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.
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