BOY ON A SWING (OSWALD MBUYISENI MTSHALI
Slowly he moves
To and fro, to and fro
Then faster and faster
He swishes up and down
His blue shirt
Billows in the breeze
Like a tattered kete.
The world whirls by:
East become west
North turns to south
The four cardinal points meet his head
Mother!
Where did I come from?
When will I wear long trousers?
Why was father jailed?
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
1) The title of the poem.
The title of the poem Boy on a Swing may be said to mean the boy’s life experience. This is because the poem talks about moving from one side to another. At the end the boy asks his mother some questions, such as why his father jailed?, this shows that he has acquired enough experience in his life where he discovers that there are things which are wrong in his family and society in general.
2) The type of the poem
The type of the poem is modern narrative because is telling the story about the boy/s life. The speaker of the poem is someone out of the poem and it seems that the speaker or persona has been observing the boy/s life since his birth.
3) The language used in the poem.
The language used in the poem is simple and appropriate according to the subject matter of the poem. The words have been carefully chosen and well ordered.
Also, in the poem there are some figures of speech used as follows:-
Imagery
The poem has got images including the image of moving that is the movement of the boy from one side to the other side and also there is image of hearing.
In the poem the image of sight is presented through the colour the shirt won by the boy which is blue.
The image of movement can be perceived through the use of the words or expressions “….to and fro, to and fro……” where by these expressions are related to movement.
Symbols
In the poem there are some symbols that have been used as follows
Boy’s movement
This can symbolize the experience the boy get as he grows up, including different life experiences and later becoming conscious of different things which are wrong in the human society.
The billowing of a shirt
This may be symbol of sufferings that the boy experience in his life, as the shirt is compared with something tattered symbolizing something bad or the suffering.
The meeting of the cardinal points
The meeting of he cardinal points in the boy’s mind may mean or symbolize understanding the world. This is because after meeting those cardinal points the boy started asking the mother some questions which shows that the boy has the clear understanding of the world.
Wearing of long trousers
This may mean having access to good or quality life.
4) The tone of the poet
In this poem the mood of the poet has been the changing one. At the first the poet looks at the boy’s life as happy one, as the boy is said to be swinging that’s in the first and second stanza. In the third stanza the mood changes, here the boy has understood the world, this is shown when the four cardinal points meet in the boy’s mind where it means understanding the world. Here the mood of the poet becomes angry as the boy asks the mother why his father was jailed.
5) The possible themes in the poem
i) Life experience
The theme has been presented by the boy who at first is said to be swimming and this can be interpreted as normal life experience. Meaning different life stages the boy is undergoing as he grows up. The boy swing until when the four cardinal points are met in his head which symbolically may means having new life experience which mean understanding the world well and becoming conscious as he starts asking the questions to the mother which shows that he has understood what is wrong in the society.
ii) The denial of the basic rights
In the poem it is shown that the boy is denied the access to some rights in his life, for example in the poem the boy wonders when he will be wearing the long trousers. Therefore the boy is denied the right to dress properly. Therefore this means that in the society there are people who enjoy all the basic rights but some do not enjoy those rights.
iii) Awareness
In the poem its shown that the boy is aware of the different issues particularly which are wrong in the world or community as the boy asks his mother the reason for his father to be jailed and when he will be wearing the long trousers.
iv) Unequal distribution of the resources
In the poem is shown that there is no equal distribution of resources and this is shown when the boy asks the mother about the time he will be able to wear the long trousers in his life. Therefore he we can get a conception that some people have high access to the resources in the community and these people can dress the long trousers but some like the boy have no access to the resources hence cannot have the access of buying the decent clothes like long trousers.
Prepared by:
Emily A Mwambola
Tel: 0757290816
Email: emilyam016@gmail.com
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