Serote: Poem Analysis

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“Many writers, including poets, have expressed in words and/or raised their voices against oppression, racism and injustice.” In City Johannesburg, Serote has ‘raised his voice’ using the power of figures of speech to the extent that the reader starts to feel all these different emotions, which he has clearly felt, while reading this work of art. By simply composing this poem, I understand that Serote feels that ‘Freedom and justice is everything’. I can comfortably say this because of the effect the figures of speech, Serote uses, has on me (as the reader). Thesis statement: Freedom and justice is everything City Johannesburg was set during the struggle-filled era of Apartheid, in South Africa. Apartheid was a time of major hardships, for …show more content…

He uses the personification of, “My hand pulses,” to give the feeling of fright to the reader because the word ‘pulses’ reminds the reader of heart-beats, and the purpose of this particular word was to show the audience that he was filled with adrenaline. You even feel frightened when you read that line because ‘pulses’ also shows the reader that it is a quick and sudden movement as he reaches for ‘his pass, his life’. “My pass, my life,” is an example of a metaphor because the passbook, which all the blacks had to carry around during Apartheid, is not literally his life. It is being compared with his life because if a policeman caught him without one, he would be arrested and thrown behind bars. These few lines emphasize on just how important freedom and justice is to Serote. Line 6 and talks about how poor Serote is. For example, when he uses the simile of: “My hand like a starved snake.” This simile is very effective because it gives the reader a feeling of pity because a starved snake is one which is desperate and is willing to do anything for food, but in this case; money. Being a human, it is natural for us to express feelings of sympathy towards oneself so that is why this is an excellent example of an effective

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