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Summary The Discardment - Alan Paton
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In depth summary of The Discardment by Alan Paton IEB 2024
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The poem begins with thenarrator describing an item
given to someone, referred to The lines convey a sense of
as a discardment, implying it is
no longer valued
1 We gave her a discardment finality and utility,
indicating that the item is
This item is described as a no longer needed for its
trifle, suggesting it is trivial 2 A trifle, a thing no longer to be worn, original purpose
and insignificant, no longer Despite its perceived
considered worthy of
attention or use 3 Its purpose served, its life done. obsolescence, the item
unexpectedly becomes a
source of delight and
The woman's eyes shone
with excitement as she
4 She put it on with exclamations, celebration for the woman
embraced the discarded item
She expressed her joy
through spontaneous
5 Her eyes shone, she called and cried, The woman's
exuberance is
movements like pirouetting expressed through
Her actions conveyed a sense 6 The great bulk of her pirouetted dancing, miming, and
singing
of uninhibited happiness She calls out blessings
and delight
7 She danced and mimed, sang snatches of a song. in her native tongue,
invoking a sense of
cultural richness
8 She called out blessings in her native tongue Her actions extend
the celebration
The woman calls out beyond herself,
reaching out to
enthusiastically to her fellow
servants, inviting them to witness
9 Called to her fellow-servants others including
fellow servants and
the wonder strangers
She extends her invitation to
strangers and passers-by, urging 10 To strangers and to passers-by The phrase to see this wonder
them to join in the celebration suggests a profound sense of
Her call reaches out expansively to amazement and admiration for
encompass all the continent of 11 To all the continent of Africa something unexpected or
Africa, emphasizing the scale and remarkable.
To participate in this
inclusivity of her invitation
12 To see this wonder, to participate intolerable joy implies that the
joy experienced is so
The phrase And so for nothing 13 In this intolerable joy. overwhelming that it cannot
be endured or contained easily
suggests a paradox or irony in Together, these lines convey
the outcomes.
Purchased loyalty and trust
14 And so for nothing the powerful impact of
witnessing and engaging with
implies these qualities are an extraordinary experience
obtained through material
means or actions
15 Is purchased loyalty and trust that evokes intense emotions
and reactions
The juxtaposition highlights a
discrepancy between the 16 And the unquestioning obedience The phrase unquestioning
apparent gain (loyalty and trust) obedience suggests a state of
and its actual value or
worthlessness ("for nothing"), 17 Of the earth's most rare simplicity. complete compliance or
submission without doubt or
questioning the authenticity and resistance
sustainability of such loyalty and
trust
18 So for nothing Earth's most rare simplicity
implies a purity or innocence
that is increasingly uncommon
Suggests a profound cost associated
with the seemingly trivial joy /
19 The destruction of a world. or precious in the world,
loyalty from a discarded item emphasizing a profound
It implies that what appears contrast to the complexities
insignificant on the surface can lead and compromises of
to profound consequences, hinting at contemporary society
societal impacts from actions taken
for immediate gratification
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