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The Child (Lines 16-23)

The child's death at the hands of soldiers trying to enforce apartheid pass laws inspired protests across South Africa and the world. As a symbol of innocence lost to racial oppression, the child grew in influence after his death, first inspiring resistance across the African continent as he "became a man" and then worldwide as he "became a giant." The last line emphasizes the irony that the child was only freed from the pass laws through his death.

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Thato Moratuwa Moloantoa
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94 views5 pages

The Child (Lines 16-23)

The child's death at the hands of soldiers trying to enforce apartheid pass laws inspired protests across South Africa and the world. As a symbol of innocence lost to racial oppression, the child grew in influence after his death, first inspiring resistance across the African continent as he "became a man" and then worldwide as he "became a giant." The last line emphasizes the irony that the child was only freed from the pass laws through his death.

Uploaded by

Thato Moratuwa Moloantoa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LINE 16

‘The child is the shadow of the soldiers’


• The metaphor compares the child to
the shadow of soldiers.
• This is a warning/reminder of the
possibility of violence and that hope for
change lies with the youth.
LINE 17
‘on guard with guns saracens and batons’
• ‘saracens’ – An armoured car that is
synonymous with Apartheid.
• The soldiers were fully equipped,
showing that they would use force to
suppress black lacks, not caring about
who died, be it women or children.
• The authorities wanted to protect the
status quo. Saracen tank Baton
LINE 18
‘present at all meetings and legislations’
• The death of the child is discussed by all the oppressed people of SA (at
meetings/assemblies) and the apartheid government. The apartheid
government tried to introduce new laws (legislation) while black people
were inspired to fight against the government.
LINE 19
‘peeps through the windows of houses and into the hearts of mothers’
• The child’s death will not fade in the memories of black people; the
brutality that has resulted in his death would always be remembered.
• ‘hearts of mothers’ – suggests that his death has caused great pain and
that it will inspire an uprising
LINE 20
• ‘the child who just wanted to play in
the sun at Nyanga is everywhere’ Line
20 creates the image of a child was an
innocent victim – he simply wanted to
enjoy his childhood.
LINE 21
‘the child who became a man treks
through all of Africa’
• ‘became a man’ – he grew up too
quickly by taking on the responsibility
of fighting for freedom.
• As a symbol, the child affects all dreamstime.com
aspects of life. The child, as a symbol,
will become more powerful – he will
inspire the whole continent.
LINE 22
‘the child who became a giant travels through the whole world’
• ‘giant’ – the child has become larger than life.
• The death of the child and others who fought for freedom has had a
massive influence on the growing sense of freedom, justice and
resistance by all those who are oppressed.
• ‘travels through the whole world’ – What happened to the child will
have a global effect: many countries protested against the brutal and
unjust system.
LINE 23
‘Without a pass’
• The last line of the poem stands on its own for emphasis.
• It conveys the irony of the poem: The child is only freed from the
restrictions of the pass laws after he dies.
• ‘Pass’ refers to the Apartheid ID document used to restrict the
movement of the black population. This was the main reason for
violent protests at Langa, Nyanga and Sharpeville.
• The Pass system caused the death of the child, causing him to
become a symbol, able to cross borders and continents unrestricted.

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