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"Touch" attempts to capture the poet's emotions when he spent seven years as a political prisoner in
Pretoria Central Prison. During that time, he longed for the emotion of physical affection but all he
received was the brutality of being assaulted by the prison wardens who not only beat him physically but
also groped him continually each day, supposedly searching his body for concealed objects.
ABOUT THE POET
Hugh Lewin grew up during South Africa's apartheid years. Upon leaving school, he became a journalist,
working for Pietermaritzburg's Natal Witness, Drum and Golden City Post.
His observation of the repressive South African regime eventually became too much for him and he
resorted to fighting vehemently to bring about its downfall. In 1965 he was sentenced to seven years
imprisonment for sabotage. The poem "Touch" is an attempt to capture his feelings during those horrific
years in gaol.
Upon being released from prison in 1971, Lewin chose to leave the country on what was known as a
"permanent departure permit". In other words, he could never return to the place of his birth. He would
spend ten years in exile in London, followed by a further ten years in Zimbabwe.
He returned to South Africa in 1992 upon the cessation of the apartheid system and thereupon became
the Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg. Today he is a
freelance media trainer.
Lewin has written several books and poems, and he has been the recipient of several literary awards.
The poet says the following of this poem: "It's very emotional because the poem reminds me of so many
aspects of what it was like being in prison: the violence, cruelty and brutality. Reading it remains an
intense experience for me because the memories it evokes are still very strong."
"Prison remains a touchstone for me," he says, "and is still very much part of my life, even though I was
released in 1971. I still refer back to the experience, whether I want to or not. It was a terribly cataclysmic
but important part of my life."
Lewin wishes that readers of this poem would arrive at a deeper understanding of their own emotions and
the world in which they live, as well as an appreciation for the power of poetry, and how useful and
important it can be when it comes to describing emotions and feelings.
"If the poem also helps them to appreciate what was happening in this country before they were born,"
he says, "and the sacrifices made in the run up to the 1994 elections, I'd be very pleased."
"Of course, it would also be great," he added, "if the poem encourages students to write poems
themselves and to explore the role of literature in society."
Note: Excerpts from an interview of the poet are taken from:
The English Experience
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
Comment on the STYLE adopted in this poem. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet focuses on the emotion contained in this poem, choosing to ignore such things as rhythm and
rhyme. Indeed, it's a good example of FREE VERSE, a form of poetry that does not use consistent
rhythm, rhyme, or any other lyrical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. This
therefore makes it easier to read and understand.
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"When I get out
I'm going to ask someone
to touch me
very gently please
and slowly,
touch me
I want
to learn again
how life feels."
- Where was this poem being written? How do you know? (4)
[Need help?]
The poem was being written while the poet was still in prison. We know because he says, "When I get
out."
The poet himself says this: "A fellow political prisoner, Ivan Schermbrucker, came to my cell one evening
just before lock up, rattled on my door and said you have got to write up what has happened and what
they've done to us'." He started writing "Touch" that very evening.
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- Why would he want someone "to touch me"? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet had suffered the brutality of prison life for seven years where there was no affection whatever.
He longs therefore to be free, to be able to show affection and to have affection showed to him.
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- Had the poet not been touched in prison? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet had indeed been touched but only by way of brutality: being beaten up and having prison
warders grope him, supposedly in search of things he might be hiding. This was something which
happened three or four times each day when the prisoners were returning from the workshops to their
cells.
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- What do the words "I want to learn again how life feels" tell us about prison life? (4)
[Need help?]
Prison life is at best barbaric. It is also totally divorced from real life where affections, emotional warmth
and friendly relationships are the norm. So different was it that within but a few years the poet had even
forgotten what it was like to be a normal person. He would have to learn all over again.
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"I've been untouched
out of touch
and I've learnt
to know now
the meaning of
untouchable."
- What is the meaning of "untouchable"? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet himself says that it is, primarily, a reference to the Pariah or "Harijans" in the Indian caste
system, the people with the lowest status who are considered "outcasts" and "untouchables" - people who,
literally, cannot be touched by others.
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- On the other hand, it would appear to be a contradiction for the poet to refer to himself in this context
as "untouchable". Why? (4)
[Need help?]
An "untouchable" would literally not have been touched. It would have defiled anyone to have touched
them. Even hitting such a person would have brought "uncleanness" upon the perpetrator.
The prisoners, however, were being touched at least three or four times a day, either by being hit by the
warders or by being groped by them.
On the other hand, it would have been the warders who were "untouchables" because the prisoners could
in no way retaliate for the brutality being inflicted upon them.
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"One: fists
At the beginning
fierce mad fists
beating beating."
- Explain the reason for the repetition of the word "beating". (4)
[Need help?]
Repetition is usually for emphasis. In this case, the poet repeats the word "beating" to underline the fact
that the prisoners were being brutalised over and over by the warders.
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- Why were they "fierce mad fists"? (4)
[Need help?]
"Fierce" of course tells us of the brutality, doesn't it? On the other hand, the fists themselves aren't mad.
It's the prison warders who are mad. This is an example of TRANSFERRED EPITHET, isn't it? Where
the madness of the warders is transferred to a description of their fists.
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