ENG1501 Assignment 1 (COMPLETE

GUIDELINE) 2025 - DUE 23 April 2025

MULTIPLE CHOICE,ASSURED EXCELLENCE
ENG1501 ASSIGNMENT 01: Poetry Due date: 23 April 2025 ‘they
call you mister steve biko now you’re dead’ by Shabbir
Banoobhai This assignment comprises TWO sections. Both
sections are COMPULSORY Section A: Reflective essay: Poetry
(Unit 2) Reflective Essay: Unit 2 (Poetry) Engaging with Unit 2 of
the study guide deepened my understanding of poetry’s formal
elements, though some activities challenged me more than
others. I reflect on my experience with the unit’s exercises,
referencing specific sections and pages. I partially completed
the activity journal. For instance, I explored denotation and
connotation in Kelwyn Sole’s Whales p. 20–21, analyzing words
like “lugubriousness” denotation- “mournful”; connotation:
evoking the haunting sound of whale calls. However, I struggled
a little with Activity “Think about a song you really love. Write
down a couple of words that summarise its main meaning” but
finally grasped it later on. (Page 55)

Section A: Reflective Essay – Poetry (Unit 2)

Engaging with Unit 2 of the study guide significantly deepened
my understanding of poetry’s formal elements, such as imagery,
tone, denotation and connotation, symbolism, rhythm, and
structure. Through various activities and poems, I gained both
knowledge and confidence in interpreting poetic language and
appreciating the emotional and intellectual impact of poetry.
One activity that particularly stood out was the exercise on
denotation and connotation using Kelwyn Sole’s Whales (pp.
20–21). I analyzed the word “lugubriousness”, whose
denotation is “mournful,” but its connotation painted a more
vivid emotional picture. It evoked the haunting sound of whale
calls, connecting sound to sorrow in a way that made me reflect
on how words can carry deep emotional weight beyond their
dictionary meanings. This activity helped me realise how poets
carefully select words not just for meaning, but for their
emotional and sensory impact.
However, not all activities were easy for me. I initially struggled
with the activity on page 55, which asked me to “Think about a
song you really love. Write down a couple of words that
summarise its main meaning.” At first, I found it difficult to
reduce a song I felt strongly about to just a few summarising
words. But after revisiting the concepts of theme and
emotional tone, I understood that the task was about
identifying the core message or emotion in a creative work—
much like identifying the theme in a poem. Eventually, I chose
the words “hope” and “resilience” to summarise a song I love,
which helped me reflect on how poetry and music often share
similar expressive tools.
Although I only partially completed the activity journal, I found
the process enriching. The activities encouraged close reading,
critical thinking, and self-reflection. For example, identifying
tone shifts in poems and practicing how to paraphrase poetic
lines made me more attentive to subtle cues and layered
meanings. I also gained a better understanding of how line
breaks, punctuation, and sound devices such as alliteration
and assonance contribute to a poem’s overall effect.
Overall, this unit improved my ability to read poetry not just for
content, but for form and feeling. It taught me to slow down,
pay attention to language, and appreciate how every poetic
element works together to convey meaning and emotion. While
some exercises were challenging, they ultimately helped me
grow in confidence as a reader and interpreter of poetry.

Section A: Reflective Essay – Poetry (Unit 2)

Engaging with Unit 2 of the study guide has deepened my
appreciation and understanding of poetry's formal elements
such as imagery, tone, denotation and connotation, symbolism,
and figurative language. While some exercises were easier to
navigate, others posed more of a challenge, prompting me to
reflect more deeply on how poets use language to
communicate complex emotions and ideas.
One activity I found particularly enriching was the analysis of
denotation and connotation in Kelwyn Sole’s poem "Whales"
(pp. 20–21). For example, the word “lugubriousness” denotes
something mournful, but its connotation in the context of the
poem evoked the haunting, eerie sounds of whale calls—
signifying both beauty and sadness. This helped me understand
how words can carry emotional and symbolic weight beyond
their dictionary definitions.
However, I did find some difficulty with the activity on page 55:
“Think about a song you really love. Write down a couple of
words that summarise its main meaning.” At first, I struggled to
choose just a few words, as songs often carry layered meanings.
Eventually, I was able to reflect on the song’s themes and distill
them into key words like “resilience” and “hope,” helping me
grasp how summarising core ideas is useful in poetry analysis.
Reading Shabbir Banoobhai’s poem ‘they call you mister steve
biko now you’re dead’ was a powerful experience. The poem's
tone—bitter, mournful, yet reverent—reminded me of how
poetry can serve as a political and emotional tool. Through
formal elements like repetition, free verse structure, and vivid
imagery, Banoobhai honours Steve Biko’s legacy while criticizing
the injustice of his death. The line “they call you mister steve
biko / now you’re dead” speaks volumes. The use of “mister”
posthumously highlights the belated respect denied to him in
life, a theme that resonates deeply with South Africa’s historical
struggles.
Overall, working through Unit 2 helped me recognise that
poetry is not just about beauty or rhythm, but also about
resistance, identity, and emotion. It has taught me to read
more critically and to appreciate how even subtle word choices
contribute to meaning. Despite the challenges, I feel more
confident in approaching poems with both analytical and
emotional insight.
Reflective Essay: Unit 2 (Poetry)
Title: Discovering the Layers of Poetry Through Unit 2
Engaging with Unit 2 of the study guide has significantly
deepened my understanding of poetry and its formal elements.
Before this unit, I often read poems for surface meaning or
emotional impact. However, Unit 2 taught me how to
appreciate the deeper structures and techniques poets use to
shape meaning and evoke feeling. Although some of the
activities were challenging, they helped me grow as a critical
and creative thinker.
One of the most rewarding activities was exploring denotation
and connotation in Kelwyn Sole’s poem Whales (pp. 20–21). I
focused on the word “lugubriousness.” Its denotative meaning
is “mournful” or “sad,” but its connotation went beyond that. It
reminded me of the haunting and deep sounds whales make
when they communicate underwater. This added an emotional
layer to the poem, suggesting a profound sadness not just in the
whales, but in what they might symbolise—perhaps loss,
disconnection, or the destruction of nature. This activity
showed me how even a single word in a poem can carry
multiple meanings and emotional resonances.
I also engaged with the activity that asked me to “Think about a
song you really love. Write down a couple of words that
summarise its main meaning” (p. 55). At first, I struggled to
break a song down into just a few words because music often
feels emotional and personal to me. However, after some
reflection, I chose a song I love and realised that its core
message could be summarised in words like “hope,”
“resilience,” and “freedom.” This exercise taught me to identify
themes, which helped me in reading poetry as well. I saw how
poems, like songs, often carry central ideas or messages even if
they are wrapped in metaphor or imagery.
I partially completed the activity journal, focusing on tasks that
helped me think more deeply about the structure and rhythm
of poems. The sections on imagery, metaphor, and tone helped
me understand how poets use language to shape not just
meaning, but also mood and emotion. For example, when
studying imagery, I saw how sensory details can make a poem
feel alive and immediate.
Unit 2 has changed the way I read and understand poetry. I now
look for layers of meaning, pay closer attention to language,
and feel more confident in analyzing a poem’s structure and
message. Poetry is no longer just about rhyme or beautiful
words—it’s about how those elements work together to
express something profound. This unit has equipped me with
valuable tools to approach poetry in a more thoughtful and
informed way.
Section A: Reflective Essay – Poetry (Unit 2)
Engaging with Unit 2 of the study guide has deepened my
understanding of the formal elements of poetry and the ways in
which meaning is conveyed through language, structure, and
sound. This unit offered a rich exploration of how poems
function, and although I found some of the exercises
challenging, the overall experience was both enlightening and
rewarding.
One of the activities I found particularly engaging was the
exercise on denotation and connotation, using Kelwyn Sole’s
poem Whales (pages 20–21). In this activity, I analyzed specific
word choices, such as the word “lugubriousness.” On a
denotative level, it means “mournful” or sorrowful, but its
connotation in the context of the poem evoked something far
deeper — the haunting, melancholic sound of whale calls,
which brought a profound emotional depth to the reading
experience. This helped me understand how poets carefully
select words not only for their literal meanings but also for the
emotional responses they can trigger in readers.
Another part of the unit I found more challenging was the
activity on interpreting the meaning of a favourite song (page
55). Initially, I struggled to summarise its main meaning in just a
few words. I found it difficult to distance myself from personal
memories attached to the song and instead focus on the poetic
elements of the lyrics. However, after re-reading the
instructions and trying again with a different song, I began to
grasp how the main message of a song — like a poem — often
lies in its emotional core and recurring imagery. This exercise
taught me to look beyond surface-level interpretations and
instead focus on how themes are developed through tone,
repetition, and metaphor.
Although I did not complete every single task in the activity
journal, I made a genuine effort to engage with the key
concepts in the unit. Each poem I encountered challenged me
to read more attentively and think more critically about how
language is used. I now understand the importance of close
reading and appreciate how poetic devices like imagery,
symbolism, rhythm, and diction contribute to a poem’s overall
impact.
In conclusion, Unit 2 has been a valuable part of my journey in
learning to appreciate and analyze poetry. I feel more confident
in identifying formal elements and interpreting poetic meaning.
This unit has also encouraged me to continue reading poetry
with curiosity and openness, knowing that every word in a
poem is chosen with care and intention.