Tuesday 21 June 2022
Monday 20 June 2022
The Summary
This poem is about the shameful murder of a tyrant.He was stabbed and shut in front of a night club; the poet sarcastically compared his murder shut to a gunshot representing a last respect to a warrior.
Instead of the poem being a pure elegy, the poet created a sarcastic elegy which was beautified with irony and euphemism to show his dislike towards the wicked and selfish life led by the tyrant leader; it was so unfortunate for the dead politician who wished to have respected burial rite but ended with a belittled massacre.
The content of the poem is straightforward as a result of the simple diction maintained by the poet. Line 1-7 shows where and how the tyrant was buried, line 8-17 describes the event of his murder by comparing the murder gunshot, and state of his car, line 18-28 tells of the unwell condition of the masses and their state of no-say because they lived in a lower class, line 29-end is about the politician's empty wish for a befitting end.
The Themes
Few of the themes in the poem are uncertainty of life and living, shameful rewards for selfishness and wickedness, poverty within the masses, extravagance and embezzlement. The death of the tyrant proved that life is uncertain and whatever anyone sows, he/she will reap.
NO COFFIN, NO GRAVE
He was buried without a coffinwithout a grave
the scavengers performed the
post-mortem
in the open mortuary
without sterilized knives
in front of the night club
stuttering rifles put up
the gun salute of the day
that was a state burial anyway
the car knelt
the red plate wept, wrapped
itself in blood its master’s
the diary revealed to the sea
the rain anchored there at last
isn’t our flag red, black, and
white?
so he wrapped himself well
who could signal yellow
when we had to leave politics
to the experts
and brood on books
brood on hunger
and schoolgirls
grumble under the black pot
sleep under torn mosquito net
and let lice lick our intestines
the lord of the bar, money
speaks madam
woman magnet, money speaks
madam
we only cover the stinking
darkness
of the cave of our mouths
and ask our father who is in hell
to judge him
the quick and the good
Well, his dairy, submarine of the
Third World War
showed he wished
to be buried in a gold-laden
coffin
like a VIP
under the jacaranda tree beside
his palace
a shelter for his grave
and much beer for the funeral
party
anyway one noisy pupil
suggested we bring
tractors and plough the land.
©copyright Jared Angira
The Poet
According to wikipedia article, "Jared Angira (born 21 November 1947) is a Kenyan poet. He has been called "the country's first truly significant poet.Angira studied commerce at the University of Nairobi from 1968 until 1971."
Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)
(the Leo with wings flying)
Saturday 18 June 2022
Friday 10 June 2022
Themes
Few of the themes are Colonial Oppression, Quest for Leadership Position, Betrayal and Greed, Gender Inequality.
1. Theme of Colonial Oppression: the theme of colonialism is the main motivation for the existence of the drama. The drama takes us back to the period where Africa still under the bondage of invaders. The drama portrayed the negative side of colonialism where the white masters in charge of affairs were wayward. Undermining Africa values and rulers, imposition of tax, unnecessary feudalism; are few examples of colonial oppression in the drama. King Gbanya was called a dog, he was flogged and fined to pay cattle's, where Queen Yoko (during her reign) was stripped of her landed possessions, while people of Mende Chiefdom pay taxes.
2. Theme of Leadership Quest: The pleasure attached to leadership is always glaring that it always attracts unhealthy rivalries. In the drama, Governor Rowe doest joke with his leadership position and never joked with anything that can undermine it. In order to reign as a queen, Yoko sacrificed her joy of motherhood. Lambio designed multiple evil plot in other to seat on the throne.
3. Theme of Inequality: this is evident both gender-wise and racial-wise. Gender inequality has turned to a cankerworm that has eaten deep into africa; as seen in the drama "Let Me Die Alone", the male characters are superior to the female. Ndapi beats his wife (Jilo) for delay in meal preparation, King Gbanya claims women including Yoko good for nothing than bedroom pleasure, other female characters in the drama were either dancers or mere maids. On the side of racial inequality, the actions of Rowe was crystal clear. Queen of England and Governor Samuel Rowe was superior to Africans and the African cultures.
4. Theme of Greed and Betrayal: Hardly can these be taken away from tragic drama. Greediness will lead to betrayal and betrayal will pave way for violence. Lambio was greedy by not been satisfied with the royal affiliation he enjoyed, he was hungry for the throne. In order to satisfy his greed, he betrayed Gbanya's trust and further betrayed his blood sister Queen Yoko. While Lambio remained the kingpin of atrocious act against leadership in Mende, he dragged Musa (the seer) into his partnership because Musa's secrets of evil deeds were in his fingertips.
5. Theme of Violence: characters such as Rowe, Yoko, Gbanya, Musa, Lamboi, Ndapi were violent. Rowe violent against the likes of Gbanya, Musa and Lamboi violent against the throne, Yoko violent against other chiefdoms in order to amass influence, Ndapi violent against his wife. Few evidence of violence in the drama are flogging, slapping, stabbing, murdering, etc.
READ ALSO: [3 Theme of Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole]
June 10, 2022
samueldpoetry
African Analysis, Video
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Crispin George was a Sierra Leonean born in 1902. He published his own poetry anthology Precious Gems Unearthed by an African and nearly all his poems were non-political but strongly religious; the poem "Weigh Your Words" is quite no exception.
"Weigh Your Words" is a poem describing the goods and dangers words can cause then the poet warns that words can live forever so people must be mindful of their usage.
The poem contains alliteration "words may wound" (line 1) "furious air will scatter foliage" (line 7) "their passage-way be paved" (line 28). Similes are "like v
iands on the table" (line 11) "like atom-bombs" (line 13). Metaphor, imageries, parallelism, etc.
The following words existed in the movie and deserve explanation: Verbiage; the use of many words when a few would be sufficient. Viands; articles of food. Heinous; hateful. Harbinger; messengers sent beforehand to give advance notice or warning. Light the fuse of carnage; carnage means great destruction of life. The poet means that words are like the fuse used to explode gunpowder. Strike the oil of peace; when oil is poured on rough water it makes the waves smooth. If a match is struck, the oil will burst into flame. Scales of justice; justice is often represented as a figure holding a pair of scales.
The poem was seven stanzas of four lines per stanza. It had a tone of admonition, end rhyme scheme, simple dictions.
The good and evil of word usage is one of the themes of the poem. "Simple words may wound or soothen/ Much depending on their use" in line one and two of the poem, he further explained that the wrongly used word "will scatter foliage/ Thoughtless words good friends disperse" in line seven and eight while well used word was compared to "viands on the table/ They revive the hungry soul" according to line thirteen and fourteen.
Prudence is also a theme of the poem since words are two-way outcome, the poet employed the users to add wisdom and carefulness when dishing out words:
"Words, like atom-bombs, are heinous,
When they hurt both friend and foe;
Dangerous, cowardly and callous,
These are harbingers of woe." (stanza 4)
"Weigh them in the scales of justice
And be sure of their control;
Do not wing your words at random,
They may fly beyond their goal." (stanza 6)
Immortality is a theme where the poet considered words undying and evergreen, even when they are in a state of unuse; they lurk "at the portal/ Till their passage-way be paved" (line 27 and 28).
Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings in the sky)
"Weigh Your Words" is a poem describing the goods and dangers words can cause then the poet warns that words can live forever so people must be mindful of their usage.
The poem contains alliteration "words may wound" (line 1) "furious air will scatter foliage" (line 7) "their passage-way be paved" (line 28). Similes are "like v
iands on the table" (line 11) "like atom-bombs" (line 13). Metaphor, imageries, parallelism, etc.
The following words existed in the movie and deserve explanation: Verbiage; the use of many words when a few would be sufficient. Viands; articles of food. Heinous; hateful. Harbinger; messengers sent beforehand to give advance notice or warning. Light the fuse of carnage; carnage means great destruction of life. The poet means that words are like the fuse used to explode gunpowder. Strike the oil of peace; when oil is poured on rough water it makes the waves smooth. If a match is struck, the oil will burst into flame. Scales of justice; justice is often represented as a figure holding a pair of scales.
The poem was seven stanzas of four lines per stanza. It had a tone of admonition, end rhyme scheme, simple dictions.
The good and evil of word usage is one of the themes of the poem. "Simple words may wound or soothen/ Much depending on their use" in line one and two of the poem, he further explained that the wrongly used word "will scatter foliage/ Thoughtless words good friends disperse" in line seven and eight while well used word was compared to "viands on the table/ They revive the hungry soul" according to line thirteen and fourteen.
Prudence is also a theme of the poem since words are two-way outcome, the poet employed the users to add wisdom and carefulness when dishing out words:
"Words, like atom-bombs, are heinous,
When they hurt both friend and foe;
Dangerous, cowardly and callous,
These are harbingers of woe." (stanza 4)
"Weigh them in the scales of justice
And be sure of their control;
Do not wing your words at random,
They may fly beyond their goal." (stanza 6)
Immortality is a theme where the poet considered words undying and evergreen, even when they are in a state of unuse; they lurk "at the portal/ Till their passage-way be paved" (line 27 and 28).
Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings in the sky)
Thursday 9 June 2022
Are you thinking of having a clearer idea of the poem "Young Africa's Plea" by Dennis Osadebay? Here is naijapoets.com.ng review regarding to the poem.
The poet:-
Dennis Osadebay is a Nigerian author, poet, and lawyer. He received his university education in the United Kingdom, where he was called to Bar. At a certain point, Osadebay was the Premier of the Mid-West Region of Nigeria.The surface meaning:-
As the title of the poem suggests, the poem speaker is seen begging for his freedom of choice and his freedom of association. The is culturally inclined and somewhat relates to the issue of human race and difference in colour.The poem speaker addresses some abstract subjects (the African rulers) warning them not to push his culture aside like something out-of-date in other "to suit" an alien culture. The poem speaker further pleads for the opportunity to be allowed to live with both culture on a balanced scale; believing that in such way he will "have untrammelled growth" and his friends will not regret he did leave with both culture because he will always keep them in the best part of his mind.
The Line-By-Line Summary:-
Line 1-3, you should not throw my culture, customs and believes into the bin like something expired so as to favor the colonialists customs.Line 4-6, because such newly imbibed colonialists culture can never be better than mine.
Line 7-9, allow me to work with both customs and ideologies by managing the new culture with my African sense of reasoning.
Line 10-13, this way I'll easily be able to mingle and level up with the whole world and be a very better human.
Line 14-16, have you ever wondered why those who look down on me in public fear my strength in private of their hearts? It's because they know I have abilities and "I am no less a man"
Line 17-20, allow me this freedoms, and I'll make sure that my friends don't regret I'm living with two different cultural ideologies.
The Style, Preoccupation and Structure:-
Young Africa's Plea by Dennis Osadebay is another beautiful cultural poem. It gives in line with poems like Piano and Drums by Gabriel Okara, Anvil and the Hammer by Kofi Awoonor; what differentiated this poem is that it begs for the opportunity to live with both cultures amicably. It has a simple style and the dictions are very easy to understand.Dennis Osadebay was so preoccupied with the fear of loosing the values in his African culture to the European culture and from the second person point of view, he begged to be allowed the privilege to live with both cultures than favoring one for the other. The poem is structured with no specific end rhyme pattern or rhythm. It is a straight single stanza poem of 20 lines that flow from head down to toe.
The Figures of Speech:-
It is no doubt that poetic devices are one among the flavors of any good poem and this poem has loads of beautifying figures of speech."Let me" is a repetition in the poem used to emphasize the mood of the poem, there as well, there is a simile in line 2, "As some fine curios", imageries, symbolisms "white historians" which implies the European colonialists and the "black man" which implies an African, plenty of alliterations; line 7, 8, etc.
Few words in the poem to be explained are:-
1) curios in line two, they are things which serve as a reminder of the past.
2) tastes in line three, means liking.
3) talents in line thirteen, means the natural abilities.
4) untrammelled growth in line seventeen, the opportunity to develop without restraints of any kind.
The Themes:-
The theme of cultural differences, where the poets doesn't deny the usefulness of the new culture but requests the two be used together to make him a better man.The theme of friendship, where the poets aims his actions towards things that will gladden his friends and make them proud of him. The theme of colonialism and volatility of African leadership in such era: "Don't preserve my customs/ As some fine curios/ To suit some white historian's tastes" (line 1-3)
The Poem:-
Don't preserve my customsAs some fine curios
To suit some white historian's tastes.
There's nothing artificial
That beats the natural way,
In culture and ideals of life.
Let me play with the white man's ways,
Let me work with the black man's brains,
Let my affairs themselves sort out.
Then in sweet rebirth
I'll rise a better man,
Not ashamed to face the world.
Those who doubt my talents
In secret fear my strength;
They know I am no less a man.
Let them show their noble sides,
Let me have untrammelled growth.
My friends will never know regret
And I, never once forget.
Copyright © Dennis Osadebay, all rights reserved.
Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)
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