Intro Quiz: Nothing's Changed (Part 1)

Video: Nothing's Changed (Part 1)

﻿Hi, how you doing? I hope you're well, welcome to our lesson in English. I am Mr. Mba Over the next couple of lessons, we're going to look at a poem called "Nothing's Changed" by Tatamkhulu Africa. I'll give you a quick heads up about what we're doing this lesson, and then we'll start our lesson. What feelings does the poet present in the poem 'Nothing's Changed'? We'll begin by looking at the key vocabulary and terminology We'll be using this lesson, followed by the context and background to the poem before actually reading the poem and then establishing the meaning. Once we've done that, we'll apply our learning before finishing with a quiz. In this lesson, you'll need something to write in or on. You'll need a pen and your brain. So let's look at key vocabulary. In this lesson we'll be learning the word segregation and juxtaposition. The first word segregation means the act of setting someone or something apart from others. One example would be: Nobody wanted to be the first to dance. There was also clear segregation between the girls and boys. Another example would be: Many communities immediately felt the impact of the new laws on segregation passed by the government. The second word we'll be learning is the word juxtaposition. The word juxtaposition is when two ideas, images, words, or objects are placed side by side to emphasise the differences between them. One example would be, The rich wore designer clothes while the poor wore rags. The juxtaposition of the two classes highlighted the social inequality. Another example would be: The juxtaposition between day and night illustrated the change in distinct differences in behaviour. On your screen are two examples of the word segregation being used. You need to decide which one is the correct use of the word, pause your video to complete your task. And the correct answer is the second one. They marched in unity, protesting their enforced segregation. So on your screen is the same task, but this time for the word juxtaposition. Pause your video to complete the task. And the correct answer is the first sentence. The juxtaposition highlighted just how different they were. Let's look at the context and background to our poem. 'Nothing's changed' details the experience of returning to a South African district after apartheid. Apartheid was a political system of racial segregation. It governed every aspect of life in South Africa from 1948 to 1991. It enforced a racial hierarchy privilege in White South Africans. Black and white people had separate schools, transport and areas to live in. The apartheid government designated different districts as white only areas. People originally living in these districts were forcibly removed and relocated to townships. The old houses where demolished. Black people suffered great hardships during this time. They were deprived of the right to vote and experienced brutality at the hands of the police. "Umkhonto we Sizwe" meaning "Spear of the Nation" was co-founded by Nelson Mandela. They led the fight against the South African government for abolishment of apartheid. The poet of 'Nothing's changed", Tatamkhulu Afrika, lived in Cape Town's District Six, a district designated as white only. He actively opposed apartheid and the destruction of District Six. Afrika was an active member of Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was arrested for terrorism, banned from speaking writing in public for five years and imprisoned. Afrika served his sentence in the same prison as Nelson Mandela "Nothing's Changed" was written around 1990, after the apartheid system had ended through a series of negotiations between 1990 and 1993. Answered the questions below in full sentences. Pause the video to answer the questions. Okay. Let's look at some answers. So question one. The political system of racial segregation was called apartheid. Question two. The South African government designated some districts as white only. Question three. The people were forcibly removed and relocated to townships. Question four. Tatamkhulu Afrika was arrested for terrorism. Let's read through the poem together. Small round hard stones click Under my heels seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds into trouser cuffs cans, trodden on, crunch in tall, purple flower, amiable weeds. District Six. No body says it: but my feet know and my hands, and the skin about my bones, and the soft labouring of my lungs, and the hot, white, inwards turning anger of my eyes. Brush with glass, name flaring like a flag, it squats, in the grass and weeds, incipient Port Jackson trees: new up-market, haute cuisine, guard at the gate post, whites only inn. No sign says it is: but we know where we belong. I press my nose to declare panes, Know before I see them there will be crushed ice white glass, linen falls the single rose. Down the road, working man's cafe sales bunny chows. Take it with you, eat it at a plastic table's top, wipe your fingers on your jeans, spit a little it on the floor, It's in the bone. I back away from the glass, boy again, leaving small mean O, of small mean mouth. Hands burn for a stone a bomb to shiver down the glass. Nothing's Changed. So let's think about what this means. In our first stanza, we see the speaker walks through places that are familiar to him. In the second stanza, the speaker recognises some aspects of the place he grew up in, but begins to feel anger as he sees how his home has changed. In the third stanza, we see the speaker sees a new up-market, expensive restaurant, which has been built in the demolished area where people once lived. Although there is no sign outside the restaurant, it is clear to the speaker that it's a place for white people. Stanza four. The speaker presses his nose to the window of the restaurant. He sees the expensive decor and presentation inside the restaurant. Stanza five. The speaker thinks about the poverty in the same area. He thinks about a nearby working-man's cafe where people eat without plates and cutlery. Stanza six. The speaker feels like a boy again. He experiences the same anger and frustration he has always felt. Let's have a quick recap. On your screen are a number of statements, you need to decide, which are true and which are false. Pause the video now to complete the task. So the first statement; The speaker is visiting District Twelve is is false. The second statement; The speaker feels angry as he sees a new restaurant. That is true. The third statement it says; The restaurant sells Bunny Chows on plastic tabletops is false. It's the working man's cafe that sells that. And the final statement; The speaker feels the same anger he felt as a boy, that is true. The poem is written in first-person perspective. And the speaker begins by describing the setting. Which tense is the poem written in? Why do you think the poet might have chosen this tense? Pause the video to write down your answer. We will look at the answers in three, two, one. So the poet has written the poem in present tense because although these events have happened in the past, the impact and consequences are still happening in the present. It also gives a sense that the poet is reliving and experiencing the same feelings again. How do we know that District Six is very familiar to the speaker? Again pause your video. And we will look at the answers in three, two, one. The speaker does not need a sign to tell him that he is home. His whole body knows he is home, which he shows by naming parts of his body, my feet, my hands, my lungs. Look at the aspects the speakers focused on when describing the restaurant. How does the speaker present the restaurant? Pause the video to write down your answer. We will go for an answer in three, two, one. And so to speak presents the restaurant as an exclusive and expensive place. It's out of place in the rest of the area. The restaurant has been built to keep people out, illustrated by the guard and the grow injuries. Think about the features the speaker notices when he looks inside the restaurant. summarise what the speaker sees when he looks in the window. We'll look at an answer in three, two, one. And so the speaker sees the signs of affluence he expects to see. He sees fine glasses and tables covered with linen tablecloths, which are decorated with arose. Think about how the poet presents the cafe. Why does the poet use juxtaposition to present the cafe and the restaurant? We'll look at an answer in three, two, one. The juxtaposition of the restaurant and the cafe highlights the different experiences of the black working class community and the affluent white community. It emphasises the poet's message that while apartheid has ended, segregation remains in other ways. identify any words or phrases which help you to reveal the speaker's anger. Three, two, one. The poet uses words such as 'burn', 'bomb' and 'shiver down the glass'. Each of these words signify something destructive and help to convey the anger that the speaker feels. Notice that the final line of the poem is the poem's title. Why do you think the poet has chosen to do this? Why is the poet chosen to write in first-person? Overall, what feelings are presented in the poem and how do they link to the poet's message? Take a moment to write down your response. And we'll look at an answer in three, two, one. The use of the poems title as the final line helps to emphasise the poet's frustration and anger, that aspects of the unjust segregation and division of apartheid remain. The poet writes in first-person because the poem is autobiographical and it provides the reader an insight into his thoughts and feelings. The poet shares his lived experiences, which makes his perspective seem more authentic. The poet feels disillusioned at the fact that 'nothing's changed'. He presents feelings of anger and resentment because he sees the same divisions and deprivation that existed under apartheid. Let's apply what we've learned so far. Write a short summary of how Afrika presents his feelings in the poem. Be sure to include; The different feelings Afrika experiences in the poem. What Afrika is saying, about life in South Africa, following apartheid. At least one key quotation. Make sure to use the words below in your summary. Pause the video now to complete your task. Let's look at an example answer. In 'Nothing's Changed", Afrika describes his feelings of anger and frustration at the lack of social progress following the end of apartheid. Although the official segregation of black and white people had ceased Afrika observes the same inequalities you saw as a child. He uses juxtaposition to contrast the affluence of white communities against the deprivation faced by the black working class. He writes in first person, and this conveys a sense his perspective as authentic. He feels that the same divisions he witnessed as a boy remain now he is a man. Here's a slightly more developed answer. In 'Nothing's Changed', AfriKa uses the juxtaposition of a new exclusive restaurant to contrast the deprivation in his old neighbourhood. While apartheid no longer enforced segregation, he still observes division. The 'brush glass' of the restaurant is symbolic of the affluence black people could see, but never access. The restaurant is 'brash' because although it has no 'whites only sign' the sign the symbols of wealth, power and privilege are fully on display. His feelings of nostalgia turned to anger as he observes that nothing has changed. He feels the rage he felt as a boy and feels the urge to destroy the symbol of inequality. Afrika writes in first person conveying the sense that the frustration he details his autobiographical. Next lesson, we'll focus on analysing the poem. But for now you've got a quiz to complete. Make sure you absolutely smash it. And I look forward to seeing you next time. Take care. Bye bye.

Exit Quiz: Nothing's Changed (Part 1)

Completed: Nothing's Changed (Part 1)

In this lesson, we will explore how Tatamkhulu Afrika presents his feelings about life in South Africa following the end of apartheid.

English

Nothing's Changed (Part 1)

Introductory Quiz

Video

Final Quiz

Lesson Complete