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ENG1501
Assignment 1
2023
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1.
1.1 Johannesburg know as “Egoli” or the “city of gold” promises riches and fortune to all those
who seek it, but this is an illusion or deception as the speaker points out by calling it Judas
gold. Judas gold refers to betrayal, in the Bible Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver by
identifying him with a kiss in front of Roman soldiers, later the guilt-ridden Judas returns the
bribe and commits suicide. Where Jesus was supposed to trust Judas as one of his disciples
he betrayed him and so those who seek fortune in Johannesburg are betrayed and deceived
by its promises of ‘gold’.
1.2 People go to Johannesburg with big dreams and big expectations, believing that they will
find ‘gold’ and fortune. Johannesburg is called the city of gold because of the mines in the
area that helped establish the city and now it is also the economic centre of South Africa.
But once people are faced with the reality of the city they find that the promise of easy
wealth and ‘gold’ is only lies and deception. Hopes and dreams die in the reality of poverty
and disparity. The poem was released as spoken word and turned into a song by Lesego
Rampolokeng and the Kalahari Surfers on the album ‘End Beginnings’ in 1992, this was
before the first democratic election in 1994 and Rampolokeng later refers to the “repression
machine” which can reference both the Apartheid government and the capitalist economy.
2.
2.1 “Traffic flows in the sick vein of life as we tick”, the cities roads are like the veins in our
bodies, the traffic flows like our blood, the city and traffic are personified. But the vein is
sick, as the city is sick, the speaker is evoking imagery of illness, disease and death, a death
of sickness or disease not a natural peaceful death of old age. This message is further
compounded by “with the eternal time-bomb of our own extinction”, using time-bomb and
extinction to evoke a violent death, extinction being even more far reaching than just the
death of one but the death of all humanity and one could argue that the Apartheid
government and the capitalist economy has no humanity. The rush of the traffic is like the
rush of the blood through our veins like a ticking time bomb we wait to die so does the
traffic like an accident waiting to happen.
2.2 “The green pastures of wealth are vaults of death”, money is compared to happiness i.e.
greener pastures but we could also say the green being the colour of money, specifically
American dollars, Rampolokeng’s work sometimes draws inspiration from hip hop and oral
folk traditions. Vaults or safes are used to store money to keep it safe, but here the vaults
represent death and not safety. People think that money can buy happiness; greed for
money will let you end up more unhappy or even dead “vaults of death”.
2.3 The speaker evokes imagery of illness, disease, violence and death. He then links this to the
pursuit of wealth and the false promises of the “city of gold”. The city is in a rush to become
wealthier, to get to greener pastures but it will be the death of them. The city dwellers end
up leading a useless life because that is not what life is all about, happiness comes from
things you cannot buy and the grass is green where you water it. “The walk of uncertainty
swaggering to disguise” evokes a man trying to appear confident but actually uncertain, the
word swaggering again shows the influence of hip hop in the speakers writing. “We’re all
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ENG1501
Assignment 1
2023
Contact:
@ TestbanksNotesAssignmentsAndExamspack
sGuru
+254742508812, +254727097655.
Downloaded by: TestbanksNotesAssignmentsAndExampacksGuru | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
, Stuvia.com - The Marketplace to Buy and Sell your Study Material
1.
1.1 Johannesburg know as “Egoli” or the “city of gold” promises riches and fortune to all those
who seek it, but this is an illusion or deception as the speaker points out by calling it Judas
gold. Judas gold refers to betrayal, in the Bible Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver by
identifying him with a kiss in front of Roman soldiers, later the guilt-ridden Judas returns the
bribe and commits suicide. Where Jesus was supposed to trust Judas as one of his disciples
he betrayed him and so those who seek fortune in Johannesburg are betrayed and deceived
by its promises of ‘gold’.
1.2 People go to Johannesburg with big dreams and big expectations, believing that they will
find ‘gold’ and fortune. Johannesburg is called the city of gold because of the mines in the
area that helped establish the city and now it is also the economic centre of South Africa.
But once people are faced with the reality of the city they find that the promise of easy
wealth and ‘gold’ is only lies and deception. Hopes and dreams die in the reality of poverty
and disparity. The poem was released as spoken word and turned into a song by Lesego
Rampolokeng and the Kalahari Surfers on the album ‘End Beginnings’ in 1992, this was
before the first democratic election in 1994 and Rampolokeng later refers to the “repression
machine” which can reference both the Apartheid government and the capitalist economy.
2.
2.1 “Traffic flows in the sick vein of life as we tick”, the cities roads are like the veins in our
bodies, the traffic flows like our blood, the city and traffic are personified. But the vein is
sick, as the city is sick, the speaker is evoking imagery of illness, disease and death, a death
of sickness or disease not a natural peaceful death of old age. This message is further
compounded by “with the eternal time-bomb of our own extinction”, using time-bomb and
extinction to evoke a violent death, extinction being even more far reaching than just the
death of one but the death of all humanity and one could argue that the Apartheid
government and the capitalist economy has no humanity. The rush of the traffic is like the
rush of the blood through our veins like a ticking time bomb we wait to die so does the
traffic like an accident waiting to happen.
2.2 “The green pastures of wealth are vaults of death”, money is compared to happiness i.e.
greener pastures but we could also say the green being the colour of money, specifically
American dollars, Rampolokeng’s work sometimes draws inspiration from hip hop and oral
folk traditions. Vaults or safes are used to store money to keep it safe, but here the vaults
represent death and not safety. People think that money can buy happiness; greed for
money will let you end up more unhappy or even dead “vaults of death”.
2.3 The speaker evokes imagery of illness, disease, violence and death. He then links this to the
pursuit of wealth and the false promises of the “city of gold”. The city is in a rush to become
wealthier, to get to greener pastures but it will be the death of them. The city dwellers end
up leading a useless life because that is not what life is all about, happiness comes from
things you cannot buy and the grass is green where you water it. “The walk of uncertainty
swaggering to disguise” evokes a man trying to appear confident but actually uncertain, the
word swaggering again shows the influence of hip hop in the speakers writing. “We’re all
This study source was downloaded by 100000838663848 from CourseHero.com on 03-13-2023 09:19:45 GMT -05:00
Downloaded by: TestbanksNotesAssignmentsAndExampacksGuru | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal
https://www.coursehero.com/file/100058148/ENG1501-Assignment-1-650089pdf/ extra per year?
