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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