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The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini - Chris Mann - Full summary
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The night-jar and InkosazanaYasezulwini - Chris Mann
1
, The night-jar and Inkosazana Yasezulwini - Chris Mann
R Line Analysis
Stanza 1
The speaker introduces the night-jar.
In line 1 it is described as a brown bird that is speckled.
1 The speckled bird as brown as dust “speckled”: covered or marked with a large number of small
spots or patches of colour.
The poem begins by describing the nightjar, a bird with a
speckled brown plumage.
Simile: The colour of the bird is compared to dust.
This is a nocturnal bird: because during the day it nests in the
bush, hiding from the brightness of the sun. It comes out of the
bush at night and moves around and sits on windowsills. At
midnight is visits the speaker’s window and pecks on the
windowpane. The reflection of the stars is seen on its beak.
2 which roosts inside a bush by day, “By day”: The nightjar hides and rests during the day, taking
shelter within a bush.
“Roosts”: are also brown, camouflaging the bird. a Place where
birds regularly settle or congregate to rest at night, or
where bats congregate to rest in the day.
3 hiding its head against the glare, “glare”: shine with a strong or dazzling light.
“hiding”: During the daytime, the bird hides its head to protect
itself from the bright sunlight.
H-alliteration: Pecking sound
Personification: The bird is given a human characteristic. The
bird is hiding
4 at midnight pecked against the pane, “pecked”: (of a bird ) strike or bite something with its beak.
“midnight”: At midnight, the nightjar taps or pecks against a
windowpane, perhaps trying to gain attention or communicate.
P- alliteration: Intensifying the pecking sound
5 and gently pecked, until I saw The repeated pecking of the nightjar catches the attention of the
speaker.
Wakes up the speaker from sleep.
Oxymoron: "gently pecked" can be considered an oxymoron. An
oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory or
opposing words to create a unique effect. "Gently" suggests a soft
and delicate action, while "pecked" implies a quick and somewhat
sharp action, often associated with birds using their beaks to
strike something. The contrast between the gentle nature and the
somewhat forceful action in "gently pecked" creates a vivid and
unexpected image, making it an oxymoronic expression.
6 the starlight glitter through its beak. The speaker observes that as the nightjar pecks, the starlight
seems to shine or glitter through its beak. This image suggests a
connection between the bird and the celestial realm.
Personification: Personification is a literary device in which non-
human objects or abstract concepts are given human-like
qualities or attributes. In this line, the poet is attributing the ability
to "glitter" (which is a human-like action) to the non-human entity
"starlight," as if the starlight itself is actively "glittering" through the
beak. This personification adds a sense of vividness and
imagination to the description, allowing readers to form a stronger
visual and emotional connection to the scene.
2
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