude towards death. MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE:
Themood,or atmosphere of the poem is a pensive one. The persona is thinking about death, how he
relates to it versus how others relate to it.CONTRAST: A contrast in this poem is the persona's fear of
death, versus the flowers'acceptance of it.THEMATIC CATEGORY: Death, nature,
Once Upon A Time Literature Notes
3.Once upon a time, son,they used to laugh with their heartsand laugh with their eyes;but now4.they
only laugh with their teeth,while1.their ice-block eyes5.search behind my shadow.There was a time
indeedthey used to6.shake hands with their hearts;but that's gone, son.Now they shake hands without
heartswhile their left7.hands searchmy empty pockets.'Feel at home'! 'Come again' ;they say, and
when I comeagain and feelat home, once, twicethere will be no thrice -for then I find doors shut on
me.So I have learnt many things, son.2.I have learnt to wear many faceslike dresseshomeface,officeface, streetface, hostfacecocktail face, with all their2.conforming smiles like a fixed
portraitsmile.And I have learned, too.to laugh with only my teethand shake hands without my heart
LITERAL MEANINGA father is talking to his son and telling him how things used to be.The father tells his
son that people used to be sincere, but are nowsuperficial and seek only to take from people. The
persona tells hisson that he has learnt to be just like these people, but he does notwant to be. He
wants to be as sincere as his son.LITERARY DEVICES1. METAPHORThe people's eyes are as cold as ice.
This means that there is nowarmth or real feeling in the words that they say, or how theybehave.This
metaphor literally allows you to visualize a block of ice,cold and unwelcoming.2. SIMILE
Stanza 4, lines 20-21 emphasizes how constantly changingthe persona's face is. If you think of how
often a womanchanges her dress, then that is how often the personaadjusts his personality to suit the
people around him. Thelist of faces that follow this line emphasizes this point.
Stanza 4, lines 23-24 compares peoples faces to smiles ina portrait. If you think about a portrait, it is
usually veryformal and stiff, even uncomfortable. Therefore, theimplication is that the smiles are
actually fake and stiff.They are conforming, or trying to fit into, a preconceivedmold that is set up by
societal expectations.
I have also learnt to say, 'Goodbye',when I mean 'Good-riddance' ;to say 'Glad to meet you',without
being glad; and to say 'It's beennice talking to you', after being bored.But believe me, son.I want to be
what I used to bewhen I was like you. I want8.unlearn all these muting things.Most of all, I want to
relearnhow to laugh, for2.my laugh in the mirrorshows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs!So show
me, son,how to laugh; show me howI used to laugh and smile3.once upon a timewhen I was like
you.Okara, G. 'Once Upon A Time' in A World of Prose. Edited byMark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds
McDonald. Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.
Stanza 6, lines 38-40 compares the persona's laugh to a snakes. When you think of a snake, words
such as sneaky anddeceitful come to mind. Therefore, the implication is that the persona is fake, just
like the people he despises.3. REPETITIONThis phrase is repeated at the beginning and the end of the
poem. This usually signals the beginning of a fairy tale. Therefore, it isimplied that the persona is
nostalgic about the past.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES4.'they only laugh with their teeth'This
emphasizes the insincerity of the people around the persona. To laugh with your teeth means that only
the bottom half of your faceis engaged, the laugh does not reach the eyes. 5. 'shake hands with their
heart'To shake hands with your heart implies a strong handshake that is sincere, this is the opposite of
what now occurs between people.6. 'search behind my shadow'This implies that the person cannot
look the persona in the eye, they are looking everywhere but there. Looking someone in the eyeduring
a conversation implies that one is sincerely interested in what you have to say. Not being able to do so
implies shiftiness.7. 'hands search my empty pockets'People are only 'seemingly' nice to get
something from you. So, they smile with you, but it is not sincere, they are seeking to getsomething
from you.8. 'unlearn all these muting things'The word mute means silence, think of what happens
when you press the mute button on the TV remote. Therefore, there is animplication that the insincere
actions that the persona describes are muting, they block, or silence, good intentions. Hence, the
personawants to unlearn these habits.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is nostalgic. The
persona is remembering how things used to be when he was young and innocent, like his son.
TONEThetone of the poem is sad. The poet's response to his nostalgia is sadness.
THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONDeath, childhood experiences, hypocrasy, loss of innocence,

desire/dreams.* It isIRONICthat the persona is behaving in the exact way that he despises, however,
and there is an implication that things cannot goback to what he remembers, due to the influence of
societal expectations.
Forgive My Guilt Literature Notes
Not always sure what things called sins may be, I am sure of onesin I have done.It was years ago, and I
was a boy,I lay in the1.frost flowerswith a gun,2.the air ran blue as the flowers; I held my breath,2.two
birds ongolden legs slim as dream things 2.ran like quick silveron the 1.golden sand, my gun went off,
they ran with broken wings intothe sea, I ran to fetch them in, but they swam with their heads highout
to sea, They cried like two sorrowful high flutes,With1.jagged ivory boneswhere wings should be. For
days Iheard them when I walked that headland, crying out to their kind4.in the blue, The other plovers
were going over south on silverwings leaving these broken two. The cries went out one day; but Istill
hear them over all the sounds of sorrow5.in war or peaceIever have heard, time
cannot6.drownthem,1.Those slender flutes of sorrownever cease,3.Two airy things forever denied
theair! I never knew how their lives at last were split, but I have hopedfor years all that is wild,Airy,
and beautiful will forgive my guilt.Coffin, R.P.T. 'Forgive My Guilt' in A World of Prose. Edited byMark
McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.
LITERAL MEANINGAn adult is reminiscing about a traumatic childhood experience. Thepersona went
hunting and shot two birds, plovers.He suffers extreme guilt about this action in adulthood. The poem
describes theevent, the actions of the bird, how he reacts, and, by the last line,asks the birds to forgive
his guilt.LITERARY DEVICES1.METAPHOR
Line 4: The nature of frost is that it covers everything in itspath, therefore, when the flowers are
compared to frost, itimplies that there were a lot of flowers, enough to hide theboy from the birds.
Line 8: The sand is being compared to gold, the colour. It is emphasizing how beautiful the setting was.
Line 12: This metaphor emphasizes the injuries that the birds sustained. The bones are compared to
jagged ivory, which is adirect contrast to the smooth feathers that existed before the injury.
Lines 20-21: The birds are compared to a flute, an instrument that plays beautiful music. This
emphasizes the sadness that isrelated to their death.2. SIMILE
Line 5: The air and the flowers are being compared, both are blue.
Lines 6-7: This simile offers a beautiful visual image of the birds. Dreams are beautiful, and the birds
are compared to this.

Line 7: The speed of the birds is being highlighted, while also maintaining that beautiful visual
imagery.3. PUNThe pun is between the words 'airy' and 'air'. 'Airy' means light and beautiful, while 'air'
refers to the sky and flying. The poet islamenting that these light and beautiful things can no longer fly
and feel the pleasure of air rushing past them.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES4. 'the blue'
This literally translates to the sky. The birds were crying out to the other birds that were flying away.5.
'in war or peace'This phrase highlights the fact that the persona feels extremely guilty about killing the
birds, so much so that he thinks about it all thetime. Their cries went out for literally one day, but he
thinks about the birds all the time.6. 'drown'It is important that the poet chooses to use the word
drown, because it means death. He cannot get rid of the sounds of sorrow that thebirds made while
they were dying.MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE: Themood of the poem is nostalgia and guilt. TONE: Thetone of
the poem is sad. The poet's response to his guilt is sadness. THEMATIC CATEGORY: Death, childhood
experiences, nature, guilt, loss of innocence, desire/dreams.
DULCE ET DECORUM ESTThis is a poem which derives all of its power from the literal truth it denotes.
The most potentpoetic device is simply imagery. The images of this poem put forth the real horrors of
the first`modern war'* in which England took part more intensely, probably, than video even now
would beable, precisely because the images are filtered through a human consciousness. Literary
allusion--to a very famous apothegm from one of Horace's Carmina-- is the other dominant device.
Theimages sandwich the motto, `dulce et decorum est... pro patria mori' (sweet and proper it is, forthe
fatherland to die...) to create an very bitter irony.I suppose it is otherwise worth nothing that the poem
is in written in seven ABAB rhymed quatrainsof iambic pentameter, so rhyme and metre are two more poetic
devices.DEVICES
Obviously you can find ubiquitous devices like alliteration too-- on b: `bent double, like oldbeggars...', on
m: `men marched asleep,' etc. The word `guttering' in probablyonomatopoeia for choking noises. And so on.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks is the use of a simile to tell us just how extremethe
situation is when young, otherwise healthy men, are like the old beggars on the street.The simile on
the second line coughing like hags.
The personification used, Jaws of death, and Mouth of hell
cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them,-repetition
onomatopoeia trudge and sludge
He uses the simile As under a green sea because a green sea is usually seen to be unclean.
"coughing like hags" This is a very effective simile because it shows us that these young menhave
aged long before their time, and that their health has really deteriorated since fightingin the war
Men marched asleepalliteration
The oxymoron (a form of paradox, where two words, placed together, seem to contradictone another)
marched asleep further shows the mens exhaustion, and they can onlycontinue their march whilst cursing. Their
senses are dulled, and they are described as beinglame, blind, drunk and deaf; most of these
words are used metaphorically(figuratively, or non-literally), to suggest the mens lack of feeling
West Indies, U.S.A Literature Notes
Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the endless green1.theisland seems like dice tossed on a
casino's baize, some come uplucky, others not. Puerto Rico takes the pot,2.the Dallas of theWest
Indies, 2.silver linings on the clouds as we descend are hall-marked,1.San Juan glitters like a
maverick's gold ring.All across the Caribbean we'd collectedterminals -1.airports are like calling cards,
cultural fingerprints; thehand written signs at Port-au-Prince, Piarco's sleazy tourist art, thelethargic
contempt of the baggage boys at 'Vere Bird' in St.Johns ....And now for4.plushSan Juan.But the pilot's
bland
you're safe in my hands
drawl crackles as we land, 'US regulations demand all passengersnot disembarking at San Juan stay on
the plane, I repeat, stay onthe plane.'3.Subtle Uncle Sam, afraid too many5.desperate blacks might reenslave this
I
sland of the free, might jump thebarbedelectric fence around6.'America's back yard'and claim that
vaunted sanctuary .....3. 'give me your poor .....'Through toughened, tinted glass7.the contrasts
tantalise; USpatrol cars glide across the shimmering tarmac, containeredbaggage trucks unload
with8.fierce efficiency. So soon we'reclimbing,low above the pulsing city streets;galvanized shanties
overseen by condominiums polished Cadillacsshimmying with pushcarts and as we climb, SanJuan's9.fools-glittercalls to mind the shattered innards of a TV set that's fallenoff the back of a lorry, all
painted valves and circuits1.the road liketwisted wires,the bright cars, micro-chips.10.It's sharpand
jagged and dangerous, and belonged to some-one else.Brown, S. 'West Indies, U.S.A' in A World of
Prose. Edited by MarkMcWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd,2005.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona is travelling in a plane, looking down at San Juan,Puerto Rico as the
plane descends. He is saying that this island isthe wealthiest in the Caribbean because it has won the
jackpot, ithas come up lucky. He then points out that he, and others, hadtravelled to many Caribbean
islands and received a hint of theflavour of each island through it's calling card, - its airport - all
ofwhich fail when compared to plush San Juan. As they land, they areinstructed to stay on the plane if
their destination is not San Juan.The persona takes offence and states that America does not
wantblacks in San Juan, implying that they might be a disruptive force.He notes the efficiency with
which things flow, enabling them to taketo the skies once more. During the ascent, the persona notes
thecontrast between the influences of the Caribbean and America. Helikens San-Juan to a broken TV, it
Iooks good on the outside, butbroken on the inside.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILE
Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to dice that is tossed on acasino'sbaize,it can either come up with
winning numbers, or losing numbers. Puerto Rico comes up with winningnumbers in the game of
chance, as reflected in its wealthyexterior, which is supported by America.
Lines 7-8: San Juan's glitter is compared to a maverick's gold ring. The word maverick implies nonconformist, an individualist.This implies that San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean, but not a part of
the Caribbean. It belongs to America.
Lines 10-11: Airports are compared to calling cards. This means that, like a calling card, the quality of
the airport gives you anidea of the island's status economically. The airport is also compared to a
cultural fingerprint. A fingerprint is an individual thing,therefore the airport gives the traveler an idea
of the island's cultural landscape.
Line 39: The road is compared to twisted wires. This means that the roads, from above, look both
plentiful and curvy. Thisdoes not carry a positive connotation, but implies confusion.2. ALLUSION
Line 5: Dallas is an oil rich state in America. Therefore, many of its inhabitants are wealthy, and the
state itself, is wealthy. Bystating that San Juan is the Dallas of the West Indies, it implies that it is a
wealthy island in the West Indies.
Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well known cliche; 'every cloud has a silver lining'. It means
that behind everythingthat is seemingly bad, there is good. In the context of this poem, it means that
the good, the silver lining, has a mark, or stamp, thatauthenticates its good quality; it is hallmarked.
this implies that it will always have its silver lining showing.3. SARCASM
Line 20: This statement means the exact opposite of what is stated. The persona is disgusted that
Uncle Sam (America) wouldhave such a regulation. This regulation bars anyone from stepping a toe on
Puerto Rican soil, if it is not your intended destination. You just have to remain in the air craft, no
matter the waiting period, until it is time for takeoff. The persona believes that the Americans arebeing
blatantly discriminatory, and are attempting to camouflage it through the use of regulations. He does
not believe that they haveachieved their goal of subtlety.
Line 26: The persona implies that America is all talk and no action. They really do not want the poor
because they bar themfrom entering and expediently sends them on their way when they enter their
airport. The statement is sarcastic because it is loadedwith an alternate meaning, due to the contrast
in statement and action.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES4. 'plush'This word implies soft, like a teddy
bear. It also implies luxury. So San Juan is all of these things.5.'desperate blacks might re-enslave this
I
sland of the free'These 'desperate blacks' to whom the persona is referring are the poor people of the
Caribbean. If they converge on the glistening SanJuan, sucking up its resources, then it might become
re-enslaved by poverty.6.'America's back yard'A backyard means one of two things for people. It is a
haven where you relax, therefore you decorate it and invest time and money in it.Or, you ignore it and
spend all your time indoors, not investing any time, energy or money in it. America viewed Puerto Rico
as thelatter, a prize in which it saw value. Therefore, when the persona uses this phrase,heis implying
that while it is valued, it is still at theback. Slight sarcasm is being used here.7.'the contrasts
tantalise'When something, or someone, is tantalising, it implies that it is intriguing. The persona, by
using this phrase, is trying to draw thereaders attention to to the jarring contrasts by stating that he
finds them intriguing.8.'fierce efficiency'The word fierce, used to describe the level of efficiency with
which the people worked to get the plane off the ground, shows the extentto which they were not
wanted on the island.9.'fools-glitter'This implies that the flashiness of San Juan was not
authentic.10.'It's sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to some-oneelse.'This implies that
San Juan is not safe. The cultures are not melding, but jarring against each other. The reason for this is
because itbelongs to someone else.CONTRASTThe contrast in this poem is found in stanza 5. The
American cars etc, against the pushcarts. The American culture versus the PuertoRican culture.MOOD/
ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is sarcastic. TONEThetoneof the poem is slightly bitter, which is
fueled by the sarcastic atmosphere.THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONDiscrimination, oppression, places,
culture.
Literature Notes
Sonnet Composed Upon A Westminster Bridge,September 3, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more4.fair:Dull would he be of soul who could pass byA sight so
touching in its5.majesty:1.This City now doth, like a garment, wearThe beauty of the morning; silent,
bare,Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples Lie open upon thefields, and to the sky;All bright and
glittering in the smokeless air.2.Never did sun more beautifully6.steepIn his first splendour, valley,
rock, or hill;Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!3.The river glideth at his own steep will:Dear God!
4.the very houses seem asleep;And all that mighty heart is lying still!Wordsworth, W. 'Sonnet
Composed Upon A Westminster Bridge,September 3, 1802' in A World of Prose. Edited by Mark
McWattand Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona in this poem is reflecting on the perfection of the city.He believes that
there is nothing on Earth so beautiful as the city inthe morning. Only a dull person would not
appreciate such amajestic sight. He is awed by the calm of the city.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILEThe
persona compares the manner in which the beauty of the morning settles over the city, to that of a
garment on a body. Thisemphasizes the perfection of the beauty of the morning, just as a garment
flows smoothly over a body.2. PERSONIFICATION
Lines 9-10: The sun is referred to as a male who rises sharply and beautifully. This emphasizes the
beauty of the city in themorning. The use of this personification also helps the reader to personalize
this beauty.
Line 12: Like the sun, the river is personalized as well. This allows the reader to see the river as real,
instead of a thing. Itcomes alive and we can visualize it's movement, gliding, as beautiful.
Line 13: When some-one is asleep, they are peaceful. Therefore, when the persona describes the
houses as sleeping, he isemphasizing the peace that exists in the city in the morning. The inhabitants
of the houses are asleep, therefore the houses are quietand peaceful.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES4.
'fair'The word fair, in this context, literally means beautiful. The persona is setting the stage for the
reader, introducing the fact that the city isbeautiful.5. 'majesty'This word implies that the city is regal
in it's splendour. Therefore, it is beyond beautiful and has become stately.6. 'steep'
This word describes the way in which the sun ascends into the sky, it is stressed that it does so in
beautiful manner.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is pensive, or thoughtful. The persona is
expressing his thoughts, and reaction to, the city in the morning. TONEThetoneof the poem is one of
awe.THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONNature, places.
Orchids Literature Notes

I leave this house3.box piecesof the five week life I've gathered.I'll send them onto fill spaces in my
future life.One thing is lefta spray of orchid someone gave4.from bouquet one whomakes a ritual of
flower-giving sent.The orchids have no fragrancebut purple petals draw youto look at the2.purple
heart.I watered them oncewhen1.the blossoms were full blownlike polished poems.I was sure they'd
wiltand I would toss them out with the five week litter.They were stubborn.I starved them.They would
not die.This morning the bud at the stalk's tip5.unfurled.I think I'll pluck the6.full-blown bloomspress
them between7.pages of memory.Perhaps in their thin dried transparencyI'll discover their8.peculiar
poetry.Simmonds-McDonald, H. 'Orchids' in A World of Prose. Edited byMark McWatt and Hazel
Simmonds McDonald. Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona is moving from a house that she has lived in for fiveweeks. She has sent
her belongings to her future home, but oneitem remains in her old space, an orchid. The persona
clarifies thatshe was gifted the orchid, but implies that it holds no value becausethe gifting of orchids is
habitual for the person who gave her. Shedescribes the flower as odourless, but attractive to see. She
wateredthe orchid once, expecting it to die, but it survived. It not onlysurvived, but bloomed. The
persona contemplates plucking thebloom and pressing it between the pages of a book. The purpose
ofthis is to allow her to appreciate the flower.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILEThe orchid's full blown
blossoms are being compared to a polishedpoem. The word polished in this comparison implies
perfection,shiny and pleasant to read.2. PUNThe purple heart literally refers to the splash of color in
the center of the orchid's bloom, but it could also refer to the bravery of theflower. This is so because a
purple heart, in the army, is a medal that a soldier receives for bravery on the battle field.IMPORTANT
WORDS/ PHRASES3. 'box pieces'This phrase implies that the persona's life is literally in boxes, all her
belongings are stored and ready to be moved.
4. 'from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.'This phrase implies that the persona
places no value in the orchid because it's giver gifted it without any sentiment attached.5.
'unfurled'This word literally means to open. Therefore, despite the persona's attempts at killing the
orchid, through starvation, it not only survived,but flourished.6. 'full-blown blooms'These full-blown
blooms represent the flower at its peak, where it is most full of life, as well as where it is most usually
appreciated.7. 'pages of memory'This refers to the practice of placing a flower between the pages of a
book, thereby drying, or killing the flower. The purpose of this actis to keep the flower for nostalgic
reasons.8. 'peculiar poetry'This phrase highlights the persona's desire to discover the value in the
flower. It is very IRONIC, however, that she would choose to killit in order to achieve this goal. Usually
people place value in a living flower that can give pleasure through its beauty.MOOD/
ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is pensive, or thoughtful. The persona is thinking about the lack of
value that she places in the orchid. TONEThetone of the poem is one of almost bored musing.
THEMATIC CATEGORYDeath, nature, survival, desire/ dreams.
Literature Notes
The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has EmployedHer Son
The physical structure of this poem has been altered fromthe original layout in the text.
Her son was first known to heras a sense of unease,5.a need to cryfor little reasons and a metallic
tiderising in her mouth each morning.Such signs made her knowthat she was not alone in her body.She
carried him6.full term7.tight up under her heart.1.She carried him like the poorcarry hope, hope you
get a breakor a visa, hope one child go throughand remember you. He had no father.The man she
made him with had morelike him,2.he was fair-mindedhe treated all his childrenwith equal and
unbiased indifference.She raised him twice, once as motherthen as father,8.set no ceilingon what he
could be doctorearth healer, pilot take wings.But now he tells her is workingfor you,3.that you value
him so muchyou give him one whole submachine gunfor him alone.He says1.you are like a father to
himshe is wondering what kind of fatherwould4.give a son hot and explodingdeath, when he asks him
for bread.She went downtown and bought threeand one-third yard of black clothand a deep crowned
and veiled hatfor the day he draw9.his bloody salary.She has no power over you and thisat10.the level
of earth, what she hasare prayers and a mother's tearsand at11.knee cityshe uses them.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona in this poem is telling the story of a mother who loved herson. The
mother became aware of the child's presence when sheexperienced morning sickness. She placed all
her hopes in the childand raised him as a single parent because his father was indifferent tothe child's
existence. The mother had set no barriers on what the childcould become, but is told that he has an
employer who values him somuch that he is given his own submarine gun. The son tells his motherthat
his employer is like a father to him, but the mother wonders at thefather figure who purposefully
endangers his child. She prepares forher son's death by going downtown to buy funeral apparel. The
motherfeels powerless, so she prays for her child and says protective psalmsfor him. On the other
hand, she reads psalms of retribution for theemployer and weeps for her son. Her situation does not
look good andis likened to a partner system in which she draws both the first and thelast
hand.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILE
Lines 1-2: The persona emphasizes that the mother placedall her hopes in her son. When you are poor,
generally, youhave no prospects, you only dream and hope. Therefore, thepersona uses this metaphor
to drive home the mother'sdependence on her son's success.
Line 17: The employer is being compared to a father figure.This implies that this person fills a gap in
the son's life.
4.She says psalms for himshe reads psalms for youshe weeps for his soulher12.eyewater covers
you.She is throwing a13.partnerwith4.Judas Iscariot's motherthe thief on the left hand sideof the cross,
his mother is the14.banker,15.her draw though is first and last for she still throwing two hands as
mother andfather.She is prepared, she is done.4.Absalom.Goodison, L. 'The Woman Speaks to the Man
Who HasEmployed Her Son' in A World of Prose. Edited by Mark McWattand Hazel Simmonds
McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 20052. SARCASMThe persona appears to praise the child's father by
referring to him as 'fair-minded'. She is, however, chastising him for not onlyignoring his son, but all of
his other children.3. IRONY (situational)The son innocently tells his mother that his employer values
him so much that he gave him a whole submachine gun for himself. Theirony in this situation is that if
you really care about someone, you do NOT give them a gun due to the negative results that are
bound tooccur.4. ALLUSION (biblical)
Lines 28-29: This line alludes to a particular verse in the Christian Bible,Luke 11 vs 11. The verse
questions what the actionsof a good father should be.
Lines 38-39: Psalms is a particular chapter in the Christian Bible. In this chapter there are verses for
protection, the motheruses those for her son, as well as verses for retribution and rebuking. It is
implied that the mother chooses those for the employer.
Lines 43-45: In the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. Therefore, it does not bode well for
the mother if she is in a'partnership' with this person because she might also be betrayed. The banker
in the 'partnership' also happens to be the thief on theleft hand side of the cross' mother. This also
does not bode well for the mother if the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Line 49: Absalom is the son of David, in the Christian Bible. Absalom betrayed his father, which implies
that the mother feelsbetrayed by her son because she has placed all her hopes in him.IMPORTANT
WORDS/ PHRASES5. 'a need to cry for little reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each
morning.'These two symptoms are early signs of pregnancy. The metallic tide refers to vomiting. These
signs usually occur in the first trimesterof pregnancy.6. 'full term'This means that the mother carried
her son for the full nine months that a pregnancy should last.7. 'tight up under her heart'This hints at
the love that the mother harbours for her child. He was not simply 'close to heart', but 'tight up' under
it. It implies that theson holds a special place in her heart.8. 'set no ceiling'A ceiling is something that
blocks you in, you cannot get past it. The mother set no limits on her son, he could be anything he
wanted tobe.9. 'his bloody salary'This implies that the mother believes that the result of the son's 'job'
will be death.10. 'the level of earth'The mother has no power to change her son's situation. Earth is
used to emphasize her powerlessness on this level, the realm of
'reality'.11. 'knee city'This refers to the fact that the mother constantly prayed for her child.12. 'eye
water covers you'This implies that the mother cried constantly for the plight of her son. The fact that it
'covers her' speaks to the high quantity of tears thatwere shed.13. 'partner'This is an informal saving
scheme set up with a specific number of individuals for the duration of a specific time span. Each
personagrees to pay a designated figure on a monthly basis. The 'draws' are decided, meaning who
gets the money first, second, third etc, ona monthly basis.The banker then collects the money and
gives the monthly pool to the person who is to receive their 'draw'. Therefore,a 'partnership' is
dependent upon the honesty of the banker, who could abscond with the money, as well as the honesty
of the membersof the savings scheme, who could decide NOT to pay after they have received their
draw.14. 'banker'The banker, or financial controller, of this partnership is the mother of a thief. This
does not bode well for the mother if the thief on thecross learnt it from his mother.15. 'her draw though
is first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and father'.This statement implies that
though the mother has the advantage of first draw as mother, she loses that advantage because she
alsohas the role of father. Mothers cannot father sons. The fact that the son has found a father figure
proves this to be true. Therefore, shehas the last draw, which carries with it the disadvantage of not
receiving a full 'draw'. The longer one waits for a draw is the most likelythat dishonesty will come into
play on the part of the participants.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is reflective. The
persona is thinking about a mother's response to her son's life choices. TONEThetone of the poem is
pragmatic and pessimistic. The persona is telling the tale as it is, with no positive energy. THEMATIC
CATEGORYDeath, love, survival, desires/ dreams, childhood experiences.
It is the Constant Image of your Face LiteratureNotes
It is the3.constant imageof your faceframed in my hands as you knelt before my chairthe4.grave
attentionof1.your eyes surveying me amid my5.world of knivesthat stays with me,1.perennially
accusesand convicts meof2.heart's-treachery:and neither you nor I can plead excusesfor you, you
know, can claim no loyalty -my land takes precedence of all my loves.Yet I beg mitigation, pleading
guiltyfor you, my dear, accomplice of my heart
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona reflects on the image of some-one he cares for. This loveinterest
accused him, with their eyes, of breaking their heart. Thepersona admits that both of them (he and the
love interest) can makeno excuses for his behaviour because the love interest does not
takeprecedence over his land, or country. Despite this fact, the personabegs for mercy, pleading guilty
for being seduced by his love interest'sbeauty. This person protects him dearly and he admits that, as
a resultof this, he has committed treason against his country. He hopes thathis country, his other
dearest love, will pardon him because he lovesboth his country and his love interest.
made, without words,6.such blackmail with your beautyand proffered me such dear protectivenessthat
I confess without remorse or shamemy still-fresh treason to1.my countryand hope that she, my other,
dearest lovewill pardon freely, not attaching blamebeing your mistress (or your match) in
tenderness.Brutus, D. 'It is the Constant Image of your Face' in A World ofProse. Edited by Mark McWatt
and Hazel Simmonds McDonald.Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.LITERARY DEVICES1. PERSONIFICATION
Lines 4, 6-7: The love interest's eyes constantly accuses and convicts the persona. This device
highlights the extent to whichthe persona has hurt this person.
Lines 18-20: The persona hopes that his country, his other dearest love, will forgive him for the
treasonous act of lovinganother. This highlights the patriotism that defines the persona's relationship
to his country.2. OXYMORONThe term heart's-treachery implies that the heart, something so vital and
indicative of love, has committed a terrible crime. It highlightsthe heartbreak that the persona has
caused his love interest.IMPORTANT WORD/ PHRASES3. 'constant image'This implies that the persona
constantly, or always, remembers his love interest's face. It emphasizes the guilt he feels in relation to
thisperson.4. 'grave attention'The love interest's eyes display grave attention. The word grave implies
intensely serious, so this person is truly hurt.5. 'world of knives'A knife inflicts pain and destroys. The
persona, therefore, is identifying his world with causing pain.6. 'such blackmail with your beauty'To
blackmail someone is to have something over them that puts their will in your control. The love
interest's beauty has captivated thepersona in such a way that he betrays his country with this
person.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemoodof the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about his two
loves and how he is torn between the two. TONEThetone of the poem is sadness and guilt. The persona
is guilt ridden over this love triangle and sadness permeates the words that he uses to describe
it.THEMATIC CATEGORYLove, guilt, patriotism, places, desires/ dreams
God's Grandeur Literature Notes
The physical structure of this poem hasbeen altered from the original layout in theThis is
the OPINION of one individual, which might not coincide with the views ofothers.
text.
The world is7.chargedwith the8.grandeurof God.1.It will flame out, like shining from shook foil:1.It
gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed.2.Why do men then now not reck3.his rod?
4.Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;9.And all is seared with trade; bleared, smearedwith
toil;5.And wears man's smudge and shares man'ssmell: the soilis bare now,10.nor can foot feel, being
shod.And for all this, nature is never spent;5.There lives the dearest freshness deep downthings;And
though the last lights off the black WestwentOh, morning,5.at the brown brink eastward,springs
-Because the11.Holy Ghost over the bent6.World broods with warm breastand with ah!bright
wings.Hopkins, G.M 'God's Grandeur' in A World ofProse. Edited by Mark McWatt and HazelSimmonds
McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd,2005.LITERAL MEANINGThe poet expresses that the world is full of
God's glory and greatness. This greatness,however, will burn out in a dramatic manner because of man
who smears, smudgesand pollutes everything without consciousness. Nature is resilient, however, and
willpersevere from deep in the earth and burst forth, counteracting all of man's ill.LITERARY DEVICES1.
SIMILE
Line 3: This line indicates that the world will burn out in a brilliant way. Think ofhow shiny and reflective
foil can be, that is the brilliance with which the earthwill temporarily burn out.
Line 4: Think of the manner in which oil slowly spreads across water,eventually taking over as much of
the surface as possible. That is the way inwhich the world gathers to a greatness.2. RHETORICAL
QUESTIONThe persona questions why men do not care about God's wrath. He implies that this wrath is
sure because the Earth is charged, orcommanded with the grandeur of God.3. ALLUSION (biblical)This
'rod' refers to the rod of correction that is found in the Christian Bible. See2 Samuel 7:14. This line
implies that God will punishman for being reckless with the world.4. REPETITIONThis device highlights
the damage that man has done to the world. Trodding implies that one walks, or tramples, in order to
crush orinjure.5. ALLITERATION
Lines 10-11: This device emphasizes the impact that man has had on his environment. He has
impacted every crevice of theworld in some negative way, as implied by words such as 'smudge'.
Lines 14-15: This device clarifies that the Earth is resilient, no matter what man does to harm it, it will
bounce back.
Lines 18-19: This device simply re-iterates the resilience of the Earth, we can actually visualize the sun
rising.6. PERSONIFICATION When one broods, they are pondering on something. Therefore, the world
ponders, but in a positive way, with warm breasts. Thisimplies that it feels good because it has
persevered despite of man's interference.
IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES7. 'charged'This word implies intensity, impassioned. Therefore, the
world has been gifted with intensity of the greatness of God.8. 'grandeur'This implies that something is
awesome, or awe inspiring. Therefore, the world is infused with the 'greatness' of God.9. 'And all is
seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;Everything in the world is tainted and influenced by
man's presence.10. 'nor can foot feel, being shod'This means that man is blind to the damage that he
has caused. If one is wearing shoes, it protects them from stones etc, therefore,man's consciousness is
deadened by his inability to see the damage that he has caused.11. 'Holy Ghost over the bent'This can
be interpreted to mean that salvation is on its way, it also implies that salvation is sure because when
one is bent onsomething, it implies a strong determination.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem

is pensive because the persona is reflecting on man's influence on the world. TONEThetone of the
poem is one of confidence and formality. THEMATIC CATEGORYNature, religion
A Stone's Throw Literature Notes

5.Weshouted out'We've got her! Here she is!It's her all right '.We caught her.There she was -1.A
decent-looking woman, you'd have said,(6.Theyoften are)Beautiful, but7.dead scared,8.Tousled- we
roughed her upA little,9.nothing muchAnd not the first timeBy any meansShe'd felt men's
handsGreedy over her body -10.But ours were virtuous,Of course.And if our fingers bruisedHer
shuddering skin,These were love-bites, comparedTo the2.hail of kisses of stone,The last
assaultAnd11.battery, frigid rape, 3.To come12.Of right.For justice must be doneSpecially
whenIt13.tastes so good.And then -14.this guru,Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what-Spoilt the
whole thing,Speaking to her15.(Should never speak to them)Squatting on the ground - her
level,Writing in the dustSomething we couldn't read.16.And saw in herSomething we couldn't seeAt
least until17.He turned his eyes on us,Her eyes on us,
LITERAL MEANINGA crowd, of which the persona forms a part, has caught a woman. Thepersona
implies to the reader that the woman is not decent. She wasbeautiful, but scared because she had
gotten 'roughed up' a little bythe crowd. The persona states that she has experienced men's handson
her body before, but this crowd's hands were virtuous.He also makes a proviso that if this crowd
bruises her, it cannot becompared to what she has experienced before. He also speaks abouta last
assault and battery to come. He justifies this last assault bycalling it justice, and it is justice that feels
not only right, but good. Thecrowd's 'justice' is placed on hold by the interruption of a preacher,who
stops to talk to the lady. He squats on the ground and writessomething that the crowd cannot see.
Essentially, the preacher judgesthem, thereby allowing the lady to also judge the crowd, leading to
thecrowd inevitably judging itself. The crowd walks away from the lady,still holding stones [which can
be seen as a metaphor for judgments]that can be thrown another day.LITERARY DEVICES1.
SARCASMThe persona is making the point that the lady was in fact NOT decentlooking.2.
PERSONIFICATIONThis device is particularly effective because the word 'kisses' is used.Kiss implies
something pleasant, but it is actually utilized to emphasizesomething painful that has happened to the
lady; she was stoned.3. PUN
Title: The title of the poem is itself a pun. A stone's throw isused by many people in the Caribbean to
describe a closedistance. eg. "She lives a stone's throw away". The other useof the title is to highlight
the content of the poem. It is afigurative stoning, or judging, of a woman.
Our eyes upon ourselves.18.We walked awayStill holding stones That we may throwAnother dayGiven
the urge.Mitchel, E. 'A Stone's Throw' in A World of Prose. Edited by MarkMcWatt and Hazel Simmonds
McDonald. Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.
Line 23: There is a play on the word 'come'. The persona is telling us that the crowd is planning to rape
the lady, this act is tocome, or occur, in the near future. Come, in this context, also means to ejaculate,
the culmination of the act of sex. The rapists in thecrowd also plan to 'come'.4. ALLUSION (biblical)The
content of the poem alludes to the story of Mary Magdalene in the Christian Bible. See John 8 v 5-7.
IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES5. 'we'This immediately tells the reader that the persona is in a crowd,
which highlights to us that the mob mentality exists in this context. Thecrowd acts as one entity.6.
'they'The use of this word immediately alienates the lady and places her in the scornful realm of the
'other'.7. 'dead scared'The use of the term 'dead' to describe the lady's emotional state of fearfulness
implies that she is extremely frightened, it is beyondregular fear.8. 'tousled'This words mean to be
handled roughly and, as a result, to look disorderly and disheveled. It is the perfect word to use in this
contextbecause it adds to the sexual innuendo that exists throughout the poem.9. 'nothing much'The
persona disregards the damage that they have done to the lady. He admits to the rough treatment, but
tries to make himself, andthe crowd, look good despite their wrong doing.10. 'But ours were virtuous,
Of course'This is almost like a tongue in cheek admittance that their touch was actually the opposite of
virtuous. The use of the term 'of course'highlights this interpretation.11. 'battery'In the Caribbean
context, battery refers to the slang term for the rape of an individual, conducted by several people in
succession.Therefore, the persona is pointing out the intent of the crowd, or some people in the
crowd.12. 'Of right'This is a clear indication from the persona that he believes that he and the mob are
in the right.13. 'tastes so good''Taste', to a lot of individuals, is one of the higher senses. Therefore,
when the persona uses this word, he is highlighting the intensepleasure that he anticipates from
meting out this 'justice'.14. 'this guru, Preacher, God-merchant, God-knows-what'The persona's
annoyance at this individual for disrupting his fun comes out in this statement. The persona is
deliberately beingdisrespectful.15. '(Should never speak to them)'This particular line speaks to the
alienation that the lady faces. She is grouped scornfully as 'them'.16. 'And saw in her something we
couldn't see'The intruder saw value in the lady, something that the crowd did not see.17. 'He turned
his eyes on us, Her eyes on us, Her eyes upon ourselves.'
This speaks to the fact that the preacher and the lady judge the crowd, and, more importantly, the
crowd judges itself. The preacher'sact of kindness sheds light on the cruelty that is inflicted on the lady
by the crowd.18. 'We walked away Still holding stones'This implies that the crowd still plans to keep
judging, and acting on their judgments, as they see fit.TONEThetone of the poem is mixed. At times it
is almost braggadocious, then it becomes sarcastic, moving to scornful. THEMATIC
CATEGORYDiscrimination, religion, survival, hypocrasy, oppression, alienation.
Test Match Sabina Park Literature Notes
Proudly wearing the4.rosette of my skinI5.strutinto Sabina3.England boycotting excitement
bravely,6.something badly amiss.Cricket. Not the game they play at Lords,the crowd -1.whoever saw a
crowdat a cricket match?- are caged7.vociferous partisans, quick to take offence.8.England sixty eight
for none at lunch.1.'What sort o battin dat man?dem kaaan play cricket again,praps dem should-aborrow2.Lawrence Rowe!'And on it goes,9.the wicket slowas the batting and the crowd restless.1.'Eh
white bwoy, how you brudders demdoes sen we sleep so? Me a pay moniesfe watch dis foolishness?
Cho!So I try to explain in my Hampshire drawlabout conditions in Kent,about10.sticky wicketsand
muggy daysand the monsoon season in Manchesterbut fail to convince even myself.The
crowd's11.loud 'busindrives me out12.skulking behind a tarnished rosettesomewhat frayed now but
unable, quite,to conceal a13.blushing nationality.Brown, S. 'Test Match Sabina Park' in A World of
Prose. Editedby Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. PearsonEducation Ltd, 2005.
The persona, a white man, proudly enters Sabina Park to watch a cricket match between England and
the West Indies. The personanotices that the game is slow and that the crowd is not reacting well.He
is, in fact, initially shocked that there is a crowd at all because thisis usually not the case atLords.By
lunch, England is sixty eight for none, and the crowd gets abusive. They even state that maybe
theyshould borrowLawrence Rowe.The persona tries to explain the reason behind the slow pace of the
British side, but fails to convinceeven himself. His embarrassment at England's performance has
himskulking out of the venue.LITERARY DEVICES1. RHETORICAL QUESTION
Stanza 2, lines 6-7: This question reveals that, despite thefact that cricket is a popular sport in
England, the venues forthe matches are not crowded. This question could also pointto the fact that
Sabina Park was very crowded.
Stanza 3, line 10: This question represents the general frustration of the West Indians in the crowd.
They are annoyed that thecricket match is progressing so slowly, hence their annoyance.
Stanza 4, lines 16-18: These questions imply that the West Indian crowd's level of frustration has
escalated.2. ALLUSIONThe allusion to Lawrence Rowe, a very colourful and successful West Indian
cricketer, emphasizes the fact that the match is slow andboring.
3. SARCASMTo 'boycott' is to abstain, or to stop, from doing something. Therefore, the persona is being
sarcastic because excitement is a goodthing, people usually boycott for something negative.
Therefore, the persona is, again, highlighting the slow and boring pace of thecricket match.IMPORTANT
WORDS/ PHRASES4.'rosette of my skin'Rosette implies a reddish colour, or tint, to the skin, that
sometimes resembles a rose. This description immediately identifies the raceof the persona as white.
The persona is proud of his race, as he enters Sabina Park.5.'strut'This word means to walk proudly. It
emphasizes the fact that the persona is proudly walking into Sabina Park.6.'something badly
amiss' The persona is jolted by the fact that the match is going slowly. The word 'amiss' implies wrong,
the game should not be going soslowly.7.'vociferous partisans'Vociferous means to be very noisy and
clamorous and patisan is a person who shows biased, emotional allegiance. Therefore, theWest Indian
crowd was extremely noisy in their support of their team. They were also very unappreciative of the
slow pace of thematch.8.'England sixty eight for none at lunch'While this is a good score, it never-theless highlights the slowness of the match, hence the fact that the experience, for the crowd, wasfar
from exciting.9.'the wicket slow'The purpose of the wicket is to 'out' the opposing side. Therefore, no
'outing' is occurring, the wickets are standing. Everything aboutthe match is going slowly.10.'sticky
wickets'This implies a sticky, or awkward situation. It highlights England's situation.11.'loud 'busin'The
English team was being loudly abused.12.'skulking behind a tarnished rosette'Skulking implies hiding
in shame, and tarnished means tainted. Therefore, the proud Englishman is now embarrassed, and the
rosetteof his skin is making him stand out. Initially this was a very good thing, but now it is a
disadvantage.13.'blushing nationality'.At this point, the Englishman admits to being embarrassed for
his team, as well as himself.*There is a distinctCONTRASTbetween the beginning of the poem when the
persona is proud, and 'struts'. However, by the end of thepoem, he is embarrassed and
'skulking'VOICESThere are two distinct voices in this poem. The English man and the West
Indian.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is tense. TONEThetone of the poem is one of
frustration THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONDiscrimination, places, culture and sports
Theme For English B Literature Notes

The instructor said,
Go home and write a page tonight.And let that page come out of you - Then it will be true.
1.I wonder if it's that simple?I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.3.I went to school there,
then Durham, then here to this collegeon the hill above Harlem.I am the only colored student in the
class.The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem, through a park,then I cross St. Nicholas, Eighth
Avenue, Seventh, and I come tothe Y, the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator up to myroom, sit
down, and write this page:It's not easy to know what is true for you or meat twenty-two, my age. But I
guess I'm whatI feel and see and hear, Harlem,2.I hear you: hear you, hear me- we too - you, me, talk
on this page.(I hear New York, too.)1.Me - who?Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.I like to
work, read, learn, and understand life.I like a pipe for a Christmas present,or records - Bessie, bop, or
Bach.I guess being colored doesn't make me
not
like the same things other folks like who areother races.1.So will my page be colored that I write?Being
me, it will not be white.4.But it will bea part of you, instructor.You are white -yet a part of me, as I am a
part of you.That's American.Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.Nor do I often want
to be a part of you.But we are, that's true!5.As I learn from you,I guess you learn from me -although
you're older - and white -and somewhat more free.
LITERAL MEANINGThe persona's lecturer gave him an assignment to write a page thatreflects 'him', or
who he is. The persona wonders if this is a simpletask, and begins to think about his life. Things like his
age, place ofbirth, race and place of residence. Based on these musings, hesurmises that he is
confused due to his youth. He guesses that he iswhat he feels, sees and hears, which is Harlem, New
York. Hecontinues his musing about what he likes, and concludes that he likesthe same things that
people of other races do. On this basis, hequestions whether or not his page will be influenced by race.
Heconcludes that it will not be white. He admits that his instructor, as wellas the fact that this
instructor is white, will have some influence on hispage. He states that they both influence each other,
that is what beingAmerican is about. He believes that both of them might not want toinfluence each
other, but it cannot be helped. He concludes that bothof them will learn from each other, despite the
fact that the instructorhas the double advantage of being older, white and more free. All ofthese
musings and conclusions become his page for English B.LITERARY DEVICES1.RHETORICAL QUESTION
Stanza 2, line 6: The persona ponders the ease of what he isasked to do. This question, in turn,
actually highlights thedifficult nature of the task.
Stanza 3, line24: This question highlights the persona'sconfusion as to who he is. He is unsure.
Stanza 4, line 32: The persona is wondering whether his racewill affect what he writes on the page,
despite the fact thathe concludes that race does not hinder people, in general,liking the same things.
This is my page for English B.Hughs, L. 'Theme For English B' in A World of Prose. Edited byMark
McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. PearsonEducation Ltd, 2005.2. REPETITIONThis repetition
emphasizes the profound impact that Harlem, New York, has had on the personality of the
persona.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES4.'But it will be a part of you, instructor. You are white - yet a
part of me, as I am a part of you.That's American.'This statement reveals the fact that America is
viewed as a melting pot by the persona. He believes that different races and culturesinfluence each
other, thereby forming the term 'American'5.As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me - although
you're older - and white - and somewhat more free.This statement, by the persona, repeats his belief
that the American society is a melting pot. It also, however, states that not every-oneis equal within
this society.* It is interesting to note that the persona's 'page for English B' becomes a journey of self
discovery that actually does not end. He formsno conclusion as to who he is because his personality is
still 'in process'MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is reflective. TONEThetone of the poem is
also reflective. THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONRacism, places
Dreaming Black Boy Literature Notes
1.I wishmy teacher's eyes wouldn'tgo past me today. Wish he'd knowit's okay to hug me when I kicka
goal.1.WishI myself wouldn'thold back when an answer comes.2.I'm no woodchopper nowlike all
ancestor's.1.I wishI could be educatedto the best of tune up, and earngood money and3.not sink to
lickboots.1.I wishI could go on every crisscross way of the globeand no persons or powers orhotel
keepers would make it a waste.1.I wishlife wouldn't spend me outopposing.1.Wishsame way
creationwould have me stand it would have me stretch, and hold high,2.my voicePaul Robeson's,
my4. inside eye a sun.Nobody wants to sayhello to nasty answers.1.I wish 2.torch throwers of
nightwould burn lights for decent times.1.Wish 2.plotters in pyjamas would prayfor themselves.Wish
people wouldn'ttalk as if I dropped from Mars1.I wishonly boys were scaredbehind bravados, for I could
suffer.I could suffer a big big lot.1.Iwishnobody would want to earnthe terrible burden I can suffer.King,
H. 'Dreaming Black Boy' in A World of Prose. Edited by MarkMcWatt and Hazel Simmond-McDonald.
Pearson Education Ltd,2005.
LITERAL MEANINGThe poem is about a
black boy who wishes that he could have theregular things in life. Things such as a
congratulatory hug, to beeducated to the highest level and to travel without harassment. Thepersona
yearns to stop fighting for the basic right to be successful,to rise above societal expectations.LITERARY
DEVICES1. REPETITION: The constant repetition of the phrase 'I wish' points to a yearning,
adesperation even, for the basic things that life has to offer.The repetition gives credence to the idea
that the personamight believe that his wishes are actually dreams that might notcome true.2.
ALLUSION:
Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state oflacking control over one's own life and destiny.
The fact thatreference is made to this hints to how the persona feelsabout his life. He does not feel as
if he has control over it.
Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, alludes toPaul Robeson,a black intellectual, who attained success despite
difficult circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch
intellectually.

Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning crosses and
the pyjamas alludes totheir white outfits that look like pyjamas. The persona wants them to leave him
alone, find something else to do other than make hislife difficult, as well as contributing to his wishes
remaining a dream.IMPORTANT WORDS / PHRASE3.'not sink to lick boots'This refers to the concept of
being subservient. To have no choice but to kowtow to people in order to get ahead.4. 'Inside eye a
sun' This refers to the persona's mind. He wants to show how intelligent he is without fear. He wants
his mind to be a sun. Sun representsbrightness and light, that is how he wants his intelligence to
shine.TONE: Thetone/mood of the poem is one of sadness. The persona is thinking about how he is
treated and he reacts to this in a sad way. He keeps wishing that things were different.THEMATIC
CATEGORY: Racism, survival, oppression, desire/dreams.
O'l Higue Literature Notes
You think I like this5.stupidness!-6.gallivantingall night without skin,1.burning myself out like canefire2.to frighten the foolish?2.And for what? A few drops of baby blood?2.You think I wouldn't
rathertake my blood seasoned in fatblack-pudding, like everyone else?And don't even talk 'bout the
pain of saltand having to bend these old bones downto count a thousand grains of rice!If only babies
didn't smell so nice!And if I could only stophearing3.the soft, soft callof that7.pure blood running in
new veins,4.singing the sweet song of lifetempting an old, dry-up woman who been8.holding her final
note for years and years,afraid of the dying hum ...Then again, if I didn't fly and cometo that9.fresh
pulsein the middle of the night,2.how would you, mother,name your ancient dread?2.And who to
blamefor the murder inside your head ...?Believe me -As long as it have women giving birtha poor ol'
higue like me can never dead.
LITERAL MEANINGIn this poem, theOl' Higue / soucouyant tells of her frustration with her lifestyle. She
does not like the fact that she sometimes has to paradearound, in the form of a fireball, without her
skin at night. She explainsthat she has to do this in order to scare people, as well as to acquirebaby
blood. She explains that she would rather acquire this blood viacooked food, like every-one else. Her
worst complaint is the pain ofsalt, as well as having to count rice grains. She exhibits some regretfor
her lifestyle but implies that she cannot resist a baby's smell, aswell as it's pure blood. The 'newness'
of the baby tempts the Ol' Higue,and she cannot resist because she is an old woman who fears
death,which can only be avoided by consuming the baby's blood. Sheaffirms her usefulness in the
scheme of things, however, by claimingthat she provides mothers with a name for their fears (this
being thedeath of a child), as well as some-one to blame when the evil that theywish for their child, in
moments of tired frustration, comes true. Sheimplies that she will never die, so long as women keep
having babies.
McWatt, M. 'Ol' Higue' in A World of Prose. Edited by MarkMcWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald.
Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.LITERARY DEVICES1. SIMILECane-fire has a very distinct quality. It burns
very quickly and its presence is felt through it's pungent smell. Therefore, when the Ol'Higue compares
herself to cane fire in her fireball state, it implies that she uses a lot of energy quickly, and is very
visible.2. RHETORICAL QUESTION
Stanza 1,line 4: This rhetorical question highlights the scant regard that the Higue has for the average
person. She isthoroughly annoyed that she has to literally waste her energy on them.
Stanza 1, line 5: This highlights the fact that, again, she is annoyed that she has to expend so much
energy to obtain a fewdrops of baby blood.
Stanza 1, lines 6-8: The Ol' Higue is emphasizing the fat that regular people ingest blood too, just in a
more palatable manner.She would not mind if she could ingest it in the same manner as well.
Stanza 3, lines 22-23: At this point, the Ol' Higue is making excuses for her presence, claiming that she
serves an actualpurpose in the scheme of life. If a child dies of unknown causes, she can be
scapegoated for it.
Stanza 3, lines 24-25: 'The murder inside your head' refers to the moments, when out of pure
frustration and tiredness, amother might wish ill on her child. The Ol' Higue is implying that, again, she
can be used as a scapegoat if something unfortunatehappens to the child. The mother is relieved of
bearing the burden of guilt.3. REPETITIONThe repetition of the word 'soft' emphasizes the fact that the
call of the child's blood has captured and beguiled the Ol' Higue'. Sheimplies that she cannot resist
that call.4. ALLITERATIONThis device emphasizes the Ol' Higue's dependence, even addiction, to the
sweet blood of the baby.IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES5. 'stupidness!'This is a distinctly Caribbean
phrase that highlights frustration or scorn. Therefore, it highlights the Ol' Higue's frustration with her
lack ofself control.6. 'gallivanting'This term refers to some one 'playing around', having fun. The Ol'
Higue is being sarcastic at this point. She is expressing displeasureat having to fly around to seek
prey.7. 'pure blood running in new veins'Babies are often associated with purity, this is what is
emphasized here. The Ol' Higue simply cannot resist the lure of new and pureblood.8. 'holding her final
note for years and years, afraid of the dying hum ...'This tells us that the Ol'Higue has been living this
desperate existence for a long time. It also implies that she will keep hanging on,despite her
frustration. The final line confirms this point: 'As long as it have women giving birth a poor Ol' Higue
like me can never dead'MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is reflective. TONEThetone of the
poem is slightly bitter and resigned. She accepts that the cycle of her life cannot change. THEMATIC
CATEGORIZATIONSupernatural
Le Loupgarou Literature Notes

A5.curious 1.tale that threaded through town Through greying women sewing under eaves,Was how
his greed had brought old Le Brun down,1.greeted byslowly shutting jalousesWhen he approached
them in6.white linen-linen suit,Pink glasses, cork hatand2.tap-tappingcane, 3.A dying man licensed to
sell sick fruit,Ruined by fiends with whom he'd made a bargain.It seems one night, these4.Christian
witchessaid,He changed himself into an7.Alsatian hound,A slathering lycenthrope, hot on a scent,1.But
his own watchman dealt the thing a woundWhich howled and lugged its entrails, trailing wetWith blood
back to its doorstep, almost dead.Walcott, D. 'Le Loupgarou' in A World of Prose. Edited by MarkMcWatt
and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson EducationLtd, 2005.
LITERAL MEANINGThis poem tells the tale of old LeBrun, a man that was rumoured bythe townspeople
to be aloupgarou. Old women would relax undereaves and gossip about Le Brun, while literally shutting
him out of theirlives with their closing windows. The prevailing gossip, in this poem, isthat he
transformed into a hound one night, but was dealt a wound byhis own watchman. He then lugged his
entrails back to his doorstep,almost dead. LITERARY DEVICES1. ALLITERATION
Lines 1-3: This alliteration gives the reader a visual imagery of the manner in which the gossip about
Le Brun spread. A threadis thin and fine and can weave itself in any crevice, sometimes in a very nonlinear and sinuous manner. This describes the way inwhich the gossip spread. It managed to touch the
whole village in an almost insiduous, and complete, manner.
Line 5: This literary device speaks to the results of the gossip. Le Brun is alienated from the people of
the town. Theirfascination with him, however, is evident by the fact that they slowly shut their
jalouses/windows. The lack of speed implies that theyare watching him, while also alienating him.
Lines 17-21: This alliteration highlights the severity of the loupgarou's injuries. You can almost see and
hear the wetness of theblood, as well as see the entrails trailing wet through the use of this device.2.
ONOMATOPOEIAThe tap-tapping cane is a part of Le Brun's physical description. He appears to stand
out, in terms of his physical appearance, down tothe use of his cane.3. PARADOXThis statement
appears nonsensical at first, but actually makes sense in the long run. The loupgarou is, in fact, a man
who is leading ahalf life as man and beast, so he is not really 'living'. The fact that he can pass on the
'gift' of becoming a werewolf clarifies the fact thatLe Brun is actually 'licensed to sell sick fruit', or pass
on his sick 'gift'.4. OXYMORONThe words 'Christian' and 'witches', placed together, emphasizes the
dual nature of the women in the village. They are good Christianwomen who mean no harm, but their
fear of the 'difference' that they sense in Le Brun (contributed by his mode of dress), leads them
toreact in an unchristian manner, like witches, in dealing with him.
* IRONYIt is ironic that Le Brun's own watchman dealt him a lethal blow.IMPORTANT WORDS/
PHRASES5.curious This word emphasizes the strangeness of the story that is circulated about Le
Brun.6.white linen-linen suit, pink glasses, cork hat (and cane)This outfit would let anyone be seen in a
crowd, or other wise. It emphasizes Le Brun's difference , hence, one of the reasons that hewould be
the focus of gossip. Imagine an individual dressed in the combination below:
7.Alsatian hound, a slathering lycenthrope This description of Le Brun displays the distaste that is felt
towards him in his animal form.MOOD/ ATMOSPHEREThemood of the poem is reflective.
TONEThetone of the poem is calm and reflective. The persona is simply recounting a piece of gossip.
THEMATIC CATEGORIZATIONSupernatural
NOTES ON OLD STORY TIME

Trevor Rhones
Old Story Time
Trevor Rhones play
Old Story Time
portrays a Jamaican storytelling situation in two acts with oneand six scenes, respectively. Pa Ben, who
is the narrator as well as a character in the play, tellsthe story of the Tomlinson family. Using
flashbacks, Rhone stages events in a time span of aroundthirty years, beginning with Len Tomlinsons
boyhood. Miss Aggy, Lens mother, puts him throughs c h o o l w i t h r i g i d p r e s s u r e a n d i s
o b s e s s e d w i t h t h e i d e a t h a t h e s h o u l d m a r r y M a r g a r e t , t h e ministers light-skinned
daughter, in order to advance his social status.While abroad on a scholarship, Len keeps only
scarce contact with his mother. When she fi nally learns that he has married Lois, a black
woman, she is absolutely infuriated and convinced that Loiscould have worked this only with a spell.
Len returns home as a successful banker and sets out toruin the business of George McFarlane, a lightskinned upper-class former schoolmate now involvedin dubious financial dealings. When Miss Aggy
speaks up on behalf of George, whose family she stillholds in high regard, this results in a
serious confrontation between mother and son. Miss Aggy again blames Lois for using magic
to alienate her son from her and decides to employ a fatal obeahspell against her daughter-in-law.The
climactic fi nal scene of the play reveals the real reason for Lens hatred against George:
ins c h o o l L e n h a d o n c e w r i t t e n a l o v e l e t t e r t o M a r g a r e t , w h i c h s h e a n d h e r
b o y f r i e n d G e o r g e considered an impudence of a black, ugly, little big-lipped (83)
boy. They set Len up to be thrashed and utterly humiliated by George and his friends. Miss Aggy
also learns that it was Loissfamily who took care of Len right after this traumatic experience, which
finally makes her accepther sons wife and realize her own wrongs. In a happy ending, Lens family
comes together in acathartic night of repentance, forgiveness, exorcism, and love(Stone 46).
Looking at contrasts in Setting, Costumes, and Roles in
Old Story Time
The simple setting (Rhone 4) of
Old Story Time
is represented by a stage divided into threeframes. Of these three frames, two show the
interior and exterior of Miss Aggys house in thebeginning of the play, while the third
suggests Pa Bens old house (4) with its raised veranda. While this third section remains
unchanged throughout the play, the stage directions mention thatduring the first act, the scenery of
Miss Aggys house is changed to represent the interior of Lenshouse, while Pa Ben fittingly sings a
song titled Change the House Round (4).This change of the setting reveals a creation of
seemingly diff erence on multiple levels. While a p i c t u r e o f J e s u s h a n g s o n t h e w a l l
i n M i s s A g g y s h o u s e , a f t e r i t s r e v e r s a l d u r i n g t h e s o n g i t reveal[s] Lens college
diploma (4). In this case, the setting opens up the contrasts of (religious)tradition and (secular)
progress. Another opposition, namely rich versus poor, is created by the
reversal of the panels that suggest the peeling wattle-and-daub walls(4) of Miss
Aggys house.After being turned around, these panels reveal the marble finish (4) of the walls in
Lens houseand, in that, give an air of wealth as opposed to the rather poor ambience in
the house of Lensmother. The establishment of this contrast is further emphasized by
an old curtain hung in the centre of the frame [that] reflects Mamas poverty (4), as stated in the
introduction of
Old Story Time
. Removal of the curtain during Change the House Round revealsbooks, candle-holders, avase,
etc.(4) to show the diff erent conditions Miss Aggy and Len live in. Furthermore, the
twoframes representing Lens house are later in the play also used as Georges office in the bank
anddescribed asfreely interchangeable (5), creating yet another contrast: the public
(working)sphere and the private sphere.In
Old Story Time
, the setting therefore represents one instance in which contrast is staged in
Old Story Time
. In the change from Miss Aggys house to Lens house, contrasts are constructed
andshow distinct differences.The contrast of wealth and poverty is portrayed again in the
description of the costumes in
Old Story Time
. While some characters, including Margaret, Lois, the Real Estate Developer, and George
are dressed in expensive clothes, the others wear old and worn-out clothes reflecting
theireconomically-bad situation. Whereas most characters are constantly wearing the
same kind of clothing throughout the diff erent events spanning around thirty years,
there are two changes in that respect: Len, who begins the play dress[ing] in the style of thirty-odd
years ago, but laterdresses in the mode of the successful banker in todays world, and Pearl, who in
the beginning of the play is a teenager in well worn clothes and goes from an even more
tattereddress to beingliterally dressed in rags (6).The description of the costumes becomes relevant
when Rhone writes that [a]ll the characters areblack, except George, a high brown man, and
Margaret, a fair-skinned girl (7). In this sense, the
dramatis personae
of
Old Story Time
and the different meanings of their respective costumes workagainst solid and identical ideas of
culture. Here, difference is portrayed on two levels: first, therei s t h e d i ff e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e
g r o u p o f b l a c k c h a r a c t e r s a n d t h e t w o n o n - b l a c k c h a r a c t e r s . Secondly, within the
group of Afro-Caribbean characters, difference is created in terms of wealthand poverty.By
incorporating black and non-black characters in his play and bringing up the contrast of wealthand
poverty again, Rhone portrays Caribbean society as diverse and assorted. Within the
upperc l a s s s e g m e n t o f t h e c h a r a c t e r s , G e o r g e a n d L e n c o n s t a n t l y fi g h t f o r
m o n e y , p o w e r , a n d t h e chance for revenge; in the lower class segment, Miss Aggy is
plagued by internalized racism and regards Pearl, who is struggling for survival throughout the
play, with shame. Within the group of Afro-Caribbean characters, there is no unity either, as
confl icts between Len and his mother as
well as between Miss Aggy and Pearl destroy any illusions of discourses of racial and/or
culturalpurity.
Language in Old Story Time
In
Old Story Time
, deviations from standard English occur right from the beginning of the play.When Pa
Ben enters the auditorium and addresses the audience, he does so in nation
language, which he uses throughout the play:PA BEN: An mi father would wax warm, him mind pon
the story anone eye pon the younggal them. Ah, boy, those were the days. Yes, A can still
hear the bamboo clarinet, and the fife a whistle, and the drum a lick, an A can still see miself
dress up in all mi finery steppinginto the dance yard. (9)It is obvious that Pa Ben uses a form of
dialect
3
here, as do, to some degree, most of the other characters in the play. The written forms mi
(instead of my),pon (instead of upon),an(instead of and),gal (instead of girls),or A
(instead of I),for example, indicate differentpronunciations and/or intonations of the Caribbean
dialect in comparison to standard English. Theuse ofhim (instead of the possessive pronoun
his)and them (at the end of the first sentencei n t h e a b o v e q u o t a t i o n ) p o i n t s t o
d i ff e r e n t g r a m m a t i c a l s t r u c t u r e s , o r d i ff e r e n t u s e s o f t h e language. Furthermore,
differences in the language between the standard variety of English andthe Caribbean vernacular used
in
Old Story Time
can be seen in the plays glossary, where some of the different lexical items are explained (xix-xx).
Overall, the dialogue of
Old Story Time
is largelywritten in a Caribbean dialect of English (cf. Stone 41), orusing Brathwaites
terminologyinnation language. This use of the dialect means that it is regarded as real
yet inferior.The only characters that avoid using dialect forms on a frequent basis are Lois, George,
and Lenthe latter,however, does so only after his return from studying abroad. This can be ascribed
to their wish todistance themselves from the Afro-Caribbean culture that they perceive as inferior
throughout themajority of the play.
Storytelling
In the beginning of
Old Story Time
, Pa Ben enters the auditorium singing and addressing the audience:Make yourselves
comfortable on them nice chairs. You people lucky, years ago when A was aboy and A use to go
listen to story, it was never in no fancy place like this, with all them pretty fandangles,
pretty lights and whatnot. No, sir. (8)
In this very moment at the beginning of the play, his role as narrative voice is established and
hereveals himself as the storyteller.Pa Ben himself outlines the tradition of storytelling for the
audience while the actors who later play the different characters gather around him, representing
the villagers:On an evening in the district, we would gather at the village square, everybody gather
roundthe shop piazza, some sit pon old drum, others pon the old crocus bags fi lled with
salt,everybody chatting, some meddling in peoples business, others giving remembrance to

whod e a d t h e w e e k b e f o r e , w h o s a w t h e g h o s t a n d w h a t n o t , a n d m y f a t h e r w a s
t h e c h i e f Storyteller when him feel in the mood. (8)Here, it becomes clear that storytelling is not
only about educatingin the sense of passing on thehistory and culture of a communitybut that it
also has an entertaining function.
Old Story Time
portrays story-telling as a major avenue of reconnection for the audience with their past and alsothe
present (249). Moreover, in Pa Bens explanation of the storytelling tradition, its importanceas a
communal action that supports the formation of a close-knit community is highlighted by
thedescription of people gathering to talk to each other, to give advice, and to mourn the
dead.Storytelling is portrayed as an important tradition in non-literate communities
where historywas preserved by the story-teller who held a privileged place central to
the maintenance andsustenance of the groups culture (126)indicating that the
tradition dates back to pre-slavery times.In
Old Story Time
, there are indeed instances in which Pa Ben, in his role as storyteller, assumes afunction of resistance
to traditional Western views. In the prologue, he openly admits that certainfacts are unknown to
him: What A dont know as a fact, A will make up as A go along, and if Acant do it by
miself, mi friend here will help me. [
Indicating his rum bottle.
] (10). By that, heblurs the boundaries between fi ction and history and indicates that
the one is not to be entirely separated from the other.This notion is further emphasized in the
beginning of act II, scene one, when Pa Ben appears as thestoryteller again. The frame-tale from
the prologue is picked up again as the actors once more portray the listeningand
commentingvillagers gathered around Pa Ben:ACTOR WHO PLAYS GEORGE: What secret Mongoose
carrying for Miss Lois?PA BEN: Miself want to know.ALL THE ACTORS/VILLAGERS: You know, man, you
know.ACTOR WHO PLAYS LEN: Yes, him know.
PA BEN: I dont know, honest, would I tell a lie?ALL THE ACTORS/VILLAGERS: Yes. (48)Here, the
notion of truth is once more put into question. Pa Ben again admits that he does not know
every detail of the story he is telling to the villagers. When they do not believe him, he posesthe
ironical rhetorical question if he would lie to his audiencewhich is promptly answered in
theaffi rmative. The audience grants full narrative authority to Pa Ben and wants the
story to becontinued, while readily accepting the fact that Pa Ben could (and has already been
proven to) lieto them.The fact that Pa Ben appears in
Old Story Time
not only in his role as the storyteller, but also as acharacter within the fictional world of the play itself,
necessitates a distinction between these tworoles. When Pa Ben takes the role of a character within
the fictional world of the play (that is, thestory he is telling) and interacts with the other
fi gures, we see that by performing both as the storyteller and as a character taking part in the
story he is telling, Pa Ben can be seen as having atwo-fold function, since it is diffi cult to
completely separate the two roles he takes in the play.This becomes evident in two
exemplary instances quoted and analyzed below, in which Pa Ben switches between his two
roles:PA BEN: [
Speaking directly to the audience
] If A had mi wits about me, A would save the boya licking that evening. A should tell him mother that
is me send him out. A have to find himbefore she catch up with him. Lennie! [
As he goes off calling,
MAMA
can also be heard callingoff stage,
Lennard!] (12)Speaking towards the auditorium, Pa Ben off ers his thoughts. Here, it is
diffi cult to determine whether he is speaking to the audience as the storytelling voice or whether he
addresses it in theform of a monologue in the role of his character. When he eventually goes off calling
for Len, PaBen leaves that space of undecidability between the two roles he takes in the play and
returns tot h e w o r l d o f fi c t i t i o u s c h a r a c t e r s . A n o t h e r i n s t a n c e i n w h i c h t h e
h y b r i d n a t u r e o f P a B e n s character is portrayed is the following:PA B E N : [
Coming through the door of his little house
] A y e a r g o b y , a n d n o t a w o r d p a s s between us. One piece a malice she keep up on me. A
try to talk to her. [
He walks over to her space.
] Morning, Miss Aggy. [MAMA
s head fl ashes around only to fl ash back again. She does not return the greeting.
PA BEN
returns to the audience
.] It hurt mi soul case how shewas going on. [MAMA
changes her scarf again
.] After all, she was mi best friend. A had to k e e p t r y i n g , f o r m e i s n o t o n e t o k e e p
up malice. [
He goes across to her space again
.]Evening, Miss Aggy. (24)H e r e , P a B e n u n q u e s t i o n i n g l y t a l k s t o t h e a u d i e n c e i n t h e
r o l e o f t h e p l a y s s t o r y t e l l e r. T h i s becomes clear by him taking a mediating function and
telling what has (or, rather, has not) been
h a p p e n i n g b e t w e e n h i m a n d M i s s A g g y o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f a y e a r. P a B e n t h e n
s p o n t a n e o u s l y switches to his role as a character in the play when he walks over to Miss Aggys
house and greetsh e r. T h e r e a f t e r , h e s w i t c h e s b a c k t o h i s r o l e a s s t o r y t e l l e r a n d ,
i n t h e e n d o f t h e q u o t a t i o n , reassumes his role as a character within the fictional world of the
play again. These two instancesillustrate the complexity of the character Pa Ben. This blurring of the
boundaries between him ast h e s t o r y t e l l e r ( b e i n g t h e m e d i a t i n g s y s t e m o f
communication) and him as the character(participating in the
dramatic situation) cannot easily be dissolved, which makes it
s e e m reasonable to speak of a hybrid function which Pa Ben carries in Trevor Rhones play.This twofold function that Pa Ben carries is also important in creating a fusion of genre in
Old Story Time.
As shown, the setting and circumstances as well as the language of
Old Story Time
bear a distinctively Caribbean mark which portray the fusion of Caribbean culture.From a strictly formal
point of view, Trevor Rhones play can be categorized as an incorporationof a narrative voice, music,
and dance, among others, into the drama (cf. Cuddon 273-74). Rhonesuse of the storytelling
device, however, manages to introduce a specifi cally Caribbean element into this form of
epic theatre. This Caribbeanizationof the play is also evident by the integrationof Caribbean folk
songs, as in the very beginning of the play when Pa Ben enters the auditorium singing Old
Story Time . . . Old Story Time (8) to the tunes of the music.In traditional plays, storytelling was not
considered part of the format of constructing a play but in
Old Story Time
, there is the inclusion of Caribbean music and storytelling and acting which makesit new and different.
In this role, Pa Ben is actually more than just a narrative voice. He appears asthe focal point of the
play, because without a storyteller there would be no story toldand in extension, no play.
However, he appears in this role only in parts of the play.The strong presence of the storytelling
voice in some parts of the play, in combination with the complete lack of it in others, leads to
a blurring of the genre boundaries. While
Old Story Time
iswithout any doubt a form of drama in the most encompassing sense of the term, it does not
seemsensible to list it under the genre of a traditional drama, because it has so many new qualities
of Caribbean infl uence through the character of Pa Ben. From this point of view, it seems
morefitting to call
Old Story Time
a storytelling dramathan to categorize it as an epic drama, as thisdraws attention to the fact that a
fusion of drama has emerged from the Caribbean and Europeanelements in this case.
Anything Black Nuh Good:Internalized Racism, Familial Conflict and Hybrid Identities in
Old StoryTime
The central theme in
Old Story Time
is the familial conflict developing between single mother MissAggy and her son Len and the final
solution of this in the last scene of act II. The figure of Miss Aggy
is especially interesting in this respect, due to the fact that her
i n t e r n a l i z a t i o n o f r a c i s t stereotypes fuels the conflict immensely. Internalized racism can be
seen as one of the effects of having been a colonised country. This means the black person feels racial
self-hatred and considershimself/ herself as inferior and powerless in the colonial situation .M i s s
Aggy is already characterized in her social status when Rhone describes the
s e t t i n g a n d costumes of the play: we learn that the figure of Miss Aggy is black (7) and lives in a
rather poorhouse. After the prologue of the play, Miss Aggy is the first figure to appear in the fictional
worldof the play when she is looking for Len
4
, who is not at home even though she wanted him to stayin the house an study him book (10). Her
authoritarian style of education becomes clear in thefollowing dialogue with her neighbor Pa
Ben:MAMA: If him cant hear him mus feel. [
As she is going off
] Is you help spoil him.PA BEN: Lawd! Harass the poor boy so!MAMA: [
As she is leaving she sees a switch on the lower level
] Ah, see it here. Wait till A catch upwith him, A going to scour his behind for him this evening.
(12)When she fi nally catches up with him as he is playing with Pearl, she stops her son
from runningaway by the threat: If you run A murder you tonight (13). Even though these words
are not likelyto be serious, it becomes clear that Miss Aggy does not accept any objections and does
not hesitateto use physical punishment if her son violates the rules she has set.The motivation of Miss
Aggys harsh style of education is shown in the dialogue with her son, whichalso reveals much about
her psyche:MAMA: Miss Esmeralda frowsy-tail, jiggerfoot, jersey ears, board head gal is
your friend?Where is yuh ambition? You dont have any ambition? After A struggle out mi
soul case tosend you to big shot high school, you come home come mix up with that little dry-head
gal?H o w m u c h t i m e A m u s t t e l l y o u , d o n t m i x u p w i t h t h e l i t t l e d u t t y b l a c k g a l
d e m i n t h e district? How much time A must tell you, anything black nuh good? She is no
advancement. Itlook like A will have to beat it into you. (14)Here, Miss Aggy reveals one of her most
predominant traits of character: she despises anything thatis black. This hatred towards black people
and, in extension, towards herself, is emphasized evenfurther when Pa Ben in his role as storyteller
explains her behavior to the audience: You have tounderstand Miss Aggy. She wouldnt even have a
black chicken in her yard. One chop, off with thehead (14). Even though this is very likely to
be an overstatement, it serves to show how deep- running Miss Aggys despise of blackness
actually is. Judy Stone also emphasizes how the workingso f t h e c o l o u r b i a s t h a t n o t s o l o n g
a g o w a s u p h e l d w i t h i n t h e W e s t I n d i a n s o c i e t y e v e n b y i t s victims(46) are
represented in the dramatic figure of Miss Aggy.
While Miss Aggys intentions in the strict upbringing of Len are based on the misguided premises
of her internalized racism, they ultimately prove to be good. She tells her son that she
only wantsw h a t i s b e s t f o r h i m , a n d e x p l a i n s t o h i m t h a t l i f e i s h a r d w h e n y o u
b l a c k , b u t w i t h a l i t t l e education you still have a chance (14). Grace Owen describes the figure
of Miss Aggy as a womanof courage, relentless in her efforts to assist the next generation, her son, to
rise above povertyt h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n ( 7 2 ) . W h i l e t h i s o b s e r v a t i o n h o l d s
t r u e , i t i s s t i l l q u e s t i o n a b l e i f t h e advancement that Miss Aggy wants her son to
achieve can be accomplished by education alone.Furthermore, Miss Aggys notions of ambition
and advancement are highly problematic, as both actually aim at gaining an idealized
whiteness: When time come for you to have girlfriend, A havea nice girl pick out for you. Miss
Margaret, Reverend Greaves daughter, a nice brown girl with tallh a i r d o w n t o h e r b a c k . S h e i s
a d v a n c e m e n t , y o u h e a r m e ( 1 4 ) . P a B e n t e l l i n g t h e a u d i e n c e thatMiss Margaret
was like an obsession with [Miss Aggy] (14) reinforces the notion that thefi gure of the
reverends daughter is a personifi cation of the advancement towards whiteness, which is
the driving force behind Miss Aggys actions throughout the play.Judy Stone identifies this constant
pressure that the endearing but obsessively feudal Miss Aggieput[s] on her young son to advance
himself towards whiteness(45-46) as one of the problematicpoints in the relationship of the
Tomlinson family. Miss Aggys internalized racism and obsession with advancement become
even more of a problem after Lens return from studying abroad. Whenshe learns from a letter that her
son has indeed married, she is shocked and embarrassed to learnthat instead of Miss Margaretor any
other white or brown woman for that matterLen has chosena black woman. In a dialogue with Pa
Ben, her feelings of disgust for her sons wife surface for thefirst time:MAMA: Me nuh care what she
name. Me nuh want her beside mi son. [
She tears the photograph intwo, throwing the part with
LOIS
on the floor.
]PA BEN: Shame on you, Miss Aggy. Before you happy for the boy, you come with yuh
nonsense.[
Picking up the torn photograph.
]MAMA: Nonsense. Shut yuh mouth. A know what A talking about. After I drum it into him head
thatanything black nuh good, I know is no way him could pick up
that
of him own free will. [
Pointing tothe torn photograph in
PA BEN
s hand.
] (23)She cannot accept the fact that her son has betrayed her ideals, and therefore suspects his
wifeLois of obeah, which is used in Jamaica to denote witchcraft, evil magic or sorcery
by whichsupernatural power is invoked to achieve personal protection or the destruction
of enemies(Senior 355). Miss Aggy, believing that any black woman is bound to
intentionally destroy Lens future and his advancementtowards whiteness, projects all her racial
self-hatred onto Lois whenLen fi nally returns to the village with his wife andon Pa Bens
biddingmakes peace with his mother.
Despite the reunion of mother and son, Miss Aggy is not able to accept Lens decision to
marry ablack woman. This becomes evident in the very fi rst meeting between Miss Aggy
and her son in years, when Len brings a gifta pretty frock (27)and she is initially very
glad:MAMA: It really nice. You pick it out for Mama?LEN: No, Lois did.MAMA: Oh! A dont think it going
to fit me. [
She tosses it aside, not too carefully.
] (28)Miss Aggy cannot even accept a present that has been selected by Lois. This serves once more
toshow her systematic hatred towards her sons wife. While Miss Margaret served as a
personificationof the positivenamely the advancement towards whitenessfor Miss Aggy, Lois is evil
personifieda black woman trying to bring Len down.T h e fi r s t t i m e t h a t a d i r e c t e n c o u n t e r
b e t w e e n M i s s A g g y a n d L o i s i s s t a g e d i n t h e p l a y , t h e audience becomes aware of the
level of confrontation between those two characters:MAMA: [
From off
] Hold dog! . . .LOIS: I wish you would impress upon your mother that we do not have a dog.LEN:
Lois.LEN: Unless of course she is referring to me, which in fact she is. (32)By referring to Lois as
dog,Miss Aggy in fact replicates the racist claim that people of Africandescent were
not only inferior, but in fact subhuman. Lois, however, reacts cynically and does nothing
to deescalate the situation: Now you must excuse me as I have to clean the shit out of
thedoghouse(33). Miss Aggy, who promised her son to keep the peace, in reaction makes it
clearthat nevertheless she never promised to be nice to [Lois] (33).Miss Aggys internalized racism
furthermore leads to her being financially cheated by the corruptbanker George, whom she trusts
mainly because he is not black, but a high brown man (7):MAMA: Only say that right now him
in a little fi nancial diffi culty, but give him a little timeand everything will be all right,
but I explain to him that he dont have to worry bout my couple pennies, just straighten out
his own business first. Since I know is Missa Mac in charge,I know my money safe. (58)In this passage,
Miss Aggy reveals her feelings of racial inferiority by blindly believing George andb y
a c k n o w l e d g i n g t h a t h i s fi n a n c i a l p r o b l e m s a r e m o r e i m p o r t a n t t h a n h e r o w n ,
f o r w h i c h , ironically, George is responsible.
In a confrontation with Len, during which he threatens to hit his mother with a chair, Miss Aggy
isp u s h e d t o t h e b r i n k a n d i s c o n v i n c e d t h a t h e r s o n i s u n d e r t h e s p e l l o f
o b e a h b y L o i s . I n t h i s situation, internalized racism and religious fervor drive Miss
Aggy, as she decides to no longeraccept the evilness thatin her point of viewhas
befallen her son, and to help him: Len, Len, son, listen to me, son. Your soul is in bondage! A
have to release you! A have to set you free! (60-61). She decides to take matters in her own hand and
destroy Lois through obeah.The figure of Miss Aggy swings between two main characteristics: the
loving and caring mother onthe one hand, and the uneducated poor woman on the other,
whose sense of self is warped (Owen 72) as she has internalized the stereotypes and attitudes
of the colonial times towards blackp e o p l e a n d s o n o w c o n s i d e r s b l a c k p e o p l e a n d t h e i r
c u l t u r e a s i n f e r i o r- e v e n a l l t h e w h i l e forgetting that she is black.However, the familial
confl ict that thus evolves within
Old Story Time
dissolves into a happyending, however. When it becomes clear to Len that he cannot
protect Lois from his mothers determination to obeah her, he decides to forgive his mother and to
throw overboard once and forall his monolithic views of her as a traitor to the race. He hopes that
she can eventually do thesame when she learns the story of Lens humiliation and how Lois and her
father helped him backthen. Pa Ben, who throughout the play has the role of negotiator between
mother and son, bringsMiss Aggy to Lens house, where the final scene takes place. Before the story of
Lens humiliation isstaged, Miss Aggy is again discomforted upon seeing Lois. She realizes
the consequences of her drumbeat[ing] Miss Margaret so much in him head (82).M i s s A g g y l e a r n s
t h a t Re v e r e n d G re a v e s w h o m s h e h a d v a l u e d s o h i g h l y w a s o v e r t l y
racist, e x p e c t [ i n g ] t h o s e [ b l a c k ] p e o p l e t o k n o w t h e i r p l a c e
( 8 3 ) , a n d t h a t h i s d a u g h t e r theadvancement she sought for her sonwasone of
[Lens] principal tormentors (Stone 46).Fi n a l l y b e g i n n i n g t o u n d e r s t a n d h e r s o n , s h e
u r g e s f o r w a r d t o k i l l G e o r g e a n d b e g s f o r L e n s forgiveness:MAMA: I have to kill him!
[They take away the handbag.] No, dont make me go to mi gravewith mi soul in torment, Lawd,
mi spirit in bondage. I have to atone for mi sins. I have tocleanse mi soul. Oh Len, how I
going to sleep tonight? How I will sleep ever again? Oh Len, Len, forgive me, please, forgive me.
(85)When Len finally tells his mother that the good Samaritan and his daughter (85) who took care
of him after his humiliation were Lois and her father, her eyes are opened and she realizes what
herinternalized racism has caused. Ashamed of herself, she tries to escape and to save Lois from
theconsequences of obeah by sacrificing herself. She is finally able to accept Lois and embraces
her,calling her daughter (86). She recognizes that she has been a foolish old woman (86)
becauseshe was not able to leave her racial self-hatred behind her before it was too late.
However, Len, Lois, and Pa Ben do not let her go. Len tells his mother: We need you, Mama (86),even
though Miss Aggy warns them that they are in danger if they try to hold her back and to breakthe
spell of obeah that is bound to destroy her. Pa Ben, Len, and Lois all sing the twentythirdpsalm and at times speak the African words Omia n Twi. Mia Kuru. Omia n ani (87). They
succeedi n f r e e i n g M i s s A g g y f r o m t h e e v i l s p i r i t s a n d s h e h u g s L e n a n d L o i s a n d
c a l l s t h e m b o t h h e r children. Pa Ben sums up the night of exorcism:A l l n i g h t l o n g w e p r a y.
W e p r a y f o r s t r e n g t h i n t h i s t h e v i g i l o f t h e l o n g n i g h t . W e b i n d ourselves together
with strength and trust and confidence, and there was no doubt betweenus, no enmity in our hearts,
for we knew that the one force that could counteract all evil wasthere, and that force was love.
(87)Here, the acceptance of the mixed nature (black and light brown, racist and nonracist) of thefamily (extended by Pa Ben) is shown, as the entire group of figures present in this
scene realizesthat love is what matters most. They bind themselves together, without doubt and
enmity, showingclearly that they have realized the danger of views of the world. The
(re)union of the family is s u c c e s s f u l b e c a u s e i n t h e e n d o f t h e p l a y , t h e t h r e e o f
t h e m t o g e t h e r ( 8 7 ) a c c e p t t h e i r identities.The familial confl ict between Miss Aggy
and her son can be read as an symbol of the society of Jamaica, or the West Indies in general.
Miss Aggy embodies (amongst others) the racist Eurocentricattitude, which is portrayed as
destructive to the family, and therefore, on another level, to Caribbean society. The
acceptance of the fusion of identities by Len and his mother in what JudyStone has called a
cathartic night of repentance, forgiveness, exorcism, and love(46) and the s u b s e q u e n t
happiness in the life of the family is the ultimate call for the acceptance of
t h e Caribbeans history. With the happy ending for the family, who is [a]ll well (87) in the end of
theplay,
Old Story Time

can be read as calling for West Indian society to accept its fusion and to riditself of racist discourses of
purity that have, for hundreds of years, plagued the area.
Conclusion
Contrast is staged in Trevor Rhones
Old Story Time
on many levels such as description of settinga n d c o s t u m e s a n d b y r e v e a l i n g t h e
l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e p l a y s m a i n c h a r a c t e r s . T h e incorporation of the
storytelling device by Rhone enable[d] him to make a smooth transition fromp r e s e n t t o p a s t
a n d v i c e v e r s a . P a B e n , t h e s t o r y t e l l e r , i s h i m s e l f a fi g u r e w i t h a t w o f o l d function, meaning that epic (traditional story-telling) and dramatic ( as an actor) elements in
thep l a y a r e i n t e r t w i n e d . T h i s t w o - f o l d f u n c t i o n a n d t h e c e n t r a l r o l e t h e
C a r i b b e a n t r a d i t i o n o f storytelling plays in
Old Story Time
a s s t o r y t e l l i n g d r a m a i n s t e a d o f c a t e g o r i z i n g i t a s a traditional drama.
O n t h e l e v e l o f fi g u r e s i n t h e fi c t i o n a l w o r l d o f t h e p l a y , M i s s A g g y c a n
b e regarded as an embodiment of Eurocentric negative attitudes. In the fi nal scene of
the play,however, these negative attiudes based on old colonial history are dissolved in a cathartic
night of
repentance, forgiveness, exorcism, and love (46). Miss Aggy realizes that her views of the
worldthreaten to destroy herself and her beloved son, and she begins to accept the new
face of her family.
NOTES ON WINE OF ASTONISHMENT
The Wine of Astonishment LITERATURE NOTES
ABOUT EARL LOVELACE
Born in Toco, Trinidad
Born in 1935
Spent most of his early years with his maternal grandparents in Tobago
He was an avid reader
He currently lives in Trinidad and Tobago
His passions in life are cricket and football

EARL LOVELACES NOVELS
While Gods are Falling

, 1964
The Schoolmaster
, 1968
The Dragon Cant Dance

, 1978
The Wine of Astonishment

, 1982

Jestinas Calypso and Other Stories
, 1984
Growing in the Dark

, 2003
Is Just a Movie
, due for publication in August 2010 on
SUMMARY
The book is about Eva and Bee Dorcas, members of the Spiritual Baptist Church. It is about their
experiences of being persecuted fortheir religious affiliation and the faith that they have in Ivan Morton
to change their situation. The character Bolo is also at the forefrontof this story because he embodies
the result of not being able to be a man in a society that does not view being Black as valuable.
SETTING
Time / Place:
The story is set over a 20 year time period, 1932 1951
Set in a small, remote village in Trinidad called Bonasse

Political structure:
Trinidad was still a colony under the British Empire
Trinidad was ruled under the Crown Colony system Head of State in England governed the island via
the Governor, whowas his or her representative
Political power, therefore, lay in the governor, assisted by a Council
Universal adult suffrage (right of all adults to vote) did not occur to Trinidad until 1946.
Power still lay in the hands of those who owned plantations and these people, in turn, controlled the
instruments of power; thelegislature, the courts and the police.
Economy:
The economy was still predominantly agricultural; sugar, cocoa, coffee, coconuts and citrus.
The petroleum industry was just beginning to make an impact.
Subsistence farming (production of foodstuff for domestic use) was the norm
World War II led to the establishment of American bases, which introduced opportunity to earn money
WW II also introduced a consumer attitude to life in Bonasse

Social structure:
Trinidad boasted a very diverse Creole society populated by a variety of ethnic groups (Indian, Black,
Chinese, White), eachwith its own cultural and religious practices.
Trinidad was still a series of small villages connected by a network of tiny roads, hence, travel between
villages was infrequent
Religion:
The protagonists in the novel are Spiritual Baptists/ Shouter Baptists
This religion arose out of a fusion of Protestant Christianity and African Orisha elements
The religion was outlawed in 1917 on the grounds that they disturbed the peace with their bell ringing,
loud singing and highlyexpressive behavior during worship.
See video clip of Spiritual Baptist in Grenada at the bottom of this page.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Eva Dorcas:
The wife of Bee Dorcas and mother to 5 children
She is the emotional support for her husband
She is a strong Christian
The story is told through her eyes (1st person narrator)
She is patient and long suffering

Bee Dorcas:
Evas husband and father of her 5 children
Pastor of the Shouter Baptist church in the text
He is a strong Christian
He is considered to be the pillar of the community
He is very wise, patient and long suffering
He is very persistent, as seen in his lobbying for Ivan Morton
Shoulders his responsibilities well and does not view them as a burden
Bolo:
Local stick fighting champion
Initially beloved and admired by the community, seen as a hero/warrior figure
Was imprisoned for 3 years for defending his mother, and the church, during a police raid of the
Shouter Baptist church
Later becomes the terror of the community because of how he bullied every-one after his return from
prison
A brave, yet simple character that was crushed by the realities of life as a black man in Trinidad
Ivan Morton:
Local boy who was considered to be the pride of the community because he was bright
Failed his college Exhibition examination twice
He eventually became a teacher within the community
He married a light skinned girl from Tunapuna, and abandoned Eulalie and their illegitimate baby
The community chose him to represent them on the Council and he became a true politician; talk
without action
MINOR CHARACTERS
Clyde:
Ivan Mortons driver
A lot of second hand information about Ivan is gleaned from this character, via Joyce
Eventually marries Joyce

Mr. Buntin:

Black owner of the local shop
He believed in Black empowerment
He was not a good businessman; a lot of people owed him and his shop was virtually empty by the end
of the book
He enjoyed the company of his patrons

Mitchel:
Carpenter on the American Base
Money-lender and contact man
Owner of the local shop that eventually competes with Buntins shop
An example of some-one who has profited from the American presence in Trinidad
Bolo destroys his establishment
He campaigns for Ivan Morton during his bid for re-election to the council
Clem:
The polar opposite of Bolo
Calm and able to go with the flow
A musician who eventual leaves Bonasse to become the successful Lord Trafalgar
He got along with everyone

Eulalie:
The most attractive girl in Bonasse
Widely believed that she would eventually marry Bolo
She dated Ivan Morton instead
She became pregnant by Ivan and was abandoned by him
She eventually went to live in the United States

Corporal Prince:
He was tall and stocky
Enforced the law at all costs
Arrested and brutally beat Bolo, 1st time
Raided the Shouter Baptist church
He was unsympathetic to the Shouter Baptists

Primus:
Quiet and gentle resident of Bonasse
He tried to be friendly with every-one
Bolo kidnapped his two daughters

Winston:

Oldest of the Dorcas children
19 years old at the beginning of the story
Leaves Bonasse to become a police

Taffy:
The most troubled of the Dorcas children
He got in trouble with the law and had to flee to Port of Spain
Also the most charming of the children

Joyce:
Reader gets all the second hand news about Ivan Morton from her, via Clyde
Dated, then eventually got married to Clyde
At the end of the book, she is pregnant with her first child
Reggie:
8 years at the beginning of the text
A very intelligent young man
Preparing to take the college Exhibition exam in the middle of the text
Gets caught up with talk of black empowerment at Buntins shop
gains a place in high school on his own initiative, at the beginning of the text
Gem:
4 years old
Youngest child
Playful and very bright

CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Chapter 1:
The readers are introduced to the narrator, Eva, and her husband Bee, along with three of their
children: Joyce, Gem and Reggie.Reggie has failed his examination and the couple debates whether or
not to ask Ivan Morton for help. It becomes apparent that thehope of the community rests on this
young politicians shoulders. He disappoints the community, however, when he does not supportthe
Shouter Baptists. The reader is introduced to the budding relationship between Joyce and Clyde, as
well as Bolos disappointmentin the churchs apathy. The chapter ends with Reggie being placed in a
high school after previously applying without his parentsknowledge.
Chapter 2:
This chapter charts the changes in Bonasse and how it affects Bolo and Clem. Clem accepted and went
with the flow, while Bolo justcould not accept change and became disruptive. The banning of carnival,
hence stick fighting, became a reality, and the change thatAmericans had on the cultural identity of
the people was emphasized throughout this chapter.
Chapter 3:
The church plays a vital role in this chapter. The pride that is felt about its existence and perseverance
is expressed by Eva. However, alaw is passed that makes the church illegal, thereby forcing the
members to plot to keep the church alive. The formulated a plan to bequiet in the way they worship
and to try to put a man in the Council. Other things that occur in the chapter are: the tragic tale
ofEulalie/Ivan/Bolo, Bolo losing his temper and its tragic results, and the coming of Prince. In the end,
Bee decides to break the lawbecause the church is slowly dying.
Chapter 4:
In this chapter, the reader learns about Bees children, as well as their response to his talk of breaking
the law. Winston wants tobecome a police and Taffy wants to leave Trinidad. Bolo sits in church as a
question mark and eventually leaves, while Bee finallybreaks the law.
Chapter 5:
Bee breaks the law continuously until the church is raided. Everyone is dragged to jail, but Bolo
intercedes on behalf of his mother. Heis beaten and subsequently imprisoned for three years with hard
labour. Bee was left with no choice but to sell his cow to avoid going to jail. Buntins shop becomes
black empowerment central, attracting all the youngsters, including Reggie, to join the discussions.
Taffystabs a boy and runs off to stay with his uncle in Port of Spain, while the Winston leaves Bonasse
in order to become a police.
Chapter 6:
This chapter is all about the campaign trail and how diligently Bee worked to get Ivan elected. An air of
freedom and joy pervades thischapter. It ends, however, with Evas observation of the changes that
Ivan makes in his life, in accordance with his new position, as wellas her views on the implications
behind Ivan Mortons procurement of the house on the hill.
Chapter 7:
This is a very dramatic chapter that highlights Bolos release from jail and the extent to which things
had changed during hisincarceration. He tried to get land and did not succeed, he tried to stick fight
and faced cowards. The chapter ends with the destructionthat he wrought on the drums in order to
express his anger and frustration.
Chapter 8:
This chronicles Bolos descent into a mode of destructive behavior: (a) obtaining a job and (b) extorting
products from the marketvendors, rum shop and gambling shop. Bolos fame extends outside Bonasse
in this chapter, thereby highlighting the severity of hisanger.
Chapter 9:
Joyce, the Dorcas only daughter, gets married, while Bolo kidnaps Primus two daughters. Bee tries to
get men to challenge' Bolo,
since that is what he wants, but he barely succeeds at this. The police intercede and Bolo, as well as
Primus youngest daughter, getskilled.
Chapter 10:
Election time and Ivan is on the trail. The reader is not made aware of whether or not he is re-elected,
but what is known is that theShouter Baptists were legalized. The irony at the end of the book,
however, is that on the cusp of their great victory, the spirit left thechurch. Despite this tragedy, Eva
hears it in the music that the boys play on the steel pan.
THEMES
RacismWomen in societyReligionEducation vs. religionChangePower and authorityViolence
Wine Of Astonishment
In Earl Lovelace's book The Wine of Astonishment two main characters arise Bee and Bolo.Bolo's
character is a warrior and he directs the people to the path of empowerment by way of thewarrior for
that is what he knows and who he is. Bee's character is a man of faith, patience, and a manof his
people. Bee also chooses a path of empowerment for the people of the village that is defined byhis
character, he guides the people to the path of faith. The journey in the book has both men put
theircharacters and paths of empowerment to the test. Who succeeds? Patience, a man of faith, and a
man ofthe people are how I describe Bee's character in this book. Bee demonstrates his patience when
it istested against Corporal Price. Prince comes to the village to enforce the law against the
SpiritualBaptist. Bee decides it is best to practice in the manners of the Catholics and Anglican until he
one daystarts preaching in the original manner of the Spiritual Baptist. After that vitalizing sermon
hecontinues till Corporal Price raids the church. Bee realizes that for the benefit of his people they,
hemust wait, be patient till this injustice is lifted to preach again in the Spiritual Baptist way. Bee is
trulya man of the people. In the incident when Corporal Prince raids the church Bee's first thoughts
were forthe people. Bee tells them Brethren, please don't run. Please don't give them the excuse to
brutalize you. He knew how the police would act toward the congregation and he wanted to protect his
people. Beeputs the people of the village first for he is a man of the people. Bee is a man of faith. He
puts his faithin the Spirit, and the people to stay strong. In continuing with the occurrence of the raid
from CorporalPrince you can see Bee's faith. The faith Bee has for the Spirit and the people when the
congregation iswalked though the village after being arrested and Bee joins in the hymn started by
Sister Isabel whichthe whole congregation then joins. The hymn goes I never get weary yet, I never
get weary yet, Fortylong years I work in the field, And I never get weary yet. Saying they have done
this a long time nowand they have still stayed strong. Here Bee puts his faith in the people and the
Spirit together from theuniting of the congregation in the song of the Spirit. Bee is a man of faith, his
people, and of patience,with these examples you can understand why I characterize Bee in this
manner.The first descriptive words you read about Bolo are rising like a spear out of the back row, with
the restof the congregation, to sing the first hymn was Bolo. With a new kind of toughness about him, a
warriorstill. I would character Bolo as a warrior defiantly. He is a soldier for his people in this time
ofoppression. Bolo started as a warrior in the beginning and ended as warrior. When he began as a
warriorwith stickfighting as the book describes Bolo was in Bonasse, the champion stickfighter, the
king, leadingthe village in battles down the length and breadth of the island. Bolo fought in pride for
the warriorinside during those times of stickfighting. Bolo's warrior disposition continued when
Corporal Price wastransporting the congregation (including Bolo's mother) to the police station for
breaking the law ofworshiping in the Spiritual Baptist manner. Bolo made a stand for the people he was
their soldier willingto fight even being out numbered. The book refers to how Bolo headbutted Price till
he went down. Atsame time Prince was going down the 9 other police office jumped Bolo. He continued
to fight and fighttill his head was split open by a police officer. Bolo was a warrior no matter the odds
he had to face. Thelast demonstration of Bolo's warrior character was when he stood on the porch with
Primus's 2 girlsthat he had taken earlier. He waited for the people to retrieve these girls. He was not
going to let them
go until the people made their stand to him and showed him they are warriors. He was a warrior
andshould be faced as a warrior by warriors. A few people of the village showed and the police. The
policeknew Bolo would not cooperate with them and ended up shooting him. The warrior thrived in
Bolo even tothe end of his life. Bee's path for empowerment is faith, have faith and it will show you the
way. Thebook starts Bee's path of faith in the church. He peaches his powerful sermons to the
congregationguiding them to put faith in the Spirit. At a time when Spiritual Baptist practice is
outlawed they wouldstill come together and place their faith is the Spirit as a congregation. A good
example of this is howthey were forced to move their church to the out skirts of town to continue to
practice this religion.Instead of converting to one of the accepted religions they choose to relocate.
Bee and the congregationplaced their faith in the Spirit to help them through this time of relocation.
Bee focused his faith andthe faith of the people to the government. He felt that if the people have faith
in the government theycould work at making changes to the village and what better way to do that
than elect a man from yourown village, Ivan Morton to the Council. Bee put his trust in Ivan and guided
the people to do the same.Bee said Who we want in the Council is a man that qualify. What we want is
a man with education just asthe people in Britain. And we have that man here, This is the man! Born
right here, a man of knowledgeand understanding to represent the people: Ivan Morton! to tell the
people that Ivan is a man of thevillage and they should support him and put their faith in Ivan. That
began their faith in the governmentby having a man from the village on the Council to support them.
Bee guided the people to put their faithin Spirit and the government as his choice to empowering the
people. Bolo is a warrior at heart. Hebelieves the direction to guide the village to empowerment is to
develop the people into warriors. Heattempted to do this by example, by urging and by force. An
attempt at Bolo trying to lead by example iswhen he alone stands up against Corporal Prince and the
police. The book tells us he is the only one whofights against the police and while his is doing this he
affects only one person in the village, Taffy. Hetries to join the fight Bolo is baring alone and is held
back. Taffy says all o' you stand up there andwatch them beat him. And he was fighting for all you
along the walk home. Bolo was showing people howto be a warrior and stand up for their beliefs. Bolo
continues to impel the people of the village towardsbeing warriors. When stickfighting returns Bolo
gets the opportunity to fight, and to show the peoplehow to fight I believe. Bolo gets in the ring with
Innocent a fellow stickfighter. They move around eachlike a dance. Bolo proceeds to make the first
blow and Innocent puts his stick down. Bolo urges him tofight to be a warrior. He say Crow crow
jumbie-bird crow Jumbie-bird wouldn't crow calling him a cowardto persuade Innocent to fight with no
success. Bolo then brings the call to anyone saying So nobodygoing to come in the ring? So nobody
ain't fighting? Still no one is willing to fight. With the rage fromno response from the people he made
one last attempt that night to stickfight by crushing anddestroying the drums and saying Who don't
like it come and beat me. Come and beat me. Bolo urged thepeople of the village onto the warrior's
path without success. After this is when Bolo decided he wouldforce the village to become warriors. He
would force this on them as individuals by harassing andprovoking the people. Bolo pressed the people
of the village to stand up for themselves and be warriors.His last extreme effort was when he stood on
the porch with Primus's 2 girls that he had just takenbecause he wanted to the book states. He was not
giving the village a choice but forcing them to standup and be a warriors now. Bolo wanted the people
to retrieve these girls and not the police. He was not
going to let them go until the people made their stand to him and showed him they are warriors.
Thepolice ended up shooting him. The few people who showed were the only ones to face Bolo as
warriors andrecover the girls. With Bolo using extreme force he did succeed with a few people of the
village showingthey have warriors in them. The path Bolo selected to empower the people though the
warrior did notreach the whole of the people nevertheless it did reach a few. Bee and Bolo two different
characterswho chose two different paths to empower the people of Bonasse. Bolo chose a warrior's
path ofempowerment which represented his character. Bee's character showed his faith and he used
his faithfor his path of empowerment. In the end keeping faith prevailed, the ban on the religion of the
SpiritualBaptist was lifted. And this is the goal Bee was after. There are always many solutions to a
problem youhave to decide what is the best for you way to answer it. It will define your character and
your path oflife.
Similar to English b Notes 2012
CSEC English B Poems

Literature Notes
Literature Notes
Analysis of Forgive My Guilt
Analysis of Forgive My Guilt

Test Match Sabina Park
Test Match Sabina Park

The Poems a Stones Throw by Elma Mitchell and the Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son by Lorna
Goodison
The Poems a Stones Throw by Elma Mitchell and the Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son by Lorna
Goodison
Frangipani House
Frangipani House
Csec English b SAMPLE GUIDE
Csec English b SAMPLE GUIDE

Revision Questions for English B CSEC
Revision Questions for English B CSEC

CSEC English
CSEC English
Frangipani House
Frangipani House
English Revision Booklet
English Revision Booklet

Csec+English+B +Poems
Csec+English+B +Poems
The Lion and the Jewel.doc
The Lion and the Jewel.doc

Lion & the Jewel-Wole Soyinka
Lion & the Jewel-Wole Soyinka

Julius Caesar Study Guide
Julius Caesar Study Guide

The Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son
Poems Prescribed for 2012-2014 English B CSEC Exams
Poems Prescribed for 2012-2014 English B CSEC Exams

English B Made Easy
English B Made Easy


CSEC English a Past Paper-January 2012
CSEC English a Past Paper-January 2012

Cxc Lit Sample Questions
Cxc Lit Sample Questions

This is a Dark Time My Love
This is a Dark Time My Love

Blackout and Shabine
Blackout and Shabine

Le Loupgarou
Le Loupgarou
A Contemplation Upon Flowers
A Contemplation Upon Flowers

Julius-Caesar
Julius-Caesar
To Da Duh in Memorium
To Da Duh in Memorium
O'l higue analysis
O'l higue analysis

History SBA
History SBA
More From This User
Cheating
Cheating
Carpal Tunnel Oswa Harley Street Video Buttons Page 2 Final Isisisis Isisisisisisisisis Isisisisisisisisisisisisisis
Carpal Tunnel Oswa Harley Street Video Buttons Page 2 Final Isisisis Isisisisisisisisis Isisisisisisisisisisisisisis
Data
Data
School Help Desk Presentation Ppt
School Help Desk Presentation Ppt

1 E Business PDF

Geography Past Papers

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Geography Past Papers

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SHORT STORY NOTES

An unnamed island in the Caribbean.

The story occurred around the time of World War II.

Considered herself to be superior to the young man.

Had a sense of pride about being black.

Did not consider himself to be inferior to the American woman.

The name of the Caribbean island is not mentioned.

The mood of the story fluctuates from happiness to sadness.

He is Dorans father and Emmas husband.

He is characterized as a player by Mrs. Robinson.

He is not faithful to his wife.

She is Dorians mother and Jacks wife.

She adores her mother and her grandfather.

She is often puzzled by the content of adult discussion.

She is Emmas friend and Marias mother.

She gets romantically involved with Jack after Emma dies.

Shes very impatient with both girls.

She is the nine (9) year old daughter of Ruby Robinson.

She is Dorians playmate.

A town called Cork, in England.

A very responsible little boy.

A middle aged woman who is very knowledgeable.

Very pious and gossipy; according to Dooly.

He was a fat, loud voiced man.

He was the cleverest doctor in Cork.

Gentle and caring.

The seventh child out of six.

The only boy and the youngest child.

6 years old at the beginning of the story with a childish selfishness.

Real name is Letitia.

Loves all the children.

Septimus is her favourite of the seven children.

A very grumpy man who tolerates the children.

Has a good relationship with his daughter

The story occurs in the small town of Springville in rural Jamaica.

The second youngest child.

He is a really intense child in terms of achieving his desires.

Benjy's older sister.

She takes care of Benjy when his mother is busy.

She introduces Benjy to the foggy concept of ice cream.

She was very progressive and forward thinking.

She was a very sociable and friendly person.

Always eager to go or do something different.

The short story reveals that he was wedded to the soil.

He did not like to go out.

He preferred a predictable lifestyle.

He was very jealous.

Dr. Renfiled's Home for Crippled Children

New Jersey coast

A Black male, approximately 20 years old.

Described as good natured and strong.

Poor and uneducated.

Very observant and intuitive about people and places.

Very good with children due to his gentleness.

The housekeeper at the children's home.

Rumoured to be in love with Dr. Renfield.

Displays racist characteristics in subtle forms.

Rumoured to have romantic affairs with his female staff.

The United States of America.

Between 1920-1933, the time of the Prohibitionin the United States.

An elderly woman who is as strong as any young woman.

She has white hair and false teeth.

She runs a speakeasy in the back room of her house.