Essay Questions

What is the effect of the Jamaican dialect in "Sonny’s Lettah"?

For a non- Jamaican reader, decoding the message in Sonny’s letter would require an exhaustive deconstruction because the Jamaican dialect is different from the standard English. The Jamaican dialect heightens the reader’s involvement in the poem. Scrutinizing the poem, word by word, enables the reader to comprehend and empathize with Sonny and his brother. Also, the dialect , puts the letter in its immediate, Jamaican context. Moreover, the dialect highlights Sonny’s strain to explain to his mother what he and his brother endured in the hands of police as his mother would be adversely affected by the news.

What are the main factors that shape the “Age of Reality” in the poem Reality?

The binary oppositions that are prevalent in the age of reality include: reality/mythology; technology/antiquity; reality/clarity; vanity/insanity. The Age of Reality is contingent on science and technology and clarity. Science and Technology refutes the role of mythology and antiquity, and this increases clarity on various issues that require in-depth analyses. Even though we are in the Age of Reason, some people still espouse the ideals in myths and antiquity practices.

Provide an example of a slippery slope in the poem “Reality”

The speaker says: “W'en wi can't face reality/ Wi leggo wi clarity/ Some latch aan to vanity/Some hol' insanity/Some get vision/Start preach relijan.” The events outlined in the sentences above are analogous to a progression that is inevitable. The lines are an example of a slippery slope which means that the unwillingness to embrace reality results in the 'abandonment of clarity, holding onto vanity; insanity, visions and preaching.'