In-depth analysis of the poem You laughed and laughed and laughed. This document consists of 4 resources compiled into one. All the important notes are labeled to make the summary as short as possible for easy learning.
Title: You laughed and laughed and laughed
Summary: The way 2 people, holding different cultural beliefs and world views, interpret the same experiences
through their own view.
Analysis:
Stanza 1:
The song of the Black man the White man hears, sounds to him like a misfiring car (loud / harsh), he does not value
African culture, instead they laugh.
1 In your ears my song Your: White coloniser
My: black people’s
2 is motor car misfiring Metaphor: The song of the Africans is compared to a misfiring
car engine.
Effectiveness: He hears their words, not as a song, but as
harsh and unpleasant sounds.
M-Alliteration: Sounds like the car is misfiring
3 stopping with a choking cough; Personification: Car sounds like a person with a bad cough.
Onomatopoeia + alliteration of ch/c: Sounds mimicking the
sound of the cough.
Meaning: The car/song is shut down by the laughter and turned
unpleasant.
Semi-colon: Separates speaker’s voice from white man’s
reaction.
4 and you laughed and laughed and laughed. Repetition: Emphasise the racial discrimination that black
people experience.
Stanza 2:
The White man mocks the way the Black man walks. He thinks that he has an understanding of their culture and
has a superior/exclusive attitude. This eats at the identity of the black man.
5 In your eyes my ante- Ante natal walk: The speaker is mocked for the way he walks.
(Animal like / inhuman)
Ante/natal: Separated to emphasise brokenness
6 natal walk was inhuman, passing - Many white people believed black people are subhuman.
Passing = bypassing
7 your ‘omnivorous understanding’ Omnivorous understanding:
- He doens’t use all of his understanding
- Colonist attitude that Europeans are exclusive/superior to all
other races.
- Greedy understanding that eats at the identity /
intellengence / culture of the black man.
8 and you laughed and laughed and laughed. Repetition: Emphasise the racial discrimination that black
people experience.
Stanza 3:
Brutal summary of the first 2 stanzas that emphasize the way white people mock Africans for their song and walk.
9 You laughed at my song, Summary of stanza 1
10 you laughed at my walk. Summary of stanza 2
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 chanellesteyn. 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.
