The Morning Sun is Shining ~ Olive Schreiner

About Olive Schreiner

South African poet who was acutely aware of racial and gender discrimination around her. A lot of her work echos this theme

Historical context of the poem

it conveys a strong sense of place and the natural environment which is often found in Schreiner's poetry

The title "The Morning Sun is Shining" represents ...

hope

Which of the 5 senses is used in the first quatrain?

sight

Which of the 5 senses is used in the second quatrain?

hearing (sound)

Which of the 5 senses is used in the third quatrain?

smell

Which of the 5 senses is used in the last quatrain?

none

Throughout the poem, the ... is revealed

beauty of nature

What does the colour green symbolise in the line 2: "The green, green willow tree"

life, youth, health and nature

What does the word "sends" indicate and what is it an example of -> line 3: "And sends a golden sunbeam"

it indicates that the sun is giving/generous, personification

What is the function of the repetition of "green" in line 2?

it emphasises the life of nature

What do the words "golden sunbeam" in line 3 symbolise?

warmth, pleasant, benevolent

Line 4: "To dance upon my knee" is an example of ... and it represents...

personification of the sunbeam -> dancing represents joy, happiness and celebration

The word "bubbles" in line 5 is an example of...and it indicates ...

onomatopoeia -> happiness, child-like, light

The alliteration of the words "...brown birds sing" in line 6 emphaises

the happy/bouncy/cheerful rhythm which corresponds to singing

What is the purpose of the use of colours such as green, yellow and brown?

they reiterate the beauty of nature as these colours are often associated with nature

Line 9: "The earth is clothed with beauty," is an example of ..., explain

personification -> the earth is not actually clothed means that beauty is all around and all encompassing -> it is not bare/naked

What is the function of mentioning thorn trees in line 11: "the yellow thorn trees..."

these contextualise the poem as being South African because thorn trees are prevalent in SA

The word "load" in line 11: "thorn trees load the wind..." means (relate to line 12: "with odours..."

the thorn trees give off a heavy/prevalent smell

Why is the word "odours" used in line 12 as opposed to the word "smell"

the word odours has negative connotations which indicates that the smell is not pleasant

What do the words "sweet and strong" in line 12 indicate about the odours

they are overwhelming and intense

There is a ... in line 13: "There is a hand I never touch..."

shift in tone

The repetition of the word "never" in line 13 refers to a sense of ... and this is an example of a ...

absence/nothingness, contrast with the abundance of nature

Who could the "face" and "hand" refer to in lines 13 and 14?

possibly someone who has died

What do the last two lines of the poem suggest: "now what is sunshine...now what is light to me?" Mention the repetition of "now"

suggests that there is no one there to share in the beauty of the world -> the repetition emphasises the sense of loss and loneliness

Would the poet agree with the statement "Happiness is only real when shared?"

Yes

Summarise the message/theme of the poem

Even though there is beauty in life (nature), you will always have a sense of longing and loneliness if you have no one to share in the beauty

What is the tone in the first two quatrains?

appreciative, awe-inspiring, admiring

What does the tone shift to in the last two quatrains?

loneliness, hopelessness, longing

Structure of the poem

two stanzas with 8 lines each. There is a regular rhyme scheme and rhythm until the last quatrain -> the break from the pattern here emphasises the unexpected content of the last 4 lines

What does the enjambment throughout the poem indicate about nature?

this indicates that nature is limitless and unrestrained