GRADE 12: ENGLISH H.L
SEPTEMBER 2012: POETRY QUESTION
“AUTUMN”
Autumn by Roy Campbell
I love to see, when leaves depart,
The clear anatomy arrive,
Winter, the paragon of art,
That kills all forms of life and feeling
Save what is pure and will survive.
Already now the clanging chains
Of geese are harnessed to the moon;
Stripped are the great sun-clouding planes:
And the dark pines, their own revealing’
Let in the needles of the noon.
Strained by the gale the olives whiten
Like hoary wrestlers bent with toil
And, with the vines, their branches lighten
To brim our vats where summer lingers
In the red froth and the sun-gold oil.
Soon on our hearth’s reviving pyre
Their rotted stems will crumble up.
And like ruby, panting fire,
The grape will redden on your fingers
Through the lit crystal of the cup.
CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS
1. Which season is the perfect one, according to the speaker? Quote five consecutive words from
the poem to support your answer.
1+1=(2)
2. Lines 6-7: “Already now the clanging chains/of geese are harnessed to the moon”. Describe the
image that this gives us of the migrating birds.
(2)
3. Explain why the olive trees are likened to “wrestlers bent with toil”?
(2)
4. Identify and explain the paradox in the last stanza.
(2)
5. How do the last two lines relate to the first stanza in setting the tone of the poem?
(2)
[10]
MEMO TO CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS
1. Winter. “winter, the paragon of art”
2. The image represents the moon as a chariot that is pulled through the sky by the geese.
“Harnessed” is the key word of the image, and we can interpret the “chains” as the traces that
link a horse to a cart. / “Clanging” refers to the loud sound that flying geese make, while it also
reinforces the image of the wagon.
3. The olive trees are bent from years in the wind; for years they have “toiled”, producing crops of
olives. Mature olive trees have gnarled and sinewy branches, which the poet likens to the
knotted muscles of men wrestling.
4. While the rotted wood of the trees and vines burns (finally ‘dies”), it provides warmth against
the cold. In a sense ensures life-giving warmth to the speaker sitting in front of the fire to keep
warm.
SPES BONA HIGH SCHOOL
J.T.MACLEOD & P.GUMEDE
GRADE 12: ENGLISH H.L
SEPTEMBER 2012: POETRY QUESTION
“AUTUMN”
5. The last two lines suggest that the poet appreciates a fine glass of wine by the fireside. “The lit
crystal of the cup” expresses beauty, value and pleasure. In relation to the first stanza, this
confirms the tone of the poem as one of personal pleasure.
ESSAY QUESTION
In an essay of approximately 250-300 words discuss how Roy Campbell uses the imagery to illustrate the
themes of the poem in each stanza and also highlighting the poet’s belief in positive change and
transformation.
[10]
MEMO TO ESSAY QUESTION
Stanza 1
 Theme - The perfection of winter/general qualities of autumn and the cycle of the seasons.
 The metaphor in line 3 “winter, the paragon of art” – winter is seen as the perfect example of
how art is created.
 Personification in line 1 “ when leaves depart” when nature - the leaves have fallen from the
trees revealing their bare essentials
 Personification in line 2 “The clear anatomy arrive” – the trees are compared to humans
exposing their structure.
Stanza 2
 Theme - The power of change/visual auditory images associated to winter.
 Metaphor in lines 6-7 “the clanging chains of geese/Are harnessed to the moon” - this image
shows how the migrating geese fly in formation looking like a chain tied to the moon and pulling
it along. Just as the seasons change, the migration of the geese is inevitable.
 Personification in lines 8-10 “Stripped are the great sun-clouding planes: And their dark planes
their own revealing”. – this show the changes as they are stripped (peeling bark)
“Let in the needles of the noon” – The trees now don’t have leaves and the sunlight/rays of the
sun is allowed to seep through.
Stanza 3
 Theme – the activities and produce of nature/the interdependence of the seasons
 Personification in lines 11-12 “Strained by the gale the olives whiten/like hoary wrestlers bent
with toil” – this image suggest that the trees are old like white haired wrestlers. As they bend
and twist they show their white/pale underside. The image also implies the hard work which is
necessary to harvest the olives and the grapes.
 Enjambment in lines 13-14 “where the summer lingers/In the red froth…” creates one long
sentence to emphasise the process of the grape and olive harvest.
Stanza 4
 Theme - Relaxing and enjoying the produce of autumn/reflecting on and appreciating nature.
 Simile in lines 18-19 “and like a ruby, panting fire/the grape will redden on your fingers” suggest
that the fire is panting. A lovely red glow is created by the colour of the wine and fire light on
the glass – brings a sense of warmth.
 The paradox in line 17 “the rotted stems” - convey the sense of death but at the same time the
renewal if life and they are used to keep the fire going.
SPES BONA HIGH SCHOOL
J.T.MACLEOD & P.GUMEDE