2 Poems on Stillbirth and Reincarnation with Critical Analyses

Appreciation and analysis of the poem may not be an easy task if one is not well-groomed and trained to do that. Stillbirth and Reincarnation are two poems that have been worked upon for researchers to learn more about the minds of the poet and continue to do critical analyses. Read and work on them.

Poem 1

Still-Birth

O my island, listen to me

My beautiful nation, hear my voice

Before you are born

You labeled me with a bad name

You fry my mouth like a sharpened sword

I labor to no avail

You torture me for seven times

I purge you with strength in vain

And for nothing

A bundle of nine mouths seems sterile

You are pitiless!

You are a dear-devil

You plan to send me to heaven of no-return

Stay in heaven, please!

Don’t visit the host anymore

You cause a scandal too much

You make my life a tree without seeds

Better stay in ancestors’ realm

I say please enough is enough!

Poet: Deola Adelakun

Briefs of the poem

The poem is a lamentation and mourning of a mother who delivers a stillbirth. The poem points to the ordeal of a stillborn child that troubles the host. In the Yoruba worldview, it is believed that there are stillborn children. They also believe that if a child dies; it is the same child that comes again.

Themes of the poem

The poem “Stillbirth” has various thematic preoccupations that will explain the poem understandably. The theme, as a dominating point of this poem, encompasses stillbirth, death, and distress during pregnancies.

The theme of stillbirth: The poem is a poem that reflects the afflictions and scanners that cause to his/her mother. The stillborn child is intermittent. He/she does not stay. It is believed that he deliberately tortures his mother.

The theme of death: Stillborn child torments his mother through death. The stillbirth is not predictable as he/she comes and goes back to heaven without staying.

The theme of distress during pregnancies: The mother from which stillbirth comes faces a lot of distress. The woman always labors in vain and for nothing. The stillborn child puts his/her mother in trouble all the time.

Language and Poetic Devices

The use of language and poetic devices is employed to enrich the poem and to allow people and researchers to do critical analyses of the poem. Consider the following:

Stanzas and lines: The poem has 19 lines: The lines are full of symbolism and figurative expressions.

Mood and tone: The tone of the poem is harsh as the poet rejects the distress of the stillbirth. The poet also feels unhappy about how the stillbirth affects the life of the woman.

Rhymes and Rhythm: The poem is rhythmic because of its rhyming patterns.

Symbolism: The poet makes certain words and expressions to represent particular things or ideas. Those words and expressions “O my island, my beautiful nation” represent stillbirth. “A bundle of nine months” represents “Pregnancy”.

Type of poem: The poem is an elegy/dirge as the poem laments and mourns the stillbirth that causes afflictions to the mother.

Figures of speech

The use of figures of speech is employed to enrich the poem and to allow people and researchers to do critical analyses of the poem. Consider the following:

Simile: The poet makes use of simile to compare the two things with comparative words such as “like”. “You fry my mouth like a sharpened sword”, (line 5).

Metaphor: The poet makes use of metaphor to compare two things without comparative words. For example: “You make my life a tree without seeds” (line 17), “You pitiless!” (line 11),

Irony: The poet makes use of irony as he says the opposite of what he/she means in “O my island” instead of “O my desert” (line 1) and “My Beautiful nation” instead of “My wicked nation” (line 2).

Apostrophe: The poet makes use of apostrophes. He addresses the stillborn child as if he were present or with him. For example: “O my island, listen to me, line 1”, check too all lines 1 to 19.

Euphemism: The poet makes use of euphemisms such as “You plan to send me to heaven of no return” (line 13), and “A bundle of nine months seems sterile” (line 10).

Word List and Meanings

 No avail: Unsuccessful

Pitiless: Merciless

Dear Devil: Devil’s messenger

Scandal: Trouble

Practice Questions

Explicate the message of the poem.

1. What does the image of a buddle of nine months’ represent?

2. What does the ‘ancestor realm’ imply in the poem?

3. Write the figure of speech in line 5 of the poem.

4. What is the figurative expression of ‘O my island’?

5. State the figure of speech of the expression ‘heaven of no return’.

Poem 2

Reincarnation

 As above, so below

Die here if you, you surely wake up

To another world

Your life here is not forever

You will later join the ancestors

As tenants, we live here.

In thatched huts, we dwell

Too soon, the tropic storm will out-blow

The flicks ring lights of human life

To our permanent dwelling home

We wake up after.

Poet: Deola Adelakun

Briefs of the poem

The poem “Reincarnation” is a portrayal of the rebirth of a soul from one place to another. The poet believes that reincarnation is a philosophical doctrine on how such rebirth occurs. It is believed that the way we live on Earth is the way we live in Heaven. The poet also understands that this world is temporary; we should later join our ancestors in another world. It is affirmed that one day, we shall die and wake up in our permanent home later.

Themes of the poem

The poem “Reincarnation” has various thematic preoccupations that will explain the poem very well. The theme, as a central idea of this poem, encompasses reincarnation, terrestrial (earthly), celestial (heavenly), and contrast between earth and heaven.

The theme of terrestrial (earthly world): The poet points to the activities of people on earth as temporary. This world is like a market that will close after the transaction. The poet also calls our attention to our activities on earth as the same in heaven.

The theme of the celestial (heavenly world): The poet reminds us that heaven is our permanent home. This world is temporary. One day, we shall leave here for our permanent home which is in heaven and our activities will continue to occur. We shall wake up to enjoy forever. That is reincarnation; the change of our body, life, and activities on earth to live again in heaven.

The theme of contrast between earth and heaven: The poet makes us see the earth as a temporary home while he sees heaven as a permanent home. We shall die and our activities will close on earth one day but we shall live forever in heaven.

 Language and Poetic Devices

The use of language and poetic devices is employed to enrich the poem and to allow people and researchers to do critical analyses of the poem. Consider the following:

Stanzas and lines: The poem has two stanzas and 11 lines. The first stanza has 5 lines while the second stanza has 6 lines. The first stanza prepares our minds for activities on earth and in heaven but the second stanza reminds us that this world is temporary and heaven is permanent.

Mood/Tone: The poet feels spiritual and admirable. He believes that our original home is heaven. The poet is hopeful as he thinks of our permanent home (Heaven) every day.

Rhymes and Rhythm: The poem has a good rhyme with stressed and unstressed syllables to give a rhythmic effect.

Imagery: The poem makes use of words or expressions that gives mental pictures of ideas. “…the tropic storm…out blow” gives the mental picture of …death will strike (line 8), “To our permanent dwelling home” (line 10).

Figures of Speech

The use of figures of speech is employed to enrich the poem and to allow people and researchers to do critical analyses of the poem. Consider the following:

Simile: The poet makes use of simile to compare two things with comparative words such as “As above, so below” (line 1), and “As tenants, we live here” (line 6).

Symbolism: The poet makes use of symbolism to represent certain ideas and concepts. The following expressions “…the tropic storm… out blow” (line 8) are used to represent “Death will strike…” “To another world” The word “world” (line 3) represents “heaven”, “In thatched huts” (line 7) represents “this old and temporary world”, and “…dwelling home” represents “heaven”.

Personification: The poet makes use of personification such as “Too soon, the tropic storm will out-blow…”.

Paradox: The poet deliberately makes use of paradox. The poet is first absurd in utterance as he says “as above so below,”(line 1) “Too soon, the tropic storm will out-blow” (line 8), and some other expressions. But in a deeper meaning, we can see the sense of truth in them. Line 1 means that the activities on this earth are similar to the activities in heaven and line 8 means that soon, everyone will die.

Word List and Meanings

Dwelling home: Heaven

 Practice Questions

1. Discuss the subject matter of the poem.

2. Explain the images used in the poem.

3. Comment on lines eight (8) and nine (9).

Conclusion

The two poems above are discussed purposely for students, teachers, and researchers to learn how to do critical analyses of the poems.