Comparison of the Poems, Two Scavengers and Nothings Changed Essay

Comparison of the Poems, Two Scavengers and Nothing's Changed â€Å"Nothings Changed† was written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, a mixed race child with fair skin, who was later adopted by a white South African family who brought him up as though he was white, and he only found out about his origins as a teenager. Tatamkhulu lived in a multi-cultural area called District Six, which was destroyed by the white authorities. He feels strongly about this kind of racism towards the black people despite the fact that he has fair skin. In the actual poem, the poet is telling the story from his own experiences in first person. â€Å"Two Scavengers† was written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The poem highlights the differences between rich and poor and the working classes, as well as democracy and equality. The poem itself is written in third person and based around a couple of Bin Men and a couple of ‘beautiful’, rich people. Then, at the end of the poem seems to ask whether America really is a democracy. â€Å"Nothings Changed† is set in District Six, based in South Africa. The poet describes District Six as harsh-land, but also goes on to explain that he still feels that it’s his home and it’s still amiable and natural. I know this because he says, â€Å"amiable weeds† on line 8. This is a contrasting sentence because weeds are usually a symbol of bad things, so to use the word amiable to describe them is distinguishing. Socially, there is a separation of race. In the poets own opinion, the white people think that they are more important and superior to the black people. I know this because in stanza five, Tatamkhulu echoes the voice of the white person and says, â€Å"Take it with you, eat it at a plastic table’s top, Wipe your fingers on your... ...l as phrases such as â€Å"as if† (lines 29 and 33). In conclusion, â€Å"Nothings Changed† and â€Å"Two Scavengers† both examine the differences between American democracy and the South African democracy. The poetic devices used are similar in both pieces but both have very different effects on the reader. I found that he way Tatamkhula Afrika structured his poem with short harsh lines was effective because it made things stand out and got the point across quicker. It also gave us a better idea of how the poet is feeling. I also liked the way he wrote the poem in the present tense like he was reliving the experience. In â€Å"Two Scavengers†, I like the way Ferlinghetti laid out his poem and still made it coordinate with meaning of the poem. And also, the way he started a new line when there was a pause in the speech I found very effective and unlike many other poems.