NOTES
Chris Mann was born in Port Elizabeth in 1948. He spent many years in rural and
semi-rural Kwa-Zulu Natal engaged in development work, during which time he
became imbued with the spirit of rural South Africa. In the mid-1990s he moved to
Grahamstown where he became associated with the Grahamstown Foundation and
Rhodes University.
Mann is a multi-faceted poet whose major concern is the increasing exclusivity and
inaccessibility of poetry. His work is therefore not only for the printed page but also
for multimedia performances. Much of his work is in association with Julia Skeen
who produces graphics for many of his poems. In this way he could perhaps be
compared to William Blake whose poetry should also often be viewed in a wider
forum and not merely in the isolation of the printed page.
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"In praise of the Shades" looks at what has been described as "an
indigenous knowledge system" that flourishes among many people in Southern
Africa. Mistakenly called "ancestor worship", its nearest Western equivalent
is possibly the Catholic Church's veneration of the saints which offers the life and
works of the holy people of the past for our enrichment and inspiration. Since these
ancestors still exist in the afterlife where, because of their proven holiness, they carry
considerable power of intercession with God, the Church offers their veneration as
another dimension to our contact with the world of the spirit.
"In praise of the Shades" explores in a simple yet graphic way the vital role
of the Shades in guiding our complex lives in a modern scientific and urban society.
Both the wording and vision of the poem is strongly South African. The poem
explores a vital force within this multi-dimensional community.
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1. Before you even begin to answer these questions, why don't you take time off to get in
touch with your own shades? Do they tell you anything?
2.
Comment on the visual effect that is contained in the words, "who told me his faults,
and then his beliefs". (stanza 1) (4)
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3.
Examine the poetic devices found in the words "his bakkie rattled a lot on the
ruts". (stanza 2) (4)
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4.
The driver of the bakkie lowers his voice and speaks about the shades. The poet
comments, "This meant respect, I think, not secrecy." (stanza 3)
- What is the significance of this explanation of "respect" and
"secrecy"? (4)
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5.
"He'd always asked them to guide him." In what way, according to the poet,
would the shades be able to guide the driver? (4)
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6.
"He seemed to me a gentle balanced man," the poet comments. Why does he
feel it necessary to say that? (4)
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7.
The first three stanzas are very conversational.
- Why is this so?
- How does the poet achieve this effect? (4)
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8.
Explain the message that the shades leave us? (4)
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9.
The shades cannot be equated with gods. How does the poet make this
clear? (4)
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10.
"When all I ever hear about these days
is violence, injustice, and despair,
or worse than that, humourless theories
to rescue us all from our human plight."
- Why should the "humourless theories" be worse than "violence,
injustice, and despair"? (4)
- What does the poet mean by the term "humourless
theories"? (4)
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11.
Explain carefully what the poet means when he concludes that "those moments in
a bakkie on a plain | make sunflowers from a waterless
world"? (4)
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