A solitary prospectorstaggered,

Cursing, he dug sporadicallyhere, here, as deep as his arm,and sat there quite still, eyes thirstilyincredulous on his palm.

A handful of a

lluvial

A handful of a

lluvial

diamonds leered back, and more: m

ixed

diamonds leered back, and more: m

ixed

in the scar g

linted globules

in the scar g

linted globules

of rubies, emeralds, o

nyx.

of rubies, emeralds, o

nyx.

And then he was swimming in fireand drinking, splashing hot haloesof glittering drops at the choir of assembled carrion crows.

A solitary prospectorstaggered, locked in a visionof slate hills that capered on the molten horizon

Working aloneIsolated – no help availableArouses sympathy

ExhaustionSuffering – thirst (dehydration) and heat – cannot walk properly

Trapped – no possibility of escape – prisoner of thirst, heat and his obsession – cannot break out of the landscapeHeat – haze/mirage

Hills are dancing/meltingMolten = metaphor = fireMan trapped in furnace

Waterless, he came to wherea river had run, now a bandflowing only in ripplesof white unquenchable sand

Plight: no water – exhaustion, point of collapseNormally searches for diamonds, now waterNew obsession = to stay alive

Discovers a dry river bed

IRONY?

Waterless, he came to wherea river had run, now a bandflowing only in ripplesof white unquenchable sand

White = blinding colourPERSONIFICATION: sand = thirstyTRANSFERRED EPITHET: the prospector is thirsty

HOPELESSNESS & FUTILITY

WHAT IS A “TRANSFERRED EIPTHET”?A rhetorical device/figure of speech in which a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence.

“restless night”The night was not restless, but the person who was awake through it was.

“happy morning” Mornings have no feelings, but the people who are awake through them do.

“female prison”Prisons do not have genders, but the people who are inside them do.

Cursing, he dug sporadicallyhere, here, as deep as his arm,and sat there quite still, eyes thirstilyincredulous on his palm.

Swears out of frustration and anger

On and offInconsistentLacks focus/energyNo hopeOccurring at irregular

intervals; having no pattern or order in time. Appearing singly or at widely scattered localities, as a plant or disease.

Has not found water

In disbelief…

IRONY: finds what he has always looked for – shock – cannot save his life

A handful of alluvial diamonds leered back, and more: mixedin the scar glinted globulesof rubies, emeralds, onyx.

?Digging and sifting through mud, sand and gravel using shovels, sieves, or even bare hands. Typically, diamonds come from geologic rock formations are eroded over time by rivers and streams and can deposit diamonds in the sediments carried by those streams farther downstream from the original source rocks..

PERSONIFICATIONMocking himWill never benefit from his findDiamonds = useless

Extremely rich find – totally rich find but also totally useless –

cannot save his life

IS HE HALLUCINATING?

METAPHORHole in ground = woundDisfigures land – land disfigures him

And then he was swimming in fireand drinking, splashing hot haloesof glittering drops at the choir of assembled carrion crows.

Participles = very effectiveDescribe jewels/gems in

terms of waterBecomes what he needs in

his mind….

Throws gems wildly into the air“Showers” himself with the gems

Light, beauty, colour, richnessAlso links to sand/desert

Grim, foreboding tone“carrion” = dead, rotting flesh Death is inevitableCrows waiting for him to die

THEMES

What in life is valuable?The prospector risks his life to find a “strike” but he when finds it he dies from a lack of water – a daily commodity, the value of which we usually underestimate.