in the poem, it is clear that the author is critical of Johannesburg, the city in which the poem is set. The poem is composed of oppressive images, such as traffic flowing in the sick and dreamers dy

Lesego Rampolokeng's poem "Johannesburg" employs vivid and evocative imagery to convey a critical view of the city, highlighting themes of deception, struggle, and existential despair. Let’s break down the imagery and its implications: ### First Stanza **Johannesburg my city Paved with judas gold Deceptions and lies Dreams come here to die** - **"Johannesburg my city":** The persona establishes a personal connection with the city, suggesting intimacy and familiarity. - **"Paved with judas gold":** This metaphor paints Johannesburg’s wealth as ill-gotten, comparing it to Judas’ thirty pieces of silver, emblematic of betrayal and treachery. - **"Deceptions and lies":** This straightforward statement reinforces the idea of the city's false promises. - **"Dreams come here to die":** Dreaming, often representing hope and aspiration, is paradoxically linked to death, suggesting that Johannesburg is where ambitions are quashed. ### Second Stanza **Traffic flows in the sick Vein of life as we tick With the eternal time bomb Of our own extinction** - **"Traffic flows in the sick / Vein of life":** The city’s traffic is likened to a diseased bloodstream, indicating an unhealthy, throbbing pulse sustaining the city. - **"As we tick / With the eternal time bomb / Of our own extinction":** The ticking time bomb imagery suggests imminent destruction or disaster, adding a sense of urgency and peril to the city’s daily hustle. ### Third Stanza **We walk of uncertainty Swaggering to disguise Our staggering heart-treads We’re all recession whipped Into the repression machine** - **"We walk of uncertainty / Swaggering to disguise / Our staggering heart-treads":** This imagery captures people’s external confidence masking internal insecurity and vulnerability. - **"We’re all recession whipped / Into the repression machine":** Economic hardship (recession whipped) drives individuals into a metaphorical "repression machine," suggesting systemic suppression and dehumanization. **Mirrored in the glass towers The green pastures of wealth Are vaults of death** - **"Mirrored in the glass towers":** Skyscrapers reflect not affluence but something more sinister. - **"The green pastures of wealth / Are vaults of death":** What is normally associated with prosperity (green pastures) is ironically described as places of entrapment and demise. ### Fourth Stanza **Nothing is secure Neither politics nor prayer Can guarantee the future** - **"Nothing is secure":** This line captures pervasive instability and uncertainty. - **"Neither politics nor prayer / Can guarantee the future":** Both human institutions and spiritual endeavors are depicted as powerless against this uncertainty. ### Fifth Stanza **Jo’burg my city Here our birth is a lie We just rush to die Without living Just existing To keep the money belt spinning** - **"Jo’burg my city":** Reiterates the personal but now more disillusioned connection. - **"Here our birth is a lie / We just rush to die / Without living":** Suggests a fundamental falsehood or betrayal at the heart of life in the city, emphasizing a lack of true living. - **"Just existing / To keep the money belt spinning":** Indicates a life of mere survival, functioning to sustain economic cycles rather than finding personal fulfillment. **Only the wise come out winning & the rest Feet first** As pawns of evil hand or ogre eye Or else On the fringe Of our own insanity** - **"Only the wise come out winning / & the rest / Feet first":** Note that "feet first" implies death (as in being carried out of somewhere), making a dark claim that survival of the fittest is life or death. - **"As pawns of evil hand or ogre eye":** The imagery of being controlled by malevolent forces suggests a lack of autonomy and exploitation by larger, oppressive powers. - **"Or else / On the fringe / Of our own insanity":** Alternatively, those who aren’t outright victims exist on the verge of psychological breakdowns, highlighting the immense pressure and madness induced by the city’s environment. ### Conclusion Rampolokeng’s use of imagery in "Johannesburg" creates a portrait of a city marked by betrayal, exploitation, and existential dread. The poem's stark metaphors and oxymorons expose the grim reality behind the facade of urban prosperity, showing a city where the struggle for wealth and survival exacts a heavy toll on its inhabitants.

"Johannesburg" by Lesego Rampolokeng is a dark, evocative poem that comments on the harsh realities present in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Through the usage of striking imagery and powerful metaphors, the poet captures the sense of urban decay, social unrest, and the struggle for survival in this concrete jungle. The imagery in the poem reveals a city tainted by deception, superficiality, and danger. In the first stanza, the poet refers to Johannesburg as being "Paved with Judas gold" (line 2), alluding to the biblical figure, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus for money. This image of betrayal and dishonesty sets the tone for the rest of the poem, highlighting the theme of corruption within the city. Furthermore, the line "Dreams come here to die" (line 4) paints a grim picture of the city as a place where aspirations and hopes are extinguished quickly, leaving only despair. In lines 5-8, the poet uses the imagery of "the sick/ Vein of life" (lines 5-6) to liken the flow of traffic to a diseased and fragile blood vessel. This metaphor suggests that Johannesburg is contaminated, structurally unstable, and prone to eventual collapse, with its inhabitants heading blindly towards "our own extinction" (line 8). The following stanzas work to highlight the uncertainties of life in Johannesburg, using a mixture of imagery and metaphor to convey a sense of desolation and fear. Lines 9-11 portray the people "Swaggering to disguise/ Our staggering heart-treads," illustrating the false bravado and sorrow that is masked by those who call the city home. The imagery of the "glass towers" and "green pastures of wealth" (lines 14-15) describes the facade of opulence and success that the city projects, in stark contrast to the pervasive inequality and desperation experienced by many of its residents. The poet points out that even wealth cannot offer security, highlighting the bleak reality that "Nothing is secure" (line 17) in Johannesburg. In the final stanzas of the poem, the imagery of rushing to die without ever truly living (lines 21-24) underscores a sense of hopelessness for those who struggle to survive and merely "exist" in the city. This is further reinforced in lines 25-30 when the poet speaks of "the wise come out winning," while the rest are left "Feet first/ As pawns of evil hand or ogre eye," suggesting that only a select few can successfully navigate the complex social and economic landscape of Johannesburg. Lastly, the poem leaves us with the chilling image of "the fringe/ Of our own insanity" (lines 31-32), further emphasizing the grim reality faced by the city's inhabitants. To conclude, the poem "Johannesburg" by Lesego Rampolokeng uses vivid imagery to portray a city marked by discord, despair, and an uncertain future. The images of corruption, betrayal, disease, and decay create a potent depiction of a city grappling with the harsh realities of urban survival and societal collapse. The poem serves as a powerful commentary on the social inequalities and struggles present in Johannesburg, resonating with readers on an emotional level and urging them to question the values and structures upon which their own societies may be built.