Comparing Nothings Changed and Charlotte ONeils Song :: Farrel Afrika Poetry Poems Culture Essays

Comparing Nothings Changed and Charlotte ONeils SongBoth poets are protesting about the injustices and in costities oftheir own respective cultures.In Nothings Changed Afrika protests about the differences in theway that black and white people are treated in South Africa. The poemillustrates how, although the South Afri evict apartheid system wasabolished in the early 1990s nothing had really changed beyondpaperwork. Afrika was once quoted in an interview as sayingWe whitethorn concur a new constitution, we may have on the face of it all abeautiful democracy, but the racism in this country is widespread. Wetry to pretend to the world that it does not come through but it mostcertainly does, all day long, every day, shocking and saddening andterrible.He reinforces these feelings in his poem.He begins the poem in a calm mood. He describes his walk down the pathtowards district six in a calm, almost leisurely way.When he reaches district six the sense of calm leaves and the evoke inth e poem starts to become apparent. He talks about how there is nosign to show the name of the area but he can feel it.No board says it isBut my feet know,And my hands,And the skin about my bones,And the soft labouring of my lungs,And the hot, white, inwards turningAnger of my eyes.It would seem that he does not have good memories of this place. Hisimmediate change of mood as he nears district six seems to show hisfeelings towards the area.We start to get the feeling that whatever has happened here has impact him deeply and personally.Afrika is outraged by the hidden racism in his country. Even though bylaw black, white and colorful people are considered equal in practisequite the reverse is true.In the poem he describes a whites only guild. He uses quite harshlanguage in his description. restive with glass,Name flaring like a flag,It squats,In the grass and the weedsIncipient Port Jackson treesNew, up-market, haute cuisine,Guard at the gate post,Whites only clubThere is a lot of pe rsonification in this description. The word brashsuggests the arrogance of the place. The name flaring like a flag issuggestive of the inn displaying its conquest of the area. Simply bybeing there Afrika feels that the inn has committed a great atrocityas it is a place where a coloured man would obviously not be welcomeeven in the absence of apartheid. The word squats I think is not asthough it were sit but as though it were occupying the landillegally. Incipient literally means imported.