Reapers in a Mielie Field - Poem Analysis

1. REAPERS IN A MIELIEFIELD By Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Compiled by Caitlinjessica

2. Faces furrowed and wet with sweat, Bags tied to their wasp waists, women reapers bend mielie stalks, break cobs in rustling sheaths, toss them in the bags 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. and move through row upon row of maize. 6. Behind them, like a desert tanker, a dust-raising tractor pulls a trailer, driven by a pipe-puffing man 7. 8. 9. 10. flashing tobacco-stained teeth as yellow as the harvested grain. 11. 12.

3. He stops to pick up bags loaded by thick- 13. limbed labourers In vests baked brown with dust. 14. 15. 16. The sun lashes the workers with a red-hot rod; 17. 18. they stop for a while to wipe a brine-bathed brow 19. 20. 21. and drink from battered cans bubbling with malty “maheu” 22. 23.

4. 24. Thirst is slaked in seconds, 25. Men jerk bags like feather cushions 26. And women become prancing wild 27. mares; 28. soon the day’s work will be done 29. and the reapers will rest in their kraals.

5. The poem has 29 lines. The rhyme scheme is free verse. EXTERNAL ANALYSIS The tone is oppressive and hints at slavery. The word choice (diction) has a negative connotation and implies harshness, inhumane treatment and slavery. The purpose of the title is to _____________________________.

6. Alliteration Assonance A negative image suggesting concentration and hard labour. Wrinkled Faces furrowed and wet with sweat, Bags tied to their wasp waists, women reapers bend mielie stalks, break cobs in rustling sheaths, toss them in the bags and move through row upon row of maize. Repetition of the ‘e’ sound emphasizes how hard the labourers are working. 1. Where the mielies are stored 2. Alliteration & Metaphor emphasizes their thin waists  Underfed  horrible work conditions & the poor treatment they receive. 3. Onamatopoeia It is a physically demanding job. 4. 5. The action of picking mielies is described  “row upon row” which creates a sense of monotony. 6. Simile Behind them, like a desert tanker, a dust-raising tractor pulls a trailer, driven by a pipe-puffing man 7. The tractor blows up dust  ties in with the idea of the desert tanker Emphasises the dry and hot conditions – like a desert. 8. 9. The farmer  in charge and drives tractor while the labourers do all the hard work. He smiles with stained teeth (from smoking tobacco) The farmer is ‘part of the machine’  he does not do the real physical labour/ like a robot, no sympathy. • 10. • • flashing tobacco-stained teeth as yellow as the harvested grain. 11. Simile 12.

7. He stops to pick up bags loaded by thick- Male labourers are now mentioned. Thick-limbed (have well-built arms) because of the hard labour they perform every day. They wear vests because of the extreme heat and they are covered with dirt from their labour. • • 13. limbed labourers In vests baked brown with dust. 14. Shows heat • 15. Metaphor = oven 16. The workers are working in the blazing sun. EXTREMELY HOT!!! The sun is personified ‘lashes the workers’ This image suggests the cruel conditions under which the labourers work. ‘red hot rod’  indicates how hot it is in the sun  has connotations of being painful. • • • The sun lashes the workers with a red-hot rod; 17. • 18. they stop for a while to wipe a brine-bathed brow 19. They take a break ‘brine-bathed brow’  (sweat)  alliteration which speaks to the hot conditions they are working in and how hard they are working. The work made harder by the extreme heat. ‘brine’  salty water used for pickling food  sweat compared to brine. They ‘drink from battered cans’  they are also battered by the hard labour that they have to endure. ‘battered cans’ highlights the fact that they are poor  they do not have neat, shiny flasks. ‘maheu’  fermented maize drink • • 20. 21. • • • and drink from battered cans bubbling with malty “maheu” 22. Onamatopoeia • 23. •

8. The labourers have quenched their thirst 24. Thirst is slaked in seconds, Simile The men are strong from their hard labour and can easily lift the heavy bags. ‘like feather cushions’  simile showing lightweight Women are compared to ‘prancing wild mares’  they look forward to the end of the day. Excited. ‘the reapers will rest in their kraals’  their homes were often referred to as ‘kraals’, a ‘kraal’ is also an enclosure where cattle is kept. It could imply that the workers are dehumanised and compared to cattle. • 25. Men jerk bags like feather cushions Metaphor • 26. And women become prancing wild Female horses • 27. mares; • 28. soon the day’s work will be done 29. and the reapers will rest in their kraals. •

9. INTERNAL ANALYSIS Theme • The poet highlights the harsh working conditions of labourers. He describes the suffering of the workers through the monotonous routine, the sweat and exhaustion that comes with this kind of manual labour. Title • The title describes what the poem is about – reapers (labourers) in a mieliefield. Mood • The mood is oppressive and this is illustrated by the description of the conditions under which the labourers work.

10. QUESTIONS: 1. What are the labourers doing? 2. What equipment do they have? 3. Describe the weather conditions. 4. What do they drink when they are thirsty? 5. Identify the poetic device used in stanza 4. 6. Discuss how it contributes to your understanding of the labourers working conditions. 7. Refer to lines 25 – 26 Identify the figures of speech and how they illustrate the effect of the break that the labourers have taken. 8. In your opinion does the poet succeed in conveying the extreme working conditions of the workers? Give a reason for your answer by referring closely to the text.