POEMS FORM 1-5

LIGHT YOUR LIT…..(LITERATURE FORM 5)



buttercup flowers

 

NATURE (H.D CARBERRY)

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.

We have instead the days

When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-

Magnificently.

The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs

And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies

And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’

And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.

But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom

When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,

When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars

And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

 

EXERCISE:

1.     What does the phrase trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds suggest?

a)    The Jamaican winds cause the trees to shake violently.

b)   They have to struggle to prevent themselves from being blown away.

c)    The trees struggle against being uprooted by the strong Jamaican winds.

 

2.    To whom does We refer to?

      
       The poet and his countrymen.

 

3.    What does the phrase paved the earth mean?

Covered the ground.

 

4.    What do you understand by the phrase best of all? Using your own words, give a
     reason to support your answer.

It means the best weather condition when the days are filled with the mango and logwood blossom, the bushes are filled with the buzz of bees and the scent of honey, the tall grass moves gracefully and the ground is covered with buttercups.

 

5.    What do you think is the main crop in the persona’s country?

Canes/ sugarcanes

 

6.    Which phrase suggests that there is a heavy downpour?

“the rain beats like bullets on the roofs”.

 

7.    What do the good and bad times in the cycle of life refer to?

a.    Constant changes within the cycle of life.

b.    Life is filled with many ups and downs.

c.    There are time of struggle, time of happiness, time of failure and time of prosperity in the cycle of life.

 

8.    In your opinion, how must men react when facing tribulations? Give a reason to support your answer.

a)    They must be patient and level-headed because they must learn to adopt themselves to the changes in life.

b)   They must stay calm and sensible because they must accept tribulations a part of life and it is temporary.

c)    They must take the pitfalls and obstacles that they encounter as a challenge.

9.    How many seasons are mentioned in the poem?

Four

 

10.  Why is the poet still happy despite living in a land without seasonal change?

a)    He lives in a bright and sunny place.

b)   It is a beautiful sight to behold the sun shining on the fertile, healthy fields of cane brilliantly.

 

     11.  What do you think of the weather in Jamaica? Using your own words, give a 
            reason to support your answer.

It is not always favourable. There are times when there are heavy downpour and fierce Jamaican winds.

 

NOTES:

 

1.     THEMES

a)    Appreciating the beauty of nature – even though there is no seasonal change in Jamaica, sunny days and wet days are sufficient to beautify its weather conditions.

Evidence: lush green canefields/ when the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars/when the mango and logwood blossom

 

b)   Accepting changes in life – accept changes in nature as it is.

 

c)    Appreciate one’s own country – we should love our country unconditionally.

2.    SETTING – Jamaica

 

3.    PERSONA – First person point of view (we)

 

4.    TONE AND MOOD – Appreciative and acceptance

5.    MORAL VALUES

a)    Accept the good and bad times as they complement each other.

b)   Appreciate the beauty of nature.

c)    Value and appreciate life’s experiences.

d)   Appreciate what you have in your own country.

6.    LANGUAGEAND STYLE

No specific rhyming – free verse

Language is simple and easy to understand

 

7.    POETIC DEVICES

a)    Simile – the rain beats like bullets on the roofs tells us the intensity of the rain.

b)     Alliteration – the repetition of consonant

Eg:      sways and shivers

            Sun shines

            No sound but the swish of water

            The sound of bees and the scent of honey

            Beats like bullets on the roofs

 

c)    symbols

            Gold sun – summer

            Leaves fade from off guango tree  - autumn

            Lush green canefields – productivity

 

d)   imagery

i)             buttercups have paved the earth  with yellow stars tells us the petals of the buttercups covering the ground, looking like yellow stars.

ii)            Trees struggling refers to the trees trying hard to stand upright against the strong winds.

iii)          Bushes are full of the sound of bees and scent of honey suggests high productivity.