SOUTH POEM ANALYSIS by Kamau Brathwaite

SOUTH BY KAMAU BRATHWAITE
Lines 1-3
"But today I recapture the islands' bright beaches: blue mist from
the ocean rolling into the fishermen's houses."
Lines 1-3 Analysis
❖ The persona here reminisces about the picturesque scenery
of his island home.
❖ The use of the words "but today" give the impression that
the persona has experienced a change in heart today, or that
something has resulted in him having a different opinion.
❖ By saying that he recaptures the islands' bright beaches,
the persona communicates that he is taking hold of
something that belonged to him in the past.
Lines 3-6
"By these shores I was born: sound of the sea came in at my window, life
heaved and breathed in me then with the strength of that turbulent soil."
Lines 3-6 Analysis
❖ The persona was born on this
island
❖ This idyllic landscape of
glimmering ocean and sea breeze
has faced political
turmoil/struggle that pushes
people away, as shown by the use
of "turbulent soil."
Lines 7-9
"Since then I have travelled: moved far from the beaches: sojourned in
stoniest cities, walking the lands of the north in sharp slanting sleet and
the hail,"
Lines 7-9 Analysis
❖ Since his childhood, he has travelled far from this tropical home to different
countries in the north.
❖ He uses "stoniest" to describe the cities he's travelled to, and this could be
representative of the people he encountered in these cities, since 'stony' can also
mean cold, and unfriendly. This is very different from the very close communal
setting he would have grown up in in the Caribbean. The city lacks the energy that
is needed to remind the persona of his home. Industrialization has replaced nature.
❖ The sleet, hail and harsh wintry conditions he endured are also a contrast to the
'bright beaches' from his childhood.
Lines 10-12
"crossed countless saltless savannas and come to this house in the forest
where the shadows oppress me and the only water is rain and the tepid taste of
the river."
Lines 10-12 Analysis
❖ Now, the persona likely refers to Africa when he says 'saltless savannas.' Using
saltless here draws attention to the fact that the savannas are devoid of beaches (and
the salty ocean) which he misses deeply.
❖ Crossed countless gives the impression that the speaker is on a quest for something
(better life maybe)
❖ He now lives in a house in the forest. This gloomy, dreary, sheltered place makes him
feel oppressed. Throughout his worldwide sojourns, he has missed the ocean- and
here still lacks its distinctive salty taste. To the persona, the rain water is ordinary and
the river water is unappealing. The river doesn't represent the same limitless renewal
Lines 13-16
"We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers: their flowing runs on
like our longing, reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our striving
will founder on that."
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT0GsqO956A
❖ The persona now switches personal pronouns from
'I' to 'we' those who are 'born of the ocean'-
people who are likely from the islands like he is.
He says that they cannot seek comfort in the rivers.
Rivers, like oceans, are bodies of water, but to
him, that is where the similarities end. The bland
predictability of its unidirectional flow directly
contrasts the boundless nature of the ocean and its
❖ The sea has a characteristic ebb (able

to move away from land etc) and flow,
but the river flows on continuously and
endlessly, shown using simile to be
similar to how those born of the ocean
can never stop longing for their
homeland once they've left it- they
constantly yearn for the unknown.
❖ The speaker now personifies the river to be
almost wise and discerning. The river showcases
their lack of ambition and ability to make
meaningful change.
❖ The word 'founder' in this case means to fail or
break down due a certain shortcoming. The
shortcoming of the people is that they cannot
truly make meaningful change- therefore their
striving is pointless.
Lines 17-18
"We resent them this wisdom, this freedom: passing us toiling, waiting and
watching their cunning declension down to the sea."
❖ The river is disliked because it brings into stark focus the fact that their lives
are devoid of purpose. The river passes them by as they attempt to better their
situations through all sorts of tasks, toiling constantly. But the river is free
and unbound by the existential angst (feeling of persistent worry) of humanity
give their lives meaning. It is completely indifferent to humanity's plight.
❖ Using the phrase 'cunning declension' makes the rivers seem conniving and
crafty in its slow and methodical flow to the ocean as it reveals nothing about
itself.
Line 19
"...But today I would join you travelling river,..."

Line 19 Analysis
❖ The use of the phrase "but today" is reflective

of the use of the same phrase in the beginning of
the poem (line 1) to create a connection in how
something has changed in his view. This could
be considered the volta (turning point) of the
poem. He now states that he would join the river,
deviating from what would ordinarily happen.
Line 19 Analysis cont’d
❖ The persona accepts that this life is not for him

and he wants to return home or move on
❖ The speaker embarks on the journey to his
homeland patiently…similar to how the river
travels patiently to the ocean.
Lines 20- 24
"borne down the years of your patientest flowing, past pains that would wreck us,
sorrows arrest us, hatred that washes us up on the flats; and moving on through
the plains that receive us, processioned in tumult, come to the sea."
❖ “..patientest flowing…” -the persona was very patient given the discomfort
he endured in the North
❖ The persona now washes to take the same path as
❖ The river is like a conduit of human history; it carries with it an archive of

past events. The river is didactic of human problem/ past events.
❖ Despite all this, the river flows on, through a world where human interaction
is full of hurt and pain, eventually reaching the sea. (This could be an
allusion to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a past of colonialism and
dislocation of African people). In this way, the persona can join the river in
reflecting on the past- even though he may encounter troubles, like hatred,
sorrows and past pain.
Lines 25-31
"Bright waves splash up from the rocks to refresh us, blue sea-shells shift in their wake
and there is the thatch of the fishermen's houses, the path made of pebbles, and look!
Small urchins combing the beaches look up from their traps to salute us: they remember us
just as we left them."
❖ The persona's tone takes on a massive change: he now seems

incredibly excited as he reminisces about his island home.
❖ He is welcomed and reinvigorated by the waves.
❖ The river has gone, as both he and it have found their rightful place in
the ocean. This entire image is an idealized memory from his
childhood- a wonderful, pleasant, picturesque scene that embraces him
(and the others who left) as someone who belongs there.
Lines 32-36
"The fisherman, hawking the surf on this side of the reef, stands up in his boat and
halloos us: a starfish lies in its pool. And gulls, white sails slanted seaward, fly into the
limitless morning before us."
❖ This is a direct contrast to the "stoniest cities" he visited on his travels. The
fisherman amiably greets him, showing a warmth absent in the cities.
❖ The use of a starfish specifically here is significant, as it lies in its pool- showing the
leisurely lifestyle of the people of the island. The starfish is also a symbol of
regeneration and rebirth due to its distinctive ability of limb regeneration. This
correlates to the persona's desire to return to his homeland and become rejuvenated by
the ocean waves.
❖ The seagull fly on to a limitless morning. This is significant in that the morning is
symbolic of a new beginning, infinite and filled with possibilities.
ALLITERATION
● "bright beaches, blue mist from the ocean"(line 2)

● "By these shores I was born, sound of the sea" (line 4)
● "We who are born of the ocean can never seek solace in rivers" (line 13)
● "toiling, waiting and watching their cunning declension down to the sea" (line 18)
● "past pains that would wreck us, sorrows arrest us," (line 21)
● "and gulls, white sails slanted seaward,"
PERSONIFICATION
● "sound of the sea came in at my window, life heaved and breathed in me then with
the strength of that turbulent soil." (lines 4-6)
● "...shadows oppress me" (line 11)
● "their flowing... reproves us our lack of endeavour and purpose, proves that our
striving will founder on that." (lines 14-16)
SIMILE
● "their flowing runs on like our longing," (line 14)

THEMES
● Patriotism
● Dreams & Desires
● Migration
● Change
● Nostalgia
MOOD & TONE
● Reflective
● Nostalgic

SOUTH POEM ANALYSIS by Kamau Brathwaite

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH POEM ANALYSIS by Kamau Brathwaite

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH POEM ANALYSIS by Kamau Brathwaite

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOUTH BY KAMAU BRATHWAITE

❖ The sea has a characteristic ebb (able

"...But today I would join you travelling river,..."

❖ The use of the phrase "but today" is reflective

❖ The persona accepts that this life is not for him

❖ The river is like a conduit of human history; it carries with it an archive of

❖ The persona's tone takes on a massive change: he now seems

● "bright beaches, blue mist from the ocean"(line 2)

● "their flowing runs on like our longing," (line 14)

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.