Summons by Richard S. Mabala et al - Summary & Analysis
JWANI MWAIKUSA
A Tanzanian writer and lawyer. He studied law at the
University of Dar es salaam and in England. He was a lecturer in the Faculty of
Law at the University of Dar es salaam.
[1] Sunrise.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Qn 1. What is the poem all about?
Answ: The poem is all about the revolutionary ideas among
the sons of the land (the oppressed) who rise up with ideas of challenging the
enemy. They are tired of oppression, humiliation and exploitation; therefore
they want to liberate themselves from all kinds of evils that they face so as
to build the better future.
Qn 2. Who is speaking in this poem?
Answ: The one who is
speaking in this poem is a son of the land who together with his fellows, are
tired of colonial malpractice namely exploitation, oppression and humiliation,
hence, they decide to wage a class struggle to end colonialism.
Qn 3. Who is the addressee (audience) of the poem?
Answ: The
addressee of this poem is any fellow member of the society which is full of
evils such as exploitation, oppression and humiliation.
Qn 4. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the
poem is happy; this is due to the fact that the persona is very optimistic
(hopeful) that the victory is very near as they will mercilessly defeat their
enemy at sunset.
Qn 5. The persona talks about “challenging the enemy” who do you think the enemy might be?
Answ: The enemy might be the oppressors, humiliators and
exploiters who make people suffer from various problems like exploitation and
oppression.
Qn 6. What type of a poem is this?
Answ: This is a sonnet
poem as it consists of fourteen (14) verses (lines).
Qn 7. What do you think the “Sunset” and the “Sunrise”
probably symbolize?
Answ: Sunrise symbolizes the beginning of the struggle
between the sons of the land (the oppressed) against their enemy (oppressors).
Sunset symbolizes the end of the struggle between the sons of the land
(exploited) against the enemy (exploiters).
Qn 8. There is one line which does not have the normal word
order. Which line is it and why is that so?
Answ: The line which does not have normal word order is the
fourth line which reads “Forward they go” instead of “They go forward”. The
reason behind this is that, the poet wants to stress the word “forward” to
encourage people to continue with the struggle.
Qn 9. What are the possible themes of the poem?
Answ: The possible themes of the poem are
colonialism, exploitation, oppression, humiliation, awareness, protest and
sacrifice.
{i} Colonialism. Colonialism is the policy or practice of
acquiring political control over another country, occupying it with settlers,
and exploiting it in all spheres of life such as politically, economically and
socially. In this poem, the sons of the land are tired of colonial rule that is
why they take an action to challenge their enemies.
{ii} Protest. This is also one of the themes of this poem.
Protest is a sign of dissatisfaction which can either be active or passive. In
this poem the sons of the land wage an active protest against colonial rule.
They protest through armed struggle as they believe it to be the only way out
to solve their problems.
{iii} Awareness. The sons of the land are aware that
oppression, exploitation and colonialism are of no good to them; hence they
want to liberate their land through armed struggle. If they were not aware,
they could not take any action against it (Colonialism).
{iv} Sacrifice. The term sacrifice can be simply defined as
the fact of giving up something important or valuable to you in order to get or
do something that seems more important. In this poem the sons of the land are
seen to be ready to die fighting in liberation of their country from colonial
domination. This is a true patriotism which should be emulated in the society.
{v} Armed struggle.
There is an armed struggle waged by the sons of the land against their
enemies. This can well be proved in the poem when the persona says:
“Forward they go
Well
armed.”
People had to use armed struggle as they find it the only
way out to solve their problems such as exploitation, oppression and
humiliation.
__________END_______________
[2] Hollow Heads By Jwani Mwaikusa
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
Qn 1. What is the poem all about?
Answ: the poem is about a
person who complains about oppression and injustice done to him by the upper
class. The persona is tired of being tortured and therefore, he decides to wage
war against the enemies (the oppressors).
Qn 2. Who is the person speaking in the poem? Answ:
The
person speaking in the poem is an oppressed and exploited man (common man). He
is both aware and courageous enough to fight against the oppression,
exploitation and injustice done to him, it shows that he is a member of a lower
class.
Qn 3. Does the persona fear the enemy?
Answ: No, the persona
does not fear the enemy that is the reason why he is ready to fight against
them to the last cell. The persona is very brave as he is ready to die
fighting.
Qn 4. Who is the addressee of the poem? Answ:
The addressee
of the poem is any oppressor, exploiter and humiliator. It can be the ruling
class which oppress, exploit and humiliate its subjects.
Qn 5. What is the setting of this poem?
Answ: The setting of
the poem can be any country in the world particularly African countries where
evils such as humiliation and oppression are practiced to a greater extent.
Qn 6. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the poem is serious and unhappy. The
persona is not happy with oppression, humiliation and exploitation done to him
that is why he takes action of fighting against them to the last cell.
Qn 7. What is the mood of the poem?
Answ: The mood of the
poem is very sad; it makes us feel sympathy for the persona because of the
problems he is experiencing.
Qn 8. Is the poem relevant to your society?
Answ: yes, the poem is very relevant to my society due to
the fact that the evils like oppression, exploitation and humiliation are found
in my society especially the upper class exploiting the lower class people.
Qn 9. Comment on the use of figures of speech and musical devices.
Answ: Figures of speech.
– Hollow heads torture me with ignorance”
– “All right my friends”
The persona calls his enemies as “friends”
Musical devices.
Rhymes:- The word ignorance rhymes with silence.
The word darkness rhymes with emptiness.
Alliteration:- “Dumb voices deafen me with gibberish”
“I have speech and strong mind,”
The initial consonants d and s have been repeated in a
poetic line.
Parallelism;- “They oppress me, they torture me,
They fight
me, they kill me”
Qn 10. What are the possible themes of this poem?
Answ: The
possible themes of this poem include sacrifice, oppression, injustice, lack of
democracy, protest, awareness (consciousness) and classes.
{i} Oppression. In this poem, the persona is shown tortured
and oppressed by those in power (Power and command), he is neither free to make
decision nor is he having freedom to speech. Consider the following verses
(lines) from the poem:
“They oppress me, they torture me,
They fight me, they kill me”
{ii} Lack of democracy. There is no true democracy in this
society shown in the poem. People like persona who tend to question evils found
in the society, are tortured, oppressed and killed by the people in authority
so that they could not bring the revolutionary ideas to the others. Lack of
democracy can be realized in the poem when the persona says:
“They oppress me, they torture me,
They fight me, they kill me”
{iii} Awareness. In
this poem, the persona is aware that there are evils like oppression, torture
and killings done by the people in power against him in particular and the
other lower class people at large. Due to his awareness, he is ready to die
fighting against the oppressors.
{iv} Sacrifice. The persona is ready to sacrifice his life
for the good of the society. He is very strong and courageous that is why he
wages war against his enemies, he never fears them at all. The following
quotation from the poem proves how the Persona sacrifices himself. “And I will fight to the last cell.”
{v} Classes. There are two major classes shown in this poem,
the class of oppressors and the class of the oppressed. The oppressors use
their political influence (power) to oppress, torture, fight and kill the
oppressed people like the persona. The persona is not happy with this
situation, therefore he decides to protest against it.
___________END______________
ISAAC MRUMA.
A Tanzanian poet and journalist.
{3} You Are Lost by Isaac Mruma
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Qn 1. What is the poem all about?
Answ: The poem is about a
man complaining about a certain girl (dada) who seems to be involved in
commercial sex. She is not having true love as she makes love for money.
Qn 2. Who is the person speaking in this poem?
Answ: The
person speaking in this poem is a man with self-awareness and disgusted with
dada’s behaviour of prostitution.
Qn 3. To whom does
the persona talk to? (Audience).
Answ: The persona talks to Dada (sister) who involves
herself in commercial sex. The dada seems to be very fond of money that is why
she decides to sell her body.
Qn 4. Does dada in this poem have a true love to the
persona?
Answ: No, Dada does not have true love to the persona, she
only loves him because of his money.
Qn 5. Does the
persona like dada’s behaviour?
Answ: No, the persona does not like dada’s behaviour that is
why he discourages the commercial sex.
Qn 6. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the
poem is both very sad and unhappy due to the fact that dada has been
considering the persona as a sap ( a very stupid person) and means of income.
Qn 7. What is the setting of the poem?
Answ: The setting of
the poem can be any country in the world particularly African countries in
urban areas where commercial sex (prostitution) is conducted to a greater
extent.
Qn 8. Comment on the various uses of figures of speech and musical devices.
Answ: Figures of speech
(a) Personification – “…the tenderness that asks…”
“…your
passions chasing my bank account”
(b) Metaphor- “to
you I am now a tool,”
In the above quotation, the persona compares himself with a
tool; this shows how the persona is used by dada as a means of income.
(c) Barbarism. This is a word or expression formed from
elements of different languages.
For example the statement “To you dada.” is formed from
English and Swahili words. The persona has used barbarism for the sake of
showing emphasis of his point.
Musical devices
-Rhymes Eg.- The
word cool rhymes with tool.
Qn 9. What are the themes found in this poem?
Answ: The
themes found in this poem are Prostitution, hypocrisy, awareness, exploitation,
poverty and position of women in society.
{i} Prostitution. This is simply the act of having sex for
money. In this poem, dada is shown to have no true love as she engages in
commercial sex. She only loves the persona because of money. This is shown in
the poem when the persona complains.
“For I only see your love
focussed on my purse…,”
{ii} Hypocrisy. The
dada in this poem is represented as hypocrite, she only loves the persona
because of his money and when it happens that the persona is bankrupt, the love
ceases between them. The following
quotation proves dada’s hypocrisy in the poem:
“…and you only touch me
with the
tenderness that asks
where my
wallet is.”
{iii} Awareness. This is another theme found in this poem.
The persona is aware that dada does not have true love to him, he knows quite
well that dada is using him as a tool that is why he is no longer interested in
her. This is shown in the poem when the persona says:
“It is you I accuse,
because your love is lost,”
{iv} Poverty. This is
also discussed in this poem; dada is shown engaging in commercial sex due to
poverty. She sells her body so as to get money which could help her to meet her
basic needs. Prostitution is a bad practice which speeds up the spread of
Hiv/Aids therefore it should be discouraged with all our efforts.
{v} Position of women in society. This is another theme represented in this
poem. A woman in this poem is shown as a tool of entertainment. For example
dada engages in commercial sex so as to fulfill men’s sexual desires. She is
used by men to entertain them by making love with them and pays her some money
to meet her basic needs.
___________END_______________
JWANI MWAIKUSA.
{4} LOST BEAUTY By Jwani Mwaikusa
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Qn 1. What is the poem all about? Answ:
The poem is all
about the influence of Western culture among the Africans. In this poem, an
individual (a person) is shown complaining about his black sisters who seem to
ignore their African culture due to the influence of the Western culture.
Qn 2. Who is the person speaking in this poem?
Answ: The
person speaking in this poem is an African man who is proud of being an African
that is why he wants to marry a black woman with whom they will declare that
black is beautiful.
Qn 3. To whom does the persona talk to? Answ:
The persona
talks to his black sisters who have lost their beauty (African origin)
following the influence of the Western culture.
Qn 4. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the
poem is sad, disappointed and mockery. The persona is very sad and disappointed
to find that he cannot get what he wants (the lost African beauty). He fails to
get a black beauty queen as most of them now turn to be the awful fakes
(photocopy) of white females. There is a mocking tone when the poet calls the
African women “the awful fakes of white females” or “white masks”.
Qn 5. What is the mood of the poem?
Answ: The mood of the
poem is both depressing and disgusting. The mood makes us feel disgusted with
the behaviour of some Africans to kow-tow to western culture such as dressing
style, eating style and language to mention just a few.
Qn 6. What is the setting of the poem?
Answ: The setting of the poem can be any third world country
particularly African countries like Tanzania in urban areas where majority
Africans seem to be completely corrupted (affected) by the influence of the
Western culture.
Qn 7. Comment on the use of figures of speech and musical
devices. Answ: Musical devices.
(a) Alliteration– “…Black is beautiful!”
“I want a black beauty queen…”
(b) Reiteration —“..But my eyes, oh my eyes!..”
Figures of speech.
Simile- “…And a
face dark as the night..”
Qn 8. What are the themes found in this poem?
Answ: The
themes found in this poem are Patriotism, betrayal, ignorance, awareness,
disappointment, position of women in the society as well as the influence of
Western culture to the Africans.
{i} Patriotism.
Refers to the feelings of loving your country (continent) and
willingness to defend it against an enemy. The poet in this poem stresses the
need of Africans to preserve and defend their culture from other cultures. For
example, the persona in this poem finds no reason as to why black women use
cosmetics to change their natural black skin and become white. He wants a
natural black woman as he says:
“Yes,
I
want a black beauty queen
With
ebony thighs and huge hips
With
skin sweating blackness”
{ii} Awareness. This
is another theme portrayed in this poem. The persona is shown having awareness
that a person should be proud of his or her nationality no matter what colour
you are. He wants to liberate his black sisters from cultural domination; he is
also not ashamed of his black colour as he says:
“And
I want a lady
To
mount the rostrum with
And
declare to the world:
“Black is beautiful!”
{iii} Betrayal.
Betrayal means lack of loyalty to somebody or something. In this poem,
the poet shows that some African women have betrayed their culture as they no
longer want to appear black, they use various cosmetics to change their skin
colour and look the same as white. This is evidenced in the poem when the
persona complains:
“But my
eyes, oh my eyes!
They
don’t see anything black;
It’s
only white skins and masks…..”
{iv} Ignorance. This is also another theme discussed by the
poet in this poem. Some of the African ladies (women) seem to ignore their
culture (dignity) and start glorifying the Whiteman’s culture. They think that
the Whiteman is superior to blacks that is why they abandon their culture and
imitate the Whiteman’s culture. Consider the following verses from the fourth
stanza of the poem:
“I
shout to them in the black tongue
But
no black sister hears me;
Only white masks I see.”
{v} The influence of the Western culture to the Africans.
This is one of the most important themes found in this poem.
It is due to this subject matter that the beauty of Africa has lost as most of
the African women have now changed to white. The influence of the western
culture also seems having effects on the persona, consider the last stanza of
this poem when the persona says:
“I
turn and weep upon myself
And
then, only then I realise:
I
am not black either.”
__________END______________
(5) BUILDING THE NATION By Christopher H. M. Barlow (Uganda)
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.
DISILLUSIONMEN.
This refers to the state in which a person is disappointed
because the person you admired or idea you believed to be good and true now
seems to have no value and cannot attain your goals. 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 refers to the behaviour in which somebody pretends to have moral standard or opinions that they do not actually have. 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.
CLASSESS.
This refers to the structure of divisions in a society
determined by the social or economic grouping of its members. It is also a
system that divides members of the society into sets based on perceived social
or economic status. 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
This can simply be defined as the knowledge that someone has
about something good or bad that is existing within the society together within
the society together with its advantages and disadvantages. 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.
Ø 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.
Ø Hypocrisy has also become a way of life.
Ø Classes, exploitation and marginalization are also major
issues in our society.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
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.
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”
Suggest some literary and poetic devices used in the poem.
Alliteration
Highly delicate diplomatic duties..
And secretly smiling…
Cold Bell beer
Barbarism
Mwananchi, I too had none!
Onomatopoeia
Ah, he continued yawning again.
This is the sound of yawning
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
Irony. The title of the poem ‘Building the Nation” is
ironical because the guys in the poem were not building the nation.
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.
What is the tone of the poem? The tone is both sad and
ironical/satirical
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.
