Summary
Summary The cry of South Africa poetry notes - Olive Schreiner
- Course
- English Home Language
- Institution
- 12
Full analysis of the matric IEB poem The cry of South Africa by Olive Schreiner
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‘THE CRY OF SOUTH AFRICA’ NOTESBiographical information:
Born to missionary parents in SA. Schreiner’s dad was an Afrikaner and her mom British.
She supported the Afrikaner cause and was confined in a concentration camp during the
war.
She was one of 9 children. Her baby sister died at age 2 when Schreiner was 9: this
made her question religion and she became an agnostic and free thinker.
She lived in Britain for a while but returned to SA
She criticized British imperialism in SA and supported an independent country.
She was one of the world’s first famous female novelists.
Meaning/Message:
Highlights the atrocities and senselessness of war: innocent lives lost
Imagery/ Figures of speech/ Diction:
Extended metaphor/personification of SA as heartbroken mother mourning the loss of
her children.
Various images of soldiers as sons/ children/ dew: emphasises their innocence and
sense of belonging to SA
Structure:
Extreme emotions of ongoing horror and despair through repetition and exclamation
marks (anguish/despair/outcry/suffering)
Irregular structure: free verse and varied line length. Strong and pounding rhythm
- One stanza: one key event (Boer War) and its horror. No break or change to her
grief.
• Enjambment: flow of her emotional demands and the blood of war flowing
Tone/mood:
Sorrow, melancholy, heartache, despair, devastation, indignation, grief
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