What does Senghor mean when he writes in line four, "at the height of Summer and Noon"?
Why are "Summer" and "Noon" capitalized?
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About Me
- Daniel Freeman
- trying to figure out most of what there is to know about most things.
I think Summer and Noon are capitalized to draw emphasis on both times. "Sheilded my eyes and now at the height of Summer and Noon," both of these times are when the sun shines the brightest. Since the narrator's eyes were sheilded or blocked by something, it was when the sun shined the brightest did his eyes finally open to the truth that he did not see before.
ReplyDeleteActually Senghor wrote “The softness of your hands Shielded my eyes,” so I don’t think he necessarily took being shielded as a bad thing but rather to say that he didn’t appreciate Africa’s beauty because Africa was all he knew. I agree with dtwelve89 in that summer and Noon are capitalized to draw emphasis on both times because the sun shines very hot and bright during summer and, at noon the sun is overhead so there is no shadow to be shielded under. Here I think what Senghor is trying to say is that at a time like this where he is no longer shielded by the shadow he started to really see and appreciate the true beauty of Africa.
ReplyDeleteIf we look at the whole sentence, Senghor actually capitalized three words which are "Shielded", "Summer and Noon". Senghor used them to emphasize his different understanding and feeling for the beauty of African Countries and landscapes in two periods.
ReplyDeleteFormerly, he was growing up in the protection of his family(Because of the title is Black Women, I think he refer to his mother in here) and his motherland-Africa. Therefore, at that time he didn't see the full picture of the situation. He didn't realized all the goods of his mother and his motherland.
Now, at noon in the summer time, the sun lights is so strong; and Senghor is grown up. He can see everything now, not only the beauty of African lanscapes, but also the beauty spirits of black women and Africa.
Senghor is metaphorically speaking of a time of "enlightment" in his life, he does this by enphasizing the words "Summer and Noon" in reference to times of the year and the day were the sun reached its peak and transmits both light and energy to the earth. The poem goes on to "From the crest of a charred hilltop I discover you, Promised Land
ReplyDeleteAnd your beauty strikes my heart like an eagle's lighting flash". Again the writer refrences "lightning flash" to his "discovery' or enlightment of the beauty of his African motherland.