Friday, April 29, 2011

Poem Entitled Nature by H.D Carberrry, Notes, and Explanations

POEM

TITLE: NATURE
POET: H.D CARBERRY

CONTENTS:

1. SYNONYMS

2. EXPLANATIONS


3. EXAMPLES


I spent hours trying to understand each of the word used in the poem in order to help you to understand the poem. I also tried my best to come up with simple and understandable explanations together with some examples as I want you to remember this poem as long as you live. The most important thing is you have well-prepared notes to help you get at least an “A” for SPM next year. I cannot really explain how painful it was to think of how I could help you understand the poem. I understand it is not easy to appreciate these notes. But if you learn to appreciate, I will feel very happy because I can finally make you a true human being who is completely opposite to an animal. M.J.


Designed by: Mani ak Jack (15th-18th/04/2011)



Nature by H.D Carberry
Synonyms and explanations
1. Instead: as an alternative/substitute/replacement
2. Lush: green, abundant, fertile, blossoming
3. Magnificently: wonderfully, superbly, well
4. Beat: hit, strike, bang, hammer, pound, punch
5. Swish: to move quickly into the air
6. Gully: channel, ditch, culvert
7. Struggle: move violently, great fight, fight back
8. Fade: die away, darken, become paler
9. Reap: harvest
10. Ripe: mature, ready, full-grown, ripen
11. Cane: sugarcane
12. Lie: stretch out
13. Bear: naked, nude, exposed, uncovered
14. High: soaring
15. Bush: shrub, plant
16. Sway: bend, wave, swing
17. Scent: smell, odor, aroma, fragrance
18. Slightest: smallest amount, least
19. Buttercups: A type of flower in Jamaica that is yellow in colour
20. Pave: cover, floor, tile
21. wood: timber, forest,
22: logwood: a tree which has been cut into pieces which are meant to make fire. Also called firewood. Logwood can be in many sizes. Some are left in the forest.
23. blossom: flourish, grow healthily

We have neither Summer nor Winter neither Autumn nor Spring
(We do not have Summer, We do not have Winter, We do not have Autumn We do not have Spring)

We have instead the days, when the gold sun shines on the lush green canfields, magnificently.

(Even though we do not have the four seasons, we still have our bright shiny days and the fertile land whish is planted with sugarcane and the best part is we have a lot of sugarcane.)

The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs and there is no sound but the swish of water in the gullies, and the trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Even though we do not have the four seasons, we are blessed with rainy days. The rain is so heavy that you could not hear anything else except for the heavy raindrops that fall heavily and rapidly on the roof. Furthermore, we also have strong winds.)

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees, and the reaped canedfieldds lie bare and fallow to the sun.

(However, they also experience hard life during the dry season as the leaves are falling (the land becomes infertile) and there is time when the plantation cannot be done after the harvesting season. They have to leave the land for a while as they want the land to be fertile again after harvesting the sugarcane.

(Additional information about plantation: When the land is fertile, a farmer will start planting any crops. When the crops are mature enough, the farmer will harvest all the crops leaving the unwanted piece on the field. Then, the field is left exposed to the sun in order to dry all the dead leaves. Once the dead leaves are dry enough, the farmer will burn it in order to make the land fertile again. When the rainy season comes, the land is ready for plantation.)

But best of all, there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom, when the bushes are full of sound of bees and 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 stars and beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

(Can you imagine how a forest looks like during the draught season (dry season)? During the dry season, everything is fading due to the little amount of water. As a matter of fact, water is the symbol of life. Draught season is a disaster especially to the farmers who depend so much on the plantation. Now imagine how a forest looks like during the rainy season? Also imagine what happens to all the living things in the forest after the rainy season. Rain brings a lot of wonders. The presence of rain benefits all the living things. After the rainy season, the flowers will grow well and beautifully and of course these abundant (many/a lot) flowers will definitely attract the bees. Furthermore, after the rainy season, all the green plants will grow and the presence of rain will definitely give a new life to the forest and to all the living things including human begins especially the farmers. After the rainy season, all the flowers will grow and flourish as rain has once again made the land fertile.)

Moral Values:
1. We should appreciate what we have in our country. (Examples: peace, free from natural disasters, green forest, beautiful beaches, a lot of food, fertile lands, religious freedom, tolerance between races and etc.)

2. We should not long for what we do not have. (Examples: We many not have all the four seasons but it does not mean that our country is ugly and infertile. We still have a lot of virgin rainforest, and the most important thing is we have so many fruits such as pineapple, durian, mango, papaya and bananas that are not available in countries which experience the four seasons. We must understand that we cannot have everything in this world as this world is not perfect. Another example is we must accept the fact that no matter how hard we try to be someone else, we will never succeed doing it but we can’t abolish the true facts about ourselves. For example, a woman who has a dark skin always longs for a white skin. Therefore, she will try any products that can change the colour of her skin. As a matter of fact, no matter how white she is, she is still an Asian. She will never be a Caucasian. )


3. We should be aware that different people have different skills or beauty. (Explanation and examples: Beauty is too subjective. We cannot measure one’s beauty based on physical appearance alone. Each of us has our own specialties. A man may not be handsome physically, but his beauty is perhaps he is very hardworking, loyal and intelligent. A woman may not be as beautiful as Natalie Portman, but the most beautiful thing about her is she is loyal, patient, loving and has good manners. On the other hand, a man may not do well in academic. But it does not mean that he cannot be successful in life. Perhaps he has a great determination that an intelligent person does not have. Perhaps, he is very good at drawing or repairing cars. The main concern here is everyone is beautiful, talented and special as long as we learn to accept the fact that each of us has strengths and weaknesses.

Facts about Jamaica
With 2.8 million people, Jamaica is the third most populous anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. It remains a Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State
History
The Arawak and Taino indigenous people originating from South America settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC.
Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494. Columbus' probable landing point was Dry Harbour, now called Discovery Bay. St. Ann's Bay was the "Saint Gloria" of Columbus who first sighted Jamaica at this point. The Spanish were forcibly evicted by the British at Ocho Rios in St. Ann and in 1655 the British took over the last Spanish fort in Jamaica. The Spanish colonists fled leaving a large number of African slaves. Rather than be re-enslaved by the English, they escaped into the hilly, mountainous regions of the island, joining those who had previously escaped from the Spanish to live with the TaĆ­nos. These runaway slaves, who became known as the Jamaican Maroons, fought the British during the 18th century. During the long years of slavery Maroons established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica, maintaining their freedom and independence for generations.
During its first 200 years of British rule, Jamaica became one of the world's leading sugar-exporting, slave-dependent nations. After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, the British imported Indian and Chinese workers as indentured servants to supplement the labour pool. Descendants of indentured servants of Asian and Chinese origin continue to reside in Jamaica today.
By the beginning of the 19th century, Jamaica's heavy reliance on slavery resulted in blacks (Africans) outnumbering whites (Europeans) by a ratio of almost 20 to 1. Even though England had outlawed the importation of slaves, some were still smuggled into the colonies.
In the 1800s, the British established a number of botanical gardens. These included the Castleton Garden, set up in 1862 to replace the Bath Garden (created in 1779) which was subject to flooding. Bath Garden was the site for planting breadfruit brought to Jamaica from the Pacific by Captain William Bligh. Other gardens were the Cinchona Plantation founded in 1868 and the Hope Garden founded in 1874. In 1872, Kingston became the island's capital.
Jamaica slowly gained increasing independence from the United Kingdom and in 1958, it became a province in the Federation of the West Indies before attaining full independence by leaving the federation in 1962.
Jamaica has a large population of Chinese and East Indians. Sizable numbers of Whites and Mulattoes, and persons of Syrian/Lebanese descent, many of which have intermixed throughout the generations. Individuals on the island seldom belong to one racial group as mixed-race Jamaicans are the second largest racial group; the genetic roots of many people can be traced to origins that are not necessarily physically apparent. Christianity is the major religion in the island.
Jamaica's resources include coffee, papaya, bauxite, gypsum, limestone and sugar cane.
Climate
The climate in Jamaica is tropical, with hot and humid weather, although higher inland regions are more temperate. Some regions on the south coast are relatively dry rain-shadow areas. Jamaica lies in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean; as a result, the island sometimes experiences significant storm damage.

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