Nightsong City
Dennis Brutus
Alliteration, of ‘s’ sound, peaceful, soft mood
Sleep well, my love, sleep well: Cannot sleep well because of the city
Lose concentration and focus, not seeing,
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks, personification, euphemism ‘unrest’-
Peaceful, juxtaposed with restless docks violence
police cars cockroach through the tunnel Pests, sinister, ever present, dehumanising
streets; police, doing what apartheid government did
to them
from the shanties creaking iron-sheets Bitter tone
Compound adjectives- draw attention + imagery
violence like a bug-infested rag is tossed Links violence to police, emphasises
carelessness
and fear is immanent as sound in the Fear is like sound, bell is swung
wind-swung bell; purposefully by wind, sound inevitable, so is
imminent (threatening) vs immanent (pervasive), fear (simile)
homophone allows reader to interpret both
ways, adds connotation of constant danger
the long day’s anger pants from sand and Forced breathing, exertion, working hard
rocks;
personification
but for this breathing night at last; Peaceful, rest
except for Addressing country and lover, could be one
my land, my love, sleep well. and the same
Peace, relaxed, protected from all that’s
going on, unaware, irony, keep being
ignorant
Had to leave behind his lover of a different
race(illegal) and saying goodbye to his
country because he was exiled
Dennis Brutus
Alliteration, of ‘s’ sound, peaceful, soft mood
Sleep well, my love, sleep well: Cannot sleep well because of the city
Lose concentration and focus, not seeing,
the harbour lights glaze over restless docks, personification, euphemism ‘unrest’-
Peaceful, juxtaposed with restless docks violence
police cars cockroach through the tunnel Pests, sinister, ever present, dehumanising
streets; police, doing what apartheid government did
to them
from the shanties creaking iron-sheets Bitter tone
Compound adjectives- draw attention + imagery
violence like a bug-infested rag is tossed Links violence to police, emphasises
carelessness
and fear is immanent as sound in the Fear is like sound, bell is swung
wind-swung bell; purposefully by wind, sound inevitable, so is
imminent (threatening) vs immanent (pervasive), fear (simile)
homophone allows reader to interpret both
ways, adds connotation of constant danger
the long day’s anger pants from sand and Forced breathing, exertion, working hard
rocks;
personification
but for this breathing night at last; Peaceful, rest
except for Addressing country and lover, could be one
my land, my love, sleep well. and the same
Peace, relaxed, protected from all that’s
going on, unaware, irony, keep being
ignorant
Had to leave behind his lover of a different
race(illegal) and saying goodbye to his
country because he was exiled
