Summary Fully Annotated "The Cry of South Africa" Notes
92 views 0 purchase
Course
English Home Language
Institution
12
A detailed line by line analysis of the poem "The Cry of South Africa" created by a 90% matric 2020 English HL student (top 1% in the subject).
Explains the meanings of lines, figures of speech used, structure and more.
‘The Cry of South Africa’-Olive Schreiner (1855-1920)
Repetition
Give me back my dead!
They who by kop and fountain
Horrors of war
First saw the light upon my rocky breast!
Give back my dead,
Imagery of ‘mother’
The sons who played upon me
When childhood’s dews still rested on their heads.
Give back my dead
Whom thou hast riven from me
By arms of men loud called by earth’s farthest bound
To wet my bosom with my children’s blood!
Give back my dead,
The dead who grew up on me!
Title
Extended personification of SA as a mother: gives her a voice to express her grief by
shouting and demanding that her dead are returned.
Give me back my dead!
Demand. ! = sense of urgency and outrage. Line repeated throughout poem to emphasise
her ongoing desperation. Possessive adjective acts as a political statement: Afrikaners
are rightful SA inhabitants.
They who by kop and fountain
Kop = hill. Afrikaans word shows SA context and poet’s sympathy for Afrikaner cause.
First saw the light upon my rocky breast!
Afrikaner soldiers grew up upon SA (maternal care). They were nourished by her. Shape of
breasts resemble SA mountains.
Give back my dead,
Refrain. Speaker is resentful about the treatment of Afrikaners in the war: unjust deaths.
The sons who played upon me
Male soldiers = sons (shows intimate connection).
When childhood’s dews still rested on their heads.
Metaphor: fresh dew only appears early in day (emphasises youth/innocence of soldiers).
Their lives were just beginning. Full stop shows unnatural complete stop to their lives.
Give back my dead
Refrain: she cannot recover from this ongoing grief.
Whom thou hast riven from me
Accusation: evil war has violently torn SA’s (mother) soldiers (sons) away from her.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller TKahn. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.70. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
