{"id":948,"date":"2016-01-07T11:52:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T11:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/?p=948"},"modified":"2016-01-13T08:21:14","modified_gmt":"2016-01-13T08:21:14","slug":"poetic-insight-issue-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetic-insight-issue-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetic Insight (Issue 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\" id=\"quads-ad1\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n\n <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.1.7.8 Content AdSense async --> \n\n<script async data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\">\nvar quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth;\nif ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) {\r\n\/* desktop monitors *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 1024  && quads_screen_width < 1140 ) {\r\n\/* tablet landscape *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 768  && quads_screen_width < 1024 ) {\r\n\/* tablet portrait *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width < 768 ) {\r\n\/* phone *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}<\/script>\n\n <!-- end WP QUADS --> \n\n\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>NO COFFIN NO GRAVE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>(A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JARED ANGIRA\u2019S POEM, \u2018NO COFFIN NO GRAVE\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>BY OGHENERO EZAZA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In this discourse, we shall be having a critical appraisal of the poem \u2018No Coffin No Grave\u2019 by Jared Angira. My choice of this poem is timely. The poet has in this work addressed a very vital issue affecting most African countries even till this day.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>About The Poet<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In studying a work of literature, the poet or author\u2019s background should be studied. The poet, Jared Angira, was born in 1947 in Kenya. He studied Commerce at the University of Nairobi. He once edited the journal, Busara. He had also worked in the Kenyan Civil Service. His poetry touched much on the social injustice prevalent in post-colonial Kenya, and he was very critical of the political and social development in Kenya.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>The Poem<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here is the full text of the poem:<\/p>\n<p>NO COFFIN NO GRAVE<\/p>\n<p>He was buried without a coffin<br \/>\nwithout a grave<br \/>\nthe scavengers performed the post-mortem<br \/>\nin the open mortuary<br \/>\nwithout sterilized knives<br \/>\nin front of the night club<\/p>\n<p>stuttering rifles put up<br \/>\nthe gun salute of the day<br \/>\nthat was a state burial anyway<br \/>\nthe car knelt<br \/>\nthe red plate wept, wrapped itself in blood its master\u2019s<\/p>\n<p>the diary revealed to the sea<br \/>\nthe rain anchored there at last<br \/>\nisn\u2019t our flag red, black, and white?<br \/>\nso he wrapped himself well<\/p>\n<p>who could signal yellow<br \/>\nwhen we had to leave politics to the experts<br \/>\nand brood on books<br \/>\nbrood on hunger<br \/>\nand schoolgirls<br \/>\ngrumble under the black pot<br \/>\nsleep under torn mosquito net<br \/>\nand let lice lick our intestines<br \/>\nthe lord of the bar, money speaks madam<br \/>\nwoman magnet, money speaks madam<br \/>\nwe only cover the stinking darkness<br \/>\nof the cave of our mouths<br \/>\nand ask our father who is in hell to judge him<br \/>\nthe quick and the good<\/p>\n<p>Well, his dairy, submarine of the Third World War<br \/>\nshowed he wished<br \/>\nto be buried in a gold-laden coffin<br \/>\nlike a VIP<br \/>\nunder the jacaranda tree beside his palace<br \/>\na shelter for his grave<br \/>\nand much beer for the funeral party<\/p>\n<p>anyway one noisy pupil suggested we bring<br \/>\ntractors and plough the land.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>The Analysis<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Setting:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The setting of the poem is post-colonial Kenya. That is Kenya after independence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Subject Matter:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the poem the ruler of Kenya is brutally murdered at the front of a night club. His death brings joy to the people of the country because the ruler had been a dictator who had oppressed the masses during his reign. After much research I couldn\u2019t find any head of state or president of Kenya who died in this manner, hence the events recounted in this poem are products of creativity. However in recounting the circumstances surrounding the dictator\u2019s death the poet has been able to address vital issues facing the society or country of Kenya as well as most African countries after the era of colonialism.<\/p>\n<p>Now let\u2019s take a stanza by stanza analysis of the poem.<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 1:<\/p>\n<p>Obviously after the dictator has been killed in front of the night club his corpse was not buried but was left there to rot, which is not good for a head of state. Well the poet-speaker in lines 1-2 claims that the dead dictator was actually buried but without a coffin and without a grave! Can you imagine that? Also when important persons die a post-mortem is usually carried out. Post-mortem is a medical operation meant to find out the cause of death. No post mortem is done for the late Head of State whose body was rather left to rot in the street. Well in lines 3-6 our poet-speaker disagrees and claims that a post-mortem is actually being carried out on the late dictator\u2019s corpse. But this post-mortem is not being done by doctors rather it is by the scavengers i.e vultures that have come to feast on his corpse. The difference between this post-mortem and that done by a doctor is that these scavengers are not using sterilized knives i.e. those treated sharp objects used by doctors. Rather these vultures are using their claws to carry out their own post mortem as they tear the dead man\u2019s skin. Also this post mortem is not being done on a hospital bed, but on the floor of the street in front of a night club!<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 2:<\/p>\n<p>Another honour given to a late Head of State that was not done for this our head of State is the gun salute. That is the point in the burial where soldiers will fire shots into the air. Our poet-speaker here however claims that while the killers shot at the Head of State in his car, they shot repeatedly. Hence the poet claims that those repeated shots that also took the dictator\u2019s life were his gun salute as well. And since the gun salute was carried out, it means the head of state has been given a state burial like every other Head of State. Also nobody felt remorse over the dictator\u2019s death, but the poet says the car in which he rode knelt for him. And the plate number which is now dripping blood is weeping over its master\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 3:<\/p>\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad2\" id=\"quads-ad2\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>After the dictator\u2019s death his diary is now made public. When most presidents of countries pass on their corpse or coffin is usually wrapped in the country\u2019s flag during the burial. In this case such is not done; of course there is no burial at all. But our poet-speaker draws our attention to the fact that Kenyan\u2019s National flag has the colours of red, white and black inclusive in it. Our late Head of State is apparently dressed in white shirt and black suit, then coupled with the red blood after the shots, hence he is after all wrapped in the country\u2019s colours (flag). So the concept of a state burial befitting a Head of State continues.<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 4:<\/p>\n<p>Here, the poet-speaker says no one could \u2018signal yellow\u2019, i.e. give any warning when the masses had left politics for the \u2018experts\u2019. He then describes how the masses have been and are still suffering in hunger, torn mosquito nets, etc, then he goes on to contrast that with the affluent living of the late dictator while he was alive calling him the lord of the bar and women magnet.<\/p>\n<p>He then says we, the masses, cannot say but only seek judgment on the late dictator on the other side of the world i.e. on the life after death.<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 5:<\/p>\n<p>The diary of the late dictator which had been discovered is here being opened and its content is being discovered as well. And the diary reveals that the dead dictator had actually narrated how he wanted his burial to be. He wanted to be buried like a VIP in a gold-laden coffin under a tree beside his palace and with plenty beer for the people at the funeral.<\/p>\n<p>Stanza 6:<\/p>\n<p>Here, at the end a pupil, whom the poet-speaker called noisy, suggests they bring tractor and plough the land. This means a call to start afresh. The poet calls the pupil noisy because the killing of the dictator is obviously a revolutionary act. Hence after he has been killed everyone knows a new turn of events is to follow so the pupil becomes \u2018noisy\u2019 by saying what everyone knows. However the poet has used the character of the noisy pupil to put more emphasis on his message.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Theme of oppression and cruel leaders<\/li>\n<li>Theme of Uncertainty of the future: this is shown in the contrast between the kind of burial the dictator wished himself, which he wrote in his diary and the kind he actually got in reality<\/li>\n<li>Theme of Vanity: despite the luxury in which the dictator lived and despite his power, he dies like a fowl and does not get even the humblest of burials rather his corpse was left to rot on the street with vultures feasting on it.<\/li>\n<li>Theme of Revolution<\/li>\n<li>Theme of Plight of the masses: this is shown in the suffering masses.<\/li>\n<li>Theme of \u2018Good Riddance\u2019: nobody cares the least about the demise of the man who ought to be the number one citizen of the country.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Poetic Devices<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Satire: The poem is a complete satire. This is where a writer uses humour to attack a concept and brings out the flaws of that concept.<\/p>\n<p>Sarcasm: This is close to satire. In this case the writer uses irony to oppose, attack and speak ill of a concept e.g. \u2018he was buried without a coffin\/ without a grave\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Rhetorical Question: Line 14, Line 16<\/p>\n<p>Metaphor: e.g. woman magnet,<\/p>\n<p>his diary, submarine of the third world war (line 3)<\/p>\n<p>Personification: The red plate wept<\/p>\n<p>Ambiguity: The poet deliberately uses some words in context where their contextual meanings become unclear<\/p>\n<p><strong>Structure:<\/strong> Free verse<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tone:<\/strong> Satirical and sarcastic<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mood:<\/strong> Sorrow and hope<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Reviewer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1007\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetic-insight-issue-2\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?fit=1533%2C1467&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1533,1467\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?fit=300%2C287&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?fit=790%2C756&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1007 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?resize=300%2C287\" alt=\"Oghenero Ezaza\" width=\"300\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?resize=300%2C287&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?resize=1024%2C980&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/892552_252132894925125_1750123149_o.jpg?w=1533&amp;ssl=1 1533w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>Oghenero Ezaza<\/strong> writes prose and poems. He has published a collection of poems: Reflections. His poems have also featured in various anthologies including: Black Communion, Who Shall I Make My Wife?, Wushapa (Beating the Drums of Peace). He is also a Spoken Word Poet and a Comedian with the stage name: Genza. He writes from Warri, Nigeria.\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad3\" id=\"quads-ad3\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NO COFFIN NO GRAVE (A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF JARED ANGIRA\u2019S POEM, \u2018NO COFFIN NO GRAVE\u2019) BY OGHENERO EZAZA \u00a0 In this discourse, we shall be&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[28],"tags":[82,109,110,108,81],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1278,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/book-reviews-issue-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":948,"position":0},"title":"BOOK REVIEWS (ISSUE 4)","date":"July 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Back Again at the Foothills of Greed by Idris Amali \u2013 A Review Akwu Sunday Victor \u00a0 A reader who is used to Idris Amali\u2019s poetry would indubitably realize the absence of anger, and radical temper in the collection, Back Again at the Foothills of Greed. The reason could be\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Book &amp; CD Reviews\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2213,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetic-insight-issue-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":948,"position":1},"title":"POETIC INSIGHT (ISSUE 8)","date":"November 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"POETIC INSIGHT (ISSUE 8) BEYOND DIDACTICISM: A REVIEW OF MICHEAL ACE\u2019S SERMON FROM A STAMMERER TITLE: SERMON FROM A STAMMERER AUTHOR: MICHEAL ACE GENRE: POETRY NUMBER OF PAGES: 32 PUBLISHER: ACEWORLD DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2016 REVIEWER: AYOOLA GOODNESS One of the tenets of literature is didacticism\u2014the flowering of morality\u2014 a\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Poetic Insight\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":560,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetic-insight\/","url_meta":{"origin":948,"position":2},"title":"Poetic Insight","date":"October 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Poetic insight features critical essays\/reviews on poetry geared towards preserving its relevance\/excellence; the high points of good poetry since time immemorial. The physical attributes of poetry will be projected as well as how it addresses societal ills amongst others. To safeguard the veritable attributes of this salient form of arts,\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Poetic Insight\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1032,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948\/revisions\/1032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}