Nature

“NATURE”By: H.D. Carberry

The poet: Hugh Doston Carberry

Nature by H.D. CarberryWe have neither Summer nor WinterNeither Autumn nor Spring.We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-Magnificently.The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofsAnd there is no sound but the swish of water in the gulliesAnd trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossomWhen the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow starsAnd beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

We have neither Summer

nor Winter

Neither Autumn

nor Spring

We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines

on the lush green canefields-Magnificently

The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs

And there is no sound but the swish of water in the gullies

And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds,

Also there there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees

And the reaped canefields lie bare

and fallow to the sun.

But best of all there are the days when the mango

and the logwood blossom

When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,

When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars

And beauty comes suddenly

and the rains have gone.

SYNOPSIS

• The poem tells of the weather conditions in Jamaica although it does not have the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The weather conditions of golden sunny days and wet rainy days are just as good and are almost equivalent to the four seasons.

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM

Lines 1 to 10

• The poet tells about his homeland , Jamaica and rejoices the beauty of this island. Jamaica has no seasonal changes. It has a tropical climate which is hot and wet throughout the year. The days of golden sunshine are glorious and magnificent. The are many canefields in Jamaica as sugar is one of the main exports in this country.

Lines 11 to 15

• In the ending of the poem, the poet tells us his favourite time – days when the flowers of mango trees and logwood blossom. He uses imagery of sound and smell to illustrate abundant life and activity in the bushes when the ‘sound of bees and the scent of honey’ add to the charm and beauty if Jamaica. He describes the fields filled with lovely yellow buttercups. All this happens when the rains have stopped and the beauty if nature emerges once again.

THEMES

• Beauty of nature• Appreciation of one own country• Appreciate nature• The natural cycle of Nature• Man’s Cycle of Life

MORAL VALUES

• We should appreciate what we have in our own country

• We should not long for what we do not have.• We should appreciate our homeland.• We should appreciate the beauty of nature.

TONE,MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

• Appreciative and happy• Carefree and light-hearted• Sense of beauty

POINT OF VIEW

• Third person point of view

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

• Simple and easy to understand the language• Clear and descriptive• Simple style with no rhyming scheme

POETIC DEVICES• Imagery – e.g. ‘gold sun’, ‘lush green fields’, ‘trees struggling’• Alliteration – e.g. ‘sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air’• Symbols – e.g. ‘gold sun’ – symbol of summer, ‘rains’ – symbol of

winter• Contrast – e.g. ‘beauty’ or summer is compared with ‘rains’ or

winter• Figurative Language – Simile – ‘rain beats like bullets’• Metaphor – e.g. ‘the buttercups paved the earth with yellow stars’• Personafication – ‘buttercups have paved the earth’ … buttercups

have been personified as having laid tiles• Onomatopeia – e’g ‘swish’

EXERCISE

List the positive and negative elements of nature in the poem

Positive Elements of Nature Negative Elements of Nature

Explain the meaning of the following lines from the poem.

1. We have neither Summer nor Winter, Neither Autumn nor Spring.

2. And there is no sound but the swish of water in the gullies.

3. And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

4. And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

We have instead the daysWhen the gold sun shines on the lush green

canefields – Magnificiently.The days when the rain beats like bullets on the

roofsAnd there is no sound but the swish of water in the

gulliesAnd trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

1. What are the good days mentioned in the extract?

2. What are the bad days mentioned in the extract?

3. What literary device is used in the extract and why is it used?

4. What is the poet trying to tell us about the weather in his country?

The End