NATUREBy:

H.D.Carberry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnIlHq6FXDo

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.

Hugh Doston (“Dossie”) Carberry was born July 12, 1921, the son of sir John Carberry, a former Chief Justice of Jamaica, and Lady Georgina Carberry, in Montreal, Canada. He came to Jamaica in infancy and spent most of his life there. He had his primary education at Decarteret school in Mandeville, Jamaica and then attended Jamaica College. After working with the Civil Service, to which he qualified as second out of over 100 applicants, Carberry went to St. Catherrine College, Oxford University, where he obtained his B. A. and B. C. L.. He read Law at Middle Temple and was called to the Bar in 1951, then returning to Jamaica to engage in private practice.

In 1954, Carberry married Dorothea, and they had two sons, Martin and John, and a daughter, Christine. In addition to his career in law, Carberry was a poet and gave outstanding service in the cultural field, being a member of the Managing Committee of the Little Theatre since 1951. A devout Christian, he was also a pillar of the Providence Methodist church as Class Co-leader. Carberry was Clerk to the Houses of Parliament from 1969-1978 and a member of the commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He was appointed Judge of the Jamaican court of appeal in 1978 and served for a decade. H. D. Carberry died on June 28, 1989.

The Poet

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 bullet on the roofsAnd there is no sound but thee 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 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

Word Help- Match the words and their meanings

Words Meanings

1 lush A harvested

2 magnificently B in the state of being barren

3 swish C bloom, flower

4 gullies D fragrance

5 struggling E abundant

6 fade F ditches, drains

7 reaped G covered

8 fallow H fall off

9 blossom I hissing sound

10 scent J moving violently

11 paved K brilliantly., superbly

Summary

1. Nature is a long one- stanza poem2. The objective of the poem is to portray

the appealing climate found on the island of Jamaica

3. On this island, the season differences seem to fade throughout the year as it has warm winters and mild summers. Isntead of extrame season changes, the island claims to have a lot of sunny days. Even on rainy days, the rain is a beautiful sight.

Continue- Summary

4. After a period of strong winds and hot sun, the climate becomes pleasant again

5. This is when the trees blossom, the bees buzz and the air is filled with the scent of honey

6. The wind is breezy and buttercups grow abundantly

7. It is during this time, the beauty of the island is personified. It is like a human appearing suddenly and driving away the rain

Description Of Stanza

1. The first person of view ‘we’ is used throughout the poem

2. The persona highlights the pleasant climate on the island

3. The is strongly asserted in the first two lines: We neither Summer nor Winter Neither Autumn nor Spring

4. The climate is generally pleasant5. This is especially so when the sun shines

magnificently on the canefields

6. On rainy days, the rain ‘ beats like bullets’ on the roofs

7. However, on days when the wind is strong, the trees sway and the leaves become fall off

8. The climate becomes pleasant again after the rainy season

9. This is when the trees blossom10. Swarms of the bees are in the bushes11. The air is strongly scented with honey12. The breezy wind sways the tall grass13. Buttercups bloom abundantly and cover the ground

with ‘ yellow stars’14. The climate is described as beauty which is

personified15. It is treated like a human that comes suddenly to

drive away the rain

Setting

Time : At any time of the year Place. : Island of Jamaica

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM

Lines 1 to 10The 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 15In 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

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’

canefields

This is the guango tree.

This is a sample of the flower, buttercup.

Tall grass such as lalang

SYMBOLISM

The gold sun - represents the hot climate

the slightest breath of the air – represents a breeze

The canefields -represents productivity

The buttercups -represents beauty

Metaphor

The six metaphors in the poem are:1. rain beats like bullets - This is compared to the

raindrop like bullets2. trees struggling – This is compared to the trees

moving violently in the strong wind3. leaves fade off – This is compared to the leaves

falling off4. canefields lie bare – This is compared to the

buttercups to become productivity5. buttercups have paved the earth – This is compared

to the buttercups covering the ground6. yellow stars – This is compared to the buttercups

looking like yellow stars

Personification

Examples

Being described like human beings who perform certain actions

rain - the rain beats

trees - the trees struggle

tall grass - the canefields lie bare

canefields

- the tall grass sways and shivers

buttercups

- the buttercups pave the earth

beauty - beauty appears suddenly

Let check our understanding!

True/ False StatementsTick the correct boxes

true

false

1 The poem claims that Jamaica has nice weather

2 The winter are long and cold3 On sunny days, the people stays indoor4 When leaves ‘ fade off’ they turn pale5 When bees are seen, the air smells of

honey6 A slight wind is a typhoon7 The phrase ‘ yellow stars’ describes the

buttercups8 Beauty is personified as someone who

appears suddenly

Answer the following questions

1. What point is the poet stressing on in the first two lines?________________________________

2. How are the canefields described?________________________________

3. Where is the sound of water swishing heard?________________________________

4. What kind of movement is made by the tall grass when it ‘sways and shivers’?_______________________________

5. Write any three metaphors used in the poem.(a) __________________________(b) __________________________(c) __________________________

6. What takes place when the weather is good?_____________________________

7. What are the examples of personification in the poem? How are they personified?(a) _________________________(b) _________________________(c) _________________________(d) _________________________(e) _________________________(f) _________________________

Answer-Word Help

Words Meanings

1 lush A abundant

2 magnificently B brilliantly., superbly

3 swish C hissing sound

4 gullies D ditches, drains

5 struggling E moving violently

6 fade F fall off

7 reaped G harvested

8 fallow H in the state of being barren

9 blossom I bloom, flower

10 scent J fragrance

11 paved K covered

True/ False Statements

Answers

1 TRUE

2 FALSE - The winter are mild

3 FALSE - On sunny days, the people come out to enjoy the sun and look at nature

4 FALSE - The leaves fall off

5 TRUE

6 FALSE - A slight wind is a breeze

7 TRUE

8 TRUE

Answers

1. The poet is stressing on the little climate difference between the seasons

2. They are described as yielding abundant crops3. The sound is heard in the ditches4. It moves gently5. (a) rain beats like bullets (b)trees struggling (c)

canefields lie bare6. The trees blossom, the bees buzz and the air is filled

woth the scent of honey. The wind is breezy and the buttercups grow abundantly

7. (a) the rain – beats (b) the trees- struggle (c) the tall grass – sways and shivers (d) the canefields – lie bare (e) the buttercups – pave the earth (f) beauty – appears suddenly

Try your best and all the best from Po Po Tun