This Winter Coming by Karen Press (Grade 12 NSC Matric English HL): Revision Notes
This Winter Coming by Karen Press
Background and context
Karen Press wrote this powerful poem in 1986, during one of the most turbulent periods in South Africa's history under apartheid rule. At first glance, the poem appears to describe people's concerns about the approaching winter season. However, when you look more closely, it becomes clear that Press uses winter as an extended metaphor to represent the coming violence and social upheaval in the country.
Understanding the historical context is crucial for interpreting this poem. 1986 was a year of intense political violence in South Africa, with widespread civil unrest, states of emergency declared, and the apartheid system beginning to collapse under internal and international pressure.
The poem serves as both a warning and a call to action, questioning why people are not more afraid of what lies ahead during this period of political transition and social change.
Understanding the title
The word "this" creates a sense of immediacy and urgency - something significant is about to happen very soon.
"Winter" works on two levels:
Dual Meaning of "Winter"
The title operates on both literal and symbolic levels, which is typical of effective literary metaphors. This dual meaning allows readers to understand the poem on multiple levels simultaneously.
- Literal meaning: The actual cold season that brings hardship to those without proper shelter or resources
- Metaphorical meaning: A period of violence, political change, and social transformation that will mark the end of the old apartheid system and the emergence of something new
The word "coming" suggests that this period of change cannot be avoided or stopped - it is inevitable.
Form and structure
Press organises the poem into five stanzas of varying lengths, creating an uneven, unsettled rhythm that mirrors the social instability being described. Each stanza focuses on a different aspect of the situation, building a complete picture of society under pressure.
The most striking structural feature is the refrain - the repeated rhetorical question "who is not frightened?" This anaphora (repetition) appears at the end of four stanzas, emphasising the central theme that everyone should be afraid of what's coming.
Detailed stanza analysis
Stanza 1 (Lines 1-3)
"walking in the thick rain / of this winter we have only just entered, / who is not frightened?"
The poem opens with someone walking through heavy rain. The adjective "thick" suggests rain so heavy it's almost like a blanket - oppressive and inescapable.
The phrase "only just entered" creates an ominous tone, implying that worse times are still to come. The experience of fear will intensify as the season progresses.
Literary Technique: Rhetorical Question
The rhetorical question "who is not frightened?" doesn't expect an answer. Instead, it suggests that fear is universal - every South African should be concerned about what lies ahead. This technique forces readers to examine their own responses to the situation.
Stanza 2 (Lines 4-8)
"the sea is swollen, churning in broken waves / around the rocks, the sand is sinking away / the seagulls will not land / under this sky, this shroud falling / who is not frightened?"
Press shifts from the city to the natural world, but even nature reflects the violence and instability of society. The "swollen" sea and "broken waves" suggest destruction rather than the peaceful ocean we might expect.
The "sinking" sand symbolises a world where people's sense of security and stability is disappearing. Even the seagulls - symbols of freedom and natural life - sense danger and refuse to land.
The metaphor of the sky as a "shroud" (traditionally used to cover dead bodies) intensifies the atmosphere of death and foreboding.
Stanza 3 (Lines 9-17)
"in every part of the city, sad women climbing onto buses, / dogs barking in the street, and the children / in every doorway crying, / the world is so hungry, madam's house is clean / and the women return with slow steps / to the children, the street, the sky tolling like a black bell; / these women are a tide of sadness / they will drown the world, / who is not frightened?"
This stanza provides sharp social commentary on the inequalities of apartheid South Africa. Press contrasts two different worlds:
Apartheid's Economic System
The reference to "madam's house" reflects the apartheid-era domestic work system, where black women were forced to work in white households while their own families lived in poverty in the townships. This economic exploitation was a cornerstone of apartheid's racial hierarchy.
The domestic workers: These "sad women" work in wealthy white households during the day, keeping "madam's house clean" while their own children cry in doorways. They return home exhausted ("slow steps") to poverty and desperation.
The wealthy employers: Live in clean, comfortable houses while remaining oblivious to their workers' suffering.
The simile comparing the sky to a "black bell" suggests both the darkness of the situation and the tolling of funeral bells - announcing death and tragedy.
The metaphor of women as a "tide of sadness" that will "drown the world" suggests that their overwhelming grief and anger will eventually flood everything, bringing about massive change.
Stanza 4 (Lines 18-23)
"on every corner men standing / old stumps in the rain, tombstones / engraved with open eyes / watching the bright cars full of sated faces / pass them, pass them, pass them, / who is not frightened?"
This stanza focuses on unemployed men who have no choice but to stand on street corners, hoping for work. Press uses powerful metaphors to show how apartheid has dehumanised them:
- "old stumps": They're compared to dead tree trunks - no longer alive or growing
- "tombstones": They're like markers for the dead, but with "open eyes" still watching
Literary Technique: Repetition for Emphasis
The repetition of "pass them, pass them, pass them" creates a rhythmic emphasis that mirrors the endless parade of cars ignoring the unemployed men. This technique makes readers feel the relentless nature of this indifference and invisibility.
The repetition of "pass them, pass them, pass them" emphasises how invisible these men have become to the wealthy people driving by in their "bright cars". The word "sated" (overfed, completely satisfied) contrasts sharply with the hunger and desperation of the unemployed men.
This stanza highlights the cruel irony that those who most need help are ignored by those who could provide it.
Stanza 5 (Lines 24-31)
"into the rain the children are running / thin as the barest twigs they kindle a fire / to fight the winter, the bare bodies / a raging fire of dead children / and the sky collapsing under centuries of rain / the wind like a mountain crying, / who is not frightened of this winter / coming upon us now?"
The final stanza presents the most disturbing images. Children are so desperately poor they're "thin as the barest twigs" - barely surviving. They try to make fires to keep warm, but Press describes this as a "raging fire of dead children".
Historical Reference: Youth Uprisings
The "raging fire of dead children" likely refers to children who died during violent uprisings like those in Soweto (1976) and other townships, where young people fought against apartheid education policies but paid with their lives. These youth protests were a turning point in South Africa's liberation struggle.
The "sky collapsing under centuries of rain" represents the weight of oppression finally becoming too much to bear. The simile of wind "like a mountain crying" personifies nature itself as grieving for what has happened and what's still to come.
The final rhetorical question adds "coming upon us now" to emphasise the immediacy of the threat.
Key themes
The effects of apartheid
Press exposes how apartheid created extreme inequality, with domestic workers living in poverty while their employers lived in comfort. The system dehumanised people, turning men into "stumps" and "tombstones".
The desire for change
The repeated question "who is not frightened?" suggests that change is inevitable. The "tide of sadness" and "collapsing sky" indicate that the old system cannot continue.
Impending danger and violence
The poem foreshadows social upheaval accompanied by violence, death, and destruction. The references to "dead children" and "raging fire" suggest that change will come at a terrible cost.
Tone and mood
The poem combines several emotional tones:
- Repressed anger: Fury at injustice that's barely contained
- Fear: Anxiety about what violence might come
- Defiance: Refusal to accept the status quo
- Foreboding: A sense that something terrible is approaching
Important literary techniques
Extended metaphor
Winter represents much more than a season - it symbolises political and social transformation, violence, and the death of the old apartheid system.
Anaphora
The repeated phrase "who is not frightened?" creates rhythm and emphasises the poem's central message.
Contrast
Press juxtaposes the comfortable lives of white employers with the desperate poverty of their black workers.
Natural imagery
Weather, sea, and sky reflect the human turmoil and violence in society.
Pathetic Fallacy in Literature
Press uses pathetic fallacy (attributing human emotions to nature) throughout the poem. The "swollen" sea, "collapsing" sky, and "crying" wind all mirror human suffering, creating a unified atmosphere where nature itself reflects social turmoil.
Key Points to Remember:
- Context is crucial: This 1986 poem reflects the tensions and violence of late apartheid South Africa
- Winter = metaphor: The season represents political change, violence, and social upheaval, not just cold weather
- Rhetorical questions: "Who is not frightened?" doesn't seek answers but emphasises that everyone should fear what's coming
- Social inequality: The poem exposes the cruel contrasts between wealthy employers and impoverished workers under apartheid
- Inevitability of change: The repeated imagery of collapsing, drowning, and raging suggests that transformation cannot be stopped, though it will bring violence and suffering