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Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

The Brewing Night
It was that memorable night when I heard it.
Yes, I heard it all.
That night sleep deserted me,
Mocked at me and tantalized me;
So I lay awake, sharp in all my senses.
It was long past midnight:
Time dragged on, the clock wouldn't chime;
The dog wouldn't bark, nor the babies cry;
It was a moonless and windless night;
The whole universe seemed to stagnate
In dark, dreary, dead slumber
What was amiss? I knew not.
The dead quietness and solitude
Seemed to be eternal, - but
Waves of babbling and muttering
Began to trickle through the streets;
A distant roaring if heavy trucks filled the air,
Hurried footsteps echoed through the street.
What was a miss? I knew not.
I pulled my curtain
And there I saw it all
Heavy boots thick uniforms and solid helmets
Dimly discernible under the pale street lamp
The atmosphere stood stiff and solid with
Browny - faced and clenched-teeth determination.
The night had pused with passions high and wild;
The streets were stained with new portraits framed;
The wheel changed hands and new plans were filled.
The morning saw the country strangely dressed
And everyone attended the rally.
To hear the eloquence from a strange face,
And everyone quietly nodded and said, 'yes'
(By Yusuf O. Kassam, in poem from East Africa.)

(a) Explain what the poem is about

(b) ln what way was the night described in the poem peculiar?

(c) What was amiss? I knew not. (Rewrite as one sentence beginning: I did)

(d) Paraphrase in one sentence what the persona saw when he or she pulled curtain to see.

(e) What is the significance of stanza two?

(f) Explain the meaning of the title.

Answers

The Brewing Night

a) The poem is about a coup that takes place at night. At the end of the poem it is indicated that the people are happy with the change.

b) The night was silent, dark, and strange: the clock wouldn't cry.

c) I did not know what was amiss.

d) He or she saw soldiers in heavy boots, thick uniform and solid helmets walking in a determined way along the streets.

e) Stanza two sets the mood of the poem. Things are not happening in the usual way and this prepares the stage for what we find in stanza three.

f) Brewing night -refers to the night when something unpleasant in this case the coup was hatched up.

g) In stanza one 'sleep' is said to 'mock' and tantalize the persona.

h) The poet is critical of the events of the coup. This is seen in the discomforts he or she relates to the night when the events happen the words he or she uses to describe the soldiers and the way he or she describes the celebrations -"the country strangely dressed".

i) The last stanza gives the preparation for the inauguration of the .new leaders are posted on the streets .A rally is held where the new leaders give their speeches and the people accept the new leaders.

marto answered the question on April 2, 2019 at 08:04

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