1. A Prayer for all my countrymen
GUY BUTLER
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

2. A Prayer for all my countrymen
Though now few eyes Can see beyond Our tragic times complexities Dear God ordain Such deeds be done Such words be said
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

3. That men will praise Your image yet When all these terrors And hates are dead
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

4. Through rotting days Beaten, broken, Some stayed pure; Others learnt how To grin and endure And here and there A heart stayed warm A head grew clear.
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

5. of the Witwatersrand and Rhodes University.
Guy Butler (full name Frederick Guy Butler, b. 21 January 1918 in Cradock, Eastern Cape South Africa - 26 April 2001, Grahamstown, South Africa) was a South African poet and writer.
He was born and educated in the Eastern Cape town of Cradock. He attended Rhodes University and received his MA in After marrying Jean Satchwell in 1940 he left South Africa to fight in the Second World War. After the war, he read English Literature at Brasenose College, Oxford University, graduating in He returned to South Africa, lecturing in English at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 1951, he returned to Rhodes University in Grahamstown to take up a post as Senior Lecturer, and a year later was made Professor and Head of English. He remained there until his retirement in 1987, when he was appointed Emeritus Professor and Honourary Research Fellow. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Natal, the University
of the Witwatersrand and Rhodes University.
Butler promoted the culture of English-speaking South Africans,
which led to the charge of separatism from some critics,
although he argued for integration rather than exclusivity.
He was influential in achieving the recognition of South African
English Literature as an accepted discipline. In his poetry he
strove for the synthesis of European and African elements into
a single voice
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

6. A Prayer for all my countrymen The title
A prayer to God at a time when there was political intolerance and injustice.
The prayer is meant for all his countrymen – people of all race, colour and creed.
My countrymen- implies that they are more than just people living in the same country – this suggests a sense of belonging – they all belong here.
The fact that the poet expresses his thoughts in the form of a prayer tells us that he is asserting his own faith, his belief and his trust in God.
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

7. A Prayer for all my countrymen The theme
Praying to God, on behalf of all South Africans, to remove all ideological tension and all injustice in South Africa by creating a better understanding between all people.
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

8. A Prayer for all my countrymen Compare this poem to our National Anthem
Lord, bless Africa May her spirit rise high up Hear thou our prayers Lord bless us.
Lord, bless Africa Banish wars and strife Lord, bless our nation Of South Africa.
Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa South Afrika – South Afrika.
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

9. They express the hope that there will be change
for the better somewhere in the future
What is implied by these words?
Metaphor
Though now few eyes
Can see beyond
Our tragic times complexities
The poet accuses the
majority of his countrymen
of not being able to envisage
the consequences of their
actions.
Further than
past
A time filled with tragedy and complicated and intricate problems.
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

10. The poet addresses God directly
Dear God ordain
Apostrophe
Order
Decree
Proclaim
Command
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH
The word
suggests
a tone of
reverence
A close
bond with
God

11. with kindness, consideration and justice
Such deeds be done
Such words be said
That men will praise
Your image yet
The tone of reverence
is sustained
treating one another
with kindness, consideration
and justice
Showing mutual respect and Christian charity
which will eventually lead to reconciliation.
Our actions and words
should reflect God’s image
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

12. This refers to deeds causing great fear, death and destruction
Political and social frustration lead to
senseless violence and terror
When all these terrors
And hates are dead
There is a positive tone in these words
The words imply that there is hope and things will change
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

13. This word alludes to the proverb: “To rot in jail”
Allusion
Through rotting days
Beaten, broken,
Some stayed pure;
This word alludes to the proverb:
“To rot in jail”
Not only physically harassed and tortured
Alliteration
This is reinforced by the
But also mentally dispirited
Not many remained true
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

14. Some people became conditioned not
to react when they were treated badly
Just to accept it with patience
Others learnt how
To grin and endure
Allusion
This phrase alludes to the idiom:
“To grin and bear”
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

15. This line links with the word “some” in line 14
meaning scattered thinly
And here and there
A heart stayed warm
A head grew clear.
Even amidst the anguish and the madness there are still signs of human dignity and goodness
MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH

16. A head grew clear. Somewhere somebody thought about
The situation with clarity
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17. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH