Van dyk (2015: 2) argues that “The term slam poetry is the name given to spoken word poetry that conforms to the rules of slam poetry, must notably, the three minute time limit”. In South Africa slam poetry has become a well-known culture especially in the youth, they believe it to be a way of letting their voice be heard about the issues that affect our society. Various poets have made huge contributions in moving slam poetry forward and these poets include Lebo Mashile, Mak Manana, Flo Makale Sbonelo Mbatha and Thabiso ‘Afurakan’ Mohare who I will be writing about and he is also the founder of the underground poetry in Johannesburg known as Word N sound which is the reason why I chose to write about him.
Biography of Thabiso Afarakum
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He studied at the University of Johannesburg. He is an award winning TTL copywriter (promax BDA 2012 and 2013), arts project manager, corporate communications and media strategist, spoken word artist, art entrepreneur and a youth activist. He is currently employed as Head of Brand & Marketing at Bozza. He also Specialize in small business management, social media policy strategy and planning, creative solutions development, proposal and negotiation; campaign media and PR strategy creation; digital content distribution, arts project management.
He has experience on various broadcast and commercial brands and companies- British Council Connect ZA, Channel O, SABC 1, SABC 2, SABC 3, SABC Sport, Discovery Holdings, Standard Bank, Vodacom, Thebe Exhibitions, Lonely Road Foundation, EST-1912, Movie Security, Khenda Marketing, ABE (Malawi) www.linkedin.com An ordinary man
By
Thabiso Aforakum Mohare
In the end he died an ordinary man
Only rich in wrinkles from where the spirit has been
It would be saddest days
And we watched the world weep
For a giant bigger than myths
A life owned by many
Now free as the gods.
Some cried as though tomorrow was lost
Some celebrated, questioned freedom at its
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In stanza one, the poet uses the phrase “rich in wrinkles” to emphasize that he died an old man. He also calls him “a giant bigger than myths” because his victory is extraordinary it is bigger than other stories that happened in the past and even those that happen in the present life.
In stanza 2, he narrates how people cried for him which was not only South Africans but people from different countries as well.
Mohare also uses the phrase “stadiums were littered” to emphasize how people attended his funeral, thousands of people attended. Though Nelson Mandela had died, his legacy will live on through us who witnessed his struggles and that the next generation will read about his fights for freedom.
Mr Mandela was a well-known, loved by many and rich but when death comes it does not care who you are, you will die like everybody else. There will be nothing glorious about your death.
From the themes that he writes about, this poem falls under the theme “Stories of victories”. BODY OF WORK
Through his writings he echoes the new voice of South African literature and oral arts and tells stories of victories and challenges that faces this young and vibrant nation, women and child abuse, xenophobia, self-empowerment and everyday stories of the world around
Todd Lubar is a successful businessman having worked in the financial service industry for more than twenty years. In the year 1995 he worked as a loan originator with Crestar Mortgage Corporation. During his work there, he established contacts that motivated him towards his success and he soon discovered that he had the ability to work in real estate, something that gave him the chance to live a quality life with his family and still able to help other people. In the year 1999, he began working with Legacy Financial group.
The essay will consider the poem 'Practising' by the poet Mary Howe. It will explore how this poem generates its meaning and focus by analysing its techniques, metaphorical construct and its treatment of memory. The poem can primarily be seen to be a poem of missed opportunity. In this way is comes to form, alongside other poems of Howe's a study about a certain kind of loss and the recuperative efforts of memory, alongside the certainty of the failure of this recuperation. The paper will begin by giving a context to the poem with regard to Howe's life and work and will then proceed to analyse it directly, drawing attention to how it can be seen to fulfil this thesis about its content and meaning.
Nikky Finney's book Head Off and Split is a work of art in every sense. It combines both historical elements and personal elements. She shines the light on our countries habit of oppressing and enslaving African Americans. She masterfully weaves together the history of the time and her own memories in an unabashed way that lays bare the wrongdoings of our country. Forcing the reader to see part of our history that is often glossed and skimmed over in conventional textbooks.
For it was not only a voice of gold, but it was the voice of a man whose heart is golden, reading from a book of golden words”(Paton123). Through this passage, Paton showcases the full power of Msimangu’s voice and the reader cannot help but wonder if Msimangu with his healing voice can be the one to bridge the rift that divides Africa. Unfortunately, the reader slowly learn that Msimangu is a spiritual man and is more concerned in helping others live a spiritual life then helping them to win their rights. One passage in Cry the Beloved Country reads, “yet he is despised by some, for his golden voice that could raise a nation speaks always thus”. They say he preaches of a world not made by hands, while in the streets about him mean suffer and struggle and die”(Paton 124).
The 1970s were a rough year for African-Americans, still fighting for social and political rights in the United States. Consequently, women still did not receive equal rights. However, in 1972, “Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which reads: ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex’ (History.com Staff).” Out of the thirty-eight necessary states only twenty-two ratified it right away, it was relieving for the moment because the feminist advocates had been trying to be ratified since 1923. The First African-American woman elected into Congress was Shirley Chisholm.
Poetry Analysis Once the poem “History Lesson” was written numerous poetry foundations celebrated it for many reasons. “History Lesson” not only makes an impact on literature today it has also impacted people also. This poem inspires people and moves them to the point to where they can find a personal connection to the poem itself and to the writer. Not only does it hold emotional value for those who were victimized and those whose family were victimized by the laws of segregation, but the poem is also celebrated for its complexity. The poem uses many techniques to appeal to the reader.
Get on the bus and join the movement towards appreciating poetry. Join author of Poetry Should Ride the Bus, Ruth Forman in making poetry an everyday thing. Poetry should be familiar to everyone and looked at as a mundane concept. Society should be able to use poetry as a benefit to their lives on a regular basis. Unfortunately, poetry isn’t appreciated as much as it should be.
The final poem of significance is Jazzonia, in which Hughes experiments with literary form to transform the act of listening to jazz into an ahistorical and biblical act. Neglecting form, it is easy to interpret the poem shallowly as a simple depiction of a night-out in a cabaret with jazz whipping people into a jovial frenzy of singing and dancing. But, the poem possesses more depth, when you immerse yourself in the literary form. The first aspect of form to interrogate is the couplet Hughes thrice repeats: “Oh, silver tree!/Oh, shining rivers of the soul!” Here, we see the first transformation.
The poem fully develops the idea of the limited of privileges that some might have according to the their races and the racial division. The “borderlands” is the division of a place, but in the eyes of Gloria she makes the character grow up in a place where there is a racial division. The character is in the middle of how of her race is important as her cultural ways get in the way of trying to practice each one of them. The poet writes in both english and spanish to explain how she speaks to the different races she carries. As you read the poem you can feel how the tone changes as the author is speaking of the different events that she goes through in her life.
He creates powerful imagery to depict the treacherous treatment slaves are enduring that floods the audience with shame. He provides them with a chance to recall their moral standards and compare them to slavery. He questions them to evoke the truth that slavery is never justifiable. The denouement of his speech is that it is patent to his audience that celebrating freedom with slavery existing is atrocious and want to eradicate
Title: Outlining Basics General Purpose: To inform Specific purpose: To inform the audience about the Mandela Effect Thesis: The Mandela Effect is a name for an instance where a person or a group of people remember an event, or word, etc. in a different way than it actually happened or is. I. Introduction Attention Getter: Have you ever brought up a memory from your childhood to your parents, only to be told that this event never actually took place?
In the poem “Ego-Tripping” by Nikki Giovanni, she normalizes her worth by continuing to royalist herself as a black woman who is essential to mankind. Giovanni creates a vision throughout the poem, which leaves a thought in mind of how woman should look at themselves with much confidence as Giovanni does. “Ego Tripping” was written by Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr. who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. G9iovanni is a writer, poet, activist, and educator whose work was influenced during the Black Power Movements and the Civil Rights Movement. The poem was released in 2002.
In an attempt to express a sense of cultural identity, Mattera’s short story “Afrika Road” uses metaphors as a technique to communicate a personal connection of unity towards Africa. The short story depicts the narrative of a personified road that describes the actions of marchers during the South African protest of apartheid at Msphala Hill. During the early stages of the protest, the personified road describes the protestors as a “human centipede that took to the streets,” (Mattera 2). The statement from Mattera indicates a personal connection of unity towards Africa. This is achieved by metaphorically
Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. The poems, “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay will be analyzed based on their similarities and differences to name a few. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Comparisons between the poems may easier to analyze and identify compared to the contrasts based on the reader’s perception. Overall, the concept and much more will reveal how the poems are connected and special in their own way.
The poem A Step Away From Them by Frank O’Hara has five stanzas written in a free verse format with no distinguishable rhyme scheme or meter. The poem uses the following asymmetrical line structure “14-10-9-13-3” while using poetic devices such as enjambment, imagery, and allusion to create each stanza. A Step Away From Them occurs in one place, New York City. We know this because of the lines, “On/ to Times Square, / where the sign/blows smoke over my head” (13-14) and “the Manhattan Storage Warehouse.”