Persona's View of Aging In Panic of Growing Older

QUESTION:-

Examine The Persona's View Of Aging In The Panic Of Growing Older.

ANSWER:-

Lenrie Peters is one of the big names in West African poetry. His contributions have promoted West African poetic styles.

In his poem "The Panic of Growing Older", he concerned himself with the expected achievement associated with each stage of human life. The poem is a bit similar to William Shakespeare's Ten Stages of Man; where Shakespeare portrayed the sequences of life from cradle to old age.

Unlike Shakespeare, Lenrie Peters focused his concerns on the earthly achievement associated with each stage of human growth.

The issue of hope is paramount in this poem. Lenrie Peters pointed that a person begins adulthood with beautiful hopes:
"at twenty
stilled by hope
of gigantic success
and exploration"

Down the line of growing older, such hope began to wane due to underachievement. One becomes unnecessarily busy in domesticity that won't give room of seeing the moon, one begins to suffer emotional pains due to inability to achieve expected goals.

"hope is not a grain of sand" death comes at anytime to anyone therefore relying on scientific maxims is baseless.

Read More

Simple Summary Of The Fence By Lenrie Peters

According to an intelectual source, "The poem is a moral one which deals with the poet's dillema. He recounts the "dim" past and juxtaposes it with the future. 

The future is misty and foggy, and for this reason, he cannot possibly guess what the future looks like, neither can the past proffer any solution. In line 10-12, the poet recalls another striking phenomenon which is a contributing factor to the problem he is facing. 

This time, it is no longer time, but "age". Indeed he is so weighed down, that he is forced to confess that "I have not been drinking", yet he "feels the buoyant waves". Invariably these reactions in his body make him stagger. In line 20, the poet opines and acknowledges that he is still at his wits end. 

He still finds it extremely difficult to decide which way to follow, whether to be involved in "doing good" or otherwise. He is neither for, nor against. He is only but a "fence sitter" signifying his dilemma." 

  The Poem:-

There where the dim past and future mingle their nebulous and aspirations there I lie 

There where truth and untruth struggle, In endless and bloody combat, there I lie 

There where time moves forwards and backwards with not one moment's pause for sighing there I lie There where the body ages relentlessly and only the feeble mind can wander back there I lie in open_ souled amazement, 

There where all the opposites arrive to plague the inner senses, but do not fuse, I hold my head; and then contrive to stop the constant motion 

My head goes round and round; But I have not been drinking I feel the buoyant wave; I stagger It seems the world has changed her garment but it is I who have not crossed the fence, 

So there I lie There where the need for good and the "doing good" conflict there I lie. 

 Copyright (c) Lenrie Peters

READ MORE >>>

Read More