Comprehensive notes covering Lost or Found World by Mongane Wally Serote.
A combination of information from the textbook, The Complete Poetry Resource (Sixth Edition), as well as additional class and video notes.
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Content preview
Ambiguous title: Due to the word “or”
A sense of uncertainty is created as it is unclear
whether the world is lost or found.
Lost or Found World How the reader chooses to interpret the title is
by Mongane Wally Serote central to how they will interpret the poem.
The message of the poem deals with hope,
money, desires and identity, which the reader
must consider as lost or found.
Stanza 1
Indication that the concept of “truth” will be
1. Skies of truth are now scenes tested and questioned.
Metaphor: The closing eyes are compared to
(Whether you want to or not is your choice) closing curtains.
2. At the mercy of my curtain eyes, Could allude to a stage play where the curtains
close at the end of a scene or to a window
where the viewer can look at a scene outside,
then close the curtains.
3. I wink often more often, Repetition: Emphasizes the increasing rate at
which the speaker blinks. This suggests that he
is trying to forget more quickly or cannot believe
(Close eyes)
what he is seeing.
4. To draw the curtains
Trying to forget the truth of the situation around
5. To cut and forget the skies. him.
Might mean that he is cutting away or limiting
Stanza 2 his view of the skies when he blinks.
(Changes from external ideas of “truth” to Refers to the identity of the speaker and those
internal perceptions, the idea of “identity”) of his people.
6. The sea of identity is tears, We can assume that the identity refers to those
of the black people living under the oppressive
apartheid regime in South Africa at the time
which took away their individuality.
7. A too salty expression The identity might have been lost like “tears” or
they are identified by sadness.
“s” alliteration: Emphasises the futility of the
(In his blood to write)
writing.
8. Bleeding my blue veins that’s my pen,
The speaker turns to writing to regain his sense
of identity as he pours out his feelings in pen.
Writing seems useless: It does not leave a
9. On the loose sand that shall sip, lasting impression as the ink will get absorbed
into the loose sand and the wind will blow it
away or more sand over it.
The speaker keeps writing even though his
10. And the wind shall help cover it,
words might be ignored.
He feels like he is writing only for himself.
(Blood vessels, carry blood away from heart.) As he is a poet, if his words are ignored, his
11. From the needy arteries. identity is threatened.
(Transferred epithet) Literally: Arteries could be described as needy
because they need to return the blood to the
heart.
Figuratively: Could be that the arteries resent
the loss of identity and need it back.
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