A LETTER TO A SON – Pg 102
External Structure
1. a) The title is A LETTER TO A SON.
b) It is written to the son, Tambu, who has left home.
c) It is written by his mother.
2. The poet is Charles Mungoshi.
3. There are 44 lines including the sign off at the end. They are arranged in stanzas.
4. The last line is written in capital letters so that it stands out. It is important and the
writer does not want it to get lost at the end.
5.
a. It means that there is no rhyme or regular rhythm.
b. Because free verse does not restrict the poet to rhyme and the poet can
choose his own format which in this case is a letter where the language
needs to be more natural and ordinary.
Internal Structure
1.
a. The language is ordinary and not old-fashioned.
b. The poem is written as a letter and the language supports this form by being
ordinary and not “poetic’.
c. The language refers to different aspects of farming and rural life which is the
setting of the poem.
2. The workload seems heavy: harvesting two different crops and doing a lot of milking.
3.
a. The father is not well. He has a recurring problem with his back.
b. He has a bad back that keeps him in bed and for which he had to be
hospitalised.
c. The mother now must do all the work.
4. She talks of the cold season and the sowing season.
5.
a. “Did you get our letter?” line 12.
b. The son has not been home or contacted his mother, for a long time.
6. Rindai is distressed because she will not be able to continue her education and
attend secondary school. “We haven’t been able to raise enough to send your sister
Rindai to Secondary School. She spends most of her time crying by the well.”
7. I think it might refer to his son who left home a long time ago and has not
communicated with his family. The mother is trying to let her son know in an indirect
way that his absence is causing unhappiness and hardship.
8.
a. Yes, they need money to repay their debt. The money they borrowed to send
their father to hospital.
b. Yes, there is another reason because they also need money to pay for their
daughter’s education.
9. There is a play on the two meaning of the word back.
10. They are: “nearly left us” and He would never see another sewing season.
11.
a. Line 43: “it’s so long ago now since we last heard from you.” – is where she is
straightforward about not having any communication from the son in a long
time.
b. She may be reluctant to express her feelings directly because she does not
want to alienate her son any further.
12. The writer sounds a bit sad and forlorn. She feels a bit sorry for herself but is trying to
disguise her feelings. She sounds stressed.
13. The writer wants her son to feel bad/guilty.
14. The tone of the poem is gently reproachful, because the mother chooses her words
carefully in order not to alienate or further push away her son.
15.
a. The lack of open and honest communication in this family points to
relationships that are troubled. The mother is not straightforward about her
feelings. There seems to be resentment between the father and son but this
is only referred to in an indirect way.
b. She is trying to remind her son of his obligations towards his family.
1. The poem is written in free verse so that the rhythm and sound of the poem have a
natural, conversational flow that benefits the format and tone of a friendly letter.
2. The mother wrote the letter in the hope that she will be able to make him realise how
much she misses him and needs his help, not only with the burden of looking after
the farm while the father is ill but she also needs financial assistance.
3. The image of the well, the reference to cows as well as pumpkins and mielies which
are all traditional African crops, give this poem and authentic African, rural feel.
