The main themes of the poem revolve around things like broken promises, corruption, and how poor people are affected. The main idea is about promises made by leaders that were not kept. It shows how politicians say they’ll do good things for the public, but in reality, those promises often don’t come true. The poem gives us a look into the difficult lives of people in South Africa during the 1990s, especially in the poorer areas. It highlights problems like not having a proper place to live, lack of basic needs like clean water and electricity, and how politicians’ words often don’t match their actions.

Housing Targets Summary

1. Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem can be found in the lines “skins/ scribbled,” “smile and shake,” “puzzled/ at precisely,” etc.
2. Irony – irony is used when what the poet says is in contradiction to what they actually mean. In this poem, the poet uses irony when the poet describes the contrast between the promised dreams and the harsh reality.
3. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the “foundation” of the houses to the foundation of the hope and dreams of the community.
4. Imagery- imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. The poet uses visual imagery to paint a picture of the unfinished housing project. Imagery can be seen in the lines “Bricks pile up in the field” and “ my bed is going here.”
5. Enjambment – enjambment is when the line is continued onto the next line without any pause. In the poem, the poet uses enjambment to create a connection between the stanzas and create a smooth flow of the ideas.
6. Personification- personification is used when the poet gives human-like qualities to non-human objects. The poem personifies the reporters and the positions in the lines “racing engines/ turn around.”

Housing Targets Summary