nature and are you still playing your flute
TRANSCRIPT
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SYNOPSIS
The poem tells of the weather conditions in Jamaica although it does not have the four seasons
of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The weather conditions of golden sunny days and wet
rainy days are just as good and are almost equivalent to the four seasons.
VOCABULARY
WORD MEANING
LUSH Healthy growth
MAGNIFICENTLY Wonderfully, grandly, beautifully
SWISH The sound made by moving water
GULLIES Channels cut out in the earth by persistentrainfall
STRUGGLING Fighting to survive; moving with great physical
effort
FADE Lose their color
FALLOW Left bare (in order to recover natural fertility)
PAVED Covered
UNDERSTANDING THE POEM
Lines 1 to 10
The poet tells about his homeland, Jamaica and rejoices the beauty of this island. Jamaica has
no seasonal changes. It has a tropical climate which is hot and wet throughout the year. The
days of golden sunshine are glorious and magnificent. There are many cane fields in Jamaica as
sugar is one of the main exports in this country.
Lines 11 to 15
In the ending of the poem, the poet tells us his favorite timedays when the flowers of mangotrees and logwood blossom. He uses imagery of sound and smell to illustrate abundant life and
activity in the bushes when the sound of bees and the scent of honeyadd to the charm and
beauty if Jamaica. He describes the fields filled with lovely yellow buttercups. All this happens
when the rains have stopped and the beauty of nature emerges once again.
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THEMES
Beauty of nature
Appreciation of one own country
Appreciate nature
MORAL VALUES
We should appreciate what we have in our own country
We should not long for what we do not have.
We should appreciate our homeland.
We should appreciate the beauty of nature.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
Appreciative and happy
Carefree and light-hearted
Sense of beauty
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
Simple and easy to understand the language
Clear and descriptive Simple style with no rhyming scheme
POETIC DEVICES
Imagerye.g. gold sun, lush green fields, trees struggling
Alliteratione.g. sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air
Symbolse.g. gold sun symbol of summer, rains symbol of winter
Contraste.g. beauty or summer is compared with rains or winter
Figurative Language Similerain beats like bullets Metaphore.g. the buttercups paved the earth with yellow stars
Personificationbuttercups have paved the earth buttercups have been personified
as having laid tiles
Onomatopoeiae.g. swish
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SYNOPSIS
This poem his about a persona who reminisces the time he/she spends when in a village. There
are many things that are now luxury to her such as listening to the melody of the flute itself,
gazing at the evening rays, collecting dew drops, or enjoying the fragrance of flowers. Thevillage is now unpopulated as many have moved to the city. Now that she has moved on with
her life, she wonders whether the flutist is still playing the flute. This is because, there are many
challenges in the world today such as the world is dying, the unemployment issue and the
people are disunited because of different political views.
THEMES
Family commitments
Priorities in life
Neglect of ones duties
MORAL VALUES
We should be aware of our family commitments and carry them out properly.
Everyone has priorities in, life and we should know what is important and what is not.
Following a hobby is good but there is a time for work and a time for play.
POINT OF VIEW
The poem is the first point of view.
The person is addressing another person and describing a situation to him.
LANGUAGE AND STLYE
Rhetorical question
Descriptive and questioning
Simple style and no rhyme
TONE, MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE
Somber and regretful
Serious atmosphere
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POETIC DEVICES
Imagerye.g. blown by the wind, depth of my heart
Alliteratione.g. fragrance of flowers
Symbole.g. flute, song Repetitione.g. Are you still playing your flute?
Figurative LanguageMetaphor e.g. The melody concealed in the slime hollow of
bamboo
Personification e.g. sick rice field