Aufgabe HT 1 - 2 · Abitur NRW Englisch LK · Haupttermin 2021

2. Analyse the ways in which the speaker's views are conveyed, paying attention to structure, language and poetic devices.

Lösung: A comprehensive analysis covers three main areas: 1. Core emotional attitude and intent (4 points): - Demonstrates the speaker's deep personal attachment to Africa ("my Africa", "my motherland", "my fatherland"), strong criticism of its conflict-ridden past and present, and urgent appeal for change. 2. Structural features (4 points): - Framing device: Stanza 1 is mirrored and varied in the penultimate stanza (lines 42–49), reinforcing ongoing conflict across generations ("Africa then and now"). - Typography and indentation: The graphically separated, indented final stanza (lines 50–53) highlights the urgent concluding appeal to wake up and act. - Open form: Absence of fixed meter and rhyme scheme, combined with irregular punctuation and enjambments, mirrors internal chaos, restlessness, and disorientation. 3. Language and poetic devices (8 points): - Personification & Apostrophe: Africa addressed directly as a "you" / family member ("motherland", "fatherland", "Body and soul"), creating an intimate bond and empathy. - Pronouns: Pervasive use of 1st and 2nd person pronouns ("my", "our", "you"), linking the speaker's identity inextricably with the continent. - Metaphors and imagery: Imagery of degradation ("bits of disgusting rags", "edifice of tattered cloths", "effigy of the past"); ladder metaphor ("up or down the ladder") symbolizing clear developmental direction vs. paralyzing "midway". - Contrasts & Antitheses: Clashes between imported vs. indigenous spheres (western medicine vs. tradomedics, formal law vs. jungle justice, foreign marriage vs. tradition). - Semantic fields: Semantic fields of conflict, violence, and destruction ("lunged", "torn apart", "strangulate", "wars", "chaos"). - Rhetorical devices: Anaphora ("When..."), parallelisms, and repetitions ("Africa, my Africa") stressing urgency and lament.