A Poem on Warning with Critical Analyses

The poem opens our eyes to the reality of life that nothing last forever. If you have power today. Yours is not the best. There is someone somewhere that has more power than you. Everyone should be humble and not be full of himself/herself. The poem is worked on for researchers and readers to learn more and to criticize for analysis.

There Is a Stone for Every Goliath

As a cane for the disobedient

As a flog for the misbehaved

As the hunger for the lazy

As a staff for the cattle

As a serious beating for goats

As a red sea for Pharaoh and his chariots

As a disgrace for the proud

As a jail for law-breakers

As a whip for horses

As a 6-feet for the dead

So also there is a stone for the wicked

Like the stone for Goliath

So also a stone is available for the disobedient

Just like the one that hit Goliath’s forehead

And the giant collapsed disappointedly.

Poet: Deola Adelakun

Briefs of the Poem

The poem nearly resembles the theme of wickedness but it concludes with having the right attitude and avoiding wickedness. The attitude of Goliath shows pride. He is always proud and full of himself. This is why he has overconfidence that he will defeat David.

The poet uses the expression: similes to compare what will happen to Goliath and those that puff like a Goliath. The poet says that the end of people like Goliath is a disappointment.

A cane, frog, hunger, staff, serious beating, red sea, disgrace, jail, whip, and 6-feet are compared with disobedient, misbehaved, lazy, cattle, goats, Pharaoh and his chariots, proud, law-breakers, horses, and dead. Similes are comparing two entities with the use of the  word: ‘as’

The poet says and confirms that something terrible will befall the wicked. The poem is a theatrical allusion as the poet cleverly uses the event of David and Goliath in the bible to explicate what will happen to the disobedient.

The poet concludes that the consequence of the wicked is disappointment and death as Goliath in the bible died a disappointing death.

The poem opens our eyes to the reality of life that nothing last forever. If you have power today. Yours is not the best. There is someone somewhere that has more power than you. Everyone should be humble and not be full of himself/herself.

Theme

The poem, There is a stone for every Goliath, is a poem that reveals the wickedness and bad attitudes and actions of the society and the consequences that may accompany those heinous and nefarious acts. Several themes have been discussed below.

The theme of wickedness

The poem is a summary of wickedness. The poet sees the future of a wicked person and he is compassionate. Wickedness is an act of being cruel and brutal. The poem anticipates the consequences of a wicked person. According to the poet, the characteristics of wickedness are disobedience, misbehavior, laziness, pride and l, and lawbreaking.

The theme of lawbreaking

Lawbreaking is a way of violating the laws or not abiding the laws. by The poet reveals the bad effects that are waiting for the lawbreakers. According to the poet, the resulting law of reaction is jail. That is, the poem encourages us to abide by the rules and regulations, as well as the laws of the e society they find themselves. He continues to expose the secret of the consequence behind it that if not, the breaker of the laws will end in jail.

The theme of bad attitudes and actions

Bad attitudes and actions matter to the poet in the sense that he knows that whatever one does on earth will come back to him or her. He addresses that good behaviors are good results. What one sows one reaps. According to the poet, a flog is waiting for the misbehaved waiting for the disobedient. Everyone should shun bad attitudes and attitudes at can tell on us in the future.

The theme of pride and arrogance

Pride comes before a fall! Arrogance ruins a life. The poet addresses the issue of pride and arrogance as wickedness. If you are proud, you are wicked; if you are arrogant, you are wicked too. Not only this, a stone is waiting for the proud and the arrogant. That is why the poet uses the portrayal of the wicked people in the Bible and their consequences. According to the poet, there is a red sea for Pharaoh and his chariots and a stone for Goliath.

Language and Poetic Devices

The poet uses language and poetic devices to enrich the poem. Some of the examples of the languages and poetic language of the poem have been worked upon for researchers to analyze, appreciate and criticize.

Stanzas and lines

The poem has two stanzas and fifteen lines. The first stanza is predominant with similes and addresses the end result of the wicked. The one stanza narrates Goliath’s and Pharaoh’s historical events and their consequences.

Rhymes and rhyming schemes

The poem has normal rhyme which gives a rhythmic effect. The first stanza comprises the rhyming schemes of abcdefghij while the second stanza comprises the rhyming schemes of abcde.

Type of poem

The poem is didactic and historical. It is didactic because the poet expresses his feeling concerning wickedness, bad attitudes and behaviors, and their consequences to behaviors people’s moral lessons. The poem is historical because it uses the historical events of Pharaoh and Goliath to point at the consequences that are waiting for the wicked.

Mood/Tone

The poet feels bad and compassionate for the wicked. That is why it is in mind of the poet to write and correct the roars of societal brutality and cruelty because its negative effects are enormous.

Figures of Speech

The poet cleverly makes use of figures of speech to enrich the poem. Some of the examples of the figures of speech of the poem have been discussed for researchers to analyze and criticize.

Simile

The poet makes use of simile to compare the two objects with comparative words such as “as” and “like”. The examples of similes are (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10, 12, 14). Simile is a predominant figure of speech of the A simile

Repetition

The poet makes use of repetitions to emphasize his message. The examples of repetitions are “As a” (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), “Like”(lines, 12, 14), “for”(lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13), “stone”(lines 11, 12)

Biblical allusion

The poet makes use of Biblical references such as the names: “Pharaoh and Goliath” and some words such as “a cane, a flog, a hunger, a staff, red sea, a whip, (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9) to represent the societal occurrences these days and the consequences that can befall them.

Parable

The poet tailors the consequences of the wickedness of the poem in a parable.

Word List and Meanings

Chariots: Light, covered, four-wheeled pleasure carriage with two seats and those drive them

Practice Questions

1. Discuss the predominant figurative expression used in the first stanza.

2. Analyse the poetic sense as portrayed in the second stanza of the poem.

3. Explain the message of the last stanza of the poem.

4. State the lessons leant in the poem.