‘The Loneliness Beyond’ by Sipho Sepamla
Seasons Come to Pass explains that Sepamla is known for writing poetry that ‘described the
lives of black South Africans with uncompromising realism, and was deeply critical of apartheid’
(Moffett, 2013: 213). Bearing this in mind, answer the following questions on the Sepamla’s
poem, ‘The Loneliness Beyond’ (Seasons Come to Pass, page 213).
1. Who or what is being compared to raindrops in the first stanza? What figure of speech is
used? What is the effect of the comparison? (Use page 50 of your Introduction to Literary
Studies text in order to identify the figure of speech.)
2. In the second line of the second stanza, the speaker talks about a ‘single maskless face’.
What is he referring to? Why do you think the poet chose this image (what idea does the
image convey)?
3. Who do you think issues the ‘commands’ that the speaker refers to in the last line of the
second stanza?
4. In stanza three, the speaker talks about ‘grinding complaints’ (line 13). This is a rather
odd choice of diction (or odd choice of words). What tone (mood or atmosphere) is
evoked by this choice of diction? (See page 47 of your Introduction to Literary Studies for
a discussion of tone.)
5. There is another comparison in the fourth stanza of the poem. Identify the figure of
speech, and discuss why the comparison is effective.
6. In stanza 6, the speaker refers to ‘little holes of resting’. What figure of speech is being
used, and what is the speaker comparing to a hole?
7. Consider the denotation and connotations of the word ‘hole’. What is the effect of this
choice of diction? (Use page 54 of your Introduction to Literary Studies for a discussion of
denotation and connotation.)
8. The poet makes use of repetition in the last two stanzas of the poem. How does the
repetition affect the tone of the poem?