This document contains a full analysis of the prescribed Matric IEB poem: Assassination by Don L Lee. This poem has been broken down and analysed line by line to ensure it is fully understood by the reader and includes points on the structure and techniques in the poem.
Summary = This poem describes the assassination of Martin Luther King who was shot dead on his balcony. Society believes
that King precipitated the violence rather than choosing to believe the fact that he was the victim, not the suspect. Don L Lee
condemns society’s stereotypes and racist view of the bloody and devastating affair.
Tone = urgent, critical, disengaged
it was wild. → Creates curiosity, referring to the chaotic situation which is about to unfold (the gunshot was also wild)
the
bullet hit high. → the bullet was intended to hit lower than it did, perhaps the heart/torso.
(the throat-neck) → connotation = vulnerability. Indentation shows the horror and shock of event
& from everywhere: → colon used before listing all the locations that people would approach the scene from
the motel, from under blushes and cars, → rhythm gains momentum from smaller, slower sentences
from around corners and across streets, → to longer, more informative sentences.
out of the garbage cans and from rat holes → diction suggests that the people gathering are lowlifes
in the earth → poem gains (gathers) momentum as people gather
they came running. → creates division – us vs them mentality (could be division created by racial conflict)
– ‘they’ is ambiguous. Forces the reader to contemplate who ‘they’ might be.
With
Guns
drawn → enjambment – supports the chaos & disorder unfolding as the police and spectators arrive
they came running → Repetition – emphasises the urgency as people rush into action
toward the King -
all of them → division – us vs them. Draws on stereotypes of black people being suspects, not victims
fast and sure - → the firm belief that Martin Luther King precipitated the violence reinforced by ‘sure’
as if
the King → Martin Luther King is given importance and stature with the use of a capital letter
was going to fire back. → they expected King to respond violently, amplifying his innocence as he’s the victim
they came running,
fast and sure, → shows society’s firm belief in stereotypes. Despite the violence, racism & division remains prominent
in the (makes society seem bigotted)
wrong
direction. → absurdity, everyone is going after Martin Luther King, the victim, not the suspect who shot him (irony)
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