GRADE 12
ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE
POEMS
COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE WITH IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS
NSC EXAMINATION QUESTIONS & MEMORANDUMS
, CONTENTS
POETRY 2025
1. Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare
2. The child who was shot dead… Ingrid Jonker
3. At a Funeral Dennis Brutus
4. Poem of Return Jofre Rocha
5. Talk to the Peach Tree Sipho Sepamla
6. Prayer to Masks Léopold Sédar Senghor
7. This Winter Coming Karen Press
8. Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
9. The Morning Sun is Shining Olive Schreiner
10. It is a beauteous evening… William Wordsworth
11. Fern Hill Dylan Thomas
12. The Shipwreck Emily Dickenson
13. Unseen poetry examples
,Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun William Shakespeare
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14 As any she belied with false compare.
Glossary:
Coral: a hard stony substance, typically forming large reefs in warm seas. Known for its bright
red or pink colour. Dun: a dull, greyish-brown colour
Damasked: patterned in pinks
and red Grant: admit
Rare: precious,
unique Belied:
falsely portrayed
, William Shakespeare
Born 1564; Died 1616. English (born and died in Stratford-upon-Avon) He was married to Anne
Hathaway, and they had three children. He is still known as one of the world’s greatest poets,
dramatist and playwright. He wrote 37 plays and 375 poems.
Historical Context:
This is sonnet number 130 in a series of 154 sonnets. It parodies the famous (and often over-
the-top) Petrarchan sonnets in which poets described their partners in highly exaggerated
and unrealistic ways. Although this poem contains similar themes as found in traditional
sonnets (Female Beauty, Love and Admiration), Shakespeare does not idealise his beloved. He
describes her in ways which are realistic and, therefore, more accurate and ‘real’.
Summary:
Shakespeare uses eight ‘anti-compliments’ to describe the uniqueness and (non-idealised)
beauty of his beloved. However, in the couplet he states that BECAUSE she is normal and
‘real’, he does not need to exaggerate her looks or his love for her. He loves her just the way
she is – perfect in her imperfection. In other words, she is perfect to HIM – he does not need
an idealised and superficial woman. Although he seems critical and rather rude in the first 12
lines, the reader realises that he is, in fact, sincere in his love for her. He does not need
exaggerated and unrealistic comparisons to declare his genuine love for her. In being so
brutally honest, he has ironically given her a heightened beauty, simply because he does not
dote on her outward appearance.
Form/Structure:
This is a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. It consists of three quatrains (4 lines each) and a
rhyming couplet (2 lines). The rhyme scheme is consistent with this format: abab cdcd efef gg.
The couplet serves as a final argument to drive home the speaker’s point. The rhythm of the
point is consistent, too, and follows traditional iambic pentameter. There are 10 syllables in
each line. The mastery of this precise rhyme and rhythm shows Shakespeare’s absolute genius!
Poetic Devices:
• This sonnet contains various metaphors and similes. Lines 1-4 contain a comparison each:
He states that her eyes are not as bright as the sun, her lips not as red as coral, her skin is
quite dull, and her hair is wiry. Lines 5- 12 contain a comparison extended over two lines:
her cheeks are quite pale, her breath “reeks” and he would rather listen to music than to
her speak. She also walks on the ground like an average human, certainly not a “goddess”.
However, these are inverted to become anti-compliments in a way. Some readers might
perceive these as insults at first, until the couplet states so elegantly that he loves her
(queue Bruno Mars…) “just the way you are”. So, by telling the reader exactly what his
beloved is NOT, we see and hear how perfect she is DESPITE her imperfections.
• There are various uses of alliteration and assonance in the poem. Look at the repetition of
“w” sound in lines 3-4, “g” in line 11, for example. These poetic devices are generally used
to emphasise the words/sounds.
• Repetition occurs in lines 2 (“red”) and 4 (“wires”). This, again, emphasises the
importance of the colour and texture – the idealised Petrarchan woman had blood-red
lips and golden, luscious hair.
• Anastrophe (the natural order of words is inversed) occurs in lines 6 and 7: “But no such
ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE
POEMS
COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE WITH IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS
NSC EXAMINATION QUESTIONS & MEMORANDUMS
, CONTENTS
POETRY 2025
1. Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare
2. The child who was shot dead… Ingrid Jonker
3. At a Funeral Dennis Brutus
4. Poem of Return Jofre Rocha
5. Talk to the Peach Tree Sipho Sepamla
6. Prayer to Masks Léopold Sédar Senghor
7. This Winter Coming Karen Press
8. Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
9. The Morning Sun is Shining Olive Schreiner
10. It is a beauteous evening… William Wordsworth
11. Fern Hill Dylan Thomas
12. The Shipwreck Emily Dickenson
13. Unseen poetry examples
,Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun William Shakespeare
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14 As any she belied with false compare.
Glossary:
Coral: a hard stony substance, typically forming large reefs in warm seas. Known for its bright
red or pink colour. Dun: a dull, greyish-brown colour
Damasked: patterned in pinks
and red Grant: admit
Rare: precious,
unique Belied:
falsely portrayed
, William Shakespeare
Born 1564; Died 1616. English (born and died in Stratford-upon-Avon) He was married to Anne
Hathaway, and they had three children. He is still known as one of the world’s greatest poets,
dramatist and playwright. He wrote 37 plays and 375 poems.
Historical Context:
This is sonnet number 130 in a series of 154 sonnets. It parodies the famous (and often over-
the-top) Petrarchan sonnets in which poets described their partners in highly exaggerated
and unrealistic ways. Although this poem contains similar themes as found in traditional
sonnets (Female Beauty, Love and Admiration), Shakespeare does not idealise his beloved. He
describes her in ways which are realistic and, therefore, more accurate and ‘real’.
Summary:
Shakespeare uses eight ‘anti-compliments’ to describe the uniqueness and (non-idealised)
beauty of his beloved. However, in the couplet he states that BECAUSE she is normal and
‘real’, he does not need to exaggerate her looks or his love for her. He loves her just the way
she is – perfect in her imperfection. In other words, she is perfect to HIM – he does not need
an idealised and superficial woman. Although he seems critical and rather rude in the first 12
lines, the reader realises that he is, in fact, sincere in his love for her. He does not need
exaggerated and unrealistic comparisons to declare his genuine love for her. In being so
brutally honest, he has ironically given her a heightened beauty, simply because he does not
dote on her outward appearance.
Form/Structure:
This is a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. It consists of three quatrains (4 lines each) and a
rhyming couplet (2 lines). The rhyme scheme is consistent with this format: abab cdcd efef gg.
The couplet serves as a final argument to drive home the speaker’s point. The rhythm of the
point is consistent, too, and follows traditional iambic pentameter. There are 10 syllables in
each line. The mastery of this precise rhyme and rhythm shows Shakespeare’s absolute genius!
Poetic Devices:
• This sonnet contains various metaphors and similes. Lines 1-4 contain a comparison each:
He states that her eyes are not as bright as the sun, her lips not as red as coral, her skin is
quite dull, and her hair is wiry. Lines 5- 12 contain a comparison extended over two lines:
her cheeks are quite pale, her breath “reeks” and he would rather listen to music than to
her speak. She also walks on the ground like an average human, certainly not a “goddess”.
However, these are inverted to become anti-compliments in a way. Some readers might
perceive these as insults at first, until the couplet states so elegantly that he loves her
(queue Bruno Mars…) “just the way you are”. So, by telling the reader exactly what his
beloved is NOT, we see and hear how perfect she is DESPITE her imperfections.
• There are various uses of alliteration and assonance in the poem. Look at the repetition of
“w” sound in lines 3-4, “g” in line 11, for example. These poetic devices are generally used
to emphasise the words/sounds.
• Repetition occurs in lines 2 (“red”) and 4 (“wires”). This, again, emphasises the
importance of the colour and texture – the idealised Petrarchan woman had blood-red
lips and golden, luscious hair.
• Anastrophe (the natural order of words is inversed) occurs in lines 6 and 7: “But no such
