Summary Of The Poem City Johannesburg

The poem “City Johannesburg” is about the relationship between the speaker, an African man working in the urban area during the Apartheid era, and the city, Johannesburg. It emphasises the oppression and dehumanisation caused by the Apartheid system in the past. The urban area is shown to be vast and controlling, a place of anxiety and sorrow for the man. The poem also deals with some similarities and differences between the rural and urban areas.

The title of the poem, “City Johannesburg” refers to the setting, namely Johannesburg and it also refers to a deeper meaning that characterizes the oppressive nature of Apartheid in the past. Similarly, there is still tension between different races in the country currently. After Apartheid era, the country was left socio-economically divided by race. As a ‘Born Free’, this has shaped me to try and eliminate the traces of oppression and profound racism still seen today because there still seems to be a clear divide of “us” and “them”, even after 20 years of democracy. In the beginning of the poem, the poet speaks about his life, “For my pass, my life” (Serote, W. 2002: 4) and towards the end he speaks about his death, “My dongas, my dust, my people, my death” (Serote, W. 2002: 32). These lines are contrasting and compare the pass which allows him to live in a township and work in the city, to his death. The speaker’s daily movement between the township and the city emphasises the lives of the workers in the past and present.

The images such as “roboted roads”, “thick iron breath” and “neon flowers” (Serote, W. 2002: 20-25) describe various aspects of the city. These examples reveal the controlling effects of industry in the city and also the artificial beauty of the city in the dark. ...

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...was said to be a symbol of success and pride. “We boasted about the Carlton – it was said to be the greatest concrete erection in the world.” (Hope, C. 2002: 134) In the past, it had been the tallest tower and richest hotel in Johannesburg. The building was once a proud reminder to the Johannesburg residents that their hospitality was amongst the finest in the world. “The Carlton, like central Jo’burg, is a place where no one walks.” Now, the building is seen as a symbol of defeat and decay. I view the Carlton Centre as a money making project that paid off until the 1990s. Although the complex is slowly re-emerging in trading, many people including myself see it as the failure of the city's business tycoons.

By referring to the opinion piece, Johannesburg has shaped me to become more aware of my security at my University because of the high crime rates presently.