Namaqualand After Rain

Celebration of the beauty + Regenerating power of nature Semi-desert brought back to life after rain into a vibrant carpet of flowers. Implies it’s in an African country. SYMBOLISM OF RAIN… symbolic of rebirth and the end of a period of drought, especially as this region is celebrated because the normally dry landscape is transformed into a magnificent, vibrant carpet of wildflowers after the winter rains. Namaqualand After Rain emphasises that this event is a repetition and that the land is being brought back to life. Rain is light/flowing/melodic and conjures images of clear, flowing water nurturing everything on which it gracefully falls. Imbued with lyric rains, Juxtaposition: How the land is vs. how it was The imagery is exciting and suggestive of blood coursing in veins. And sap re-sweetening dry stalks, Not the Again the veld revives first time. impregnated Metaphor: landscape feels alive awakening Implying the land is “pregnant” with the possibility of life. Perfumes the quickening plains; SIBILANCE: of soft whispering ‘s’ sound contributes to tranquillity. It perhaps conjures Intensity Small roots explode in strings of stars, up the image of strings of twinkling fairy lights, which are festive decorations PERSONIFICATION surrendering and emblematic of times of joy and happiness. The “bulbs” become flowers -giving up its dream of remaining the same. Associated with love, sexuality, and fertility. By referring to the petals of the flowers drips from orchid throats, as ‘throats’, the poem highlights this connection. Sensual fertility that relates to Cluster of flowers around a stem “quickening”. Each bulb gives up its dream, Honey verb Jewels each raceme, alluding to the abundance and wealth of nature in spring. Dash breaks the rhythm. The desert sighs at dawnAs in another hemisphere Personification of the desert creates a powerful image that reinforces the idea of the landscape being awake and alive. The desert is sighing with relief that the rains have arrived. “Dawn” is a symbol of rebirth. suggests the arrival of spring feels like waking up on the opposite side The temple lotus breaks her buds of the world to the desert, which references the opposite seasons Associated with spirituality. observant experienced in the other ‘hemisphere[s]’ On the attentive airThese lines present the graceful, delicate image of a lotus flower opening to greet the dawn. By referring to the flower as ‘her’ (line 11), its soft, delicate, feminine nature is underlined. Alliteration of harsh ‘b’ sound = lotus breaking its bud Onomatopoeia Showy/ frilly ornamentation [rustling of women’s skirts] A frou-frou of new flowers, Sibilance captures energy + movement. Puff of unruffling petals, Alliteration of soft ‘p’ sound extends the sense of vigour (hardiness) and While rods of sunlight strike pure streams force with which nature bursts into life. Marked with veins. From rocks beveined with metals; This stanza uses vibrant imagery and sound devices such as consonance, Evokes the image of a haggard, exhausted assonance, and alliteration, to create the Lean/thin Far in the gaunt karroo person as well as emphasising how barren andimpression of unspoiled nature and desolate the land is. strips renewed, energetic life bursting forth The winter earth denudes, everywhere you look. Round, sticky mass Assonance symbols of Ironstone caves give back the burr Large numbers fertility, birth, Associated with supernatural appreciation of the re-growth. and new life. Of lambs in multitudes; New life is growing despite the dessert conditions. Back to revival Ripples in wind look like waves on an ocean. Grass waves again where draught ➔ Drought bleached all the colour. Forceful verb. Bleached every upland kraal, Cherry blossoms: symbol of rebirth A peach-tree shoots along the wind Alliteration of the drawn out ‘w’ sound adds importance to the process of nature which is drawn-out. It also highlights the forcefulness of the grass shoots as they find their way through hardened soil. Pink volleys through a broken wall, Quick like bullets (hyperbole)- no way of stopping the regrowth. Metaphor And willows growing round the dam May now be seen Outlines → delicate patterns With all their traceries of twigs Just hesitating to be green, It appears significant that the willows are described as ‘hesitating’ when everything around them is teeming with activity. Sense of reluctance. Soon to be hung with colonies Of BIRDS. All swaying with the leaves hanging Of pendent wicker love-nests Black-headed bird The pretty loxia weaves. Place where they will breed a new life- adds to optimistic imagery. The optimistic imagery in the final stanza combines to reinforce the hopeful message of the poem that life is a cycle of birth and death and natural regeneration. As the spectacular display of wildflowers in Namaqualand demonstrates, nature will burst forth with joyous new life. FOCUS OF STANZA’S: 1. On growth → 2. Small details of plants → 3. Spread of desert → 4. Zoomed on 1 aspect → 5. Spread out during rough winter time → 6. Back to revival. MOOD of the poem… The mood is blissful(joyous) as the poet gives personality to each part of nature and creates beautiful calming imagery like when "honey drips from orchid throats." TONE of the poem… The tone is one of awe (wonder) as the poet gives personality to each part of nature and creates beautiful calming imagery to admire each part of nature like when "honey drips from orchid throats." STRUCTURE of the poem is regular and predictable with 8 quatrains and has the same rigid rhyme scheme in each quatrain. These structural features serve to echo the schematic and predictable nature of continues injustices in South Africa ENJAMBMENT creates an inevitable inexorable (unstoppable) journey. Its increase towards the end of the poem highlights the excitement that is felt when nature gets closer to revealing its full glory. Plomer connects the seemingly unconnected in this poem by juxtaposing a change in nature's seasons with a struggle against oppression. This could suggest that Apartheid South Africa is a form of winter, which creates unnatural conflict unlike in nature, during which there is another kind of 'death' for the victims of injustice, however a spring will inevitably arise when the oppressed rise against the oppressors and force a change.