Introduction
Poetry: a young mans thoughts before June 16th https://1drv.ms/p/s!AlPK8M3vOaO-gh4xM6w-XOuwDwy3
Task
Pictionary
Instructions:
Below I’ve provided you with six pictures with words/ phrases below. Before you proceed to the task phase of this lesson.
1. Below each picture/ flash card the correct word/phrase has been given (all of them are from the poem that is to follow).
2. Now you have 15 minutes to analyse all the pictures/phrases.
3. Create a mind map to link everything, create a suitable title and theme for the poem using your imagination:
4. Finally once you’ve analysed the pictures and phrases and come to a conclusion write a summary about your main topic.
Process
Background notes on poet:
Fazel Johennesse (1954 –) is a South African poet. He wrote most of his poetry during the 1970s and early 1980s. He and the poet Chris van Wyk started a Black Consciousness (a movement that promoted an awareness of the dignity and rights of black people, started by Steve Biko) literary magazine, Witie, which gave a voice to young aspirant black writers. However, the magazine was short-lived, as it was banned by the apartheid government.
Title
On 16 June 1976, high school children from Soweto marched to protest against the government law that half of their schooling had to be in Afrikaans, which they saw as the language of the apartheid leaders and oppressors. The police shot live bullets and teargas, and many were injured or killed. After this tragic episode many young people went into exile to join the underground resistance. In this poem, Johennesse imagines himself as one of those teenagers the day before the event, foreseeing the tragedy that will take place.
Theme
➢ The horror that awaited young protesters on June 16th. It is told from the perspective of the young man who could possibly die in the violence that ensued on that day.
➢ It is also a scathing comment on the apartheid regime. Tone
It can be seen as an elegy, because of its sad, mournful tone.
It also has the characteristics of a lyric as it expresses the poet’s feelings.
Nostalgia
melancholy .
longing
. acceptance
Analysis
Line 1:
➢ The student looks to tomorrow; the day of the protest. ‘i’ suggests the student’s insignificance in the perspective of improving education for all non- white school goers and his acceptance of the sacrifice he will make to achieve this.
➢ That the student will ‘travel on a road’ suggests the well-known metaphor of life being a journey.
Line 2:
➢ ➢ ➢
Line 3
➢ ➢
The student’s journey in life is full of difficulty, as suggested by ‘winds’ and ‘hill’.
It also suggests the student’s determination as persistence is needed to navigate a winding, uphill road.
The student’s life is aimed at achieving a specific goal or summative achievement, in this case the improvement of non-white education.
– Line 4:
The student takes only his memories on the winding road for comfort. The memories are clearly important to the speaker which emphasises the importance of the human aspects of the protest rather than the political.
Line 5:
➢ The student realises the heartache and grief his death will bring to his mother.
Line 6:
➢ The student longs for a time when his life was simpler, and for the social presence of his friends. This shows the student to possess strong interpersonal bonds.
Line 7:
➢ The student recollects a simple instance with friends.
➢ This further emphasises that the student is merely a normal young man. Line 8:
➢ In remembrance the student asks only that he be mourned with a song.
➢ This may suggest that he wishes his friends and family not to grieve for long
over his passing.
Line 9:
➢ The women who is to sing for him (assumedly his mother) has downturned eyes.
➢ This could either be seen as a way to hide her grief or as a sign of submission to the oppressor (the apartheid government).
Line 10
➢ The student would also have an old man (assumedly his father) to grieve by means of the song.
Line 11
➢ The man has a ‘broken brow’. This may suggest physical scarring but may also suggest that it is furrowed from emotion.
➢ This may be from the grief of the student’s death or from the years of oppression suffered under apartheid.
Line 12
➢ The student asks others to sing for him which may suggest that he is already dead, as he cannot sing for himself.
Line 13
➢ The student describes the end of his life (‘sunset’) as red. Red has connotations of anger, passion, blood and violence, all of which detail the occurrences during the protest.
➢ ‘Drenched’ suggests his complete hopelessness of escape from the violence and bloodshed. It also adds to the image of blood and suggests a large number of death.
Evaluation
Answers: Pictionary
For this activity I will allow learners to be creative and use their imagination. So there is no right or wrong answer, however they should be able to identify the use of figures of speech, and make meaningful conclusions with regard to the poem.
1. The word and phrases has a negative association.
2. The phrase “drenched in red refers to blood”
3. The imagery created is mournful or of a funeral.
4. A familiar image of a celebrated South African public holiday (June16th) is used.
5. The poem relates to the death of a young man at the hands of the apartheid regime
6. The poem is about student unrest that lead to the death of Hector Petersen.
7. The figure of speech used in image 5 is alliteration
8. The phrase “downturned eyes” evokes a sad crying imagery
Conclusion
Post-reading activity:
a young man’s thoughts before june 16th – Fhazel Johennesse
Answer the following questions in full sentences (unless stated otherwise).
Please write neatly and legibly.
1) Identify three things that the poet knows he will give up once he embarks on his journey of protest. (3)
2) Match the lines in the table below with their literary characteristics. (5)
|
Line(s) |
Literary characteristics |
Answer: |
|
Line 7 |
Enjambement |
|
|
Line 3-4 |
Alliteration |
|
|
Line 13 |
Euphemism |
|
3. Discuss the context in which this poem was written. (3)
4. What is the meaning of the last two lines of the poem? (5)
5. Explain the meaning and effectiveness of the enjambement in lines 3-4?
(2)
6. Comment on the tone of the poem. (2)
Refer to line(s) 8,9 and 12.
7.Why is the letter ‘s’ so significant? (1)
8. What do you think the meaning of ‘sunset’ in line 13 is? (2)
9. Comment on the title of the poem, what do you think the speaker was feeling? (2)
10. In two full sentences tell me what you know about June 16th. (2)
Credits
Memorandum:
1. His Youth*, his mother*, and his friends*. (3)
2.
|
Line(s) |
Literary characteristics |
Answer: |
|
Line 7 |
Enjambement |
Alliteration |
|
Line 3-4 |
Alliteration |
Euphemism |
|
Line 13 |
Euphemism |
Enjambement |
3. This poem was written during the time of apartheid some time after the event of June 16th 1976.* School children took to the streets in protest against the law of that time which insisted that learners be taught half their schooling in Afrikaans, a language which they identified strongly with oppression* The young man in the poem foresees the tragic events of that day in which many school children were killed by police.(3)
4. In the last two lines the young man indicated that he may die in the protest march* and therefore he will not be able to sing the song himself* he mentions his ‘sunset’.** (5)
5. Enjambement- sentences are not punctuated (implies confusion and uncertainty about the future).* The speaker does not know what will happen on June 16th(tomorrow).* (2)
6. The tone is sad or mournful and is created by the diction*.
Negative connotation.*
Melancholy.*
Sense of loss,pain and suffering**. (1)
7. The ‘a’ sound/letter emphasises the sadness portrayed in the poem.**
(2)
8. At the end of the day the sunsets and at the end of ones life you die, so sunset refers to the death of the speaker after he will protest tomorrow he will die a violent death.7
9. The title of the poem gives you more information about the content of the poem, just by looking at the title we know that theporn is from the perspective of a young man and this before June 16th. *
The title is written in lowercase letters and has no punctuation.*
10.It is a public holiday in South Africa. On this day high school children from Soweto marched to protest against the government law that half their schooling had to be in Afrikaans and see Afrikaans as the language of the apartheid leaders and oppressors.
Teacher Page
Creative writing homework activity:
Choose one of the following pictures below and write either a poem or a friendly letter. Write the question number (1 or 2) and give your poem or friendly letter a title.
Please note: Thwre must be a clear link between the poem “a young man’s thoughts before june 16th and your poem/friendly letter.
1. Poem – Select one of the pictures below and write a poem to the world in which you express your anger and frustration towards oppression, injustice and ignorance. You may use analogies like the current unrest in Palestine, the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement etc .Your poem should consist of at least two stanzas. Make use of figures of speech and create a theme(s) for your poem. Use the picture as your key element.
2. Friendly letter- choose one of the pictures and write a friendly letter to the president of South Africa, in which you kindly ask him to the action against oppression and injustice. Explain your fear and anger towards this sensitive topic. Use the picture as your guide .