2.1 'TRANSFOMING MOMENTS' EXTRACT [The narrator has returned from the village with Father Fikeni.] It was Monday afternoon and I was lying on my stomach at my favourite corner under the black wattle trees when I wrote my first poem. I've never had a child, but the great feeling that swept over me was too overwhelming for words, maybe that's how people feel when they have their first baby, I don't know. I sat up and read it out loud. I liked the sound of my own voice - I liked to hear the poem. I put the paper down and ran my fingers on my face to feel my features the smile that wouldn't leave my face, my nose, cheekbones, my eyes, my ears - everything just felt fine. My voice sounded like it was a special voice made especially to recite poems with dignity. Resonant - was that it? That's the day I fell in love with myself - everything about me was just perfect. - my I collected my books and the towel I was lying on, stood up and stretching my limbs - I felt tall and fit. I felt like jumping and laughing until I could not laugh any more. I wanted tomorrow to come so I could go buy myself a new notebook to write my poems in. A woman praise poet I'd never heard of one, but what did it matter? - I could be the first one. - 2.1.1 Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence. Write only the letter (A-D) next to the question number (2.1.1) in the ANSWER BOOK. The main reason Father Fikeni takes the narrator to the village is to visit the... 5 10 15 A tribal chief. B community elders. C church minister. D praise poet. (1) € € € €€ 2.1.2 Using your OWN words, explain why the following statement is FALSE: The girls at school approve of the rugby boy's interest in the speaker. 2.1.3 Earlier in the story, the narrator was popular among some of her classmates. Give a reason for her popularity. 2.1.4 State the benefits that the narrator's love for reading has in her life. 2.1.5 Refer to lines 2-4 'I've never had... their first baby'. (a) (b) Identify the narrator's tone in these lines. Why does the narrator use this tone? 2.1.6 Refer to line 8-9 'My voice sounded... a special voice' 2
