Analysis of the poem Yes Mandela - Dennis brutus

Question

Well, I have to make an analysis of the poem below.
The topic is "apartheid" and thi poem is written by Dennis Brutus.
I have some trouble to write an analysis of it, but I have written those things down that I
have found out, after the poem.

For Nelson Mandela.

Yes, Mandela, some of us
we admit embarrassedly
wept to see you step free
so erectly, so elegantly
shrug off the prisoned years
a blanket cobwebbed of pain and grime;
behind, the island's seasand,
harsh, white and treacherous
ahead, jagged rocks
bladed crevices of racism and deceit
in the salt island air
you swung your hammer grimly stoic
facing the dim path of interminable years,
now, vision blurred with tears
we see you step out to our salutes
bearing our burden of hopes and fears
and impress your radiance
on the grey morning air.

The poem is about how the people in South Africa considered Mandela.
The first verse is about that the people wait to see Nelson Mandela go as a free man, after the many years in prison. They have been afraid for so long to show their emotions (that they want to see him as a free man) because of apartheid.

Verse 2: The racism is hiding behind the beautiful nature?

Verse 3: Tells us how Mandela was fighting for freedom, “You swung your hammer grimly” ..
He was the one who carried everyone's fears and hopes.

I have to write 2 pages about this poem, and I don’t have more to say about this poem, so I really hope that someone can help me.

L3lack_light · Accepted Answer

Hi Saranaomi
Welcome to EnglishForward.com
Well, I read the poem and searched on the net for some information about Dennis Brutus.

Dennis Brutus was a political activist, who fought against apartheid. He was imprisoned in Robben Island. Nelson Mandela was also there. They were both convicted to hard labor. Mandela and Brutus broke rocks on that island.
One of the main characteristics of Brutus' poetry is that he doesn't talk about racism with self-pity. There is a remarkable power in his language.
At first his poetry was very complex. He used really sophsiticated language. Then his peotry changed. He used a simple language which was understandable by common people.
This poem obviously doesn't belong to his complex poetry era.
Though there is a very delicate use of language here, we can fairly comprehend what the poet wants to convey.
Dennis Brutus starts his poem with explaining his and his friends' feelings when they see Mandela step out of prison. In his acounts of the moment, we can't feel any kind of pity. He uses the words "erectly" and "elegantly" to describe Mandela's appearance. When he talks about himself and his friends crying, he says "we admit emabarrassadly" that we wept. This is again contribute to the lack of self-pity in his peotry. They are so strong people that they are embarrassed to admit they cried.
Mandela shrugs off "the prisoned years" which in the next line are described as "a blanket conwebbed of pain and grime".
What follows next is an explanation about the grim years Mandela has suffered in a prison in the notorious Robben Island.
When talking about seasand, the poet uses the words "harsh, white and treacherous". This is a reference to the white apartheid.
I have to go now, but I will come later to complete my post.

L3lack_light · Answer

Then, the poet talks about rocks and their sharp edges. This is a reference to the rocks they had to break and at the same time, a reference to the sufferings Mandela has gone through. Brutus has used the setting of Island to depict the the sufferings and struggles of Mandela who has swung his hammer grimly stoic; He has endured all that pain without complaining. Please note that here again, we have a sense of pride and power despite all the sufferings.
After talking about suffering and struggles of Mandela, the poet brings us back to the present time, when they want to meet Mandela. It is him who carries all their hopes and fears. It is as if Mandela is a sun that rises in that grim atmosphere. As you can see, there is a striking contrast between "radiance" and "grey".
All I can say about the form of the poem is that the diction of it directly contributes to the high opinion the peot has of Nelson Mandela. I can't go any further, because unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge about it.
I know this isn't two pages. But I think you can add some more information. You can also talk about the context of the poem. Because I think Brutus wanted us to know what has happened to them. Maybe that's why he has written a poem like this in this simple and sincere language.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robben_Island

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/world/africa/03brutus.html?_r=1

http://www.answers.com/topic/brutus-dennis-vincent

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/23/dennis-brutus-obituary

L3lack_light · Answer

l3lack_lightThen his peotry changed

I correct myself: Then his poetry changed

l3lack_lightThis is again contribute to the lack of self-pity in his peotry

This, again, contributes to the lack of self-pity in his poetry.

l3lack_lightwhich in the next line

lines*

Anonymous · Answer

the poem has literal meaning and figurative meaning

between the harsh island prison codition and apartheid and mandela as a panacea

`wept to see you step free`

hopes are placed on Mandela `s legend or myth

hoping when he is released,he will be the embodiment of

their hopes,

whilst south africans dreamed of free Mandela

who would come out triumphantly

`harsh, white and treacherous`

the (white)apartheid system metarphor

`ahead, jagged rocks`

while in prison the prisoners were made to work in a quarry

to break them down physically and mentally

`bladed crevices of racism and deceit`

the next line the response in figurative/imagery

from literal work in quary emerge metarphor of racism

`you swung your hammer grimly stoic`

prisoners even if they were made to work in harsh quary environment,the did the job with plomp

amongs themselves the had leaders,who kept them organised

the even had creative time to write plays and poetry

`we see you step out to our salutes`

vision of free Mandela

`and impress your radiance
on the grey morning air`

unrealistic hopes were heaped on his legend,

without even knowing the person behind the myth

they imagined him metaphorically dispel grey morning and sunless day to

realise their hopes and wishes

to vanguish apartheid

even though there were thousands of political prisoners

at any stage in Roben island,

Mandela was the name people recognised,he came to represent the face of

denied true people`s leader

Monox D. I-Fly · Answer

Speaking of Mandela, do you guys believe in Mandela Effect?

Analysis of the poem Yes Mandela - Dennis brutus

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