The Discardment - Poem Analysis

Summary

This video script offers an in-depth analysis of Alan Patton's poem 'The Discardment,' exploring themes of inequality and disparity in South Africa. It discusses the contrasting perspectives of a rich white family and an African servant on a discarded item, highlighting the servant's joy and the family's indifference. The script delves into literary devices such as anaphora, hyperbole, and oxymoron, emphasizing the poem's ironic and unsettling message about loyalty, trust, and the exploitation of simplicity.

Takeaways

• 📚 The poem 'The Discardment' is by Alan Patton, a South African writer and anti-apartheid activist known for his novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country'.
• 🗑️ The title 'The Discardment' refers to something that is no longer valuable and is to be thrown away, highlighting the theme of disparity and inequality.
• 👥 The poem is narrated from the perspective of a rich white family, contrasting their views with those of the African domestic worker.
• 🎭 The first stanza describes the servant's overjoyed reaction to receiving a discarded item, showcasing a stark difference in values between the rich and the poor.
• 😃 The use of imagery and alliteration in the poem emphasizes the servant's elation and the joy she finds in the discarded item.
• 🎵 The servant's joy is expressed through actions like dancing, miming, singing, and calling out in her native tongue, indicating a deep emotional response.
• 🌍 The poem uses hyperbole to suggest that the servant's joy is so great that it should be shared by all, including the entire continent of Africa.
• 😔 The term 'intolerable Joy' is an oxymoron, reflecting the irony and the deep-seated issues of inequality and disparity in South Africa.
• 🤝 The second stanza reflects on how the giving of a worthless item has earned the rich family loyalty, trust, and unquestioning obedience from the servant.
• 🌳 The phrase 'Earth's most rare simplicity' could be interpreted as the deep bond formed between the rich family and the servant, or the simplicity of the poor's expectations.
• 💔 The poem concludes with a contemplative and depressing tone, emphasizing the destruction of dignity and self-worth due to societal disparities.

Q & A

Who is Alan Patton and what is his significance in the context of the poem 'The Discardment'?

Alan Patton was a South African writer, anti-apartheid activist, and political figure who lived from 1903 to 1988. He is significant as the author of 'The Discardment,' and he is also known for his famous novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country,' which was published in 1948, the same year apartheid officially started in South Africa.

What is the literal meaning of the word 'discardment'?

The word 'discardment' refers to something that is no longer valuable and is to be thrown away or discarded. It is the noun form of the verb 'to discard,' indicating an item that has served its purpose and is now considered useless.

How does the poem 'The Discardment' reflect the theme of inequality?

The poem reflects the theme of inequality by contrasting the perspectives of a rich white family and an African domestic worker. The discardment, an item of no value to the rich family, brings immense joy to the servant, highlighting the disparity between the classes and the value they place on the same object.

What is the significance of the poem's title in understanding its message?

The title 'The Discardment' is significant as it sets the stage for the poem's exploration of value and worth. It emphasizes the item's lack of value to the rich family and the contrasting joy it brings to the servant, thus driving home the message of disparity and inequality.

What literary devices are used in the poem to emphasize the servant's reaction to the discardment?

The poem uses several literary devices to emphasize the servant's reaction, including anaphora (repetition of 'she' and 'so' at the start of lines), alliteration (the harsh 'c' sound in 'called and cried'), and imagery (her eyes shining, dancing, and singing) to convey her elation and joy.

How does the poem use hyperbole to convey the servant's joy?

The poem uses hyperbole in the line 'to all the continent of Africa to see this Wonder,' exaggerating the idea that the servant's joy is so immense that it should be shared by everyone in Africa, thus emphasizing the disparity between the rich and the poor.

What is the meaning of 'intolerable Joy' in the poem?

'Intolerable Joy' is an oxymoron used in the poem to convey a sense of contradiction. It suggests that the servant's joy is so overwhelming that it is almost unbearable, reflecting the irony that such a worthless item can bring such intense happiness.

What does the second stanza of the poem reflect on in terms of the discardment's impact?

The second stanza reflects on how the giving of the worthless discardment has earned the rich family loyalty, trust, and unquestioning obedience from the servant, highlighting the power dynamics and the exploitation of the poor's simplicity.

How does the poem use the concept of 'nothing' to emphasize the disparity between the rich and the poor?

The poem uses the concept of 'nothing' to underscore the disparity by showing that an insignificant item, which the rich family discards, can purchase loyalty and trust from the servant, thus revealing the imbalance in the value of things and the exploitation of the poor's simplicity.

What is the deeper message conveyed by the servant's reaction to the discardment?

The deeper message conveyed is the societal inequality and the exploitation of the poor's innocence and simplicity. The servant's extreme joy over a discardment highlights the systemic disparity and the tragic reality that the poor are grateful for even the smallest tokens from the rich.

What are the implications of the term 'Earth's most rare simplicity' in the poem?

The term 'Earth's most rare simplicity' suggests the purity and innocence of the servant's joy and gratitude, which is a rare and precious quality. It implies that this simplicity is being exploited or destroyed by the systemic inequality and the rich family's actions.

How does the poem's structure contribute to its themes and messages?

The poem's structure, with its two stanzas, contributes to its themes by first presenting the discardment's worthlessness from the rich family's perspective and then contrasting it with the servant's joyous reaction. This structure emphasizes the disparity and allows for a reflective contemplation on the themes of inequality and exploitation.