In the shadows of Signal hill Essop Patel

In the shadow of Signal Hill Essop Patel in the howling wind by the murky waters of the sea children of colour gather shells and hold them to their ears and listen to the lamentations of slaves in the dungeons of death in the howling wind by the murky waters of the sea sons of langa gather at the ruins of district six and sharpen the spears of the night and the heroes from the island go towards the fiery dawn … 16

1. When the poet says “listen to the lamentations of slaves” (line 7) he probably refers to the cries of the slaves due to the known hardships that slaves endured in the history between 1652 and 1832 in the Cape. The Cape used to be the halfway stop on the trade routes and a lot of slaves were used to be able to provide adequate supplies to seafarers on their journey. The whole civilization and trade during that time was built on the use of slaves but they were not treated very well. They endured hardships like torture, abuse and neglect because they were disposable to the slave owners. When the poet refers to “sons of langa” (line 12) we find that it could have two separate but also connected meanings. “Langa” literally means sun witch leads us to the impression that he refers to the children of the sun meaning the people close to nature indicating the natives but also he could be referring to the people that lived and originated from the
Langa township where black people was forced to live during the apartheid regiment because of the Urban Areas Act from 1923. The last of the areas where people of different races were living together was district six. People were forced to move away from there and leave their homes forcibly and thus leaving “the ruins of district six” (line
13). By referring to “heroes from the island” (line 15), the poet acknowledges the people that was incarcerated on Robin island because of their involvement is the struggle against apartheid. These people are deemed heroes because of their courage to stand up and fight for the rights of all people that started centuries before already.
2. The poet uses no punctuation in this poem and by doing this puts emphasis on the continuity of the oppression during historic times and developing throughout into the future. On page 83 in Introduction to English Literary Studies we read that the lack of punctuation and capital letters could also indicate a lack of respect that was experienced by the people mentioned in the poem. Also in the situation where people were oppressed freedom songs originates which more than often sounds like chants. By omitting the punctuation the poem reminds us of these chants or songs.
3. The poet repeats the first three lines in lines 9, 10, 11. This stresses the fact that some things does not really change. Throughout the ages oppression happens and people suffers. The lines that were repeated seem to have significance of their own as well. The
“howling wind” is a melancholy sound that represents the sadness and melancholy of the suffering through the ages that never changes. The “murky waters” could be the representation of the minds and intentions of the people that is going through these hardships. They cannot feel “clear” and free when oppressed. The “sea” represents humanity, human thought and feelings. Although it is continuous it is constant but also ever changing. You cannot stop the sea from moving just like you cannot stop a human being from thinking and feeling.
4. The poem contains several words which have connotations of violence. In the first stanza we find: “lamentations”. These are the moans of people after violent treatment like being beaten and tortured. When they don’t have any more fighting spirit or choices all that is left is the crying and the hurt. “the dungeons of death” was the deepest part of prison in the “Kasteel” in Cape town named ”die gat”. Whenever a person got locked up there they seldom survived the ordeal because they were tortured and killed. These slaves had no choices but to surrender to the violence that was forced upon them.
In stanza 2, the poet refers to the “ruins of district six” that refers to the aftermath of the violent removal of the people of color that lived in that area. The phrase “sharpen the spears” refers to the rebels of the oppressed people that prepares for the time that would

change be it with violence or not.
In the first stanza the oppressed was the victims of violence with no choice but to accept their fate. In stanza 2 the oppressed becomes more able to withstand helplessness towards this violence by rebelling and making decisions to decide upon their own fate.
5. The image of “the fiery dawn” is a brilliant form of imagery when you can see in your mind the beautiful light emits from the sky reminding of a fire. Not only does this symbolize a change in the time of day but also a political change. The “fiery dawn” is in strong contrast to the “spears of night” where the dawn seems even more brilliant if the night’s darkness is considered. In the darkness the preparation for the dawn of change takes place. Dawn represents the change and the fact that it is described as fiery not only refers to esthetical aptitude but also spectacular actions to instigate the process of conformation and change, exactly what the freedom fighters that were incarcerated at
Robin Island wanted to accomplish. A spectacular dawn on the time of people being oppressed and disadvantaged…

Bibliography:
Introduction to English Literary Studies (Gwen Kane; Deirdre Byrne; Ruth Scheepers)
Published by
Oxford University Press - South Africa
Photo supplied by: Liezl Blignaut©2014

Bibliography: Introduction to English Literary Studies (Gwen Kane; Deirdre Byrne; Ruth Scheepers) Published by Oxford University Press - South Africa Photo supplied by: Liezl Blignaut©2014