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Name – Reena K. Khasatiya
Semester – 4
Roll no- 29
Batch – 2017-19
Email Id- khasatiyamili21@gmail.com
Paper- African Literature
Submitted to- Dept. Of English MKBU
Introduction
The African literature is mirror of African culture and heritage. Here, In these poems we found that all poems reflect their hatred towards civilized. During this British emperor the African culture and heritage is totally ruined. All poems talks about situation f African people, who are wavering between two culture, British culture and African culture. Also deals with the human psychology and impact of civilization on the lifestyle of African people. How happy they are before Bruisers are came. Colonizer also laughs on African culture and rituals.
1) Once upon A Time
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!
This poem is written by African poet ‘Gabriel Okara' . In this poem we found that Conversations between father and son. Poet deals with impact of globalization so called civilization. The life of human becomes mechanical and robotic life. All people run behind money. And in this race human becomes robot. Here in this poem poet talk about that the relation is remain formal, lake of trust and aspens of feelings. Even smiles also became plastic smile or artificial smile. Humans are doing all this things like hospitality, charity and other things only for sake of doing, not from their heart. People becomes formal some word are only for speaking like good bye, I really enjoyed your company, nice to meet you , come again and many other thing are spoken by for formality, not form heart. People use to wear mask, we found this kind of duel face rather we can says malty face to human being. They stared change emotions like they change their cloths (makeup of mind). Poetic persona tells his son about his glorious past and what is present. Poet try's so connect past and present, also generation gap of life of father and the life of son. Father says that “Once upon A time I was lie you.” Child is innocent and happy, his smile is original and he enjoyed his life, whereas father cannot do all this things through his heart. In past father also use to smile with their heart but now he cannot smile with heart, he smile with teeth. All this things are happened because of money and civilization. Poetic persona asked his son to teach me how to smile. He also longing for original and real life but he can't. In this poem we found impact of civilization.
2) Mystic Drum
And then the mystic drum
in my inside stopped to beat -
and men became men,
fishes became fishes
and trees, the sun and the moon
found their places, and the dead
went to the ground and things began to grow.
This poem is written by Okara. The Drum represents African culture. We can say that is connecting with heart beats of poetic persona. Lady who smile's behind tree is signifies so many things. She is an outsider. Lady thinks that she has more rich culture, but in real sense the colonized won’t have their own. Culture. In this poem we found that men, women and fishes are dancing on the bit of drum. It shows the connection of nature and humans, that they are dancing together. It also shows how powerful mystic drum is ? The African culture is connected with nature, the mystic drum invokes the sun, the moon, the river, gods and trees began to dance. In the poem lady is outsider and colonizer also. She is standing behind tree; it shows because of industrial revolution the trees and forest are cutting down. Poetic persona says that the mystic drum is not beat loudly anymore. Because of industrialization, African culture destroys slowly. It means other western people started ruling over African. We can say that the lady is the personification of industrialization. This is a gift of colonialism and imperialism. Industrialization started sucking the land through their roots. The smoke comer from her lips is suggest how much pollution is done by industrialization. In the poem we found that when drum is beaten am become fishes and fishes become men. But, when mystic drum stopped beating men become men and fishes become fishes. It reflects that life become dry and mechanical.
3) Where I to choose
When Adam broke the stone
and red streams raged down to
gather in the womb,
an angel calmed the storm”,
“And I, the breath mewed
in Cain, unblinking gaze
at the world without
from the brink of an age”.
This poem is written by Gabriel Okara. Here poet true to compare Adam and black negro man. Here, poet also talks about generation gap. Adam is father and Cain is metaphorically represented new generation. He talks about the language. The red streams are suggests multilingual new generation. Poet compares Cain (Son of Adam) with African man that Cain is wonderer and he doesn’t have any kind of aim in his life. He just wanders here and there without destination. Same man have not aim in their life. ,Poet indirectly satirized modern men. The tower of Babel is symbol of unity. Because when tower is constructed, people wanted to this tower is tower of oneness or unity. But God gives them different languages and makes them different through language. The line “And of this dark halo was the tired head free”. Poet tries to be free from this dark halo.
4) Dedication
Earth will not share the rafter's envy; dung floors
Break, not the gecko's slight skin, but its fall
Taste this soil for death and plumb her deep for life
This poem is written by Wole Soyinka. This poem is kind of advice of new coming generation. Poet dedicated this poem to new born child. Poetic persona has deep sense of life, so be gives advice to new generation, how to live in this world. What to do and what not to do. We can compare this poem to Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to his new born baby. In which he gives advice to his daughter and hope for better future of his daughter. Poetic persona gives both negative as well as positive advice to new generation with the use of different images and metaphors. Poet tries to convey his message, like honey , scorpion, moon, sun and many others. Though in this poem poet hope for better society, because his life passed away but he thinks that his child males society better. The child itself is dedication to society.
Long on your lips, of salt, that you may seek
None from tears. This, rain-water, is the gift
Of gods—drink of its purity, bear fruits in season.
5) Telephonic Conversations
price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. 'Madam' , I warned,
'I hate a wasted journey - I am African
This poem is written by Wole Soyinka. Poet deals with racism and relation of white and black people. Talk about first world country and third world country. A black man won’t to perchance home from white lady. Here, home means land) There is telephonic conversation between them. Telephone is symbol of connecting people, it is tool of communication. But here in this poem it shows distance between two people and nation also. Lady represents first world country and black man represents third world country. Here, we find Frantz Fanon’s concept of ‘Black Skin white mask' . In this poem both are rich, neckless shows richness of lady and black man want to buy home so it shows his richness. But lady over power man because she represents r belongs to first world nation. Lady is colonizer and man is colonizer.
depending on the color of his skin only.
The poem deals with a foul subject, that of racism and prejudice, in a lighthearted, almost comical manner. A most important device which Soyinka has used to highlight this sense of racism, which was previously widespread in western society, is that of the telephone. Had the person been speaking face to face with the lady, this whole conversation would never have taken place. She would have either refused outright, or would have found a more subtle way of doing so. The whole back and forth about ‘how dark’ the man is wouldn’t have occurred. Thus the telephone is used to make the issue of racism clear and prove how nonsensical it really is.
6) Refugee Mother and child
No Madonna and Child could touch
that picture of a mother's tenderness
for a son she soon would have to forget.
The air was heavy with odours
Refugee Mother and Child” is a poem composed by Chinua Achebe depicting the destitution and starvation for displaced people. The poem is about a displaced person mother and her child who endure in the arms of neediness. In the long run, her child perishes and as a mother she feels despondency, upset and vulnerable. In the poem, Achebe joined love, lament, religion, confidence, enduring, recollections, agony and change into the lives of the outcasts’ mom and tyke. Chinua Achebe expressed “Refugee Mother and Child” as a reaction to his experienced childhood in neediness with unprivileged kids and enduring and felt propelled by their psychological quality. All through the poem, Achebe drives us to a comprehension of mother`s delicate love.
title of the poem gives off the initial impression that the poem may focus on refugees: one who flees to seek refuge, The lives of refugee children, their parents, their feelings, their emotions and their pain. ‘For a son she soon would have to forget’. This foreshadows the idea that her son is dying, and she would have to forget him to adapt to her tragic loss. 2 The metaphor in the fist stanza, ‘No Madonna and Child could touch that picture…’, relates to the idea of Mary and her child, Jesus. (https://www.litpriest.com/browse/poetry/refugee-mother-and-child-summary/)
Conclusion
Thus , African poetry is full with emotions which is repressed emotions. Somewhere it is the voice against slavery system and somewhere it is about justice for everything. As we discussed in this assignment we can conclude that African poetry has its own beauty though it is more about experiences of injustice.
Name – Reena K. Khasatiya
Semester – 4
Roll no- 29
Batch – 2017-19
Email Id- khasatiyamili21@gmail.com
Paper- African Literature
Submitted to- Dept. Of English MKBU
Introduction
The African literature is mirror of African culture and heritage. Here, In these poems we found that all poems reflect their hatred towards civilized. During this British emperor the African culture and heritage is totally ruined. All poems talks about situation f African people, who are wavering between two culture, British culture and African culture. Also deals with the human psychology and impact of civilization on the lifestyle of African people. How happy they are before Bruisers are came. Colonizer also laughs on African culture and rituals.
1) Once upon A Time
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!
This poem is written by African poet ‘Gabriel Okara' . In this poem we found that Conversations between father and son. Poet deals with impact of globalization so called civilization. The life of human becomes mechanical and robotic life. All people run behind money. And in this race human becomes robot. Here in this poem poet talk about that the relation is remain formal, lake of trust and aspens of feelings. Even smiles also became plastic smile or artificial smile. Humans are doing all this things like hospitality, charity and other things only for sake of doing, not from their heart. People becomes formal some word are only for speaking like good bye, I really enjoyed your company, nice to meet you , come again and many other thing are spoken by for formality, not form heart. People use to wear mask, we found this kind of duel face rather we can says malty face to human being. They stared change emotions like they change their cloths (makeup of mind). Poetic persona tells his son about his glorious past and what is present. Poet try's so connect past and present, also generation gap of life of father and the life of son. Father says that “Once upon A time I was lie you.” Child is innocent and happy, his smile is original and he enjoyed his life, whereas father cannot do all this things through his heart. In past father also use to smile with their heart but now he cannot smile with heart, he smile with teeth. All this things are happened because of money and civilization. Poetic persona asked his son to teach me how to smile. He also longing for original and real life but he can't. In this poem we found impact of civilization.
2) Mystic Drum
And then the mystic drum
in my inside stopped to beat -
and men became men,
fishes became fishes
and trees, the sun and the moon
found their places, and the dead
went to the ground and things began to grow.
This poem is written by Okara. The Drum represents African culture. We can say that is connecting with heart beats of poetic persona. Lady who smile's behind tree is signifies so many things. She is an outsider. Lady thinks that she has more rich culture, but in real sense the colonized won’t have their own. Culture. In this poem we found that men, women and fishes are dancing on the bit of drum. It shows the connection of nature and humans, that they are dancing together. It also shows how powerful mystic drum is ? The African culture is connected with nature, the mystic drum invokes the sun, the moon, the river, gods and trees began to dance. In the poem lady is outsider and colonizer also. She is standing behind tree; it shows because of industrial revolution the trees and forest are cutting down. Poetic persona says that the mystic drum is not beat loudly anymore. Because of industrialization, African culture destroys slowly. It means other western people started ruling over African. We can say that the lady is the personification of industrialization. This is a gift of colonialism and imperialism. Industrialization started sucking the land through their roots. The smoke comer from her lips is suggest how much pollution is done by industrialization. In the poem we found that when drum is beaten am become fishes and fishes become men. But, when mystic drum stopped beating men become men and fishes become fishes. It reflects that life become dry and mechanical.
3) Where I to choose
When Adam broke the stone
and red streams raged down to
gather in the womb,
an angel calmed the storm”,
“And I, the breath mewed
in Cain, unblinking gaze
at the world without
from the brink of an age”.
This poem is written by Gabriel Okara. Here poet true to compare Adam and black negro man. Here, poet also talks about generation gap. Adam is father and Cain is metaphorically represented new generation. He talks about the language. The red streams are suggests multilingual new generation. Poet compares Cain (Son of Adam) with African man that Cain is wonderer and he doesn’t have any kind of aim in his life. He just wanders here and there without destination. Same man have not aim in their life. ,Poet indirectly satirized modern men. The tower of Babel is symbol of unity. Because when tower is constructed, people wanted to this tower is tower of oneness or unity. But God gives them different languages and makes them different through language. The line “And of this dark halo was the tired head free”. Poet tries to be free from this dark halo.
4) Dedication
Earth will not share the rafter's envy; dung floors
Break, not the gecko's slight skin, but its fall
Taste this soil for death and plumb her deep for life
This poem is written by Wole Soyinka. This poem is kind of advice of new coming generation. Poet dedicated this poem to new born child. Poetic persona has deep sense of life, so be gives advice to new generation, how to live in this world. What to do and what not to do. We can compare this poem to Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to his new born baby. In which he gives advice to his daughter and hope for better future of his daughter. Poetic persona gives both negative as well as positive advice to new generation with the use of different images and metaphors. Poet tries to convey his message, like honey , scorpion, moon, sun and many others. Though in this poem poet hope for better society, because his life passed away but he thinks that his child males society better. The child itself is dedication to society.
Long on your lips, of salt, that you may seek
None from tears. This, rain-water, is the gift
Of gods—drink of its purity, bear fruits in season.
5) Telephonic Conversations
price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. 'Madam' , I warned,
'I hate a wasted journey - I am African
This poem is written by Wole Soyinka. Poet deals with racism and relation of white and black people. Talk about first world country and third world country. A black man won’t to perchance home from white lady. Here, home means land) There is telephonic conversation between them. Telephone is symbol of connecting people, it is tool of communication. But here in this poem it shows distance between two people and nation also. Lady represents first world country and black man represents third world country. Here, we find Frantz Fanon’s concept of ‘Black Skin white mask' . In this poem both are rich, neckless shows richness of lady and black man want to buy home so it shows his richness. But lady over power man because she represents r belongs to first world nation. Lady is colonizer and man is colonizer.
depending on the color of his skin only.
The poem deals with a foul subject, that of racism and prejudice, in a lighthearted, almost comical manner. A most important device which Soyinka has used to highlight this sense of racism, which was previously widespread in western society, is that of the telephone. Had the person been speaking face to face with the lady, this whole conversation would never have taken place. She would have either refused outright, or would have found a more subtle way of doing so. The whole back and forth about ‘how dark’ the man is wouldn’t have occurred. Thus the telephone is used to make the issue of racism clear and prove how nonsensical it really is.
6) Refugee Mother and child
No Madonna and Child could touch
that picture of a mother's tenderness
for a son she soon would have to forget.
The air was heavy with odours
Refugee Mother and Child” is a poem composed by Chinua Achebe depicting the destitution and starvation for displaced people. The poem is about a displaced person mother and her child who endure in the arms of neediness. In the long run, her child perishes and as a mother she feels despondency, upset and vulnerable. In the poem, Achebe joined love, lament, religion, confidence, enduring, recollections, agony and change into the lives of the outcasts’ mom and tyke. Chinua Achebe expressed “Refugee Mother and Child” as a reaction to his experienced childhood in neediness with unprivileged kids and enduring and felt propelled by their psychological quality. All through the poem, Achebe drives us to a comprehension of mother`s delicate love.
title of the poem gives off the initial impression that the poem may focus on refugees: one who flees to seek refuge, The lives of refugee children, their parents, their feelings, their emotions and their pain. ‘For a son she soon would have to forget’. This foreshadows the idea that her son is dying, and she would have to forget him to adapt to her tragic loss. 2 The metaphor in the fist stanza, ‘No Madonna and Child could touch that picture…’, relates to the idea of Mary and her child, Jesus. (https://www.litpriest.com/browse/poetry/refugee-mother-and-child-summary/)
Conclusion
Thus , African poetry is full with emotions which is repressed emotions. Somewhere it is the voice against slavery system and somewhere it is about justice for everything. As we discussed in this assignment we can conclude that African poetry has its own beauty though it is more about experiences of injustice.
"Dedication"...
ReplyDeleteWell written. Thanks for sharing
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