Comparing Nothings Changed and Charlotte ONeils Song :: Farrel Afrika Poetry Poems Culture Essays

Comparing Nothings Changed and Charlotte ONeils SongBoth poets argon protesting about the injustices and inequalities oftheir own respective cultures.In Nothings Changed Afrika protests about the differences in the focal point that black and white people are treated in southern Africa. The poemillustrates how, although the South African apartheid system wasabolished in the early nineties nothing had really revisiond beyondpaperwork. Afrika was once quoted in an interview as sayingWe may gravel a new constitution, we may have on the face of it all abeautiful democracy, but the racism in this country is widespread. Wetry to pretend to the world that it does not pull round but it mostcertainly does, all day long, every day, awful and saddening andterrible.He reinforces these feelings in his poem.He begins the poem in a silence mood. He describes his walk down the pathtowards district six in a calm, almost leisurely way.When he reaches district six the soul of calm leaves and th e anger inthe poem outgrowths to become apparent. He talks about how at that place is nosign to show the name of the landing field but he can feel it.No board says it is just my feet know,And my hands,And the skin about my bones,And the soft labouring of my lungs,And the hot, white, inwards turning resentment of my eyes.It would seem that he does not have good memories of this place. Hisimmediate change of mood as he nears district six seems to show hisfeelings towards the area.We start to get the feeling that whatever has happened here hasaffected him deeply and personally.Afrika is appall by the hidden racism in his country. Even though bylaw black, white and coloured people are considered equal in practisequite the reverse is true.In the poem he describes a whites only(prenominal) inn. He uses quite harshlanguage in his description. restive with glass,Name flaring like a thole,It squats,In the grass and the widows weedsIncipient Port Jackson treesNew, up-market, haute cuis ine,Guard at the gate post,Whites only innThere is a lot of personification in this description. The give-and-take brashsuggests the arrogance of the place. The name flaring like a flag issuggestive of the inn displaying its conquest of the area. Simply bybeing there Afrika feels that the inn has committed a great atrocityas it is a place where a coloured man would obviously not be welcomeeven in the absence of apartheid. The word squats I call up is not asthough it were sitting but as though it were occupying the landillegally. Incipient literally means imported.