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Francis Carey Slater

Lament for
A Dead Cow

Even more challenging questions!

Keith Tankard
Knowledge4Africa.com
Updated: 28 February 2014
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Wetu the black cow is dead. The people are saddened as they remember her and how she had enriched their lives. We also learn of a possible reason for her death.



ABOUT THE POET

Francis Carey Slater was born near Alice in 1876, the grandson of an 1820 settler.

He received some of his schooling at Lovedale College, a seminary about 13 kilometres from Alice that had been created as early as 1841 to educate black children but which did at times enrol the occasional white child.

Carey's formative years in the Alice area were at a time of great hardship for the rural community. The young poet was therefore deeply immersed in the tragedy of disease and drought -- the theme of this poem.

Upon leaving the college, he took up work with the Standard Bank -- a pre-eminent institution in the Eastern Cape -- where he rose eventually to the position of manager at the Graham's Town branch.

Upon taking early retirement, he moved to Cape Town but maintained his link with the Eastern Cape as his source of inspiration while he continued to perfect his poetic skills.

Slater is regarded as the first English-speaking South African to write real poetry rather than simple verse. He grew up with the African people, and wrote of them "as he knew them, with familiarity and conviction".

His poetry has been described as having "real inventiveness" and "a sensual awareness of his subjects that lead to the coining of fresh images". It is said that he often evoked "a uniquely South African experience by image and rhythm".

He died in 1958 at the age of 82.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:



"No more will she face yapping curs
With lowered horns and bewildered eyes;
No more will her slow shadow
Comfort the sunburnt veld, and her sweet lowing
Delight the hills in the evening."
  • What is onomatopoeia? Find TWO examples of onomatopoeia in these lines. (2)

[Need help?]

  • What is a "cur"? Why is this word more suitable in the context of this poem than, say, "dog"? (4)

[Need help?]

  • In what way could the cow's shadow "comfort" the "sunburnt veld"? (2)

[Need help?]




"The fountain that filled our calabashes
Has been drained by a thirsty sun;
The black cloud that brought us white rain
Has vanished -- the sky is empty;
Our kraal is desolate;
Our calabashes are dry:
And we weep."
  • One source explains that these lines reveal "the cause of Wetu's death". Is this true? What else could be the purpose of these lines? (4)

[Need help?]

  • Comment on the rhythm of these lines. What is the purpose of the noticeable shortening of the last four lines? (2)

[Need help?]




Contrast the poet's use of rich similes throughout this poem with the short stabbing statements at the conclusion. (4)

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If you were to write a short essay on this poem to explain its most important features, what points would you explain? (10)

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Carey's poetry has been described as having "real inventiveness" and "a sensual awareness of his subjects that lead to the coining of fresh images".
  • Would you agree with this statement? Explain your answer carefully. (10)

[Need help?]




It is said that the poet evokes "a uniquely South African experience by image and rhythm".
  • How does one justify such a statement? (10)

[Need help?]




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