PWANI UNIVERSITY SCHOOL : EDUCATION UNIT NAME: EAST AFRICAN POETRY AND DRAMA. UNIT CODE:ALL B202 GROUP MEMBERS; EB01/PU/42787/20 – MARION HATAI EB01/PU/40584/20 – JUDITH MBULA KILONZO EB01/PU/40608/20 – PRISCAH NKATHA EB01/PU/40720/20 - CAREN NASAMBU EB01/PU/40628/20 - CYNTHIA WAMBOI ASHLEY MUKAMI EB01/PU/42470/20 – OCHENGE OTWOMA EB01/PU/40769/20 – OBONYO PRISCAH EB01/PU/40566/20 – EVANCE SHUKRANI KARANI EB04/PU/41093/20 – AOKO PEREZ TASK: IDENTIFY STYLES IN THE POEMS,’I SPEAK FOR THE BUSH’ BY E. STANDA,' BUILDING THE NATION' AND ‘MODENA’ BY RICHARD NTIIRU. 1. I SPEAK FOR THE BUSH by Everett Standa. Rhetorical questions. This are questions that do not require answers but carry information. For example Why do men with crippled legs, lifeless eyes, wooden legs, empty stomachs wonder about the streets of this civilized world? Will you hear me? Simile. This is comparison using the words like and as…as. It is evident in the poem; He swells and pants like a frog Quarrel and fight like hungry lions Like nuns, we stay away from night clubs. Imagery. This is used to show images in the mind of the readers. It is evident when the persona says “quarrel and fight like hungry lions” we can the image of how they quarrel and also fight. In stanza 3,line 3 , ‘wooden legs, empty stomach’ the phrase ‘wooden legs’ makes the reader to have a mental picture of how the legs look like . Therefore, the purpose of Standa to employ imagery on his work is to draw the readers into a sensory experience. Metaphor This is direct comparison of one thing by mentioning another. It is evident in the poem; ‘I speak for the bush’ here people from the village are directly called ‘bush’ . Satire. This is the combination of irony and sarcasm in one statement to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. It is evident in the poem; when the persona says, “we from the bush, my friend insists do not know how to ‘enjoy’ .” Staying in nightclubs where women belong to no men isn’t necessarily enjoyment. Also in stanza 3;' teach me the new wisdom which tells men to talk about money and not love when they meet women. ‘Materialistic love is actually not wisdom. Engaging in materialistic love is actually foolishness and uncivilized. Enjambment This is a style showing incomplete syntax at the end of a line ;the meaning runs over or steps over from one poetic line to the next. Normally the first two lines provide a hanging opinion and u get the meaning completed by the 3rd line. In the poem, this style is evident on the first two lines ; when a friend sees me, he swells and pants like a frog. The question comes in then, "why panting like a frog" the answer is clearly provided in the 3rd line ... 'because I talk the wisdom of the bush’ Paradox This is a contradictory statement in literally work of poetry. In the poem by Everett Standa,stanza 3 line 3 ' see those houses have no walls but emptiness all round’. For a house to be so called a house, it must have walls standing tall and upright with roofs attached to them but contrary the poet introduces us to houses having no walls but emptiness all round. Irony This implies the opposite between what is said and what is meant. In reference to the poem, ‘I speak for the bush ‘it is clear that the poet refers to the urban world as civilized yet he means the opposite and his opinion is geared towards supporting the rural life. This is evident in stanza 2, line 4-6 saying ‘ we from the bush’, my friend insists do not know how to enjoy when we come to the civilized city. It’s also ironical that people sleep hungry and wander the streets because they do not have a place to stay yet with all the problems they encounter, these same people show ignorance to their conditions and think themselves as civilized ones. Symbolism This is a literally device which uses symbols, be they words, people, marks, location or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning. In reference to the poem, ‘ I speak for the bush ‘the title of this poem is symbolic. ‘I speak for the bush’, I is the pronoun standing for the persona in the poem who in this case is a person living in the rural areas. The bush symbolizes the entire people living in the rural areas. The title ,’ I speak for the bush’ simply means the persona is like trying to represent the entire rural people in defending their rights not to be violated and also their moral standards not to be eradicated due to the emergency of western culture. The civilized people in this case symbolizes the people who are living in the urban centers whom they think are civilized in reality we can conclude that they are the ones being uncivilized as they are being driven by the western culture. 2 . BUILDING THE NATION by H.M. Barlow. Enjambment. This is continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause The lines of this poem are enjambed for maintaining the flow. For example, in the first stanza, the first two and the rest of the lines are enjambed. Alliteration. This is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds at the beginning of words . Secretly, smiling Delicate, diplomatic, duties Goes, against my grain. Bell beer Irony. Barlow uses this device a fair number of times. For example, stanza four line nine, “ the pains we suffer in building the nation ‘ is ironical. Both the Ps and the chauffeur suffer differently and not because of building the nation. The driver suffers ulcers due to hunger while the Ps suffers from the pain of ulcers due to excess consumption of food . The title of the poem is also ironical since, no nation building was done by the two. The PA is not necessarily building the nation but rather taking advantage of the weak. Metaphor. This is directly referring to one thing by mentioning another. For example “hollowness of the laughs” “ the stereotype jokes”. This shows how the people in high class use public resources to enjoy and being idle rather than serving the nation. Borrowing/code mixing. In stanza four, line three; Mwananchi, I too had none. Mwananchi is borrowed from Swahili. Onomatopoeia. In stanza four , line eight ; Ah, he continued yawning again. Ah! Is the sound of yawning. Satire In reference to the poem, it is satirical as a luncheon is called an important urgent function. ‘To an important urgent function' ' Infact to a luncheon at the vic ' Paradox This is contradictory statement or proposition which when Investigated may be true. ‘the results of building the nation-different ways ' This is seemingly absurd because in nation building, both the rich and the poor, the Ps and the driver have a common goal of nation building. 3. MODENA By Richard Ntiru. Repetition. A literally device which employs the use of the same phrase or word multiple times. Its purpose is to bring clarify to an idea and make the poem memorable for the readers The phrases ‘when you’ and ‘how you’ are repeated severally in the poem. The world ‘imaginary ‘ is also repeated in the poem. In line fifteen. Alliteration. This is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. This purpose to bring musicality and rhythm in a poem. For example: melt, men’s mock, mother stale, spear Enjambment. The lines 6,7,and8,“When you have recreated the memorable scene that night after the charity ball when the heroine of contrived action clutched at the elusive moment of emaciated hope.” Are enjambed so as to maintain the flow. Simile This is a literally device dealing with comparison between two objects or subjects by using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. In reference to the poem, this style is evident in ‘ how you realized your battered frame like stale beer that has lost its spear. This is to create a mental picture to the reader as he or she reads the poem. Oxymoron This is a literally device in which apparently contradictory terms appears in conjunction. Oxymoron tends to create an impression, enhancing a concept and even entertaining the reader. In reference to the poem, ’Modena’, in the line ‘how you baited me with your selfish generosity” The phrase’ selfish generosity’ is an oxymoron which brings out the contradictions. Imagery This is the use of language to create mental pictures. The poet has employed an auditory imagery in the poem which appeals to the sense of hearing. This is purposely to draw the readers into a sensory experience. This is evident in the poem, on line one which says’ when you have whispered it in my cocked ear’ the act of whispering makes the readers to have a picture being created on their minds appealing to the sense of hearing. First they perceive the whisper then later the formation of a mental picture. Metaphor This is a comparison between two things that states one thing is another in order to help explain an idea or show hidden similarities. In the poem, this style is evident when the poet says’ Extorted from me by your forked tongue’ The phrase ‘ forked tongue’ is a metaphor meaning a liar. Hence , the persona is trying to argue with the addressee denoted by the possessive pronoun ‘your’ that he will not keep an oath extorted from him. Reference Henry, B.(1970). Building the nation. A journal of East African creative writings. East African Educational publishers,1971,Poems from East Africa.
