Video: Nothing's Changed (Part 2)

﻿Hi, how you doing? I hope you are well. Welcome to our lesson in English. I am Mr. Mba, and in this lesson we will be analysing the poem, "Nothing's Changed" by Tatmkhulu Afrika. I'll give you a quick heads up about what we are doing this lesson. What feelings does the poet present in the poem, "Nothing's Changed?" In this lesson you'll need something to write in or on, something to write with and an active mind. We'll start by looking at some key vocabulary and terminology before looking at the central themes of the poem. We'll then look at the language form and structure before applying our learning and finishing with a quiz. In this lesson we'll be looking at the word symbolism and semantic fields. The word symbolism is the use of an object, shape, sign, or character to express ideas or qualities. One example of this is, the ring was perfect, it's unbroken circle was a picture of their unending love. Another example would be, outside his window, the fog was thick. He felt perplexed because he and his team were still struggling to find clues to identify the criminal. Semantic field is a term that is used to describe a group of words which share a similar concept, theme or subject. An example of this might be, traffic ran up the spine of the city, the monument was now the heartbeat of the area and people emerged from all over like goosebumps. And so all of these different ideas, the spine, the heartbeat, the goosebumps are all ideas connected with the body. Another example would be, her eyes were the clear blue of still skies. Wave upon wave of her fine hair fell across her face like golden rays of sunshine as she laughed. And so, the semantic field here seems to be to do maybe a summer's day or a spring's day, you've got the clear blue skies, you've got the waves, and you've got the golden rays of sunshine. On your screen you have got two sentences. One of them is an example of symbolism, you need to select which one that is. Pause the video now to complete your task. And so the correct answer is the first sentence, the candle's flame gently went out as he exhaled for the final time. Similar task, this time thinking about semantic field. On your screen are two sentences, you need to select the sentence that you think is an example of a semantic field. Pause the video now to complete your task. And the correct answer is the second sentence, a tsunami of shoppers entered the supermarket, flooding the store relentlessly like waves on rocks. Let's consider the central themes and symbols found in this poem. Afrika highlights aspects of the natural, untouched setting of his hometown. He describes small stones, seeding grass, squashed cans and purple amiable weeds. He also describes a working man's cafe, along with the street food it sells. Afrika uses all of these aspects to provide an insight into authentic life in District Six. All of these make up his identity and fond childhood memories. Afrika contrasts the natural features of his hometown with the brash development of a new, exclusive restaurant. The speaker's description shows how out of place its presence is in the otherwise humble setting. While the natural features of his town create a sense of belonging for the speaker, the restaurant is full of symbols that exclude him. While Afrika could have passed for a white South African, he chose not to. He highlights how the division of apartheid continued despite its abolition. The restaurant is a symbol of the inequality the speaker still sees in his country. His feelings of fondness give way to anger. The speaker feels the same anger and frustration from being excluded that he felt as a boy. Answer the questions below in full sentences. Pause the video to answer the questions. Okay, let's look at some answers. Question one, the different features described make up the speaker's identity and childhood memories. Question two, the speaker describes the brash development of a new exclusive restaurant. Question three, Afrika highlights that the division of apartheid still continued despite its abolition. Question four, the speaker feels the same frustration from being excluded that he felt as a boy. Let's consider how the poet uses language in this poem. We will now explore the language methods that Afrika uses to present the inequality he observes in his home. Some language methods that Afrika uses are, symbolism-the use of symbols to express ideas or qualities, semantic field-when a group of words share a similar concept, theme or subject, and juxtaposition-when two ideas, images, words or objects are placed side by side to emphasise the differences between them. The poet uses symbolism to highlight the different lifestyles of the different communities. What might the single rose symbolise? The speaker repeats the word glass four times in the poem. He also refers to the clear panes he looked through into the restaurant. What might the glass symbolise about the inequalities the speaker observes? Pause the video to note down your response, and we will look at a possible answer in three, two, one. The single rose symbolises the affluent, lavish lifestyles lived by the customers of the restaurant. It highlights the callous insensitivity of the rich white community to the deprivation of the black community nearby. The references to glass in the poem act as a symbol of fragility. The glass also acts as a symbolic barrier, both protecting and excluded. It conveys a fragile relationship between the two communities after apartheid. The glass of the restaurant shows the unseen dividing lines of segregation that remained. The words above are taken from the poem. What connects the free words? What semantic field could we say the poet has used? What are some of the connotations of this semantic field? How did the connotations of the semantic field convey the poet's overall message? Pause the video to note your response. We will look at some possible answers in three, two, one. The words hot, flaring and burn are words connected with fire. The poet uses the semantic field of fire to illustrate the growing feelings of anger towards the new example of inequality he observes in his home. The connotations of fire are that it is destructive and uncontrollable, it completely consumes whatever it encounters. The poet may use the fire to emphasise the strength of his fury that there has been no change despite apartheid being abolished. The poet uses juxtaposition to contrast the different communities. How does this juxtaposition help to convey the poet's overall message? Pause the video to note your response. We will look at some possible answers in three, two, one. The poet juxtaposes the expensive, lavish style of the restaurant with the modest down-to-earth experience of the working man's cafe. The humble cafe is inclusive, serving street food to locals, whereas the restaurant is exclusive to rich white customers. The glass panes of the restaurant put the inaccessible wealth on display for the deprived and disadvantaged community to see. Let's think about how the form and structure of the poem conveyed the poet's ideas. The poem consists of seven stanzas, most having a structure of eight lines. The lines are short and vary in length, but usually have to stress syllables. The stanza on the 'whites only inn' is in the middle of the poem. The poem has several full stops. The final full stop comes with the line 'nothing's changed'. Why might the poet have crafted the poem to follow a clear structure? Why might the poet have placed the stanza describing the 'whites only inn' in the middle of the poem? Why might the poet have used full stops throughout the poem, especially for the line 'nothing's changed'? Pause the video to note your response. We will look at a possible answer in three, two, one. The poet may have used the fixed structure of the poem to reflect the fixed inequality the speaker observes. The stanza describing the 'whites only inn' maybe in the middle of the poem to show the central position that apartheid gave white South Africans in society. The full stops in the poem may convey finality; the social divisions in society remain fixed. On your screen are four statements, you need to decide which ones are true and which ones are false. Pause the video now to complete the task. Okay, let's look at some answers. The poem has no clear structure. That is false. The poem uses several full stops throughout. That is true. The lines of the poem are long and stay the same. That is false. The poem consists of seven stanzas. That is true. Let's apply our learning. So our key question is what feelings does the poet present in the poem, "Nothing's Changed?" Write a short response to the question above, spend at least 15 minutes writing. You may wish to mention how Afrika presents his hometown, how Afrika presents the new restaurant, and how he conveys his thoughts and feelings about his identity. Words to include are identity, inequality, symbolism and semantic field. Pause the video now to complete the task. Okay, let's look at an example response. The speaker in "Nothing's Changed" presents his mixed feelings about the town he grew up in. He has fond memories of his childhood as he observes aspects that form his identity. the symbolism of a brash new restaurant in the middle of his deprived community reflects the inequality he still sees. Although apartheid had officially been abolished, the speaker feels that he's still excluded through unspoken lines of division. The semantic field of fire conveys the growing anger he feels; anger he felt as a boy. He wants to break the glass. The glass of the restaurant is a symbol of the fragile relationship between the two communities. The speaker is frustrated that nothing has changed. Let's look at a slightly more developed response. Afrika uses a clear eight-line structure for the poem, which may reflect the fixed inequality the speaker observes. The speaker's growing anger that nothing has changed after the abolition of apartheid is illustrated through the semantic field of fire. The speaker's initial sentimental feelings are replaced with rage. His hands burned for something to destroy the glass of the restaurant. The symbolism of the brash glass reflects the insensitivity towards the deprivation of the local community. They are able to observe the affluence through the glass, but are excluded from accessing it. Just as the town that formed the speaker's identity has not changed, neither have the inequalities he grew up with. Well done, you've almost finished, you just have a quiz to complete. Make sure you smash it, and I look forward to seeing you next time. Take care, bye bye.

Exit Quiz: Nothing's Changed (Part 2)

Completed: Nothing's Changed (Part 2)

In this lesson, we will analyse the language, structure and form of 'Nothing's Changed' and consider how the thoughts and feelings of the speaker are presented through the poet's methods.

English

Nothing's Changed (Part 2)

Video

Final Quiz

Lesson Complete