“The Garden”
The resolution to forfeit “Sluggo our loveable calico,/who could purr his way into anyone’s heart,” is ironic because Sluggo was not as bothersome as Mphahlele. Customarily, the partners would have elected to give away Mphahlele in order to steer clear of his misanthropies. Evidently, the decision was attributed to deep-seated empathy. The two cats are irreconcilable due to the divergent dispositions. The cats cannot live peaceably with each other; hence, they assail each other habitually. Splitting up the cats is the only way to defend against their foreseeable devastation.
“Fragment of Ancient Skull”
“Fragment of Ancient Skull” uncovers the drawbacks of idealizing vicious warfare. The predicament of the skull is ascribed to the owner’s reluctance to “die for his country.” The young man’s tender refusal is construed as deficiency of patriotism which subjects him to murder. The killing suggests that the definitive end in a young man’s existence is being deprived of his life for the sake of his country. The young man dies outside the battle field nonetheless. The idealization of war presents young men two courses namely: war or execution ,both of which conclude in death.
“Crossing the River”
“Crossing the River” depicts the interrelationship between the poem that the speaker is translating and death. Death is analogous to “crossing the river” of life. One side of the river signifies existence and the other side denotes lifelessness. Perhaps, it is the content in the poem (“Crossing the River”) that elicits the speaker’s brooding regarding death.
