Nature - Questions

What are the 4 seasons mentioned in the poem?

Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn

What are the 2 colours mentioned in the poem?

Yellow, Green

Name the parts of the poem that are related to the sense of sound

The sound of rain beating down hard on the rooftops like bullets on the roofs

The swish of water in the gullies

The sound of bees

Name 2 types of plants or crops mentioned in the poem

Sugar cane/Guango trees/Mango/Logwood/Buttercups

Name 2 different types of days mentioned in the poem

Sunny days/Rainy days/Windy days/Days when there are storms/Days when the leaves fall from the mango and the logwood blossom

How do you think the persona feels about the natural beauty of his country?

He is proud, joyful and exultant 

Adapted from : STAR-NIE 19 September 2012

Nature

This poem reflects the persona’s pride in his country’s natural beauty. It celebrates the natural beauty of Jamaica in a joyous and exultant mood. The many aspects of Jamaican nature are beautifully described.

Despite not having the seasonal changes of winter, spring, summer and autumn, Jamaica has its own cycle of changes. This is vividly described in the different days that Jamaica experiences; bright hot sunny days to rainy days when the earth lies fallow until it bursts with activity and beauty again.

We are shown images of tropical rainstorms and strong winds that threaten to uproot trees as well as the scorching heat from the sun that shines down on green cane fields

We are taken to the next change of season when leaves fade and fall off from trees, only to have our senses waken once again when the logwood blossoms and the bushes come alive with the sound of buzzing bees and the smell of honey.

The final, almost breath-taking, image is of the earth being paved with yellow stars.

Adapted from : STAR-NIE 19 September 2012

He Had Such Quiet Eyes - Questions

In the first stanza, what other words can you use to replace the word ‘quiet’ in the phrase ‘quiet eyes’ without changing the intended meaning?

Deceptive/Dishonest/Pretending/Devious/Misleading/False

What do these lines mean?

They were two pools of lies

Layered with thinnest eyes

Danger lurked beneath the seemingly calm and sincere demeanour of the boy/man

She’d be free from the ‘hows and the whys’. Write 2 possible questions that could have been asked by the girl.

How could I have been so trusting?

Why did he leave me?

How could he have done this to me?

Why was I so blind?

What do you think the line ‘Be sure that nice really means nice’ from the poem means?

Being friendly and cordial with a man is fine as long as there are no hidden motives or expectations on his part for casual, physical intimacy.

Adapted from : STAR-NIE, 19 September 2012

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

The poem describes how a girl is deceived by the appearance of a seemingly sincere man. She eventually succumbs to his desires for physical intimacy. She does this despite warnings and advice from others about the possible dangers and consequences of being too trusting and naive.

She regrets later when she realises how she has been taken in by his false expressions of yearning for her. The poem ends with advice given to women; fleeting heartbreaks when relationships fall apart are better options in comparison to the folly of naivety.

Adapted from : STAR-NIE, 19 September 2012

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

In the first stanza, the persona feels guilt in longing for the song of the flautist. The persona continues to pen about a conscience that is disturbed, in the third stanza.

What do you think is the reason behind the persona’s feelings of guilt and a disturbed conscience?

The reason she feels guilty in the first stanza could be because it is she who has distanced herself from her beloved. She therefore feels that she should not be longing for the melody of the flute nor the flautist himself. In the third stanza, her conscience is possibly troubled because her thoughts keep returning to the flautist despite the knowledge that there are more pressing and urgent matters that demand her attention.

The last line of the poem states: This world is too old and bleeding

This line makes reference to a world that seems ‘wounded’ and depleted. It has aged and lost its prime and freshness. There is only heartache and trouble now. In the lines before this, the persona also mentions violence, unemployment and political disunity.

Adapted from: STAR-NIE 19 September 2012