a young man’s thoughts before june the 16th: Fhazel Johennesse
tomorrow i travel on a road
that winds to the top of the hill
i take with me only the sweet
memories of my youth
my heart aches for my mother
for friday nights with friends
around a table with the broad belch of beer
i ask only for a sad song
sung by a woman with downturned eyes
and strummed by an old man with
a broken brow
o sing my sad song sing for me
for my sunset is drenched with red
5
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2.1.
What idea does the poet wish to convey about the ’ road that winds to the
top of the hill?
(2)
2.2.
Comment on the lack of punctuation and the use of lower case ‘i’ for the first
person.
(3)
2.3.
Explain how the use of alliteration in line 7 (“the broad belch of beer”)
conveys the young man’s attitude to his youth.
2.4.
Comment critically on symbolic significance of the last line of the poem.
(2)
(3)
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MEMORANDUM:
2.1.
How does the poet convey the idea of effort/hard work in the first two lines of
this poem?
(2)
Diction: “winds” indicating it is not a straight path. √ To get to “the top of the
hill” will take energy/exertion√ unlike a flat or downhill route that is easy.
2.2.
Comment on the use of the lower case ‘i’ for the first person.
(3)
The lower case indicates feelings of inadequacy/doubt about being up to
the task√. This shows the doubts/worries/concerns of the young man√ allowing
the reader to identify/empathise with him√ . In addition it renders the ‘i’ as
‘everyman/any man’ instead of exclusively the speaker√.
2.3.
How does the diction used in line 7 (“the broad belch of beer”) convey the
scene of a group drinking to excess?
(2)
Alliteration √ of the ‘b’ sound is hard and coarse√ conveying the noise and
vulgarity of a hard drinking session.
2.4.
Comment critically on the last line of the poem.
(3)
Key words: “sunset”, “drenched” and “red”. Credit one mark per word.
e.g. “sunset” symbolises an ending in this case the ending of his life√
“drenched” means thoroughly soaked, thus this implies that a
tremendous amount √ of blood will be spilt/many young people will die√
“red” represents blood√
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QUESTION 1: POETRY ESSAY QUESTION
a young man’s thoughts before june the 16th: Fhazel Johennesse
tomorrow I travel on a road
that winds to the top of the hill
i take with me only the sweet
memories of my youth
my heart aches for my mother
for friday nights with friends
around a table with the broad belch of beer
i ask only for a sad song
sung by a woman with downturned eyes
and strummed by an old man with
a broken brow
o sing my sad song sing for me
for my sunset is drenched with red
5
10
This poem reflects strongly on the harsh demands that faced the young people of
Soweto when they opposed the apartheid government’s language policy on June
16, 1976.
Critically discuss the above statement by focusing on the imagery, diction, mood
and structure of the poem.
Your answer should be in the form of a well-structured essay of between 200-300
words.
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QUESTION 1: ESSAY QUESTION: a young man’s thoughts before june the 16th:
Fhazel Johennesse
This poem successfully reflects on the harsh demands that faced the young people of
Soweto when they opposed the apartheid government’s language policy on June 16, 1976.
Critically discuss the poem in the light of the statement above.
Your answer should be in the form of a well-structured essay of between 200-300 words.
Some ideas which might be considered:
 Lower case i indicating feelings of inadequacy, etc
 Idea of having to travel to ‘the top of the hill’ = hard work/route ahead = uphill
battle
 Diction – aches, sad, broken – tough battle ahead
 Idea ‘youth’ are already old – ‘memories’
 Ambiguity of ‘my heart aches for my mother’ – both speaker’s sorrow and idea of
still being a child, longing for his mother; and mother’s heart will be broken by
what is going to happen to son
 Metaphor ‘my sunset is drenched with red’ – implication of the blood that is
going to be spilt


Feeling of nostalgia for simple things of family and friends because it is all
coming to an end.
To be marked according to DoE grid.
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