NAME AND SURNAME MUSAWENKOSI SANDILE

MDOLOMBA

STUDENT NUMBER ST10260131

GROUP NUMBER FOUR

MODULE CODE ENED6122

TASK NAME ASSIGNMENT 1

DUE DATE 01 NOVEMBER 2023

LECTURE’S NAME SANDILE XABA

The period of apartheid had truly impacted the lives of numerous racial groups living
in South Africa (namely; the coloureds, Indians and blacks) in a negative way. The
injustices that these particular racial groups had to face at the hands of a racist and
discriminatory government, played a major role in encouraging many South African
authors to write about their lived experiences of said injustices. One of the most
notable authors who has done an incredible job at depicting some of the hardships
that people living during that period in time had to encounter, is none other than the
incomparable author and poet Gcina Mhlophe. This essay will be focusing on one of
her many famous poems titled “Say No”, analysing how descriptive and figurative
language is employed. Additionally, it will discuss the inspiration behind Mhlophe’s
writing of the poem and explore the literary works that may have influenced her.
Furthermore, a textual analysis of the poem will be conducted, delving a little bit into
Mhlophe’s background, discussing elements of her poem which include the literal
genre, theme and historical cultural background. Moreover, a comparison will be
drawn between “Say No” and three prescribed poems namely: They call you Steve
Biko, now you’re dead by Shabbir Banoobhai, in a station of the metro by Ezra
Pound, and sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun by William
Shakespeare. This comparison will consider their use of imagery, structure and
descriptive and figurative language.

Now that an outline of the topics that are going to be explored in this essay are
provided, it is essential to dive into how Mhlophe has managed to effectively employ
descriptive and figurative language in her poem “Say No”. According to (Kane, Byrne
and Scheepers, 2013) “Say No” utilizes a considerable amount of descriptive
language, as large parts of the poem lack punctuation marks which includes full
stops and exclamation marks. Thus making the read seem as though it is one
lengthy sentence. Moreover, the poem does not seem to follow the rules of a
customary syntax structure, and this can be seen in line 1 of the poem which reads
“Say No, Black Woman”, this line has an undersupply of the required grammatical
structure needed in order to form a sentence, as typically a sentence needs a
subject and a verb in order to create a comprehensible and logical thought. Yet this
line contains two secluded phrases, namely “Say No” as well as “Black Woman”
which are unaccompanied by any joining words and or punctuation in order to
demonstrate a syntactic correlation between the two phrases. This alone, proves that
Mhlophe has utilized descriptive language as a way of writing the poem.
Furthermore, in certain parts of the poem, such as line 3 “a Tsotsi” it seems Mhlophe
has started her sentence with a small letter instead of capital letters as expected
usually when beginning a sentence. Mhlophe has also made use of slang words
such as “Tsotsi” and “whore”, which all these factors would normally be associated
with descriptive usage of language.

According to (Kane, Byrne and Scheepers, 2013) the poem uses figurative language
such as an anaphora in the repetition of the word “Say No” in several parts of the
poem. This is done as means of placing importance and emphasis on the central
message of the poem, which is rallying up all black women in saying no to all forms
of discrimination, abuse and oppression, which further assists in creating a strong
and memorable rhythm, which in turn adds to the general effect of the poem.
Mhlophe also utilizes metaphors such as one found in line 31-32 which goes “Say
No, when they give you a back seat in the liberation wagon”. Mhlophe uses this
metaphor as a way of motivating all black women to refuse accepting any secondary
role in the liberation movement, and urges them to instead rise and assert
themselves in demanding equal acknowledgement and participation in the fight for
liberation.

In order to get a deeper understanding of “Say No”, it is essential to examine the

reasons that prompted Gcina Mhlophe to write the poem in the first place. According
to (University of Eswatini, 2019) Mhlophe’s motivation for writing the poem “Say No”
stemmed from her encounters with gender biases, violence and discrimination while
actively fighting against apartheid. She felt that hers as well as other black women’s
efforts in the struggle for liberation were unfairly devalued, and therefore she created
the poem to encourage fellow black women to reject being treated as second class
citizens during the pursuit of freedom. Her intention was to inspire them to take stand
against the mistreatment and discrimination they were going through. Furthermore, it
is highly likely that Mhlophe was influenced as well by other literal writings she read
from other authors, who had published their own efforts which addressed some of
the hardships they had to endure themselves during the fight against apartheid.

Now that a compelling analysis has been made of what prompted Mhlophe to write
say no, it is important to dive into the aspect of textual analysis, firstly delving into
Gcina Mhlophe’s background. According to (Yakubu, 2021) Nokugcina Elsie
Mhlophe was born on the 24th October 1958, in a small village of Hammarsdale,
KwaZulu Natal. Mhlophe Matriculated from Mfundisweni High School in 1979 and
shortly found employment as a domestic servant before furthering her education at
Rhodes University, where she obtained a degree in Journalism. After a short course
in filming, she began a job as a news reader for various companies such as Press
trust, BBC Radio’s Africa Service and ZBC. In her many years as an author,
Mhlophe has managed to successfully position herself as a multifaceted author,
activist, poet and director, incorporating storytelling with poetry. Not only is her
literary work insightful, heartfelt and thought provoking, but it often does a wonderful
job at reflecting on her deep commitment for social justice and women
empowerment.

According to (Studocu, 2023) “Say No” is a poem that tackles themes of resilience
and women empowerment, as Mhlophe uses the poem to confront matters of
domestic violence and motivates women to defy against them. The poem does a
great job at capturing the voices and experiences of women who have suffered from
discrimination, violence and makes emphasis on the significance of them “Saying
No” to being treated like second class citizens. According to (Kane, Byrne and
Scheepers, 2013) the poem’s genre can be categorised as a protest poem, due to
the fact that it focuses on expressing opposing views on societal standards and
oppression. Furthermore, in respects to the historical and cultural context, Mhlophe
wrote the poem in a period in time, when gender biases and brutality against women
were important matters in South Africa and globally. The poem dwells on the
aftermath of apartheid and its repercussions as well as other wider communal and
racial gestures, which continue to extend violence against women.

Since a textual analysis has been performed on Mhlophe’s poem “Say No”, a further
comparison can be drawn. This comparison will be focused on intertextuality, which
will look at analysing Mhlophe’s “Say No” alongside three prescribed poems namely:
they call you mister Steve Biko, now you’re dead by Shabbir Banoobhai, in a station
of the metro by Ezra Pound, and sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the
sun by William Shakespeare. The focus will be on comparing their usage of imagery,
structure, descriptive and figurative language in each poem. Begging the comparison
by examining how imagery has been employed in these poems. According to (Kane,
Byrne and Scheepers, 2013) Mhlophe’s poem as well as Banoobhai’s poem utilize
imagery in a similar fashion, as both poems use it as means of outlining the
struggles faced by black individuals in South Africa during the period of apartheid.
What then separates them, is the fact that Mhlophe’s poem talks about the struggles
black women has to endure during the period of apartheid, while on the other hand,
Banoobhai’s poem focuses more on the struggles faced by political activist Steve
Biko. Furthermore, both poems also utilize imagery in order to paint a very vivid
picture in a reader’s mind of some of the injustices, abuse and discrimination black
individuals encountered during that time. An example of the vivid image painted of
the discrimination and abuse faced by black individuals, can be seen in line 31-32 of
Mhlophe’s poem “Say No” which states “Say No, when they give you a back seat in
the liberation wagon” and line 4 of Banoobhai’s they call you Steve Biko, now you’re
dead which states “they who tormented you when you were alive”.

Furthermore, in respects to Ezra Pound's in a station of a metro, he utilizes imagery

in a different way in comparison to Mhlophe, as he uses imagery in order to create a
vivid imagery expressing a brief time he had experienced at the metro station. In the
poem he states "The apparition of these faces in the crowd; / Petals on a wet, black
bough”. In this part, Pound juxtaposed the faces of individuals he encounters in the
metro station to fragile petals on a wet, dark branch, thus generating a distinct visual
difference. While on the other hand, Shakespeare also utilizes imagery in a different
manner compared to Mhlophe, in his poem he utilizes imagery to advocate against
traditional beauty standards. In Shakespeare’s poem, he tends to make his
mistresses flaws his main focal point. This can be seen in line 5 to 6 where he states
"I have seen roses damasked, red and white, but no such roses see I in her
cheeks”. The purpose of this imagery is to overthrow traditional ideas of beauty and
to showcase a realistic depiction of love.

According to (Kane, Byrne and Scheepers, 2013) with regards to descriptive

language, Both Mhlophe’s poem as well as Banoobhai’s poem are similar, as both
poems lack punctuation marks, such as full stops and exclamation marks. With
regards to usage of capital letters, these two poems slightly vary as Banoobhai’s
poem has no capital letters in the beginning of every line of the poem, while in
respects to Mhlophe’s poem, it does have moments where it begins sentences with a
capital letter and this can be seen in line one of her poem which states “Say No,
Black Women”, yet other parts of the poem do not have any capital letters in sight.
This can be seen in line 3, where she states “a Tsotsi”. Mhlophe’s poem also utilises
slang language such as “Tsotsi” and “whore”. Unlike Mhlophe’s poem, Pound and
Shakespeare’s poems do not utilise any descriptive language, due to the fact that
both poems comply with the rules of standardized English, which involves usage of
punctuation marks where they should be, applying capital letters where they should
be found and following proper syntax structure.

According to (Kane, Byrne and Scheepers, 2013) in regards to figurative language,

Mhlophe’s poem utilizes an anaphora “Say No” and a metaphor “Say No, when they
give you a back seat in the liberation wagon”, as means of emphasising and
encouraging black women to “Say No” to all forms of abuse, discrimination and
oppression they continue to face. The figures of speeches are also used in order to
also empower black women to stop accepting any secondary roles in the liberation
movement. Similarly to Mhlophe, Banoobhai’s poem also utilizes an anaphora, which
is “they call you mister Steve Biko, now you’re dead” and metaphors such as “so
many garlands others have placed around your neck, around neck”, as means of
putting emphasis on the fact that Steve was never shown any respect or
acknowledgment for his great contributions towards ending apartheid when he was
still alive. Instead “they” meaning the apartheid government, only began giving him
praises, accolades and other honours for his contributions after he had died.

Additionally, similarly to Mhlophe’s poem, Shakespeare’s poem also utilises

metaphors such one found in line 2 “coral is far more red”, which this line is known to
be negative and contradictory, and he does this in order to convey his message
successfully regarding him standing against the beauty standards that existed during
that period in time. He uses this negative metaphor as a way of also complimenting
his “mistress” and also professing his undying love to her, even though he is fully
aware that she does not fit into any set beauty standards of that time. In parallel to
Mhlophe’s poem, Pound’s poem utilizes a metaphor which is “petals on a wet, black
bough” in order to create a snapshot-like impression of the scene at the metro
station. This line also creates a graphic picture of various individual’s faces at the
metro station, which seem to amalgamate together, similarly to how petals would on
a branch.
According to (Kane, Byrne and Scheepers, 2013) in respects to structure, “Say No”
is separated into seven stanza’s, with each stanza consisting of quintet lines. “Say
No” also does not follow a specific rhyme scheme, thus making the poem a free
verse. Same as “Say No”, they call you mister Steve Biko, now you’re dead does not
follow a particular rhyme scheme, which also makes the poem a free verse. Different
from “Say No”, they call you mister Steve Biko, now you’re dead is separated into 4
stanza’s and in each stanza consists of quintet lines. Additionally, same as “Say No”,
in a station of a metro does not follow a certain meter and or rhyme scheme, which
makes the poem a free verse. In a station of a metro, then differs from “Say No” with
regards to it not having traditional stanza breaks, which further allows the poem to be
read as a single image, instead of it being separated. Moreover, sonnet 130 is very
different in comparison to “Say No” as this poem follows a traditional structure of a
sonnet, as it contains one stanza with 14 lines. The poem does not follow a specific
rhyme scheme (ababcdcdefefgg). However, although the rhymes scheme is not the
type of rhyme scheme that would be found in a Shakespeare sonnet, the poem does
rhyme, which would then make the poem a formal verse.

In summary, “Say No” as a poem is compelling and effectively showcases the

unwavering determination and endurance of black women in the midst of unfair
treatment. The poem not only emphasizes the necessity of acknowledging their
struggles in the quest for liberation, but also empowers women to reject secondary
roles and actively combat any mistreatment, prejudice, or subjugation they
encounter.
REFERENCE LIST

Kane, G. Byrne, D. and Scheepers, R. 2013. Introduction to literary studies. Cape

Town: Oxford University Press

Studocu. 2023. “Say No” by Gcina Mhlophe: a poem analysis, 25 October 2023.
[Online] available at
https://www.studocu.com/en-za/messages/question/4081247/say-no-by-gcina-
mhlophe-poem-analysis#:~:text=Analysis%20of%20the%20poem%20%22Say
%20No%22%20by%20Gcina%20Mhlophe&text=Here%20is%20a%20brief
%20analysis,stand%20against%20a%20particular%20issue. [Accessed 30 October
2023]

University of Eswatini. 2019. Past question paper, May 2019. [Online] available at
http://www.library.uneswa.ac.sz/pastpapers/quest/huma/eng/2019/ide-
eng114m2019.pdf [Accessed 25 October 2023]

Yakubu, H. 2021. Bio Dr Gcina Mhlophe, 26 August 2021. [Online] Available at

http://luthulimuseum.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bio-Dr-Gcina-Mhlophe-
website.pdf [Accessed 15 October 2023]