An Abandoned Bundle

1. An Abandoned Bundle Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Prepared by Yesheni Nair

2. Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Prepared by Yesheni Nair

3. 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) Prepared by Yesheni Nair

4. An Abandoned Bundle The morning mistand chimney smokeof White City Jabavuflowed thick yellowas pus oozing from a gigantic sore.It smothered our little houseslike fish caught in a net.Scavenging dogsdraped in red bandanas of bloodfought fiercelyfor a squirming bundle. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

5. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

6. 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 Prepared by Yesheni Nair

7. The morning mist Prepared by Yesheni Nair

8. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

9. It smothered our little houses The houses were engulfed by smoke/ pollution. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

10. like fish caught in a net. Difficulty of escaping life in a township. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

11. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

12. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

13. 'Oh! Baby in the Mangersleep wellon human dung.' The baby is compared to the baby Jesus, showing that the baby is innocent. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

14. Its motherhad melted into the rays of the rising sun, Prepared by Yesheni Nair

15. 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 ORshe lives in an unjust system of Apartheid that she is relatively innocent , because Apartheid has caused this to happen and not just the mother. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

16. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

17. Figures of Speech • Simile The morning mistand chimney smokeof White City Jabavuflowed thick yellowas pus oozing from a gigantic sore. • The smog slowly moved like yellow liquid from an infected wound. • Simile • It smothered our little houseslike 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

18. Metaphor • Scavenging dogsdraped in red bandanas of blood • The dogs necks were covered in blood. • Alliteration • fought fiercely The repetition of the ‘f’ sound emphasises the roughness of the dogs and the manner in which they fought over the baby. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

19. How to write a Poetry Essay QUESTION This 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

20. Vocabulary • Diction – choice of words • Attitude – an opinion or general feeling about something • Imagery – the figurative language used in the poem Prepared by Yesheni Nair

21. 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’ Prepared by Yesheni Nair

22. This essay is short, so you need to decide which points you want to includein 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

23. 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’s attitude and feelings. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

24. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

25. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

26. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

27. 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’. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

28. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

29. 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. Prepared by Yesheni Nair

30. Conclusion The selected diction and imagery shows the speaker’s feelings and attitude towards the baby’s mother. {2678} Prepared by Yesheni Nair