The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga - Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Presenter: Unknown
• Poem: The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga by Ingrid Jonker
• Context: Part of Grade 12 English Home Language poetry for 2023 and the following years

Ingrid Jonker - Background

• Born in Northern Cape, 1933
• Began writing poetry at 6
• Poems published by age 16
• Known for anti-apartheid views
• Troubled childhood and early adulthood
• Died by suicide in 1965 by drowning in Cape Town
• Nelson Mandela recited this poem during his inaugural address on May 25, 1994

Events Leading to the Poem

• Written in response to a shooting during a protest against pass laws
• Incident occurred in Nyanga, Cape Town, 1960
• Poem expresses Jonker's identification with the victims
• Jonker viewed the mother as universal and saw her own daughter in the child
• Jonker saw the child as a symbol of potential and loss

Poem Analysis

Title

• Title: The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga
• Direct and evokes sympathy and perception of cruelty

Poem Reading

1. Repetition (Anaphora): The Words “the child” are repeated for emphasis
2. First Line: “The child is not dead” – symbolizes resistance, freedom, and hope
3. Anger and Struggle: The child raises fists and Africa screams indicates anger
4. Synesthesia: