The Morning Sun is Shining

• 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