An Abandoned Bundle Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Prepared by Yesheni Nair

An Abandoned Bundle

Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali

Prepared by Yesheni Nair

Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali


Background of poet

• Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali is a South African poet. He has written in both Zulu and English. He wanted to study at WITS University but was not allowed to. He studied at Columbia University instead. He now lives in Soweto.

• Born: January 17, 1940 (age 73)


http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&q=mbuyiseni+oswald+mtshali+born&sa=X&ei=9VB-UaO9EoeUhQeuyoDoBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CKMBEOgTKAEwEg

An Abandoned Bundle

The morning mistand chimney smokeof White City Jabavuflowed thick yellowas pus oozingfrom a gigantic sore.

It smothered our little houseslike fish caught in a net.

Scavenging dogsdraped in red bandanas of bloodfought fiercelyfor a squirming bundle.


I threw a brick they bared fangsflicked velvet tongues of scarletand scurried away,leaving a mutilated corpse-an infant dumped on a rubbish heap-'Oh! Baby in the Mangersleep wellon human dung.'

Its motherhad melted into the rays of the rising sun,her face glittering with innocenceher heart as pure as untrampled dew.


Vocabulary

• 1. Pus• 2. Oozing• 3. Gigantic• 4. Smothered• 5. Scavenging• 6. Squirm• 7. Scarlet • 8. scurried• 9. Mutilated• 10. Dung• 11. untrampled

• 1. Yellowish liquid produced by infection

• 2. Flowing or leaking slowly• 3. Very big• 4. Suffocated• 5. searching for something to

feed on• 6. wriggle• 7. Bright red colour• 8 A hurried, agitated movement• 9. Seriously injured body• 10. Human excrement• 11. Not stepped upon


The morning mist


and chimney smoke of white City Jabavu flowed thick yellow as pus oozing from a gigantic sore

The mist and smoke covered the area, like an infected wound.


It smothered our little houses

The houses were engulfed by smoke/ pollution.


like fish caught in a net.

Difficulty of escaping life in a township.


Scavenging dogsdraped in red bandanas of bloodfought fiercelyfor a squirming bundle.

Dogs searching for food fight for the wriggling baby. The dogs are stray dogs and have been in fights / diseased – they have bloodied necks.


I threw a brick they bared fangsflicked velvet tongues of scarletand scurried away,leaving a mutilated corpse-an infant dumped on a rubbish heap-

The speaker has thrown a brick at the dogs to chase them away.The dogs showed their teeth and ran away. The baby’s body has been pulled apart.


'Oh! Baby in the Mangersleep wellon human dung.'

The baby is compared to the baby Jesus, showing that the baby is innocent.


Its motherhad melted into the rays of the rising sun,



her face glittering with innocenceher heart as pure as untrampled dew.This image of the mother suggests that she is pure and innocent. The Poet can be implying that the mother is innocent of the crime that she has committed OR she lives in an unjust system of Apartheid that she is relatively innocent , because Apartheid has caused this to happen and not just the mother.

INTENTION

Another word for intention is purpose.The intention of the poet in writing this poem would be to highlight the plight of people living in poverty and to describe daily life in townships under Apartheid.


Figures of Speech• Simile

The morning mistand chimney smokeof White City Jabavuflowed thick yellowas pus oozingfrom a gigantic sore.

• The smog slowly moved like yellow liquid from an infected wound.

• Simile• It smothered our little houses

like fish caught in a net.• The smog covering the area is compared to fish caught in a net.• There is no escaping the mist and smoke/pollution or a life of suffering in a

township, just as there is no escaping for fish caught in a net.


• Metaphor• Scavenging dogs

draped in red bandanas of blood• The dogs necks were covered in blood.

• Alliteration• fought fiercely

The repetition of the ‘f’ sound emphasises theroughness of the dogs and the manner in which they fought over the baby.


How to write a Poetry Essay

QUESTIONThis poem conveys the speaker’s attitude and feelings about the mother’s actions.By close reference to the diction and imagery used in this poem, discuss the above statement in an essay of 250-300 words.

[10]Prepared by Yesheni Nair

Vocabulary

• Diction – choice of words• Attitude – an opinion or general feeling about

something• Imagery – the figurative language used in the

poem


Write down all relevant points that come to mind.• The focus of the question should begin with the

attitude and feelings of the speaker.• Diction• 1.‘dumped’; 2.‘dung’; ‘melted’• Imagery• 3.‘Baby in the Manger’; ‘rays of the rising sun’;

‘mutilated corpse’; 4.‘velvet tongues of scarlet’; • 5. ‘glittering with innocence’• 6. Simile: ‘like fish caught in a net’


• This essay is short, so you need to decide which points you want to include in your essay. Number the points so that you know how you would like to structure your essay.

• In your introduction re-word your question and state how the question will be answered.

• Remember not to use sub-headings in your essay.• Numbering the points in your draft, will make it easier to write your essay: 1 –

paragraph after introduction; 2 – paragraph 3 etc. OR you can include TWO consecutive numbers in one paragraph.

• Write your conclusion by referring to your introduction – remember no new information will be included in the conclusion.

• Remember to read through your final copy to make sure that there are no grammatical errors.

• Include a word count at the end of the essay.


Sample Essay

In the poem ‘An Abandoned bundle’, Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali, uses words and imagery to portray the speaker’s attitude and feelings towards the abandoned baby’s mother. This essay will focus on some of the diction and imagery that reveals the speaker’sattitude and feelings.


Paragraph 2

The word ‘dumped’ in stanza 3 suggests the mother’s action was deliberate. Her lack of feelings are emphasised by this callous act. The mother regarded her baby as rubbish that she had to get rid of.


Paragraph 3

The word ‘dung’ means excrement. This word portrays the mother’s lack of concern for her baby, as she does not leave her child in a hygienic nor safe place. The baby is cast away like filth is.


Paragraph 4

The baby’s innocence and sacred quality is made apparent by the reference to baby Jesus in, ‘Baby in the Manger’ (stanza 3). The baby is helpless and pure.



Paragraph 5

• ‘Velvet tongues of scarlet’ (stanza 4) evokes an understanding of the horror endured by the speaker at the sight of the baby’s blood on the tongues of the dogs’.

Paragraph 6

‘Glittering with innocence’, shows that the speaker is appalled by the mother’s ability to pretend that she has done nothing wrong. The tone is sarcastic as the mother can not be ‘innocent’ of dumping a helpless baby.


Paragraph 7

The simile ‘like fish caught in a net’ suggests the difficulty of the people living in townships that are polluted, overcrowded and poverty-stricken. The speaker understands that it is difficult for the people to escape their suffering and is sympathetic towards them. He may even understand why the mother had abandoned the baby.


Conclusion

The selected diction and imagery shows the speaker’s feelings and attitude towards the baby’s mother.

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Documents

An Abandoned Bundle Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Prepared by Yesheni Nair