Question

With the stampeding hiss and scurry of green lemmings,

midsummer's leaves race to extinction like the roar
of a Brixton riot tunneled by water hoses;
they seethe toward autumn's fire—it is in their nature,
being men as well as leaves, to die for the sun. can anyone paraphrase this because I don't understand the the metaphor at the end "being men as well as leaves, to die for the sun" thank you !!

Answer 1

Sample Response: The speaker in Derek Walcott’s Midsummer makes allusions to the Brixton riots. These allusions show that the speaker is thinking about racial tension in England and sees England as a place of unrest and discord. The speaker also makes allusions to many different Shakespearean texts. Although someone tells the speaker that black actors have “no experience” with Shakespeare, these allusions display the speaker’s deep knowledge of Shakespeare. These allusions help reveal his perspective that British culture belongs to people of all races.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sample response on ED.

Answer 2

A Possible Explanation: I believe the metaphor at the end, "being men as well as leaves, to die for the sun", is referring back to the personification/simile seen here: "midsummer's leaves race to extinction like the roar

of a Brixton riot tunneled by water hoses".

In tandem, the word lemmings has two meanings, as read in the dictionary: "a small, short-tailed, thickset rodent related to the voles, found in the Arctic tundra."

and

"a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to destruction."

I believe "autumn's fire" and "the sun" are both symbolic of war, an idea of it, and/or passion for it. I read that this poem is criticizing the human aspect that is war and how short-lived and ignorant it all ends up coming out to be.

I hope this helps ♡