Question

In at least 150 words, identify evidence in “The child is not dead” that reveals the source of Ingrid Jonker’s inspiration for the poem. Explain how the poem was inspired by actual events in South Africa during apartheid.

Answer 1

Answer:

Ingrid Jonker

South African poet Ingrid Jonker lived only 32 years, committing suicide in 1965 when she walked into the sea and drowned at Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town. During her troubled life, however, she wrote prolifically, including the iconic poem 'The Child', about injustice in South Africa. She was a native of South Africa, and was outraged about the violence and discrimination connected to the South African system of Apartheid. This system was a way of institutionalizing and sanctioning racial discrimination in South Africa between 1948 and 1991.