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South Poem Notes

The document analyzes the poem 'South' by K. Brathwaite, focusing on the persona's nostalgia for his island home and his experiences in the north. It discusses various literary devices such as alliteration, personification, and simile, highlighting how they contribute to the poem's mood and tone. Thematic elements include patriotism, longing, and the contrast between the beauty of the island and the harshness of northern landscapes.

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4 views

South Poem Notes

The document analyzes the poem 'South' by K. Brathwaite, focusing on the persona's nostalgia for his island home and his experiences in the north. It discusses various literary devices such as alliteration, personification, and simile, highlighting how they contribute to the poem's mood and tone. Thematic elements include patriotism, longing, and the contrast between the beauty of the island and the harshness of northern landscapes.

Uploaded by

aalijahhasan1iagcc
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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South - Literature Notes

1.But today I 4.recapture the islands LITERAL MEANING


bright beaches: blue mist from the ocean The persona speaks about the fact that today he
rolling into the fishermen's houses. is recapturing the beauty of the island of his
1.By these shores I was born: sound of the sea birth. He reflects on the fact that he has
came in at my window,2. life heaved and travelled to the lands of the north, which
breathed in me then appeared to be the very opposite of his island.
with the strength of that turbulent soil. The persona appeared, at that point, to be
homesick for his island and resented the ease
5.Since then I have travelled: moved far from and comfort that the Northerners' felt towards
the beaches: their land. He then shifts back to the present
6.sojourned in stoniest cities, walking the lands where he appreciates certain features of the
of the north island, particularly those that remind him of his
1.In sharp, slanting sleet and the hail, past on the island.
crossed countless saltless savannas and come
to this house in the forest 2.where the shadows
oppress me
and the only water is rain and the tepid taste LITERARY DEVICES
of the river. 1. ALLITERATION

7.We who are born of the ocean can never seek  Stanza 1, lines 1-2: The sound that the
solace alliteration illicits, when spoken, is a
in rivers: 3.their flowing runs on like our positive one. This is the case because
longing, the alliteration forces the reader to
8.reproves us our lack of endeavour and sound cheerful, thereby facilitating the
purpose, interpretation that the persona is happy
9.proves that our striving will founder on that. to be home.
We resent them this wisdom, this freedom:  Stanza 1, lines 4-5: This alliteration,
passing us again, draws the reader through the
toiling, waiting and watching their cunning sound that it illicits. One can almost
declensions down to the sea. hear the sound that the sea makes
through the repetition of the 's' sound.
Bright waves splash up from the rocks to It emphasizes the joy that the persona
refresh us, feels to be home.
1.blue sea-shells shift in their wake  Stanza 2, lines 13-14: This alliteration,
and 10.there is the thatch of the fishermen's when spoken, is staccato. It literally
houses, the path emphasizes the persona's discomfort,
made of pebbles, 11.and look! and dislike, of the new context that he
Small urchins combing the beaches is faced with. It is alien to him, as seen
look up from their traps to salute us: when contrasted with the scene that he
they remember us just as we left them. describes in the first stanza.

The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side


of the reef, stands up in his boat
and halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool.
1.And gulls, white sails slanted seaward,
fly into limitless morning before us.

Brathwaite, K. 'South' in A World of Prose.


Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds
McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.

 Stanza 4, line 33: This device gives the reader a visual image of the scene. It is simple image that
highlights the persona's excitement at being home and seeing scenes, even seemingly
inconsequential ones, that he knows and loves.
 Stanza 5, line 43: This alliteration gives the reader a visual of what the persona sees as pleasant
and calming, as opposed to the alliteration in stanza 2. The sound that the alliteration illicits is a
calm one, implying that the persona is at peace.

2.PERSONIFICATION

 Stanza 1, lines 6-7: This device gives a beautiful impression of the effect that the island had on
the persona. He felt whole when he was there, at peace.
 Stanza 2, lines 16-17: The shadows, in this context, represents his past life and experiences on the
island. The memories of his island illicits feelings of sadness, even homesickness. These
memories cast an oppressive shadow over his life in the north.

3.SIMILE
The persona compares the flowing of the rivers, which represents the north, to his longing for his island
home. This comparison indicates that his longing is an intense one, he is homesick.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is reflective. The persona is thinking about his island home, as well as places that
he has visited in the north.

TONE
The tone of the poem goes from being reflective, to being elated.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION
Patriotism, places, desires and dreams

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