Poetry Analysis: Growing Up with Poetry By David Rubadiri
INRODUCTION
1. BUILDING THE NATION
By Christopher H. M.
Barlow (Uganda)
Today I did my share
In building the nation.
I drove the permanent secretary
To an important urgent function
In fact to a luncheon at the Vic.
The menu reflected its importance
Cold Bell beer with small talk,
Then fried chicken with niceties
Wine to fill the hollowness of the laughs
Ice-ream to cover the stereotype jokes
Coffee to keep the PS awake on return journey.
I drove the permanent secretary back.
He yawned many times in the back of the car
Then to keep awake, he suddenly asked,
Did you have any lunch friend?
I replied looking straight ahead
And secretly smiling at his belated concern
That I had not, but was sliming!
Upon which he said with a seriousness
That amused more than annoyed me,
Mwananchi, I too had none!
I attended to
matters of state.
Highly delicate diplomatic duties you know,
And friend, it goes against my grain,
Causes me stomach ulcers and wind.
Ah, he continued, yawning again,
The pains we suffer in building the nation!
So the PS had ulcers too!
My ulcers I think are equally painful
Only they are caused by hunger,
No sumptuous lunches!
So two nation builders
Arrived home this evening
With terrible stomach pains
The result of building the nation –
-
Different ways.
INTRODUCTION.
Building the nation is a poem by a Ugandan
poet Christopher Henry Muwanga Barlow
that principally explores the lifestyle of African bourgeoisie who came to
power after colonialism and ideally, simply replaced the coloniser. There is a
need for African leaders to create hope for those they lead but they are caught
up in the same evil lifestyle of their colonial predecessors. The aspects of
nation building which were supposed to dominate public and political policies
have been thrust to the periphery of human thought.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS.
DISILLUSIONMENT
The kind of disillusionment portrayed in the poem is
that which Africans have towards their leaders who have adopted the very tenets
of the colonisers from whom they got power. Essentially, the idea of nation
building turns out to be a very complicated phenomenon where those who are
central to the process have their efforts wasted by leaders who can implement
policies.
The persona shows more disillusionment by stating that
at the meeting “the menu reflected its
importance/ Cold Bell beer with small talks/ Then fried chicken with niceties/
wine…/ ice cream …/coffee… (lines 6-11). This reflects the triviality of a
meeting where serious issues were supposed to be discussed.
LIES AND HYPOCRISY.
This has been a vital tool for most politicians when
they want to win more votes from their ignorant masses. They make heaps of lies
on the optimistic crowds but eventually everything turns out only a nightmare.
The PS lies to the driver that he did not have any meal just as did the driver
yet you and I know that he had a very heavy and sumptuous lunch. He even shows his hypocrisy more clearly when
he asks this question. “then to keep
awake he suddenly asked/Did you have any lunch friend?”. It is rather sad
to note that he does not ask whether the driver has eaten anything because he
is concerned about his welfare, but it is simply to keep himself awake through
the journey.
CLASSES.
In a broader way the poem thoroughly depicts two
classes in one society. There is middle class and lower class. Both of them are
supposed to mutually benefit from the national resources. Yet the middle class
that is represented by the PS exploits the lower class that more often than not
comprises those who are involved in the modes of production. For example the
driver drives the PS to the place where there is feasting (eating) while the
driver does not take part in the feasting. The role of both classes is building
the nation, but the middle class has just become the parasites who feed on the
national resources at the expense of the masses. They are not building the
nation at all but building their stomachs.
MARGINALIZATION AND
EXPLOITATION
Furthermore in the poem, the two parties represent the
two strands of nation builders that are in most African states. On one side
there are those represented by the driver (the local masses) while on the other
hand we have high class being represented by the PS. The later is very busy
misquandering the public funds which can be used to rebuild the nations. The
masses are the hardworking people whose benevolence is easily taken for granted
by those in power. There are those who eat extravagantly and those who work on
empty stomachs. The persona himself comes from the marginalized class. His
disillusionment is caused by lifestyles of African leaders and informs his
fellow countrymen what is actually happening.
AWARENESS
The poem paints a picture of awareness that those who
are oppressed are now aware that those in power are exploiting them. This is an
important step as long as the liberation of the oppressed is concerned. It is
also a significant step if the nation is to realise sustainable development
where the national resources will be mutually utilized for the benefit of not
only the ruling class but the masses as well.
If we examine the end of the poem it seems to induce a
kind of anger that should lead to vengeance (revenge). The persona is appealing
to the oppressed to rise to the occasion and deal with the ruling class.
The fact that “two
nation builders/ arrived home this evening/with terrible stomach pain/the
result of building the nation/different ways” is more like an appeal to
emotions where the persona seeks actions from the masses.
In a way, the persona calls for a reaction towards the
ruling class’s hypocritical nation building where they pretend to have welfare
of the masses at heart while in real sense they just want to capitalize on
their efforts.
VULNERABILITY OF
HUMANITY.
Nevertheless, the persona seems to have hopes in some
facts that both the African bourgeoisie and the proletariats have their points
of vulnerability. They both suffer in one way or another because of their own
actions and lifestyles. For instance the driver becomes sick because of lack of
food while the PS becomes sick for eating too much.
So Ps has ulcers too!
My ulcers I think are
equally painful
Only they are caused by
hunger,
No sumptuous lunches!
MESSAGE.
If
we wish to do well in nation building we must as public servants respect
everything that belongs to the state; money, property, working hours etc.
If
the high class is not careful with nation building one day the oppressed may
revolt.
RELEVANCE
The poem is relevant in our country in a number of
ways.
Today
we have a lot of leaders who misuse the public funds while those who are
involved in the means of production live in dire poverty.
Hypocrisy
has also become a way of life.
Classes,
exploitation and marginalization are also major issues in our society.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
a. What is the poem about?
The poem is about the concept of nation building as
taken by African bourgeoisie class who came to power after colonialism. The
poet shows that independence was just the change in colour but the leaders
adopted the very tenets of their predecessors.
b. Who is the persona? How
do you know?
The persona is a driver who represents the low class.
In line 3 he says
“I drove the permanent secretary”
c. Suggest some literary and
poetic devices used in the poem.
i. Alliteration
Highly delicate diplomatic
duties..
And secretly smiling…
Cold Bell beer
ii. Barbarism
Mwananchi, I too had
none!
iii. Onomatopoeia
Ah,
he continued yawning again.
This is the sound of yawning
iv. Satire
To an important urgent
function
In fact to a luncheon at
the Vic.
Lunch is called an important urgent function, this is very
satirical
v. Irony.
The title of the poem ‘Building the Nation” is
ironical because the guys in the poem were not building the nation.
d. Why did the PS ask the
question “Did you have any lunch friend?”
He asked the question just to keep himself awake
throughout the journey and not because he is concerned by the welfare of the
driver.
e. What is the tone of the
poem?
The tone is both sad and ironical/satirical
f.
The
poet says in the last stanza ‘so two
nation builders arrived home this evening’ were the two people building the
nation?.
Not really. The poet uses this as a satire to
criticise the idea that people always claim to build the nation but they end up
building their stomachs.
2. A FREEDOM SONG (BY Marjorie
Oludhe Macgoye (Kenya)
Atieno washes dishes,
Atieno plucks the chicken,
Atieno gets up early,
Beds her sucks down in the kitchen,
Atieno eight years old
Atieno yo.
Since she’s my sister’s child
Atieno needs no pay
While she works my wife can sit
Sewing each sunny day,
With her earning I support
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s sly and jealous
Bad example to the kids
Since she minds them, like a school girl
Wants their dresses, shoes and beads.
Atieno ten years old,
Atieno yo.
Now my wife has gone to study
Atieno’s less free,
Don’t I feed her, school my own ones,
Pay the party, union fee
All for progress? Aren’t you grateful,
Atieno yo?
Visitors need much attention,
Specially when I work nights.
That girl stays too long at market
Who will teach her what is right?
Atieno rising fourteen,
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s had a baby
So we know that she is bad
Fifty-fifty it may live
To repeat the life she had,
Ending in post partum bleeding
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s soon replaced
Meat and sugar more than all
She ate in such a narrow life
Were lavished in her funeral
Atieno’s gone to glory
Atieno yo.
APPRECIATION OF THE POEM
INTRODUCTION
Marjorie was born in Britain in 1928 and travelled to
Kenya to work as a missionary. She met and married Macgoye in 1960. This poem
was written out of her experience in living among the Luo – a tribe of her
husband. She criticises negligence of nurturing children among African
societies. Without proper guidance, the young girl Atieno becomes pregnant
which leads to her death.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
What is the poem about?
The poem is about a young girl called Atieno who is
mistreated by her own uncle. She works without pay and ends in death due to
post partum bleeding.
What is the kind of the poem?
It is a narrative poem (telling a story) but it is a
special kind of narrative poem called “a
ballad”
How many stanzas are there?
It has seven stanzas, each with six verses (lines) of
unequal length and a refrain “Atieno yo”
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is sympathetic to the child.
Comment on the rhyming pattern.
Every second and forth lines end with rhyme,
Chicken/kitchen
Pay/day
Kids/beads
Free/fee
Night/ right
Bad/had
All/funeral
Who is the persona? How do you know?
The persona in the poem is Atieno’s uncle. This is
revealed in the second stanza where he comments; “since she’s my sister’s child/Atieno needs no pay.
How does Atieno change over the years?
Atieno changes in behaviour in respect to her age.
While she is eight she is just working at home but as she grows fourteen, after
puberty hits she stays long at the market perhaps with boys. This eventually
leads her to get impregnated.
Comment on the literary and poetic devices
· Refrain
Every stanza ends with a refrain line “Atieno yo”
·
Alliteration
Pay party union
fee
Atieno needs no
pay
·
Rhetorical
question
Who will teach her what
is right?
Aren’t you grateful
Atieno yo?
·
Poetic
licence.
This is the freedom of the poet to break/violate
certain grammatical rules to achieve a poetic effect.
“Specially when I work
night” the correct one could be ‘especially
when I work at night’.
·
Simile
“She minds them like a
school girl”
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
CHILD LABOUR
The issue of child labour has become a burning issue
that attracts the attention of most social activists. Many children are
employed informally, in the streets, homes and some workplaces. We see them
selling plastic bags, candies, washing cars, helping the military rebels etc.
Atieno in the poem is just one case in point. She represents this class. She is
working as a house girl at the age of 8 and strangely enough without pay. At
this age she should have been in STD 2. Yet she is employed in her uncle’s home.
EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION
Despite the growing awareness of the violation of
human rights, the world is still facing the problem of exploitation and
oppression.
The young girl in the poem is not only exploited but
also oppressed by her own uncle. Although she works and does all the domestic
chores she is not paid nor given any good care. The poetess suggests that she
even desires to have the dresses, shoes and beads of her cousins since she is
not given one. Here says the poetess.
Atieno’s sly and
jealousy/Bad example to the kids/ Since she minds them like a school girl/Wants
their dresses, shoes and dresses.
Again in the second stanza she shows how Atieno’s
efforts are wasted without gain.
Since she is my sister’s
child/Atieno needs no pay
EARLY PREGNANCY
This is another common problem among the teenagers
today. Parents are now very busy than at any point in human history. As a
result teens have been left without proper parental care. Many girls today have
failed to reach their educational goals because when they get pregnancy, they
are kicked out of schools altogether. At the age of fourteen Atieno becomes
pregnant. This is partly due to poor parental care. As the poetess says that
her aunt has gone to study and uncle is busy with the work while poor Atieno
has no one to teach her what is right.
Since she is still young to handle the delivery
complications she dies of excessive post partum bleeding.
HYPOCRISY
There is hypocrisy from family level to national level
when you come to think of it. Most stepparents mistreat their stepchildren at
home but in the outside they want everybody to believe that they are taking
good care of them. If you hear the tone of Atieno’s uncle you will certainly
discover some points of sympathy. But the question is; who is mistreating the
young Atieno? It’s her uncle. This is hypocrisy. On the funeral, we are told
that meat and sugar more than all that Atieno had eaten in such a narrow life
were lavished in her funeral. That translates into something like, “I loved
the child” what a hypocrite!
POOR PARENTAL CARE.
While we are not told the reasons why Atieno is not
living with her own biological parents, it is evident that most parents have
left the responsibility of taking care of their children to the community like
schools, churches or relatives. Because the parents are busy, they have no time
to make regular follow-ups to check the kind of upbringing their children go
through.
Parenting is the most important responsibility that
parents are now avoiding. Atieno goes to work in her uncle’s home at the age of
eight, and her parents are not making follow-ups. Atieno’s uncle is also
portrayed as a bad parent since he mistreats his own niece.
RELEVANCE
As we have seen child labour, hypocrisy, exploitation,
oppression, poor parental care and early pregnancies are all common phenomena
in our country today. We see many children in the streets selling things like
plastic bags, washing cars; helping the military rebels etc. many girls drop
their studies due to early pregnancies. Every day we hear of violation and
abuse of children rights and parents are very busy today to the point that they
cannot spare time to be with their children and listen to their problems.
DEATH BE NOT PROUD
(JOHN
DONNE (England))
(NECTA 2009) with reference to the poem below
highlight the central theme and relate it to what is currently happening in our
society.
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Might and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure- then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate
men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
INTRODUCTION
This sonnet is about making death seem not-so-scary.
Death has got the real attitude problem in a sense that he thinks he is the
biggest, worst meanest dude in town. Everybody treats him like the king of the
underworld. They think he has the power to do the terrible things. Donne and
other metaphysical poets in general are masters of surprise ending and this one
is no exception. In traditional Christian theology, it is thought that when
people die it’s like they are asleep until the end of the world or the judgement
day. The poem like most sonnets has centred on only one subject – death
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
MORTALITY / DEATH
The poem takes an assertive (clear) stand against
mortality (death). It makes a paradoxical statement that mortality is itself
mortal - which is to say death can die. But the speaker wouldn’t make this
statement if he doesn’t fear that may be death is the end. He shows that
although people fear death terribly but in the long run death will be no more
and as a result there is no reason for fear.
He compares death with a ‘short sleep’ in which people
sleep but there comes a day when they will wake up and live eternally and death
shall be the loser.
He says;
One short sleep past, we
wake eternally
And death shall be no
more, Death thou shalt die.
DREAMS AND HOPES
The big dream and hope in the poem is to defeat death
and go to heaven. The speaker is confident that his faith in God won’t let him
down. Nevertheless, that is a thing about faith it doesn’t always come with a
guarantee. However, the speaker shows that even himself, he has got no much
option. He must die no matter what. The difference it makes however is that,
when you die in God you will rise again and live eternally. This gives him
enough hopes to face death.
COURAGE
The poem provides us with courage of confronting death
without fear. Throughout the entire poem, the speaker grows more confident by
showing that death is not the end of life. Although it claims people’s lives
now, a day is coming when death will take its own life. In such a case we
certainly have nothing to fear.
He says;
Death be not proud,
though some have called thee
Might and dreadful, for
though art not so.
RELIGION and FAITH
The poem seems to be centred on the subject of
religion. It is only in religious spheres people believe that after this life
there comes a better life when this mortal body shall put on immortality and
death shall be defeated forever.
Even though, Donne puts a clear demarcation that this
chance of rising and living eternally is not just for everybody who simply die.
He rather seems to be very meticulous by adopting a more specific statement
that only the good people (our best men)
are entitled to this privilege.
He says;
And soonest our best men
with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and
soul’s delivery
THE AFTERLIFE
The poet has the hopes of the afterlife. He even shows
that the afterlife is better than this life. For him death seems to be a
blessing because it is only through death that people are capable of enjoying
the afterlife.
Here says Donne;
From rest and sleep,
which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure - then
from thee much more must flow,
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
a. What
type of the poem is this?
This poem is a sonnet because it is made up of 14
lines (verses)
b. In what sense is the “sleep of death a short sleep”
(line 13)?
Although the dead remain in their tombs for hundreds
of years, still Donne calls it a short sleep since the dead know nothing. From
the day they die they remain unconscious and remember nothing until the day of
resurrection.
c. The
poem has no clear/overt reference to Christianity. Aside from the title how do
you know that
this is a religious poem?
It is only in the religious context people have the
assurance of afterlife (life after death). It is the bible that describes death
as a short sleep and further states that death will one day be no more in the
new heaven and the new earth. (1Cor 15:26)
d. Comment
on the figures of speech;
v Personification.
Death is addressed as though it is a person. “Death be not proud though some have called
thee mighty and dreadful” “Death, thou shalt die”
v Symbolism
He has used common symbols in Christian theology “sleep
and rest” to represent death.
“One short sleep past,
we wake eternally” (line 13)
v Apostrophe
Addressing a thing/person in its/his absence. The poet
addresses death but death does not respond. Eg he says ‘poor death’ which is an embarrassing way to talk to someone who
considers himself tough.
v Metaphor.
The poet compares ‘rest and sleep’ as
the pictures of death. Also death is compared with a slave.
v Synecdoche.
This implies using part of something to represent the
whole.
In the poem he uses the “bones of the best men” to represent the whole physical body.
v Rhetorical question.
The speaker asks “why swell’st thou
then?” it is just intended to make death realize that he has no reasons to
be proud, and not seeking for a response.
e. Comment
on the rhyming scheme.
Like most petrarchan sonnets, this sonnet has 14 lines
and a rhyme scheme that goes ABBAABBA and the last six lines are CDDCAA
RELEVANCE
Today in our society, there are these two basic
concepts about death. On one extreme there are those who believe that death is
the end of life and human history. Therefore, when they come at the point of
death they face it with fear. On the other extreme there are those especially
in religion realm who believe that death is but another door to a better life.
For them, death should not be proud because they aspire for afterlife which is
better than the life we live now. They take death as a blessing and not as a
doom.
THE GRACEFUL GIRRAFE CANNOT BECOME A MONKEY
Okot P B’TEK (Uganda)
My husband tells me
I have no ideas
Of modern beauty.
He says
I have stuck
To old-fashioned hair styles.
He says
I am stupid and very backward,
That my hair style
Makes him sick
Because I am dirty.
It is true
I cannot do my hair
As white women do.
Listen,
My father comes from Payira,
My mother is a woman of Koc!
I am a true Acoli
I am not a half-caste
I am not a slave girl;
My father was not brought home
By the spear
My mother was not exchanged
For a basket of millet.
Ask me what beauty is
To the Acoli
And I will tell you;
I will show it to you
If you give me a chance!
You once saw me,
You saw my hair style
And you admired it,
And the boys loved it
At the arena
Boys surrounded me
And fought for me.
My mother taught me
Acoli hair fashions;
Which fits the kind
Of hair of the Acoli,
And the occasion.
Listen,
Ostrich plumes differ
From chicken feathers,
A monkey’s tail
Is different from that of a giraffe,
The crocodile’s skin
Is not like the guinea fowl’s,
And the hippo is naked, and hairless.
The hair of the Acoli
Is different from that of the Arabs;
The Indians’ hair
Resembles the tail of a horse;
It is like sisal strings
And needs to be cut
With scissors.
It is black,
And is different from that of a white woman.
A white woman’s hair
Is soft like silk;
It is light
And brownish like
That of a brown monkey,
And is very different from mine.
A black woman’s hair
Is thick and curly;
It is true
Ring-worm sometimes eat up
A little girl’s hair
And this is terrible;
But when hot porridge
Is put on the head
And the dance is held
Under the sausage-fruit tree
And the youths have sung
You, Ring worm
Who is eating Duka’s
hair
Here is your porridge,
Then the girl’s hair
Begins to grow again
And the girl is pleased.
INTRODUCTION
This is a short extract from a long poem called “song of Lawino” which is almost entirely
based on the conflict between old and new ways of life. So it is based on what
Lawino thinks as a treasure for Africans as contrasted from what Ocol thinks on
his side. (Although their names do not
appear anywhere throughout the poem).
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Although the poem is but a small part of a long poem
with several themes, still some of these broader themes can be narrowly
extracted from this poem. These include; identity
and awareness, African culture vs European culture, traditional healing,
protest and the position of women.
IDENTITY AND AWARENESS
Africans need to be aware of their identity. In this
poem Lawino reacts to her husband complaint. While Ocol keeps complaining and
regretting for being an African, Lawino on the other hand turns her husband’s
complaint into a praise-song for herself and her people. She does so by showing
that she is aware of her identity as a black African woman and proud of it.
Just like all other women of other races are proud of theirs Lawino sees no
need why she should abandon hers. In lines 15-20 she says;
Listen
My father comes from
Payira,
My mother is a woman of
Koc!
I am a true Acoli
I am not a half-caste
I am not a slave girl
AFRICAN CULTURE vs
EUROPEAN CULTURE
In ‘Song of
Lawino’ the poet discusses a lot of conflicts in African culture against
European culture in most aspects. This small part of the poem centres entirely
on hairstyles alone. Lawino shows that all people were created naturally
beautiful and should be proud of how they are. For Lawino there are no reasons
for Africans to do their hair like white women because white women never wish
to do theirs like Africans. She uses the images ostrich plumes, chicken feathers, crocodile skin, etc to show that
every creature has a point of departure from other creatures. No one creature
should ever try to change and be like any other. The same applies for people
from different races.
TRADITIONAL HEALING
Moreover, Lawino shows how Africans used to deal with
different social and natural phenomena. Although it might seem as a kind of
incantation, but it helped to deal with unusual phenomena. For example she says
if a ring-worm has eaten the little girl’s hair, all they do is put hot
porridge on the head, hold a dance, sing a song, then the hair grows again.
This traditional ritual is still relevant to some societies today.
PROTEST
Lawino shows an open protest against European culture
that is invading African culture. She does all it takes to educate African
women to love and care for what they have, believe in who they are, and what
they want to do with their lives. She protests doing her hair like white women.
She says;
It is true
I cannot do my hair
As white women do
POSITION OF WOMEN
·
True
and strong upholder of African culture
Lawino in this poem represents a class of women who
are proud of their culture and identity. They can’t compromise their standards
just to please their husbands
·
Care
taker for children
Lawino shows that she behaves the way she does because
her mother took time to teach her. It is always believed that most of the
behaviours that we have, we picked them during childhood. It is up to parents
to teach their children good manners and they will not abandon them to old
age. She says; my mother taught me/Acoli hair fashions/which fits the kind/of hair of
the Acoli/and the occasion
STUCTURAL ANALYSIS
a. What does the title of the poem “the graceful giraffe cannot become a monkey” mean?
The poet uses the symbol of the “giraffe” to represent
the Acoli (Africans) and “monkey” as a symbol for whites. As the giraffe cannot
become a monkey, neither can Africans become white people by their artificial
designs.
b. Comment on the figures of speech.
i.
Simile
expression of comparison by using conjunctions
Ø A white woman’s hair is
soft like silk
Ø And brownish like that
of a brown monkey
Ø The Indian’s hair
resembles that of a horse, it is like sisal strings
ii.
Symbolism
using one thing to represent another.
“a graceful giraffe” represents
Africans
“A monkey” represents Europeans
iii. Personification
giving human qualities to inanimate beings.
Here the song is sung to a ring worm as though it is a
human being
You, ringworm who is
eating Dukas hair, here is your porridge
iv.Anaphora
(repeating words at the beginning of
neighboring clauses)
I am
a true Acoli
I am not
a half-caste
I am not
a slave girl
c. Who is the persona in this poem? How do you know?
The persona is an African woman (Lawino) although her
name is not in the poem. We know she is a woman because she says “my husband tells me” and the way she
describes different hair styles.
d. How does Lawino see her identity?
Lawino sees her identity as something to be proud of
because she believes that she is beautiful just the way she is and is not ready
to change.
e. Who is surer of his/her identity? Lawino or her
husband? Why do you say so?
Certainly, Lawino is surer of her identity. This is
due to what she expresses from the beginning of the poem to the end. While she
admits that all other women of other races are beautiful she is not ready to
compromise her identity and be like them.
f. How does Lawino react to
the complaint of her husband?
Lawino does not insult back her husband but rather she
turns her husband’s complaints into a praise song about herself and her people.
In the process she gently tries to advise her husband to regain the identity he
is busy losing.
g. Who is Lawino speaking to in the poem?
Lawino is speaking to both her husband and Africans in
general. When she says “My husband tells
me…” she speaks to the audience (Africans) but then turns the attention to
her husband “you once saw me” here
she speaks specifically to her husband.
MESSAGE
Ø Africans
should be proud of their identity.
Ø No
matter what they do Africans will remain Africans.
RELEVANCE
The poem is relevant today in a number of aspects.
Ø There
are African women today who wish to do their hair like white women do.
Ø There
are black women who never wish to do their hair like white women. They remain
natural and proud of their identity.
Ø There
are men who pressurize their wives to do their hair like whites.
3.
AFRICA (BY David Diop (Senegal)
Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
The slavery of your children
Africa tell me Africa
Is this you this back that is bent
This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous son that tree young and strong
That tree there
In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers
That is Africa your Africa
That grows again patiently obstinately
And its fruit gradually acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
INTRODUCTION
This poem is written by David Diop - A Black African
who was born in France in 1927. His father was from Senegal and his mother from
Cameroon and he grew up in France and West Africa aware of both cultures and
traditions. He was deeply concerned by the question of independence from colonial
rule.
This poem is a dramatic
monologue where the speaker seems to be in conversation with Africa. The poem
can be thematically divided into three parts; pre colonial Africa, colonial Africa and post colonial Africa.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS.
EXPLOITATION
There are evidences of exploitation in the poem in the
fact that the poet expresses how the sweat of Africans was lost in vain.
The blood of your sweat
He sweat of your work
All this was done at a time when Africans were turned
into slaves and worked for their masters without any benefit.
The work of your slavery
The slavery of your
children
OPPRESSION AND
HUMILIATION
Oppression and humiliation were common practices in
colonial time. They were used to force Africans work for colonisers without objection.
This has left scars to Africa that we still depend on them even when they seem
to mistreat us.
This back that breaks
under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with
red scars
And saying yes to the
whip under the midday sun
IDENTITY AND AWARENESS
The poet however seems to be aware of his identity as
black African. Although he grew up in France he shows that black blood flows in
his veins, which is to say he is still an African regardless of where he grew
up.
I have never known you
But your blood flows in
my veins
The voice that answers Diop sums up his African
identity.
Impetuous son that tree
young and strong
That tree there
In splendid loneliness
amidst white and faded flowers
That is Africa your
Africa.
EFFECTS OF COLONIALISM
The poet concludes his poem by showing the effects
that colonialism had on African continent. Nevertheless, he seems to be
optimistic that at least Africa is growing up again just like a young tree.
That is Africa your
Africa
That grows again
patiently obstinately
a) What is the poem about?
The poem is about the effects colonialism has had on
Africa. It traces the history of pre-colonial Africa, then shows the torture
that Africans underwent in colonialism and how Africa is starting afresh like a
young tree.
b) What does the symbol ‘that tree young and strong” suggest?
First of all the symbol refers to Africa. It suggests
that after colonialism Africa began to grow up again just as a young tree.
c) Why do the fruits
acquire a bitter taste of liberty?
Why does liberty taste bitter?
The fruits acquire a bitter taste because liberation
of the oppressed is not a simple thing. It needs sacrifice and determination.
Some people lose their lives in the process. So in such a case liberty is never
sweet but bitter memories.
d) What do these words
symbolise?
‘Scars’, ‘whip’ and ‘blood’. They
stand for the torture that Africans went through in colonial time.
e) What is the tone of the poem?
The tone changes from the beginning it is happy in the middle it becomes sad
but at the end it becomes optimistic.
f)
Why
does the poet say that “black blood flows
in his veins”?
Black blood in this poem symbolises Africanism as
there is no blood that is black in colour. So he shows that although he grew up
in France he is still aware of his African identity.
g) How have the past
effects of colonialism shaped the Africa’s present?
The socio-political and economic state of Africa today
was seriously affected during colonial time. So Africa was paralysed and is
just starting afresh as a young tree while the colonisers are well off.
h) Comment on the figures
of speech and poetic devices.
·
Anadiplosis;
the repetition in which the last
expression of one statement becomes the first expression in the following
statement
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
The slavery of your
children
·
Rhetorical question a question that does not need a reply.
Is that you this back that is bent
·
Symbolism
Ø Scars’,
‘whip’ and ‘blood’. They stand for the
torture that Africans went through in colonial time.
Ø Black
blood- symbolises African identity
·
Personification.
The poet addresses Africa as though it is a human
being and has blood that flows, and can sweat etc.
·
Alliteration-
repetition of similar consonant sounds at
the beginning of consecutive words
You beautiful black
blood
·
Repetition
(for emphasis)
The word Africa is repeated 7 times throughout the
poem
Eg. Africa my
Africa.
·
Under
exaggeration.
Your beautiful black
blood
This is under exaggeration because there is no black
blood in colour.
MESSAGE
Ø Colonialism
paralysed Africa so it is up to us to make Africa’s hope alive again.
Ø We
must know our identity as Africans, where we come from, where we are and what
we need to do to get where we are going.
LET ME NOT TO THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS
(W. SHAKESPEARE (ENGLAND)
Let
me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is a star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me prov’d
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d
INTRODUCTION
This is a sonnet also called sonnet 116 written by a
British metaphysical poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) that tries to fill
the vacuum of infidelity and unfaithfulness in marriage relationships. The poet
shows that at least true love based on truth and understanding can exist. He
presents two glorious lovers who come into relationship freely and are trustful
to each other.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
TRUE LOVE
The kind of love that Shakespeare brings out here is
the one that stands firmly even if there might be consequences to shake it. He
says that such kind of a love does not alter/change when it alteration finds.
For him true love is like “an ever-fixed
mark” which will survive any crisis. In lines 7-8 he continues to say
although we may be able to measure love to some degrees, this does not mean we
truly understand it. Love’s actual worthy cannot be known- it is a misery.
O, no! it is an
ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests
and is never shaken;
It is a star to every
wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown,
although his height be taken
This kind of love that Shakespeare expresses is the
one that is unchangeable even when challenged by some circumstances. Love is
not flat but he warns that even if it means to go through upside downs they
should remain firm. It’s like a North
Star that guides the ship (bark) in deep sea.
On the marriage day there may really be no impediments
(obstacles) but in the long run, changes of circumstances, outward appearance
and other conducts may challenge the relationship. But lines 9-12 reaffirms
that, this kind of love is unshakable throughout time and always remains so.
Love alters not with his brief hours and
weeks,
But bears it out even to
the edge of doom.
UNFAITHFUL LOVE
On the other hand he shows that there is another
extreme of love that is not based on mutual love. If something happens to
challenge the relationship it breaks away.
…………………Love is not love
Which alters when it
alteration finds,
Or bends with the
remover to remove:
Lastly, in the final couplet the poet declares that if
he is mistaken in his view of the unmoveable nature of true love then he must
take back all his writings on love, truth and faith. Then he says if he judged
love inappropriately no man has ever really loved in the ideal sense that the
poet professes.
If this be error, and
upon me prov’d
I never writ, nor no man
ever lov’d
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
i)
Comment
on the Tone of the poem.
The tone is lovely because the poet generally talks
about love of two lovers
ii) What is the type Of
the Poem?
It is a sonnet made up of 14 verses (line)
iii) Comment on the
rhyming scheme/ Pattern
The poem has a regular rhyming pattern of
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
iv). Comment on the
Figures of speech and sound devices
Ø Metaphor
Love is compared to the star
It is the star to every
wandering bark
Ø Allusion
The first two lines are a manifest of allusion to the
words of the marriage service ‘if any one of you knows cause of just
impediments why these two persons should not be joined together in a holy
matrimony’
Ø Alliteration
….compass
come.
Ø Personification
The poet uses abstract things like Time and Love as
human beings to show that they can do of feel like human beings. He even uses
pronoun ‘his’ when referring to them. Eg Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks
Is the poem relevant to
your society?
In the society today there are people with true love
though they are very few. Most of them fall in the category of love which
changes with circumstances. When challenged by poor income, lack of a child, or
any other challenge it easily breaks away though on the marriage day they
admitted to remain together until death separates them. And that they will
survive the coming impediments.
What lesson do you get
from the poem?
1) We
should cherish true love.
2) True
love is unshakable and remains so throughout time.
o What are impediments? What do you think the marriage
of true minds is?
In actual sense impediments means obstacles/
hindrances. In marriage service this is a covenant that the couple should make
to see to it that their love is free and willing.
o What does the poet mean when he says that you can
measure the height of a star but not its worth? How can you apply this to love?
Always we can only judge outward appearance of
something but inward characters are difficult to be measured. So even in the
case of love it is not what it always seems to be in the outside. It’s worth
lie deeper into the heart of someone. There is more to it than just outward
appearance. No one can read someone else’s heart.
o In Shakespeare’s day the word ‘fool’ could mean a
servant. Why is love ‘not Time’s fool’?
Love is not Time’s servant in a sense that love is
timeless. It does not last with time but it endures forever as long as those in
love have decided to remain in love no matter what circumstance may challenge
their relationship.
4.
I
REMEMBER (Naomi Mnthali (Malawi)
I remember, Countrymen,
The days of ‘Dawn Over the Land’.
Of hopes and expectations
When I truly understood
Slavery was a thing of the past –
We, the people of the land,
Had been freed.
I was there when slowly
Darkness set in.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of me,
But I did not see it.
I continued, Countrymen, to live in the past.
And when I finally looked
It was too late, and even I
Had become a scavenger.
INTRODUCTION
This is a poem by a Malawian poetess Naomi Mnthali
that tells a story of changes of power and of hopes being raised and
disappointed. The poem refers to Malawian independence that brought hopes to
the people of the land but later became only a nightmare or a daydream.
Although it is about Malawian independence it can also describe other parts of
African continent in general.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
DISILLUSIONMENT/DISAPPOINTMENT
Most freedom fighters did not ever imagine that the
post independence life would be like this. When they were fighting for freedom
they believed that things will actually change in their favour.
I remember, Countrymen,
The days of ‘Dawn Over
the Land’
Of hopes and
expectations
When I truly understood
Slavery
was a thing of the past –
That is however not what it turned out to be. They are
still living the life of the past and life has even become worse since they
live like scavengers.
I was there when slowly
Darkness set in.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of
me,
But I did not see it
BETRAYAL
The leaders who took power from the colonisers have
betrayed the common people most of whom took part in the struggle for freedom.
The common people live the same life they lived before independence. To them
independence makes no sense.
The poet compares this situation with destruction that
lay ahead but he did not notice it before.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of
me,
But I did not see it
He even shows that while some people live the modern
life; he himself lives in the past. The same kind of life they lived before
independence.
I continued, countrymen,
to live in the past.
And when I finally
looked
It was too late, and
even I
Had become a scavenger
POVERTY
A scavenger is an animal or a person who collects
things by searching them from waste or unwanted objects. The poet seems to come
from a poor class that was betrayed by the bourgeoisie class. This class always
finds it hard to get their daily bread. They have become scavengers in their
own free countries. They eat the leftovers thrown by the privileged few.
And when I finally
looked
It was too late, and
even I
Had become a scavenger
This situation is almost evident in all African
countries
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
1. The poet talks about
“the days of ‘Dawn over the land’”
what do you think this means?
‘Days of dawn’ means the very days when independence
was attained and became like the outbreak of a new day.
2. There is one
metaphorical expression in the poem.
Mention it.
The metaphor is ‘...I had become a scavenger’
he compares himself with a scavenger.
3. ‘I
was there when slowly darkness set in’ what does this statement imply?
The poet confesses that he was aware as things began
to change to worse.
4. What type of poem is
this?
It is a lyric poem but a special form of lyric poems
called aubade. This is a poem about morning celebrating the coming of
dawn.
5. What is the tone of the
poem?
The tone is unhappy.
6. How many stanzas are there? And comment on the rhyming
pattern.
The poem has only one stanza with irregular rhyming
pattern and unequal length of verses.
7. Comment on the use of
allusion.
The poet has employed allusion in the first two lines
by citing the very specific historical event of Malawian independence. He shows
that he actually remembers what happened.
Is the poem relevant to
Tanzanians today?
Oh! Yes it is. Like most African countries the issue
of betrayal by the bourgeoisie class is common. So even in Tanzania most people
live in the same situation described by the poet.
What message do we draw
from the poem?
Ø Betrayal
is not good in social and economic development.
Ø Those
in power should recognise that the resources of the nation should benefit both
the proletariat class and the ruling class.
Ø Independence
was just a handover of authority from white colonisers to black colonisers,
true independence is still to come.
Epilogue
Grace Nichols (Guyana)
I have crossed an ocean
I have lost my tongue
From the root of the old
One
A new one has sprung
INTRODUCTION
This poem was written by a black woman from Guyana
(Grace Nichols) who later moved to England. It expresses important ideas about
separation and a new beginning.
a. The poet says she has “lost her tongue” what does that mean?
It means she has adopted a new language. She no longer
speaks her native language.
b. Which ocean has she
crossed?
While she has crossed the real geographical ocean
(Pacific) from Guyana - Caribbean all the way to England, “crossing the ocean” could
also imply or symbolise other changes that happen to people. As she crossed the
ocean she never remained the same because even her language changed.
c. What does she mean when
she says “a new one has sprung from the root of the old one’?
Here the poet talks something about the development of
languages. We all know that languages are dynamic (always changing) and that
they borrow words and even grammatical structure from each other. Languages
like creoles come of the blend of two or more languages. So the language she
speaks originates/emanates from the old one.
d. What is the theme of the
poem?
The central theme is separation and loss of identity.
The poetess shows that when most people move away from
their motherland they tend to lose their identity and adopt the culture of the
foreign land including but not limited to language.
Ø The
poem could be about Grace herself who moved from Guyana to England.
Ø It
could also be addressing all the Caribbean who left their homes and went to
England.
Ø But
also all those people who left their own countries to go to the Caribbean in
the last few hundred years, especially all those who were taken from Africa in
slavery;
Ø All
black people all over the world whose roots can be traced back to Africa over
the centuries;
Ø All
people all over the world, as scientists think that human life originated in
Africa thousands of years ago.
IF WE MUST DIE. (Claude McKay)
If we must die, let it not be like
hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious
spot.
While round us bark the mad and
angry dogs
Making their mock at our accursed
lot
If we must die, o let us nobly die
So that our precious blood may not
be shed
In vain; then the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us
though dead.
O kinsmen! We must meet our common
foe
Though far outnumbered. Let us show
us brave
And for their thousand blows, deal
one death blow
What though before us lies the open
grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous
cowardly pack
Pressed to the wall dying but
fighting back.
INTRODUCTION
Claude McKay was born in 1890 in
Jamaica. He went to Kansas to study agriculture at the time when Ku Klux Klan
was highly active. He was therefore forced to move to New York in 1914. In 1919
Washington DC newspaper gave stories of an alleged (suspected) sexual assault
that was said to be committed by an African American. The stories sparked
(caused) a series of twenty riots during the summer of 1919, beginning with
white lynch mob (murderous group) that targeted blacks in Washington. There
were 28 public lynchings (killings) in the first half of the year and the
following summer and fall came to be known as “The Red Summer” of 1919. This was the motivation behind McKay’s “If We Must Die”
He wrote the poem amid the violence
and bloodshed of 1919, and in this poem he encourages his community to take
action and fight back.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
a) What type of the poem is this?
It is a sonnet. It is made up of
only one stanza with 14 verses.
b) Comment on the rhyming scheme.
The poem has a regular rhyming
scheme that goes;
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
c) What is the tone of the poem/poet?
The tone is serious and angry
d) Who is the persona? How do you know?
The persona is a black American who
is oppressed, humiliated and persecuted. We know this from the history of the
poet and the fact that blacks were hunted, penned (locked in small cells) and
killed like hogs (pigs) in America.
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot.
While round us bark the mad and angry dogs
e) What sufferings does the person
experience?
They are hunted (arrested), penned
(locked in small cells) with angry and mad dog guarding them and are sometimes killed
without fair trial.
f) Is the persona afraid of death? Give
reasons to justify your answer.
The persona is surely not afraid of
death. The reasons for this are;
o
When you die fighting people will
honor you. i.e. it is noble to die fighting. “let us nobly die”
o
Whether he fights or not, he is
bound to die someday. “What though before
us lies an open grave?”
g) Comment on the figures of speech and
poetic devices
i. Rhetorical question
o
What though before us lies an open grave?”
ii. Metaphor
He compares the enemy/oppressors
with the monsters. ‘The monsters we defy’
iii. Images
The poet paints the pictures of;
Hogs
(pigs) = pigs are killed mercilessly so they should not die the same death.
Mad and angry dogs = this is
the picture of the oppressor who guards the Blacks not to escape from
punishment.
iv. Symbolism
“An Open grave” this symbolizes death.
Which is to say whether we fight or not death is there waiting for us. Death is the ultimate finality of
human life.
‘Blood” is
a symbol for sacrifice
v. Repetition
The phrase “if we must die” is repeated for emphasis
vi. Hyperbole.
“For their thousand blows”
vii. Satire/Irony
The poet mocks both the enemy and
himself.
“Like men we’ll face the murderous cowardly pack.” He mocks the oppressor that he is
coward like a group of wolves. But how can someone coward press you to the wall
dying. He shows that he is himself weak/inferior to the enemy. Also shows that
the enemy is capable of dealing a thousand death blows but he can deal only
one.
h) The poet calls his enemy “the murderous cowardly pack” what does
that mean?
A pack is a group of dogs or wolves
hunting together. He compares the oppressors as a cowardly pack because the
Whites were hunting Africans in notorious mobs and not individually. This shows
that they were coward as well.
i) To whom is the speaker talking?
The speaker calls for action from
his fellow kinsmen (the oppressed) or more specifically Black-Americans.
j) Is the poem relevant today?
The poem is still relevant because
it instills the sense of awareness, sacrifice and determination when it comes
to fighting for our rights. Also it is very true that those who died fighting
during this period of racial injustice in America are honored until now in the
history of America. Think of Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS.
SACRIFICE
In the fight against oppression,
sacrifice is a valuable commodity. Few People need to sacrifice their lives so
that the majority may live in peace. In this poem the poet (McKay) calls for
actions against the enemy (foe). However, he shows that the struggle may mean
death. But if they must die, it is better to die fighting so that they may be
honored later than dying while doing nothing.
He says
If we must die, o let us nobly die
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain! …
HUMILIATION/TORTURE/OPPRESSION
The poet and his fellow kinsmen go
through a series of torture and mistreatment from their enemy. They are
arrested with no reason, jailed and killed like pigs. This is a situation which
affected most African American in the time of racial injustice in America and
when “Jim Crow laws” were in effect.
The poet shows the experience they are going through by saying;
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot.
While round us bark the mad and angry dogs
MOTALITY (DEATH)
Due to this politically charged
situation death at least seems the best thing to help a person sort out what is
important in life. The speaker speaks about death in a more practical sense -
he is actually facing it. It is not the question of whether he will die or what
will happen when he dies it is about how he will meet death. To him death is an
opportunity to show strength, nobility and purpose.
If we must die, o let us nobly die
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead.
