poetry essay on abandoned bundle

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Friday 24 May 2019

An abandoned bundle by oswald mbuyiseni mtshali (samson mwita), 10 comments:.

Thank you for your idea

read also https://projectstore.com.ng/thematic-and-stylistic-analyses-of-oswald-mtshalis-just-a-passer-by/

Very helpful

Ref: Lines 9-10 Is it the baby who is draped in red bandanas (as your analysis suggests) or the dogs whose necks are draped in blood thereby giving the impression that they are wearing red bandanas?

I also thought about this. It's the latter. The dogs were covered/draped in the baby's blood hence the bandana impression.

Thank you <3

Thank you so much :3

Thanks so much. It's really helpful

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English - poem - an abandoned bundle.

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»An Abandoned Bundle«

by Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali , May 1, 2001

Tags: The © Copyright to this poem is owned by the author. Published by writerslounge.net on May 1, 2001 under courtesy of the author.

Reader comments

"note on this poem" Paul Tetteh, Oct 26, 2012

"bra mtshali u r da bst" wonke, May 3, 2011

"i need a mini essay on the imagery of this this poem aswell as th sound devices used please." . . . S . . ., Apr 12, 2011

"Wow!wow!" Deliwe a.k.a nomhle dini, Apr 10, 2011

"Its wonderful" Sello mosikare {discipline}, Apr 8, 2011

"Its superfantastic well done to oswald mtshali" Kabelo a.k.a motia mohitlhi, Apr 8, 2011

"This poem is sad and its belong s to human being and it is superb" Lawrence dini{kabila}, Apr 1, 2011

"This is the Internet. If I wished to be confronted with images of dead babies, being eaten by dogs on piles of human faeces, I'm sure there is a site dedicated to such. Quite why poets feel the need for sensationalism to compensate for an inability to use a simile properly, I do not know, but here it is. Quite why this poem is inflicted on pupils in a misguided attempt at literary patriotism also escapes me." Smartass, Mar 31, 2011

"I think this poem is lame!!" frank, Mar 31, 2011

"The poem still addresses the impurity and the doom that we still go through in our society and the environment. Today's society is not different from the society that Oswald'sher face glittering with innocence is addressing. We do terrible things and behave as if nothing has happened." Thembinkosi Sithole, Mar 29, 2011

"congrats this is a touching poem bt not so reader friendly" nqhovi kurisani rikhotso, Mar 15, 2011

"this is a nyc i wish i cud write sumthng to enspire my community mr senonoi is our englsh teacher in valtech he rili lyks the poem oswald u there man." mpho selenga, Mar 5, 2011

"I understand what you are talking about. It is unfortunately becoming common place in our country. I feel you did a good job in using your words to paint this sadness." Ilka C.Buttrick, Feb 23, 2011

"The ladies must accept what they applied cause baby is a gift from god" Carlos, Feb 20, 2011

"Eix wat a touching poem" Musandiwa tshedza, Feb 19, 2011

"Great poem..." Candice Swartz, Feb 19, 2011

"Which image is used by the poet in stanza 1 to describe white city jabavu as being sick?" Cebo, Feb 13, 2011

"This poem is one of the most wonderful poems around the world" Muzi Happyness, Dec 19, 2010

"Beautiful poem. Although to some it seems too honest,shocking even. But for me it is this rawness that makes it a work of art. Thanks Mr Mtshali." Sibu M, Nov 20, 2010

"lol had this as one of my school pieces" Joshua Smit, Nov 13, 2010

"AWFUL poem!" William, Nov 10, 2010

"the poem is about the prblem of poverty that South Africa is facing that results to young girls having sex and end up getting pregnant,only to make a living...those babies are thrown away because they can handle the responsibilities." takalani mutshidzi, Nov 10, 2010

"I think this poem is filed with sadness and to do that 2 ur child is just wrong" anny, Oct 28, 2010

"It is so intresting poem but also sad when reading it. oh baby in the manger Oswald was refering to Jesus Christ who was put in the manger after he was born. Scavenging dog also potray the situation where you can emagine dogs fighting for an abondened baby. This situation was the result of the apartheid system. The mother was not geting the help that she supposed to get from the government. The best option was to through the child away. She rather suffer alone than with a baby..." Cedrick Baloyi, Oct 4, 2010

"this is a very touching poem expecially for me as a joung girl, it realy brakes my heart to see young girls trowing away their little babies.i was crying when i read this poem." zuyana, Aug 18, 2010

"This is one of my fevorite peom ever.GOOG WORK MR MTSHALI" Kholeka, Jul 27, 2010

"all i can say is wow!" Puleng Paulinah Monare, Jul 22, 2010

"Mtshali was a man who had a vision of what SA would be like. We've grown into a nation of materialistic, society of scavangers!!" bd, Jul 17, 2010

"i am looking for a poem i read many years ago, i forgot its title and the exact words. its always been stuck in my head. Its a witty yet comical poem about a guy who persuades his fancy to get intimate with him, claiming that time waits for no one and that while she is still beautiful they should get intimate. lol. if you know it please inbox me [email protected]. thanx" kay, Jun 21, 2010

"where can I find study notes for this poem?" patricia, Jun 4, 2010

"it is so interesting poetry but trueful is painful after you complite it plz womens stay away from left innocent child like this" mzwandile sibiya, May 18, 2010

"Yoooh dat a nice poem n it tells us the truth i lke it...." NKULE.HOTCHICK, May 18, 2010

"Oh what a touching poem:I'd lyk 2 sy congrdulation 2 mr mstshali: through reading this poem I uz 2 cry' eventualy I realizd tht its a bible connotation indeed: kuri 4rm namankena" Nqhovi kurisani Rikhotso, May 14, 2010

"dis are very goog poem I found it very delicious en well! Fanc ju" Lijanda van Weik, May 12, 2010

"The poem arouses a lot of moral questions: The evils of baby dumping, the plight of innocent children probably born into poverty and then abandoned as a result, irresponsible men who get innocent girls pregnant and then shun responsibility, teenage pregnancy which results in desperation and frustration in the poor African communities... The list is endless! This is a great (but poignant) poem. If you don't get touched by this poem then get your moral sense (the seventh sense?) examined." Itayi Nyakudya, Apr 30, 2010

"Do not forget the context/period in South African history – when this poem was written. I think that the aby in the manger refers to Jesus. Jesus' the Messiah brought a message of peace, hope, understanding, love, compassion, forgiveness, etc. The baby who dies tragically is also a messiah, but brings a totally different message – death, destruction, hate, oppression, heartlessness, etc. (that has a grip on humankind). Perhaps it demand that we rethink our lifestyle and attitudes towards other. Oh yes, and to find it in our hearts to forgive the mother for her transgression(s) – for are we without sin?" Faber, Apr 21, 2010

"Truly speaking, Mr Mtshali has a way of using words to open our eyes, to see what we have been trying so hard to ignre. This poem shows how the social ill's of South Africa have polluted our way of life. This poem does it for me. Big Ups Mr Mtshali." Theo Nyathela- Venda Shayandima., Apr 21, 2010

"This poem is very touching and can reduce the number of unwanted babies as the will think of making a very painful decision of her life" Mulalo Mulaudzi-Venda Khubvi, Mar 29, 2010

"dis poem was very intresting and easy 2 understant as it related to life situations.i jst lv Mr Mtshli poems" thobs, Mar 18, 2010

"THE POEM DEEPLY TOUCH MY HEART.BECAUSE I SEE SO MANY YOUNG GIRLS GETTING RID OF THEIR BABIES.ITS REALLY KILLING ME!" Sheryleigh, Mar 9, 2010

"indeed a deep poem that captures our attention and makes us wonder....." gift, Mar 1, 2010

"what a wonderful poem,but i just cant deal with the sadness" mshini , Feb 13, 2010

"What general impression does the poem give of the living conditions in ''White city Jabuvu''(Line 3)?" J 1, Jan 21, 2010

"Very talented poet." Yolande Du Plessis, Jan 6, 2010

"This poem talks about South Africa and Apatite rule and how it corrupted all the good things of the country. The poem is just a metaphor of Apatite ." olivia kyere, Dec 1, 2009

"Do not like the bay in the manger bit – spoils it for me." Ryan Cremore, Nov 30, 2009

"this poem seems to be a sentimental value to the author and it is quite intrestinging" ayanda milkylane, Oct 29, 2009

"i think that we need to lern from this,it is one strong poem." red violin, Oct 29, 2009

"this poem is a complex andit can confuse you in the exams and for everyone writing exams goodluck" nuclear hil, Oct 29, 2009

"this is one poem a person woud fail,because of the unstending an" khanya masango, Oct 29, 2009

"its a very interesting poem and very complicated" nuclear hil, Oct 29, 2009

"Il b writtng ma exams p2 engsh nd i hope ths poem cums u coz i got a total on it last term" Phumla, Oct 27, 2009

"excellent poem, paints vivid pictures of immorality and poverty." mariam ali ibrahim, Oct 16, 2009

"that's why they call him Mtshali... 27 years later, the poem still assaults my senses with such volcanic force..." Moemise Motsepe, Oct 8, 2009

"Wonderful poem! show us a bit of reality!" Werner Smal, Sep 4, 2009

"Beautiful very beautiful" Romeo, Aug 26, 2009

"It shows the social challenges faced by female teenagers in South Africa in the apartheid regime." Edward Makasane, Jun 30, 2009

"qiet an iterligent" thabo letsoene, Jun 25, 2009

"I always liked his poems....wow, what a marvel to read" Khanari T.D, Jun 9, 2009

"wonderful poem good work" you, Jun 8, 2009

"dont you have any notes on the poem?" me, May 21, 2009

"This Sad but not so good :(" Rappiesstt, May 20, 2009

"dit was baie mooi." Hettie Van Zyl, May 9, 2009

"he is very good,this poem is deeply sad,i even feel the pain the mother when takin that decision" victor kori, Apr 16, 2009

"a masterpiece in its own accord, very sensetive and touching...." hazel, Apr 14, 2009

"i really think he is a good poet,i wish to have his skills of communicating such touching messages to his readers" pitjeng, Feb 28, 2009

"The poem is good but are the events real. Too sad. God bless the poor soul." Kingsley, Jan 30, 2009

"It breaks my heart in pieces. A picture well drawn." Raps, Jan 23, 2009

"it brings up a memory of my own..... and its makes me even more sad....." Zandre Erasmus, Jan 22, 2009

"Linguistics" Steinei, Jan 21, 2009

"This is my English teacher's favourite poem, we spend an entire term discussing it, doing a full analysis and expressing our feelings on how we felt about babies being abandoned. When I read it for the first time, I was highly impressed and still am. It is a great poem and affects everyone in some way, no one can read this and not feel anything." Laetitia, Dec 3, 2008

"Food 4 thought..." Dazzle Miss blingsta, Dec 3, 2008

"It potrays the blight of the present day ills of our humanity that has lost direction." Christopher Kudyahakudadirwe, Nov 24, 2008

"it shows how situation can deform our humanity and well-being.how the rottenness of society translates into our behaviour causing the innocent pain and suffering." Chauke Malvern Tiyani, Nov 19, 2008

"in the poem, what does this line mean? flowed thick yellow as pus oozing from a gigantic sore ?" SIjabu, Oct 26, 2008

"Lovely poem. I once read another one he wrote(The shepard and his flock).love that poem if anone has it please email it to me at [email protected]" Sivuyile Godongwana, Oct 17, 2008

"a foolish poem.if he had not written, I would not spend the whole of my time today , in the Cafe" pd, Oct 9, 2008

"Beautiful and sad" Masechaba Wessie , Sep 18, 2008

"I read this peom back in high skool and it moved me then as it still does now.. any kind of poet to be really exceptional must not only be good with words but also have a great deep-feeling heart. I salut you" Simmz Cele, Sep 11, 2008

"a vry touching poem. felt like crying wen readin it. to understand it deeper go to knowledge4africa, explains it deeper. love your poem" fayolla, Aug 28, 2008

"As I read this , I could not help but realize the fate these people have been given by their society. And to capture this Fate in a work of art is genius. Very nice work! although it may be a sad reality and a crude piece of work, it was eye opening." Anonymous, Jul 31, 2008

"To answer a question posted by another visiter:&quot;Baby in a manger&quot; refers to Jesus Christ, who innocently died for the sins of Christians, conveying the innocence of the baby. This poem give me a feeling of total distress, it must be the hardest dicision a mother(still a child herself) can ever make, no matter how wrong it is in our eyes. I cried my eyes out during and after this poem, it had me thinking for weeks! A truely gruesome and awakenig poem as to life in a South-African township (Jabavu being a part of the infamous SOWETO township in South-Africa)." Understanding Reader, Apr 24, 2008

"What can I say about this poem? I can say it is wonderful, sad, an eye opener. But all these comments seem mediocre for this mans work." gabi, Apr 1, 2008

"Very sad but wonderful" Violet, Mar 20, 2008

"Wow what a wonderful poem" Sfi 4 sho, Jan 28, 2008

"It is a very interesting poem but it should be explained for the deeper understanding." mel, Jan 17, 2008

"the poet calls the child &quot; Baby in manger&quot;. to whom is he referring?" bridgettee, Oct 30, 2007

"THANX TO MR MTSHALI FOR THIS POEM,I CAN FIRMLY SAY IT CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS MY MATRIC RESULT ON ENGLISH :I GOT AN &quot;A&quot;" VENUS, Sep 20, 2007

"Damn, wonder what inspired this. Sad but luv ur work" MCW, Jan 16, 2007

"project" tammy, Jul 7, 2002

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Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali

Friday 28 February 2014

An abandoned bundle by oswald mtshali, 3 comments:.

What is the impact of squirming and why

The theme of the poem

So what happened to the mother who left the child to be eaten by scavenging dogs

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An Abandoned Bundle - Oswald Mtshali (Mvelisi & Daneeka)

An analysis of the poem An Abandoned Bundle

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Monday, january 9, 2023, english form six selected poems:an abandoned bundle by oswald mbuyiseni mtshali.

The morning mist

and chimney smoke

of White City Jabavu

flowed thick yellow

as pus oozing

from a gigantic sore.

It smothered our little houses

like fish caught in a net.

Scavenging dogs

draped in red bandanas of blood

fought fiercely

for a squirming bundle.

I threw a brick;

they bared fangs

flicked velvet tongues of scarlet

and scurried away,

leaving a mutilated corpseㅡ

an infant dumped on a rubbish heapㅡ

‘Oh! Baby in the Manger

on human dung.’

had melted into the rays of the rising sun,

her face glittering with innocence

her heart pure as untrampled dew.

INTRODUCTION

This poem was written by Oswald M Mtshali a South African poet born in 1940 and it criticises a morally decayed society living at the Withe City Jabavu – a black suburb of Johannesburg. The poet shows a mother who gives birth but drapes the infant in red bandanas (neckerchiefs/scarves) and throws it in the rubbish heap (an abandoned bundle).

Taking advantage of the morning mist and smoke the mother leaves the scene feeling innocent. The dogs start eating the baby as the persona finds them and feeling sorry for the baby he throws a stone to scare the dogs.

THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Moral decay.

The poet pictures a society in which there is no sense of humanity. The mother in the poem has lost her sense of humanity and she dares drape her own baby inside the bandanas making a bundle that she throws in the rubbish heap.

The moral decay is shown by the irony that the poet postpones until the last stanza so that it may come as a surprise to us. It is insensible to think that a woman who has thrown her baby to be eaten by the scavenging dogs would leave the spot with;

her heart pure as untrampled dew

This shows how rotten the society is and perhaps she is used of doing this that is why it comes as no surprise to her. While the readers and the persona feel sympathetic of the whole issue it is surprising to note that the mother has no that feeling.

IRRESPONSIBILITY

Many women are irresponsible nowadays when it comes to motherhood and the responsibilities attached to it. They either abort the foetus or abandon the babies in plastic bags and in the hospitals.

This is highest level of irresponsibility to think that a woman who waited for nine months to deliver her baby would be so strange o throw the baby and leave it to be eaten by the scavenging dogs. Surprisingly still she goes away registering innocence in her face.

What they do not know is that abortion does not make them remain maidens but mothers of the dead baby.

The persona feels sympathetic towards the baby and throws a brick to scare the dogs. The persona shows that the baby was being consumed while alive with the sensibilities of knowing what was going on for he says the bundle was “squirming” (twisting its body perhaps because of pains).

But since the dogs had mutilated the baby badly, its body remained there as a “mutilated corpse.” He remained hopeless and had nothing to do as he saw the baby lying hopeless like Jesus was in the manger. All he had to say was;

Many people are hypocrites in our societies. They commit severe crimes but as long as they go unnoticed they pretend to be innocent in the eyes of the people. The mother in the poem is a hypocrite because she has murdered her own child but she leaves the scene putting on her face a glittering innocence to hide her guiltiness.

her heart pure as untrampled dew .

With hypocrites of this nature in the society we cannot create an ideal society we aspire for. These are wolves in a sheep’s clothing.

GUIDING  Q UESTIONS

What is the poem about.

The title of this poem “an abandoned bundle” summarises the meaning of the poem as it points out the issue of moral decay in the society. It shows a woman who draped the newly born baby in form of a bundle using the bandanas and abandons it on a rubbish heap to be eaten by dogs.

Who is the persona? How do you know?

The persona is a passer-by who lives at White City Jabavu who witnesses the abandoned baby being consumed by the dogs. This is revealed by the way he says;

I threw a brick ;

they bared fangs”

What is the tone of the poem?

The tone is sympathetic to the child but it turns out to be ironical towards the end of the poem as the mother moves away feeling innocent instead of guilty. The mood is also sympathetic.

What type of poem is this? Give reason(s).

It is a free-verse/modern poem of Lyric type as it expresses the strong feelings of sympathy of a passer-by towards the baby.

Comment on language use in this poem.

The language used is simple and easy to understand and the choice of vocabulary is done well. There are words that make us visualise how corrupt the society is. The poet has also made use of figures of speech to carry the message across.

The poet uses the words below to express the irony because the mother who has abandoned her baby to be eaten by the dogs is expected to feel guilty and full of remorse. This is not what happens as the poet says;

“ Chimney smoke of White city Jabavu flowed thick yellow as pus oozing from a gigantic sore”

It smothered our little houses like fish caught in a net.

  Her heart as pure as untrampled dew

The words “ Oh! Baby in the Manger”  refer to the biblical rendition of Jesus Christ who slept in the Bethlehem Manger.

The poet creates visual images of poverty as he describes the White City Jabavu as a place full of “chimney smoke” resembling “pus oozing from a gigantic sore” and the “rubbish heap”. These portray an area where poor people live.

“The mutilated corpse” and “bare fangs” of the dogs portray cruelty to a child and loss of humanity.

“ An abandoned bundle ” this represents the babies who are aborted or thrown away everyday by their mothers and they die miserably.

“ The White city Jabavu ” this symbolises any society in Africa where women re morally corrupt. They commit crimes but go away feeling innocent without any sense of guilt.

“ The Baby in the Manger ” this symbolises the innocence of the child whose life is shortened by the mother.

“ The mother ” she represents women who are morally corrupt and have no sense of guilt.

What message do we get from this poem?

Women should take the responsibility of taking care of their children.

Abortion should be discouraged at all costs.

The government should take stern measures against those who abandon their children (babies)

Briefly comment on the relevance of this poem to your society today.

The poem is very relevant to our society today as there are many women who abort their unborn children or abandon them in the hospitals, roads, rubbish pits, others throw them in the latrine pits.

READ SELECTED POEMS: IF WE MUST DIE BY Claude McKay

Thanks for reading ENGLISH FORM SIX SELECTED POEMS:AN ABANDONED BUNDLE By Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali

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