A salute is a term of respect, but the speaker sees Johannesburg as a place of oppression and does not really show respect.
100
Which of the following does the speaker NOT leave behind?
my love, my dongas, my people, my medicine, my dust, my death
He does not leave behind his medicine.
100
At what time does the speaker enter and leave the city?
He enters at six in the morning and leaves at five in the afternoon.
100
To what is JHB compared in the following:
"I can feel your roots, anchoring your might..."
A tree. The roots keep the tree standing on the same place and JHB also keeps the speaker trapped in the city.
100
In what form is the poem written?
Free verse
200
Which figure of speech is used in line 4:
"For my pass, my life,"
Metaphor
200
Do you think the speaker can truly leave behind his death? Explain.
No, although it might have been more dangerous in townships, death can find you anywhere.
200
What does he mean with 'neon flowers'?
The streetlights/billboards/ advertisements
200
Why does he feel he is trapped by JHB?
He feels that he is not physically strong, and he is not educated
200
Which figure of speech is sustained throughout the entire poem?
An apostrohe
300
Why does the speaker use the image of ''a starved snake" to describe his hand searching for his pass?
A snake is quick, so the speaker might be searching frantically/ snakes are scary or unwanted creatures so the poet might feel unwanted in the city.
300
Name the figure of speech used in the following:
"That's so related to me as a wink to the eye"
Simile
300
Explain why he mentions that the city 'flaunts' when he enters and when he leaves.
The poet feels that the city is always trying to make him feel bad/ The city will always be out of his reach as he has to sleep and live somewhere else/ He will never be good enough for the city.
300
What does Jhb want from the speaker?
Jhb wants his cheap labour.
300
What influenced the poet to write the poem?
The social injustice.
400
Which word does not emphasise that the speaker is poor and hungry?
A. starved
B. thin
C. rears
D. groans
C. rears
400
Explain why the poet used 'and' twice instead of using a comma in the following:
Is there a deeper meaning?
"I travel on your black and white and robotted roads"
He wanted to emphasise that the roads are paved and they have streetlights. He might also be playing with the words 'black and white' because black and white people worked in the city. The 'robotted roads' might refer to the police who act like robots, controlling the people coming into the city.
400
Why does the speaker repeat the following:
"And as I go back, to my love,
My dongas, my dust, my people, my death,"
Everyday ends exactly the same way it started. His life has become routine.
400
Explain to what he compares the expressions of the people.
To his dongas.
400
Explain the poem's typography.
When turned, the lines look like the buildings of a city.
500
How is the poet able to digest "coppers and papers"?
He does not literally eat "coppers and papers". The "coppers" are coins and "papers" the notes in his wallet. The poet means that when he is hungry he has to eat like normal people. His coins and pass's papers won't fill his hunger./ It might also mean that he gets filled with pollution.
500
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the following:
"Through your thick iron breath that you inhale"
Personification. The city is polluted/ The city is cold and heartless as it is described as having 'iron breath'.
500
Who is he afraid of in this line:
"Where death lurks in the dark like a blade in the flesh"
He is scared of gangs, people who might stab him.
500
Why does he repeat 'Johannesburg' so many time?
He wants to express his frustration for what the city has done to him and to many other. He might feel like the city does not listen to him so he addresses it again in order to make sure the city is listening.