THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY SOLDIERS AT NYANGA by Ingrid Jonker
Ingrid Jonker had written the poem following a visit
to the Philippi police station to see the body of a
child who had been shot dead in his mother’s arms
by the police in the township of Nyanga in Cape
Town. It happened in ...
THE CHILD WHO WAS
SHOT DEAD BY SOLDIERS
AT NYANGA Ingrid Jonker
https://youtu.be/ijK59s5IQEU?si=Z6d-SimZqsuZJv-3
Ingrid Jonker had written the poem following a visit
to the Philippi police station to see the body of a
child who had been shot dead in his mother’s arms
by the police in the township of Nyanga in Cape
Town. It happened in the aftermath of the massacre
of 69 people in Sharpeville, south of Johannesburg,
in March 1960. They were marching to the police
station to protest against having to carry passbooks.
Nelson Mandela read this poem in the original
Afrikaans, during his address at the opening of the first democratic parliament on May 24, 1994.
The child is a symbol of the fight for freedom and justice, and his spirit lives on in the hearts of those fighting for
change.
@Juffrou_Ansie
, 2
THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY THE TITLE
The Child – Symbol of all the innocent
SOLDIERS AT NYANGA Ingrid Jonker children who were killed by soldiers under
Apartheid in SA because he only “wanted to
SUMMARY play in the sun”. Shot Dead by Soldiers –
emphasises the extreme brutality of the
Ingrid Jonker's poem "The Child" is a powerful response to the shooting of a soldiers The title evokes a sympathetic
young child during an apartheid protest, highlighting the brutality of the Pass response. A child is vulnerable and helpless
Laws and the impact of violence on innocent lives. against armed soldiers. It shows the cruelty
The poem uses the child's death as a symbol of the broader struggle against and senselessness of this death. The title
apartheid, emphasizing the yearning for a future where children can grow up makes it clear that this is protest poem
free from oppression and discrimination. against Apartheid. This child' s death has
inspired others to take up the cause of
Jonker's poem serves as a call to action, urging readers to confront the freedom & given new energy to the struggle
realities of apartheid and its devastating consequences, while also offering a against apartheid.
message of hope and resilience for a better future.
FORM/STRUCTURE
Although this poem is separated into four sections, it is devoid of a specific rhyme
scheme or rhythm. It is, therefore, in free verse. The isolated final line emphasises the
poet’s message: freedom is needed! The fourth stanza develops the idea of this child’s
wasted life – what he could have become, had he lived. There is a parallel structure in
“not at” repeated in the third stanza. This rhetorical device gives examples of where
police brutality occurred. It gives an historical accuracy to the poem.
@Juffrou_Ansie
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