Candidates were requested to describe the two kinds of movements of the boy on the swing and what they represent, for instance as the swing moves slowly to and fro, the boy seems to be joyful and happy but when the swing starts moving faster and faster, his joy and happiness give way to serious concern when “east becomes west”. Thus, the boy finds himself in confusion only his mother can explain things to him. The rhetorical questions which the boy asks: where did I come from? Suggests he is increasingly worried about his identity. When will I wear long trousers? Implies the misery around him and why was my father jailed? This suggests the injustice in society. Many candidates merely discussed the general problems of the blacks under apartheid in South Africa, without recourse to the poem.
The question was poorly attempted by the candidates.
