100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Summary English IEB Poetry: The Discardment CA$8.06   Add to cart

Summary

Summary English IEB Poetry: The Discardment

4 reviews
 1508 views  16 purchases
  • Course
  • Institution

These notes come from myself, who passed matric of 2023 with an overall average of 87% in each subject i took. This document contains a full analysis of the prescribed Matric IEB poem: The Discardment by Alan Paton. The poem has been broken down and analysed line by line to ensure it is fully unde...

[Show more]

Preview 2 out of 5  pages

  • May 20, 2023
  • 5
  • 2022/2023
  • Summary
  • 200

4  reviews

review-writer-avatar

By: marionbotshabelo • 3 months ago

review-writer-avatar

By: sandracoetzee • 2 months ago

review-writer-avatar

By: angelinamandzavinos • 1 year ago

review-writer-avatar

By: robinolifant • 1 year ago

avatar-seller
English Poetry: The Discardment


Biographical information: Alan Paton
 South African poet
 Born in 1903, Petermarisburg, South Africa
 Taught maths and chemistry at Marisberg college.
 Had a switch in career.
 In 1948/49; he wrote a world-famous novel, "Cry the beloved country”.
 Accounts the inhumanity of Apartheid. Emphasises his love for South Africa and his
hope for change in the future.
 4 months after the book was published, the national party came into power and officially
integrated the Apartheid laws.
 He then helped found a political party, the South African Liberal Party of South Africa
(offered a non-racial opposition to Apartheid) and he became its president until the National
Party forced it dismember.
 Paton spoke out against Apartheid policies and the NP.
 As a result, the NP confiscated his passport (dompass)
 He gave evidence in support of Nelson Mandela during Mandela's freedom trial in 1960.


Meaning and Message

 Shows the vast inequality that existed between white and black people during Apartheid.
 Many white ppl prospered under this system, provided with good education, excellent
employment opportunities + comfortable lifestyles.
 to Black people however had to satisfied with sub-standard education menial
employment + extreme poverty. Shown by the African woman in the poem (perhaps
a domestic worker) who is disproportionately overjoyed of receiving an old,
unwanted piece of clothing from her white employer.
 Poem expresses speaker's sadness at the effects of this system, which self-respect of black
people (+ other P.O.C) destroyed the rights.
 Comments on how human rights and values have been distorted, the long-lasting effects of
the Apartheid system which has destroyed our world.


Structure
 Free verse poem
 varied line length
 highlights the chaos of the scene + her reaction.
 shows literal disparity between white and black people during Apartheid.
 Represents a fragmented + broken society.

, Title
 Discard
 To throw something away
 No longer wanted
 Useless
 Abandoned
 Literally an item of clothing that the white speaker gives to a black domestic worker.
 Could be seen as a reference to black people during Apartheid who were discarded by the
government who labelled them as inferior.
 "the": definite article
 Refers to one item of clothing that prompted the women's overjoyed reaction.
 Holds the Apartheid government directly responsible.




Stanza 1
Lines 1:

 "we": The white employer verses the "her”.
 Effects: Differentiation/divide which is immediately established

Lines 2:

 Clothing that is no longer wanted by the employer, its trashed them.
 Trifle: Object of little importance
 "thing": holds no value/worth/respect (employers are bored with it)
 Emphasises how small and insignificant the item is therefore the women's reaction is
disproportionate.

Lines 3:

 Only to the employers
 Emphasises the vast gap between white and black South Africans because the
privileged whites can afford to be bored of things and give them away to poor black
people.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

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

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

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 daelfeldman. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for CA$8.06. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

80562 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
CA$8.06  16x  sold
  • (4)
  Add to cart