POEM OF RETURN- Jofre Rocha

Poet

• Angolan writer, poet and journalist, Jofre Rocha (the literary pseudonym of
Roberto António Victor Francisco de Almeida) was born in February 1941.
• A Nationalist, fighting for the independence of Angola, Rocha was detained in
Aljube prison and returned to Luanda. His political activity saw him sentenced to
eighteen months in jail in 1961.
• A member of the MPLA, after the country's independence in 1975, he was called
to hold various positions both in the government and in his party.

CONTEXT

Rocha speaks about the colonial experience and focuses on the theme of war and the
social and economic degradation that emerges from it.

•The poem is written from the perspective of an exile, someone who has had to flee
their country of birth.

•The poem captures the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity and lost experience. The
poet is writing about the lost opportunities, mourning and sadness brought about by
colonialism, exile and war.

•The last quatrain, bubbles with anger; Rocha's parting shot: 'a thread of anger snaking
from their eyes.'

• The speaker is contemplating his upcoming return to his country.

• He describes his “host country” as “land of exile and silence” – this suggests that
he was not happy there. He lists the things he missed while he was away.
• He feels guilty about “escaping” whilst his countrymen suffered.
• He makes it clear that he is not a hero and should not be treated as one.
• Real heroes are the ones who stayed and fought against oppression.
Structure

• 14 lines
• NOT A SONNET > Does not conform to the strict Italian sonnet rules.
• No rhymes scheme > free verse > more typical of contemporary poetry.
• Not written in iambic pentameter.

Theme

• The poet captures the sentiment of loss, lost opportunity and lost experience.
• This poem is a protest poem.
• The speaker mentions his return from exile and the anguish associated with
those who died whilst oppressed.
• Political prisoners exiled from home countries can never get back what they lost.
• Those exiled experience guilt as they could not stay and fight.
TONE

Stanza 2 > tone of yearning, grief and loss

Stanza 3 > tone of anger and bitterness

VOCABULARY

•Line 1- “exile” (noun) the state of being barred from one's native country, typically for
political reasons or punishment.

•Line 5- “immense” (adjective) extremely large or great.

•Line 6- “plaint” (noun) literary - a complaint or lamentation.

•Line 6- “tumid” swollen, distended, tumescent.

•Line 9 – “bereft” (adjective) deprived of or lacking (something), sad and lonely,

especially through someone's death or departure.

Title

The speaker in the poem is returning to his country. At this stage the reader does not
know whether it is a voluntary or forceful return.

1)When I return from the land of exile and silence,

2)do not bring me flowers.

• “When” not “If” > he is definitely going to return one day.

• When I return = anaphora > Emphasises the context of an individual who had to
flee his home country. It is clear that the speaker feels guilty about fleeing his
country while other people stayed behind to fight the system.
• land of exile > the land to where he fled
• Silence > he was isolated / lack of communication.
• do not bring me flowers > imperative mood = command > he does not see
himself as a hero deserving flowers. Flowers are superficial. Flowers are
generally celebratory, and he feels that this is definitely not a time of celebration
> He fled and left the others to fight. He feels guilty.
3)Bring me rather all the dews,

4)tears of dawn which witnessed dramas.

• Bring me > Anaphora (repetition) + imperative mood (command).

• Tears of dawn…witnessed dramas (violence) = personification > even Nature
was upset by the suffering of the people.
• D- alliteration > emphasises the fact that Nature, too, was horrified and sad at
the oppression of her people.
• Tone of longing and yearning – the grief is immense. He cries out for his
homeland to meet him with “real” emotions, not flowers, nothing superficial.

5)Bring me the immense hunger for love

6)and the plaint of tumid sexes in star-studded night,

• Bring me > Anaphora (repetition) + imperative mood (command)

• Immense = massive
• hunger for love > human connection
• Plaint = plea / complaint
• Tumid = large / swollen
• Tumid sexes in star-studded night > romance / intimacy
• ‘S’ alliteration: urgency/ intimacy
• In these lines, the speaker emphasises the sense of separation from loved ones
and the need for companionship; the poet highlights the losses experienced due
to oppression.

7)Bring me the long night of sleeplessness

8)with mothers mourning, their arms bereft of sons.

• Bring me > Anaphora (repetition) + imperative mood (command)

• night of sleeplessness > worry > can’t sleep
• bereft = deprived of > Many young men (the sons) were imprisoned or killed.
Some young men also went into exile > thus mothers were denied the presence
of sons.
9)When I return from the land of exile and silence

10)no, do not bring me flowers…

• When I return > repetition > emphasises > that he is not a hero.
• land of exile and silence > was not a pleasant experience for him.
• no, do not > redundancy > indicates that he is very forceful
• …do not bring me flowers > because I am not a hero.

11)Bring me only, just this

12)the last wish of heroes fallen at day-break

13)with a wingless stone in hand

14)and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes

• Bring me > imperative mood + repetition > he is very adamant.

• Only, just this > redundancy > again shows that he is very adamant
• day-break = figurative interpretation s= The brink of change >the new day
symbolises hope that things will change…BUT…These heroes could not see the
change because they died at the brink of change.
• Wingless stone > they never got the chance to throw the stones
• and a thread of anger snaking from their eyes > tone is shifting > anger and
bitterness> he wants justice
• snaking >connotation of something dangerous and poisonous > contributes to
the ominous tone. He demands justice for all the oppressed people.
Remembrance, not celebration

Imagery

He shows the measurement of the need for remembrance and sadness through
superlative images “all the dews”; “immense hunger”; “long night”.

There are lost opportunities for those that left “wingless stone”. They were not able to
cast their stone/ make their mark because they were sent away.

The image of the mother with her arms empty “bereft of sons” is very poignant as it
sums up why Rocha wants remembrance when he returns. He is able to return while
others were not.

Diction

His leaving was traumatic and sad, he was in complete isolation “land of exile and
silence”

He doesn’t want flowers “do not bring me flowers”

Rather the remembrance of sadness “tears at dawn” long for companionship

“immense hunger for love”; “mothers mourning”

Tone

His alternative “celebration” carries a shadow of anger at the missed chances and
opportunities. The fallen sons were heroes in his eyes, and need to be acknowledged.

“thread of anger”, Rocha holds back his anger until the last ;ine where his tone is
suffused anger at the injustive of oppression, colonisation and exile.