The Serf – Roy Campbell

1. The Serf – Roy Campbell MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

2. His naked skin clothed in the torrid mist • That puffs in smoke around the patient hooves, • The ploughman drives, a slow somnambulist, • And through the green his crimson furrow grooves • His heart, more deeply than he wounds the plain, • Long by the rasping share of insult torn, • Red clod, to which the war-cry once was rain • And tribal spears the fatal sheaves of corn, • Lies fallow now. But as the turf divides • I see in the slow progress of his strides • Over the toppled clods and falling flowers, • The timeless, surly patience of the serf • That moves the nearest to the naked earth • And ploughs down palaces, and thrones and towers. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

3. SONNET NUMBER OF LINES? 14 = sonnet STRUCTURE: Irregular sonnet OCTAVE 1 – 4: FIRST QUATRAIN 5 – 8 + HALF OF 9 = SECOND QUATRAIN SESTET HALF OF 9 - 14 MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

4. The title • The serf • serf  –noun • 1. a person in a condition of servitude, required to render services to a lord, commonly attached to the lord's land and transferred with it from one owner to another. • 2. a slave. • Origin: 1475–85; < MF < L servus  slave MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

5. In the poem the serf represents the masses of oppressed people who were forced to work in the service of their masters. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

6. Covered so thickly it looks like clothes - metaphor Hot Stifling Sweltering • His naked skin clothed in the torrid mist oxymoron Stands open – is vulnerable The man is defenceless Cool moist “torrid mist” is a metaphor for the dust created by the hooves of the oxen and the plough MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

7. personification • 2. That puffs in smoke around the patient hooves, The cattle walking slowly and patiently in front of the plough. The undertone of this metaphor and the “torrid mist” is one of menace – hidden passions – the serf is patiently waiting for the right opportunity. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

8. The serf is lethargic and listless – he is performing this task because he is forced to do so. Alliteration Slow emphasises the apathy Sleepwalker • The ploughman drives, a slow somnambulist, • And through the green his crimson furrow grooves. Rich, red soil Both these metaphors point forward to the imagery in the second quatrain The word is usually used as a noun, but in this context it is used as a verb. It suggests that the furrow cuts into the earth like a bleeding wound. Note the connection – he wounds his heart! MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

9. The labourer’s heart has been cut up and wounded by the cutting, humiliating and nasty things said to him by people over the years. • His heart, more deeply than he wounds the plain, • Long by the rasping share of insult torn, Personification Plain – flat area of land Comparative degree of the adverb The heart is the seat of emotions • Rhyme • emphasis Inversion The servant has been humiliated for a long time – he has been hurt by insults MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

10. War and agriculture become intertwined • Red clod, to which the war-cry once was rain • And tribal spears the fatal sheaves of corn, When they hear the war-cry – they are inspired and enthused to go to war –metaphor Just as the rain causes plants to “stand up” and grow, so does the war-cry cause them to “stand up” and fight! How can a war-cry be rain? What does rain do in nature? MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

11. Although his proud heart no longer shows his warlike temperament it does not mean that the characteristic is gone. His emotions are sleeping(dormant) because he has been made subservient – been oppressed for so long. His heart has not received the invigorating cry of revolt, rebellion or war. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

12. SINGULAR VERB Red clot His heart • Lies fallow now. But as the turf divides Uncultivated, empty, barren But The change in tone – the sleepwalker will be woken His patience will change into an eventual, final destructive force. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

13. 10. I see in the slow progress of his strides The speaker makes the prophesy – there is growth and advancement albeit slow! A strong word– linked with ‘drives’ The poet realises that the serf is displaying the eternal, sullen patience of those who, throughout the centuries, have had to endure their lot – and through history have proved that suppressed anger can be very dangerous. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

14. Over the toppled clods and falling flowers, • The timeless, surly patience of the serf oxymoron This adjective proves that the serf is discontented or unhappy Gruff, rude, discourteous, bad-tempered MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

15. Note the close bond with the earth (superlative degree) • That moves the nearest to the naked earth • And ploughs down palaces, and thrones, and towers. Mark the heavy measured tone – how the repetition of the ‘and’ and the comma forces the reader to pause – this creates a dramatic impact. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

16. The hidden forces remain in the man and the speaker realises that one day this man will destroy all the wealth and authority that stands in his way. The repetition of the “and” means nobody will escape. All those that are now mighty and rich will be overthrown and brought down. This will be the harvest of the serf. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

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18. SONNET NUMBER OF LINES? 14 = sonnet STRUCTURE: Irregular sonnet OCTAVE 1 – 4: FIRST QUATRAIN 5 – 8 + HALF OF 9 = SECOND QUATRAIN SESTET HALF OF 9 - 14 The serf ploughs his master’s field – showing indifference His heart – which has been hurt by insult is empty but has a latent power One day this potential danger will erupt, destroying the civilization which enslaved him MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

19. Theme Subservient people possess a latent power which will, when it is unleashed, destroy the authorities that have enslaved them. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH