Poetry: MEMORY

GENRE: Poetry

TITLE: MEMORY

AUTHOR: Chris Van Wyk

SUMMARY
The poem tells about a traumatic (disturbing, shocking) childhood memory. The poet remembers
an event that happened when he was four years old. He was in the kitchen with his younger
brother, Derek, and his mother. She was frying vetkoek in a pan of hot oil on a primus stove (a
stove using paraffin with an open flame). His father was due home from work shortly. The pan of
oil tipped over, unexpectedly sending a stream of boiling oil towards little Derek who was sitting
happily in a chair, sucking his dummy. He was completely unaware of the danger. His mother put
her arm in the path of the hot oil and tried to persuade Derek to move without making him panic.
When the oil reached her arm, she let out a piercing scream of agony (extreme pain). The horror of
this memory cannot be forgotten. His mother still has a scar from the burn.

Stanza 1: The poem begins with the speaker playing with flour on the floor of the kitchen while
his mother prepares vetkoek for what seems to be their supper. His mother has placed his baby
brother Derek on a chair so that he can see what she is doing. He is too short to see over the
table. The speaker reminds us of how young his brother is by referring to the dummy that he is
sucking. He makes sounds like a bird. The mood is relaxed and happy.

Stanza 2: The speaker describes how he remembers himself at the time, and reminds us quite
proudly that he has already turned four years old. He is taller than his brother and can see over the
table clearly. He compares himself to a giraffe whose shadow and patchy hide are reflected on the
ceiling and walls. The shadow is cast by the flickering light of a candle and the primus stove. We
have the impression that the family may be poor if they have no electricity for light or cooking. An
ominous mood (a feeling that something bad is coming) is introduced with the reference to ‘flames’
and therefore potential danger.

Stanza 3: We learn that his father is due home from work in the factory. The speaker is not sure
what his father does for a living. He seems to associate the factory with furniture. He is aware that
his father may be weakened physically by the work he does.

308 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

The speaker is not aware of any poverty in the home and he compares the vetkoek to gold coins
and riches. Another ominous reference is made to the ‘growing’, possibly threatening vetkoek.
They are swelling as they cook, but the word ‘bloated’ has unpleasant connotations (feelings) of
ill-health and infection.

Stanza 4: The speaker suddenly stops the story to state that this is his first clear memory from his
childhood. He wonders why he has not written about it before. He recalls the sudden noise and
rapid activity when the pan unexpectedly tips over. The boiling oil spills onto the table and starts to
move towards Derek. We are reminded of how young and vulnerable Derek is when the speaker
refers to his dummy and compares him again to a bird. His mother, without hestitation, places her
arm in the way of the oil to protect Derek. The oil appears to be deliberately moving towards Derek
as it ‘swims’ in a hot ‘flood’ across the table.

Stanza 5: His mother quietly tries to persuade Derek to move away from the danger, without
creating panic. Derek does not understand the danger and takes his time climbing off the chair. He
finally understands that something is wrong and bursts into tears. It is clear too that the author is
now also aware of the danger.

Stanza 6: When the oil reaches her arm, his mother’s scream is a horrifying sound the speaker
remembers right into adulthood. The memory is like the terrible scar that his mother still carries as
her reminder of that day. Just like his mother can still see the scar, he can still feel the impact of
that horrible event.

ERA

The poem is set in the childhood home of a poor but happy family, probably in a South African
township.

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 309

 Poetry: MEMORY

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Van Wyk was a South African poet. He claimed to have had a ‘love affair with words’ from the age
of five when he showed a talent for story-telling. Much of his writing is autobiography (based on his
own life) and memoir (based on his memories and not necessarily fact).

TYPE OF POEM

This is a powerful poem about a childhood memory..

CHARACTERISTICS

Often poems about childhood memories tell the story through the eyes of a child. The mood can be
nostalgic (longing for a happy past). In this poem, there is a happy and peaceful atmosphere in the
kitchen before the accident. However, this particular poem describes a traumatic childhood that is
still very real to the speaker. He remembers all the details that perhaps only a child would notice.
The language is simple but as imaginative as the mind of child.

The poem is divided into six stanzas. The first three stanzas (six lines each) describe the details
the child remembers of the scene in the kitchen before the accident. The speaker is the child.

This changes in stanzas four and five (also six lines each) when the speaker is now the adult
recalling the horror of the accident.

The final stanza is short - only two lines long. It focuses on the memory of his mother’s terrible
scream. We are reminded that she has lived with a real scar since then. Since then the poet has
lived with the ‘scar’ of this traumatic event in his memory.

310 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

SUMMARY REVIEW ACTIVITY: GROUP WORK SEQUENCING

The sentences below are in the wrong order. Put them in the correct order, as they happen
in the poem. Number the sentences from 1 to 16. Number 1 has been done for you.

Derek begins to cry loudly.

1. Derek is sitting on a chair.

Derek is sucking his dummy.

Derek moves very slowly.

Hot oil spreads on the table towards Derek.

The father is due home from work soon.

The light from the candle and primus stove is casting shadows on the wall.

The mother calmy tries to persuade her child to get down from the chair.

The mother has placed Derek on a chair so he can see over the table.

The mother is preparing vetkoek for supper.

The mother places her arm between the oil and her child.

The mother screams in pain.

The speaker is playing with flour on the kitchen floor.

The speaker realises something is terribly wrong.

The pan falls with a loud noise.

The vetkoek are swelling and golden in the pan.

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 311

 Poetry: MEMORY

MARKING MEMORANDUM

First, instruct learners to compare their answers, to see if they can correct their own
mistakes. Then discuss the correct answers with the whole class.

15. Derek begins to cry loudly.

1. Derek is sitting on a chair.

5. Derek is sucking his dummy.

13. Derek moves very slowly.

10. Hot oil spreads on the table towards Derek.

7. The father is due home from work soon.

6. The light from the candle and primus stove is casting shadows on the wall.

12. The mother calmy tries to persuade her child to get down from the chair.

4. The mother has placed Derek on a chair so he can see over the table.

3. The mother is preparing vetkoek for supper.

11. The mother places her arm between the oil and her child.

16. The mother screams in pain.

2. The speaker is playing with flour on the kitchen floor.

14. The speaker realises something is terribly wrong.

9. The pan falls with a loud noise.

8. The vetkoek are swelling and golden in the pan.

312 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

CONCEPTUAL VOCABULARY
WORD BASIC DEFINITION

The burning of skin or a wound exposed to heat or a chemical in

order to stop bleeding or to prevent infection. It usually leaves a scar.
cauterization / cauterized The poet’s mother has a real scar on her arm from the boiling oil.
The poet has a ‘scar’ in his memory (line 32). He feels as if the event
‘cauterized’ or stopped the innocence of his childhood.

A stove using paraffin with an open flame for cooking. The pan of hot
Primus Stove
oil falls from the Primus stove.

A South African food: a small, unsweetened cake of deep-fried dough.

vetkoek
In the poem, the narrator’s mother is cooking vetkoek.

SPEAKER / VOICE / ADDRESSEE

1. SPEAKER: The speaker tells us his story in the first person. For the first three stanzas we see
the incident from the point of view of a four-year-old child. From stanza four, the speaker is the
adult recalling the childhood memory and what it has meant for him.

2. VOICE: The voice is that of an adult still traumatized by a childhood memory – that one
moment when the peace and happiness of childhood were forever destroyed.

3. ADDRESSEE: The poem appears to be a story for everybody. There is, however, a moment of
questioning when the speaker wonders why he has never recorded this significant event.

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 313

 Poetry: MEMORY

THEMES AND EVIDENCE OF THEMES IN TEXT

THEME 1

►► Home
The home is supposed to be a place of safety and happiness for a child. It is where our
earliest memories are created. The kitchen is often the centre of the home.

►► Evidence of theme in text

The poem begins with a nostalgic description of a loving and secure home. We are in the
kitchen with the children and their mother. It is peaceful and happy. This peace is broken
when the accident happens. The home is no longer safe but dangerous. The accident shows
the speaker that home is not the safe place he once thought. This is what causes him to lose
his childhood innocence.

THEME 2

►► Motherhood
The traditional mother is a symbol of love and safety. She will always protect her children from
danger.

►► Evidence of theme in text

The poet’s mother instinctively (without thought) places herself in danger to protect her
child. The speaker clearly loves his mother, remembering her warmly as ‘Mummy’. When he
remembers her scream of pain, he calls her ‘Ma’. This is his name for his mother now that he
is an adult. The scar on her arm is a reminder to him of what she did to keep her child safe.

314 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

THEME 3

►► Traumatic memory
Bad experiences in childhood can affect people for the rest of their lives. When people
remember these events, they may still feel the pain and suffering (the trauma).

►► Evidence of theme in text

The poem describes a traumatic childhood event that is still very real to the speaker as an
adult. It is as if it happened only recently.

Scars are not just physical like the one his mother will always carry on her arm. There are
also the emotional ‘scars’ of painful and shocking childhood memories that many children
carry into their adult lives. No one can see emotional scars. Instead, emotional scars continue
to hurt us on the inside.

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 315

 Poetry: MEMORY

DICTION / FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

1. SIMILE:
A simile is a comparison, usually using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

a. Stanza 3: ‘Daddy’s coming home soon / from the factory where they’re turning him into /
a cupboard that creaks’. The speaker does not understand the work that his father does.
All he knows is that it has something to with furniture (‘cupboard’) and that it has had a
physical effect on him (‘creaks’). In other words, the father is compared to an old cupboard.

b. Stanza 3: ‘The vetkoek are sizzling and growing / like bloated gold coins. / We’re rich.’ In
fairy tales and childhood stories, gold coins are often used as a symbol of great wealth. The
speaker alludes to those fairytales. He compares the appearance of the vetkoek in the pan
to gold and riches.

2. METAPHOR:
A metaphor is a direct comparison. We see that the narrator compares himself to a giraffe
throughout the poem:

• Stanza 2: ‘I’m a giraffe and the blotches of shadow/…/are the patches on my back.’

• Stanza 5: ‘and the giraffe’s patches flare on the restive walls.’

The speaker compares himself to a giraffe because he is older and taller than his brother. In
his childlike imagination, the shadows cast by the candles and primus stove at the start of his
story are like the patterns on a giraffe’s coat. However, at the end the ‘patches’ or shadows on
the walls are threatening and dangerous (‘flare’) and no longer calming (‘restive’).

3. IRONY and METAPHOR:

In stanza 6 the speaker says the event ‘cauterizes my childhood like a long scar’. This is
a metaphor and an example of irony (when the writer means the opposite of what is said).
When a wound is ‘cauterized’ it is a necessary, if painful, medical procedure to stop the flow
of blood or infection. The speaker compares this event to a cauterised wound because the
‘flow’ of childhood is stopped. The speaker’s view of life has changed forever. It is ironic that
what happened to his mother brought her harm and pain, not healing. It is the moment when
the safety of his home was destroyed. His ‘scar’ is not visible but it has continued to affect him
even as an adult.

316 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Derek is dangling on the kitchen chair

While I’m shuffling about in a flutter of flour.
Mummy is making vetkoek on the primus.
Derek is too small to peer over the table,
That’s why Mummy has perched him on the chair. 5
His dummy twitters, so he’s a bird.

I’m not that small; I was four in July.

I’m tall enough to see what’s going on;
I’m a giraffe, and the blotches of shadow
on the ceiling and the walls 10
from the flames of the primus and the candle
are the patches on my back.

Daddy’s coming home soon

from the factory where they’re turning him into
a cupboard that creaks, 15
but the vetkoek are sizzling and growing
like bloated gold coins,
we’re rich!

This is the first vivid memory of childhood.

Why have I never written it all down before? 20
Maybe because the pan falls with a clatter
and the oil swims towards the twittering bird.
Mummy flattens her forearm on the table
Stopping the seething flood.

As she does so, she pleads with the bird to fly away, 25
But quietly so as not to ruffle his feathers.
But my brother clambers off the chair
As if he has all the time in the world.
Sensing danger, the twittering gives way to a wail
and the giraffe’s patches flare on the restive walls. 30

Ma gives a savage scream that echoes across the decades

and cauterizes my childhood like a long scar.

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 317

 Poetry: MEMORY

1. In your OWN words, explain what all three people are doing in stanza one. The speaker,
Derek, the mother. [3]
Speaker: playing with flour on the floor (✓)
Derek: sitting on a chair/sucking his dummy (✓)
Mother: frying vetkoek (✓)

2. Identify the figure of speech in lines 16 and 17 (‘but the vetkoek … gold coins’).
Describe the vetkoek in your OWN words. [3]
Simile (✓)
The vetkoek are round (✓) and shiny (✓) (like gold coins).

3. There are two speakers in this poem.

a. Who is the speaker in the first three stanzas? Quote one line that tells you this. [2]
The poet as a four-year-old (✓): ‘I’m not that small; I was four in July.’ (✓).

b. Who is the speaker in the last three stanzas? Quote one line that tells you this. [2]
The poet as an adult (✓): ‘Why have I never written it all down before?’ (✓)

4. The speaker uses the word ‘Mummy’ to describe his mother for most of the poem. In the
last stanza he calls her ‘Ma’. Why does he do this? [2]
He uses ‘Mummy’ to describe his mother as he remembers her as a child (✓). He calls her ‘Ma’
now that he is an adult (✓).

5. The word ‘scar’ is used literally to describe the scar on his mother’s arm. What is the
figurative meaning of ‘scar’ in the last line? [1]
The ‘scar’ is the painful memory (✓) of this childhood event.

318 Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4

 Poetry: MEMORY

6. In stanzas two and five, the speaker compares himself to a giraffe. He compares his
shadow on the wall to the patches on a giraffe’s skin.

a. How are these shadows made in stanza two? [2]

Stanza two: the shadows are made by the flickering light of the candle (✓) and the flame of
the stove (✓).

b. How has the atmosphere changed in the second description (line 30)? Which does
the word ‘restive’ tell you about the family? [2]
The atmosphere has become one of danger. (✓) ‘Restive’ tells us that the family is now
worried / frightened / anxious. (✓)

TOTAL: 17 MARKS

Grade 11 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE Term 4 319