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Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

CITY LIFE

When I am in a great city, I know that I despair.

I know there is no hope for us, death waits, it is useless to care,

For oh the poor people, that are flesh of my flesh,

I, that am flesh of their flesh,

When I see the iron hooked into their faces

their poor, their fearful faces

I scream in my soul, for I know I cannot

Take the iron hooks out of their faces, that make them so drawn,

Nor cut the invisible wires of steel that pull them.

Back and forth, to work,

Back and forth to work,

Like fearful and corpse-like fishes hooked and being played.

By some malignant fisherman on an unseen shore where he does not choose to land them yet, hooked fishes of the factory world.
(D.H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)

1. Identify and explain the mood in the poem (2 mks)

2. Identify and explain the appropriateness of 3 poetic features used in the poem (6 mks)

3. In one sentence summarize the persona perception of the city life? (1 mark)

4. If you were to recite this poem how would you make it emotional? (2 mks)

5. Explain the meaning of the word ‘malignant’ (1 mark)

Answers

City life.

1. Mood: Solemn – 'No hope for us – death awaits – mourns their plight.
Angry / Agitated - about the level of exploitation in the city.

2. (a) Repetition - Back and forth, to work __ emphasizes the monotony
and oppressiveness / humanizing conditions of the work; have no say ____ treated as robots.

b) Image of the fisherman hooked. He is insensitive
'like fishes similarly the factory owners have the lives of the workers at their mercy; dangle the pay (meagre) as carrot (bait)

c) Irony

Line 1. The poet refers great city exploitation. _ to a yet it .breeds suffering /
3. The persona views the city as an "enticing death trap which attracts people there but milks their labour leaving them to die slowly.

4. Pained expression on the face the persona is annoyed about the plight of the workers in the factory. This should be evident on the face.

5. Something malignant is dangerous or can cause death e.g.. a malignant type of cancer, similarly the malignant fisherman gives idea of an employer who exploits the workers (in the city) and leaves them for death.
The comparison is apt of: Benign Form of ailment

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marto answered the question on April 2, 2019 at 07:58

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