The who was shotdead by soldiers at Nyanga

POEM #2 child

INGRID JONKER

The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga

1The child is not dead

2 thechild raises his fists against his mother

3 who screams Africa screams the smell
of freedom and heather
5 in the locations of the heart under siege

6 The child raises his fists against his father

7inthe march of the generations

8who scream Africa scream the smell
9 of justiceand blood

10 in the streets of his armed pride

11The child is not dead

12 neither at Langa or at Nyanga

13 nor at 0rlando nor at Sharpeville
14 noratthe police station in Phillippi
15 where he lies with a bullet in his head

16 The child is the shadow ofthe soldiers

17 on guard with guns saracens and batons

18 the child is at all meetings and legislations
present
19 the child peeps through the windows of houses and intothe hearts of mothers

20 thechild whojust wanted to play in the sun atNyanga is everywhere

21the child who became a man treks through all of Africa

22 the child who became a giant travels throughthe whole world

23 Without a pass

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The child who was shotdead by soldiers at yanga

POEM #2 INCRID JONKER

TITLE
•THE TITLE EVOKES A SYMPATHETC RESPONSE.
• The blumtness emphasizes the brutality and injusticeof apartheid violence.
• it confronts the reader with the raw truth. Using the definite article "The"

suggests this is not just a child. but a symbolic one representing many children
killed under apartheid.The title sets the tone for a poem that is both mournful

and politically charged.

STANZA 1
1 The child is not dead
2the child raises his fists against his mother
3who screams Africa screams the smell
Pfreedom and heather

5 in the locations of the heart under siege

•The first line and the title of are paradoxical (eontradictory) as the child may be
physically dead, but symbolically and spirituallyalive.His spirit,memory and what he
represents- the struggle for justice - live on. The paradox forces the reader to think,
death does not erase resistance or legacy.
• "the child" is symbolic of many other innocent lives that were taken during
apartheid."the child" is a metaphor for allvictims of apartheid.
•In line 2, "the child the youth. "raises his fists against his mother" because they
are frustrated because the mother is not fighting hard enough for liberation.
• Line 3and +."screams" is repeated to emphasize the anger of the youth. "heather" is

the scent of a flower, which implies the scent of freedom.

• Line 5. "the locations" representing the places that were oppressed under Apartheid.

"heart under siege" people who were oppressed and segregated as well

14
 4|8
The who was shot dead by soldiers atWyanga
POEM #2 child

INCRID J0NKER

STANZA 2
6The child raises his fistsagainst his father
7in the march of the generations
8who scream Africa scream the smell

9 of justice and blood

I0 in the streets of his armed pride

•In tine 6. the child raises his fist also against his father, which reveals the frustration

and rebellion against the system and the parents (the older generation) that never
fought hard enough for freedom. The second act of "raising his fists" symbolizes

defiance not justagainst family but against the entire system passed down -even
the complicity of previous generations.

• in Line 7, "march" is a military action. "March of the generations" implies a cycle,

people endlessly protesting and suffering under thesame oppression.

• The enjambed line "seream Africa seream the smell / of justice and blood" again pairs

hope (justice) with pain (blood).reflecting the violent cost of liberation.

•The "streets of his armed pride" refers to the inner strength of the oppressed, even
when militarized forces control the streets. "Armed pride" turns resistance into a

source of dignity.

STANZA 3
1The child is not dead
12 neither at Langa oratNyanga
13 nor at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
1t norat the police station in Phillippi
15 where he lies with a bullet in his head

15
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The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga

POEM #2 INGRID JONKER

STANZA 3
11 The child is not dead
12 neither at Langa or at Nyanga
13 nor at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
atthe police station in Phitlippi
1t nor
15where he lies with a bullet in his head

• Line and Line are repeated. thus being an anaphora, it is effective as it showsthe

•
I ll

age and innocence of the child.

from line 12 -14 the child represents vietims in all these ,
plaees these are the
locations that

•In line
This is
were under
I5. it emphasizes
oppression.

the extreme
the first time death is physically acknowledged
brutality and eruety of the apartheid
-but in doing so, Jonker makes
regime .
his presence even more spiritually powerful.

STANZA
16 The child is the shadow ofthe soldiers
17 on guard with guns saracens and batons

18 the child is present at all meetings and legislations

19 the child peeps through thewindows of houses and into the hearts of mothers
20 the child who just wanted to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere
21 the child who becamea man treks through all of Africa
22 the child who became a giant travels through the whole world

• Line l6 The a hauting, moral presence - a ghost of injustice

child becomes

that no one can ignore. Shadow ofthe soldiers" isa metaphor - he haunts the

very men who killed him, a moral weight following those in power.
• "Saracens"refers to armored police vehicles used during apartheid -further
rooting the image in militarized violence.

"Present at all meetings and legislations" -the child infitrates lawmaking

bodies, symbolizing how his death must influence conscience andjustiee
16
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The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga
POEM #2 INGRID JONKER
STANZA
16 The child is the shadow of the sotdiers
17 on guard with guns saracens and batons
18the child is present at all meetings and legislations
19 the child peeps through the windows of houses and into the hearts of mothers

20 the child who just wanted to play in thesun at Nyanga is everywhere

21the child who became a man treks through all of Africa

22thechitd who became a giant travels through the whole wortd

23 Without a pas

•Line l6 The child becomes a haunting. moral presence - a ghost of injustice that no
one can ignore. "Shadow of the soldiers" is a metaphor -he haunts thevery men who
killed him. a moral weight following those in power.
• Line 17: "Saracens" refers to armored police vehicles used during apartheid -further
rooting the image in militarized violence.

• Line 18: "Present at all meetings and legislations" -the child infittrateslawmaking
bodies, symbolizing how his death must influence conscience and justice.

• Line 19:The imagery of "peeps through the windows. into the hearts of mothers" is

deeply emotional - showing how this trauma touches intimate domestic life and
motherhood.

• Line 20: "whojust wanted to play in the sun" emphasizes the child's innocence
contrasting sharply with the violence that ended his life.

• Line 21: The child took on responsibilitiesbefore his time, and became a man because
of oppression and death. "Treks through Africa" suggests endurance, movement, and
struggle acrossthe continent.
• Line 22: "Travels through the whole wortd" -the child's story becomes a global

symbol of injusticeand resistance

• The finalline Without a pas" is a coda- conclusion ofa poem. is powerful and ironic.
Onder apartheid, Black South Africans needed "passbooks" to move -now, in death

and symbolism, the child is free.

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The child who was shot dead by at Wyanga

POEM #2 INGRID JONKER
soldiers

TONE DICTION

The tone of the poem shifts powerfully throughout.

beginning with grief and mourning. then evolving into Jonker's diction is deliberate,stark, and emotionally

anger. protest,and ultimately defiance and charged. She uses simple, accessible language that

empowerment The repeated declaration "The child is creates a strong emotional impact, but she carefully
not dead" strikes a tone of emotional resistance - it's blends literal and figurative meanings. Words like

not denial. but a refusal to accept the erasure of the "screams.""blood." "bullet." and "siege" evoke the

child's life and meaning. As the poem progresses, the violence and urgency of apartheid oppression. In
tone becomes increasingly confrontational,as seen in contrast,words like "Areedom." "heather." and "play in

phrases (ike "raises his fists against his mother" and the sun" provide moments of innocence, beauty, and lost

"present at all meetings and legislations". These lines potential. The use of place names like Nyanga.
give voice to a haunting. onrelenting spirit of the child Sharpeville,and Phillippi roots the poem in historical

that demands recognition.The final tone is triumphant specificity. while universal verbs like "treks" and

and symbolic -the child becomesaglobal giant free "travels"sggest a broader. symbolic journey beyond

and unstoppable, carrying a sense of poetic justice in South Africa.

the final line: "Without a pass."

IMAGERY STRUCTURE

Jonker's imagery is vivid and emotionally evocative. She

paints the child not just as a body in the street, but asa The poem is written in free verse - which may
spiritual and symbolic figure.The imageof the child Symbolize liberty. without a reglar rhyme schemeor
"peeping through the windowsof houses and into the metrical pattern. This reflects the chaos and emotional
hearts of mothers" is haunting and intimate,showing turmoil of apartheid-era South Africa, where violence
how his death has permeated private lives and and injustice disrupted any sense of order. The poem's
maternal pain. The recurring mention of "ists raised in structure is fluid and organic, using enjambment to let

resistance gives a visual sense ofdefiance. One of the thoughts flow over muttiple lines, creating a sense of

most strikingcontrasts in imagery is between the child momentum and onresolved tension. Jonker structures

"lying with a bullet in his head" and "wanting to play in the poem in five stanzas,each with its own shift in

the sunat Nyanga" Thsjuxtaposition of death and focus - from personal grief to national pain, from
innocence intensifies the tragedy and the injustice. political protest to global symbolism. Refrains like "The
Natural imagery tike "heather" and "the sun" also child is not dead" give thepoem a rhythmic unity

evoke freedom and peace -things the child was eruely despite its free form.
denied.

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The who was shot dead by soldiers attMyanga

POEM #2 child

INGRID JONKER

POETICDEVICES THEME

•The repetition of "thechild" (which is an anaphora)

throughout the poem emphasizes the ageand
innocence of the youth and highlightsthe amount
fehildren that were killed by the apartheid
government
The child is a metaphorashe becomes a symbol of
The central theme of the poem is the enduring presence
collective resistance. As the "shadow of the
of injustice and resistance. The poem explores how
soldiers," the child becomes a conscience or ghost
death does not erase the spirit of the oppressed, but
following those responsible - a reminder they can't
instead transforms them into powerful symbots of
escape. Being "present at allmeetings and
resistance. The child becomes a universal icon for all
legislations" metaphorically suggests the child
victims of apartheid, particularty children,whose
haunts systems of power, making his presence feit
innocencewas destroyed by systemic violence.Other
in the poltical structures that once ignored him.
key themes include the loss of innocence, collective
"Became a giant" showsthe child's symbolic
memory,the power of protest,and the moral guit
growth.rising aboveoppression to become a global
carried by society. The poem also critiques state
figure forjustice - almost mythic in stature.
violence and the dehumanization caused by racial
The onomatopoeia "screams" emphasises his anger
oppression. By ending on the line "Without a pass."
The alliterations in (ine 3 and 8 emphasises the
urgency and desperate cries of the oppressed,
Jonker asserts a powerful theme freedom -the
child's symbolie spirit cannot be restricted by
• Enjambmentin tines 2 - 5 allows Jonker's ideas to
apartheid laws or erased by bullets.
flow continvously,reflecting emotional overwhelm
and a lack of closure. It creates a breathless,
urgent rhythm, as if the speaker cannot pause in

the face injstice. The strvcture forces readers

to move from one line to the next., mirroring how
trauma and protest cannot be neatly contained.

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 Sonnet 130
POEM #) 2/8
WILLTAM SHAKESPEARE

Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like thesun

1My mistress' eyes arenothing like the sun:

2Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

3If snow be white, why then her breasts aredun:

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

5I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

6 Butno Such roses see I in her cheeks:
7 And in someperfumes is there more delight
8Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

9Iloveto hear her speak, yet well I know

10That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I|Igrant I never sawa goddess go:
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.

13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

14Asany she belied with false compare.
 Sonnet 130 3/8
POEM #1
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

QUATRAIN I

LINE I: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun:

•POINT: The speaker begins by rejecting typical poetic comparisons.
• EVIDENCE: "eyes. nothing like the sun" opposes the usval metaphor equating a
lover's eyes with the brightness of the sun.
•EXPLANATION: Instead of idealizing his mistress. the speaker chooses honesty. He

mocks exaggerated compliments often found in love poetry.

LINK. Shakespeare introduces his satirical tone immediately. challenging

conventional Petrarchan sonnets thatidolize women.

LINE 2: Coral is farmore red than her lips' red

• POINT: The speaker continues to undercut romantic clichés by describing his

mistress plainly.

•EVIDENCE: "Coral is farmore red" suggests her lips are pale compared to the
bright red ideal.

• EXPLANATION: By using coral as a comparison, Shakespeare showshow poets

exaggerate women's beauty. while he stays grounded in reality.

LINK: This realistic portrayal contrasts with the over-the-top flattery of

traditional sonnets.

LINE 3: fsnow be white, why then her breasts are dun:

• POINT: Herskin tone is described in natural. non-idealized terms.

•EVIDENCE: "dun" (a grayish-brown tone) vs. snow-white, the uSval standard of

beauty.
•EXPLANATION: Instead of comparing her to snow (asymbol of purity). he
emphasizes her natural coloring without shame or glorification.
LINK: Again,Shakespeare subverts poetic expectations to emphasize sincere love
overartificialpraise.

5
 Sonnet 130 4|8
POEM #1
CWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

LINE :
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

•POINT: Her hair is deseribed as black and wiry. not soft or golden as poets often
Suggest.

•EVTDENCE: "black wires grow" a very unflattering yet honest

is description.

•EXPLANATION: "Black wires" which normally the stereotypical

is African look. His

blunt phrasing mocks how poets idealize their subjects, while still expressing

acceptance of real, imperfect beauty

• LINK: Shakespeare dismantles poetic flattery to reveal deeper authenticity in

love.

QUATRAIN 2
LINE S:I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
•POINT: The speaker notes the beavty of real flowers.
• EVIDENCE: "rosesdamasked" (striped or blended red and white) arevivid and
beautiful.

• EXPLANATION: He suggests his mistress lacks such complexion, but he doesn't

diminish her for it.

•LINK He elevatestruth above decoration,continuing the poem's satireof

romantic exaggeration.

LINE 6: But no such roses see I in her cheeks:

POINT. His mistre5s' cheeks don't have the color roses.

•EVIDENCE. "no such roses" directly denies the comparison.

• EXPLANATION: He resistsidealizing her:, instead, he loves her for who she is, not

how she fits a poetic mold.

• LINK Shakespeare critiques unrealistic expectations placed on women's beauty.

 Sonnet 130 5/8
POEM #1
WTLLIAM SHAKESPEARE

LINE 7: And in some perfumes is there more delight

LINE &:Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

POINT: Her natural seent is less pleasing than perfume.

•
He bluntly says her breath "reeks,."a harsh term.

•EVIDENCE: "more delight" implies her breath is not sweet-smelling.

"reeks" is intentionally unromantic.

EXPLANATION: This honesty is almost comedic, but it also reinforces his central

idea: love should not rely on lies.

This word jars the reader, but it's a deiberate contrast to sugary. unrealistic praise in

other poems.
• LINK: Even in flaws, the mistress remains beloved.

Shakespeare shocks us to make a larger point. real love doesn't need false comparisons.

QUATRAIN 3
LINE 9:I love to hear her speak,yet well I know
LINE 10:That music hath a far more pleasing sound.
•POINT: He enjoys her voice, even if it's not angelic.
: Me admits that music sounds better than her voice.
• EVIDENCE: "Ilove to hear her speak... yet well I know"

"music hath...more pleasing sound"

•EXPLANATION: The use of "yet" creates tension - he admits her voice is not

extraordinary. but he still loves it.

Again. he refuses to exaggerate; he recognizes beauty in other things, butthat

doesn't lessen hisfeelings for her.

• LINK: Thisreveals the theme thatgenuine affection is not based on perfection.

This humility strengthens the sincerity of his love.

7
 Sonnet 130 6|8
POEM #1
CLLIAM SHAKESPEARE

LINE I1: I grant I never saw a goddess go:

• POINT: He hasn't seen a goddess, but he doesn't pretend his mistress is one.

• EVIDENCE: "never saw a goddess"

€XPLANATION: He mocks poets who compare women to divine beings, calling out

their dishonesty.

• LINK: The poem values truth overfantasy.

LINE 12: My mistress, when she walks,treads onthe ground.

• POINT: Shewalks like a normal person -she is human.

• EVIDENCE: treads on the ground" stresses her mortality.

•EXPLANATION: realistic description reinforces the poem's anti-Petrarchan
This

message -she's not angelic, and that's okay.

•LINK: Love is for real people, not unreachable ideals.

FINAL RHYMING COUPLET

LINE 13: And yet, by heaven, Ithink my love as rare.
•POINT: He stillvalues her love as unique and special.
• EVIDENCE: "by heaven.. love as rare"
• EXPLANATION:The phrase "by heaven" adds emotional weight. showing sincere
belief in the rarity and value of true love.

• LINK: Despite all her physical flaws, his love is honest and strong.

LINE 14: As any she belied with false compare

•POINT: Wis mistress is justas worthy as any idealized woman in other poems.

•EVIDENCE. she belied with fase compare" refers to women falsely praised with

over-the-top metaphors.
• EXPLANATION: The speaker criticizesother poets who use empty flattery.
arguing that honest love is deeper and truer.
• LINK: The couplet concludes the poem with a message: authentic love doesn't need
exaggeration.

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 Sonnet 130 7/8
POEM #1
WLLTAM SHAKESPEARE
TONE DICTION

Shakespeare's diction is deliberately plain and

The tone of Sonnet 130 is witty. ironic. yet uttimately
unromaticto emphasize realism over idealization. He
affectionate and sincere.Shakespeare adopts a satirical
chooses earthy. unpoetic words tike "dun," "black
tone in the first twelve lines, where he humorously
wires,"and "reeks to describe his mistress, sharply
critiquesthe exaggerated metaphors often used in
contrasting the elaborate and flowerydiction common
Petrarchan love poetry. These comparisons-like eyes to
in lizabethan sonnets.These blunt word choices are
the sunor cheeks to roses-are rejected with almost
jarring and almost comedic, but they serve a purpose:
blunt honesty. Despite its apparent harshness, the tone
to strip away unrealistic expectations of beauty and
shifts subtly in the final rhyming couplet. where the
expose the authenticity beneath them. Even phrases
speaker's deep and rare love for his mistress is
like "treads on the ground" feel grounded-literally and
reaffirmed with sincerity. The juxtaposition between
figuratively-highlighting the poem's anti-idealistic
satire and tenderness allows the tone to reflect a more
stance. The final couplet uses elevated diction ("by
realistic view of love: flawed, human, but deeply
heaven." "as rare") to signal the emotional truth behind
meaningful.
his realistic descriptions.

IMAGERY STRUCTURE

Sonnet 130is a classic Shakespearean sonnet,composed

of 1+ lines in iambic pentameter, structured as three

quatrains and a final rhyming couplet with the rhyme

Shakespeare uses anti-Petrarchan imagery-that is.
scheme: abab cdcd efef gg.
images that deliberately reject the overused
• Quatrains (1-12):Each one offers a set
comparisons in love poetry. Instead eelestial f almost brutal comparisons that debunk
of direct,

divine metaphors, we getgrounded and sometimes

•
conventional flattery. Each line works asa
onpleasant images: "black wires." "dun" skin, lack of
deliberate contradiction of romantic hyperbole.
"roses."and breath that "reeks" These sensory images
Couplet (13-14): The final two lines offea "volta"
arevivid, but not traditionallybeautiful.However,
(a turn in argument), shifting from mockery to
their vividness gives the mistress presence and
affirmation.This structural feature is central to
humanity. The poet still notices her breath, her voice,
Shakespeare's sonnet style-reserving a profound
her walk-butdescribes them asthey are. This imagery
truth or twist until the end.
challenges us to appreciate real. imperfect beauty
The consistent use ofstructure-despite the anti-poetic
rather than idealized fantasy.
content-ironically demonstrates that sincere love can

stitl tive within traditional forms. just as authentic

women can exist outside of poetie exaggeration.

 Sonnet 130 8|8
POEM #1
WIILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

POETIC DEVICES THEME

Shakespeare uses a range of poetic devices to satirize

romantic clichés while reinforcing sincere ove.

Aliteration appears in lines like "when she walks" and

"breath that from my mistress reeks,"adding rhythm
without softening the blunt honesty. Assonance, such as

the repeated vowel sounds in "roses damasked. red and

white." keeps the poem lyrical despite its harsh truths.

The central theme of Sonnet 130 is the rejection of
He uses metaphors like "black wires grow on her head"
superficial beauty standards and the celebration of
to mock overused comparisons to gotden hair. while
genuine. grounded love. Shakespeare challenges the
similes are flipped: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like
unrealisticexpectations often placed on women in
the sun" subverts idealization by stating what she is
poetry and society.where physical perfection is
not. Anastrophe, or inverted sytax,is seen in "As any
idealized through false comparisons to nature and
she belied with false compare." emphasizing false
divinity. By describing his mistress in brutally honest
poetic comparisons while preserving rhyme and meter.
terms, he redefines what it means to love truly-not
Finally. hyperbole is used ironically-"breath.. reeks"
through empty praise, but through deep acceptance of
and "black wires" exaggerate flawsnot to insult, but to
one's flaws. The sonnet uttimately suggests that love
highlight the absurdity of exaggerated praise.
should not be based on appearances or poetic illusion.
Together, these devices support the sonnet's central
but on the rare, honest appreciation of a real.
idea:real love doesn't depend on poetic illusion.
imperfect person. Through satire and irony.
Shakespeare proposes a radical idea for his time: that
Volta (turn): A shift in tone occurs in the final couplet.
truthful love is more beavtiful than any poetic lie.

where the speaker affirms his love, contrasting the

blunt honesty of the previous tines with emotional

warmth.

Jambic Pentameter: The sonnet retains the traditional

meter. grounding it in the poetic form even as it

critiques its content.

10