Where the Rainbow Ends-Richard Rive Central Idea and Summary

Where the Rainbow Ends!   

- Richard Rive  

About Poet:
 Richard Rive was born on 1 March 1931 in Caledon Street in Cape Town, South Africa. His father was an African. Rive went to St Mark's Primary School and Trafalgar High School. Later he  obtained a BA degree from the University of Cape Town, followed by an MA degree from Columbia University in the United States, and a Doctorate from Oxford University. He was the Head of the English Department at Hewat College for years. In 1965, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship. Rive was a firm believer in anti-racism and decided to stay in his country in order that he could influence its development there. Rive was shot to death at his home in Cape Town in 1989.

About Poet:
This is a beautiful poem about friendship and racial harmony. The poet makes the point that no matter how different people are it is possible to be friends. He does not say that this will be an easy process as people are different. He says it is possible to have harmony if people try hard. Also, the title of the poem is significant as folklore has it that there is a pot of gold to be found where the rainbow ends. Rainbow signifies different colours in a band and the poet is trying to say that different coloured people can find happiness together.
This poem is all about importance of equality and brotherhood. Since, the time has passed we can see the world has made a huge differences on the basis of caste, creed, colour, etc. The poet wants to search a place where such differentiation is not made. It encourages all the mankind not to be racist and abet people to be non-racist abandoning the racism from the whole world!