POETRY ANNOTATIONS (THIRTEEN)

Question 1

“you will be”

Answer 1

anaphora - directly addresses the reader
modal verb - “will” - makes everything seem inescapable

Question 2

“you were […] the biggest and brightest of stars”

Answer 2

past tense - implies things have changed as he’s grown
superlatives and metaphors - highlights the potential he told he had for a brilliant future

Question 3

“four minutes from home when you are cornered by an officer”

Answer 3

juxtaposition of noun “home” - a place of safety - and verb “cornered”, emphasises no one is safe

Question 4

“dying stars on the verge of becoming black holes”

Answer 4

poem ending - says that they’re “dying
adjective - “black” - has connotations of despair
femi’s suggestion - no real future for young black boys unless things change

Question 5

“he will see you powerless-plump”

Answer 5

plosive alliteration - the sound mimics the aggressive way the policemen look at the boy
adjective - “plump” - implies the police see him as prey to be slaughtered; only judge his exterior

Question 6

THIRTEEN STRUCTURE:

Answer 6

very little rhyme scheme - creates a natural tone reflecting the personal sense of the poem

poem’s progression - shows how badly Femi wanted to fight for racial peace throughout the whole world