A critical evaluation of the poetry of S.R. Machaka

Abstract

A wide variety of aspects of Machaka's poetry was treated. His poetry which is meaningful when viewed against his traditional culture brings inspiration and a formal mode of literary expression. Death was never accepted by the Tlokwa as an end to life. Machaka has succeeded in blending the ancestral worship with Christian faith. He has used euphemism to modify pain. He makes use of imagery to execute cruelty and bluntness of death. Machaka's protest poetry echoes the same protest of those of other protesters. These refer to the injustice the Blacks experienced from the white regime prior to independence. From his love poems, it is noticed that Machaka is a great lover. When he is in love, he becomes a slave. Machaka uses traditional and modem praise poetry techniques. This made him manage to produce poetry which made a definite impact on Northern Sotho literature and contributed to its depth