Comparison of the Poems, Two Scavengers and Nothing's Changed

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Comparison of the Poems, Two Scavengers and Nothing's Changed

“Nothings Changed” was written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, a mixed race

child with fair skin, who was later adopted by a white South African

family who brought him up as though he was white, and he only found

out about his origins as a teenager. Tatamkhulu lived in a

multi-cultural area called District Six, which was destroyed by the

white authorities. He feels strongly about this kind of racism towards

the black people despite the fact that he has fair skin. In the actual

poem, the poet is telling the story from his own experiences in first

person.

“Two Scavengers” was written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The poem

highlights the differences between rich and poor and the working

classes, as well as democracy and equality. The poem itself is written

in third person and based around a couple of Bin Men and a couple of

‘beautiful’, rich people. Then, at the end of the poem seems to ask

whether America really is a democracy.

“Nothings Changed” is set in District Six, based in South Africa. The

poet describes District Six as harsh-land, but also goes on to explain

that he still feels that it’s his home and it’s still amiable and

natural. I know this because he says, “amiable weeds” on line 8. This

is a contrasting sentence because weeds are usually a symbol of bad

things, so to use the word amiable to describe them is distinguishing.

Socially, there is a separation of race. In the poets own opinion, the

white people think that they are more important and superior to the

black people. I know this because in stanza five, Tatamkhulu echoes

the voice of the white person and says, “Take it with you, eat it at a

plastic table’s top, Wipe your fingers on your...

... middle of paper ...

...l as phrases such as

“as if” (lines 29 and 33).

In conclusion, “Nothings Changed” and “Two Scavengers” both examine

the differences between American democracy and the South African

democracy. The poetic devices used are similar in both pieces but both

have very different effects on the reader. I found that he way

Tatamkhula Afrika structured his poem with short harsh lines was

effective because it made things stand out and got the point across

quicker. It also gave us a better idea of how the poet is feeling. I

also liked the way he wrote the poem in the present tense like he was

reliving the experience. In “Two Scavengers”, I like the way

Ferlinghetti laid out his poem and still made it coordinate with

meaning of the poem. And also, the way he started a new line when

there was a pause in the speech I found very effective and unlike many

other poems.

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