'Coolie Mother' answers
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

Here are the answers to those few questions on 'Coolie Mother' that you were given in the last lesson.

1. Jasmattie is a poor, hard-working Indo-Guyanese mother who is determined to see that her son gets an education.

2. It is not true that Jasmattie lives in luxury. On the contrary, she lives in very difficult circumstances. Her very small house is falling down. She has to work extremely hard in order to 'make ends meet'. She fetches her water from the river as she has no access to piped water. In addition, she is ill - coughing blood.

3. He wishes us to recognise her inner strength and her resolve to give her son the opportunity to have a better life than she does.

4. This poem tells the story of an underprivileged but diligent woman. I wonder if any of you know the brand name Bata. Years ago, this used to be a popular brand of shoes, sold in stores of the same name in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. The poet compares Jasmattie's house to a shoe box so that we can get an idea of its size, its cramped condition. In the same verse, the first one, we find out that she is a casual labourer, doing whatever job she can find. She washes clothes, weeds yards, chops wood and feeds fowls. She cannot refuse any job, for she wishes to save as much as possible. Nothing stops her from working towards the realisation of the goal she has, not the cuts on the bottoms of her feet and not even her ailment - which could be tuberculosis. Please notice, too, that there is no mention of her seeking or receiving medical attention.

Have you ever seen red ants? Have you ever seen them swarming? Then you know that the image is one of abundance - of a great many ants running around, climbing over each other, jostling against each other. This is the picture we get when we hear how Jasmattie curses. Do you think there is any significance to the type of ants chosen by the poet? Consider! This type of insect is also called fire ant. Its bite is painful and, depending on the species, may even be poisonous. What is clear is that this woman could curse coarsely and fluently.

Resolute stance

The last line of the third stanza emphasises the mother's resolute stance. The speaker is not saying that she is 'hard hearted' in a bad way, but that she can endure hardship in the pursuit of her goals. She willingly undergoes pain or anything else for the sake of her son's future. There is no obstacle that will deter her.

Jasmattie saves from what she earns ... it is not much, but she knows that the small sums that she puts aside will grow. Of interest is the Guyanese saying 'one-one dutty make dam cross the Canje', which means the same as our 'one-one cocoa full basket'. The Canje river, found in northeastern Guyana, is the main tributary of the Berbice River. It supplies water to more than 92,000 acres of agricultural land. This is the river Jasmattie chooses to symbolise her efforts. You can understand from this how long and hard she will have to work to be able to save sufficient funds for Harilall's education. Yet she is not daunted, for in the same way that the river supports farming, she hopes that her efforts will bring success.

Finally, the poem ends by stating that she wants her son to attend an English university to equip him for life, so as not to turn out to be worthless like his father.

Let us now examine other aspects of 'Coolie Mother'. Look at the last word in the first line 'bruk' -. It is really part of a hyphenated word-bruk-down. What do you think is the effect of this placement? To me, it emphasises the condition of the hut; ensures that we cannot ignore its dilapidated condition and points us to the poor economic status of the persona. Next, I would like you to think about the poet's use of the harsh sounds in 'bruk', 'big', 'Bata', 'box', and 'beat' and so on, as well as his use of free verse. Pay attention, too, to Dabydeen's use of repetition and his choice of words.

Please spend quality time enjoying this poem. In our next lesson we will return to the novel. Please take care of yourselves and God bless!

Miss Braeton, Rhianna Rose, is flanked by her runners-up, Kashay Smith (left) and Shantelle Stewart, following the Braeton Primary and Junior High beauty pageant at the school, recently. - Ian Allen/ Staff Photo-grapher

Beryl Clarke teaches at Glenmuir High School.