HOW TO
ANSWER POETRY QUESTIONS (based on Tanzanian Curriculum requirements)
Poetry
questions may appear in two different ways thus calling for different
approaches.
1. Essay
type questions
2.
Short answers type questions.
ESSAY-TYPE
QUESTIONS.
v In
this type of questions you may be asked to refer to two of four poems that you
have read in class. These questions are answered just the same way as novels
and plays. The only difference is the way we quote the poems. Remember poetry
is different from other genres among other things because of its pattering.
Words in poetry may be effective because they are arranged in a certain way. So
if you quote more than one line of a poem it is advised to write them just the
same way they appear in the poem.
E.g. Do
you plead incapable
To
bring about development?
v Also
points that cut across different poems should be discussed in one paragraph
citing those poems in the same paragraph. Additionally when the points are
different, reference has to be made in each poem individually. What is
important is to be sure that by the time you are done each of the four poems
has been used at least once.
SHORT-ANSWER
TYPE QUESTIONS.
v These
do not require an essay. More often than not, you may have the poem printed and
questions that guide you to appreciate that poem. Here do the following:
o Read
the poem and understand it.
o Give
the answers to the questions briefly and to the point.
o Give
examples/evidences from the poem and if possible quote some verses from the
poem.
NOTE: In answering essay type questions
in both poetry and prose questions we use simple present tense.
EXAMPLES
OF ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS IN POETRY.
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Like other
forms of art, poems reflect social realities.
They try to make us see in a new light and by seeing we are inspired
to change. Use four poems you have studied to verify the above statement.
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A poem is a
metrical composition in form of stanzas that uses imaginative language to
portray social realities. It is true that like other forms of art such as plays
and novels poems also reflect social realities which make us inspired to change
from bad lifestyle to a good one. To verify the above statement references will
be made to the following poems; “Lost Beauty” by J. Mwaikusa, “Development”
by K. Faraja, “Building the Nation” by H. Barlow and “A
freedom Song” by O. Macgoye. To start with “Lost Beauty” the poet
portrays the following social realities which might inspire us to change.
The
poet shows the effects of neo-colonialism. The poet shows that most Africans have been affected
by European culture. They try as much as possible to look like white people but
in the process they lose their identity altogether. He shows that his eyes
“don’t see anything black” but he sees “white skins and masks”. In a way the
poet tries to remind Africans to know who they are and be proud of their
identity as he says “black is beautiful”. This shows that he wants us to change
the white’s mentality and embrace our African identity.
Also,
the poet portrays African natural beauty. Africans were created naturally beautiful. However,
most Africans especially women have been struggling to change their skin colour
using cosmetics, curl their hair or wear wigs to look like white women to the
extent that it is hard nowadays to get a naturally beautiful African lady as he
says “I want a black beauty queen”. This shows that we have lost our beauty. So
the poet urges us to change this mentality and value our African natural
beauty.
In the poem
“Development” the poet portrays the issue of selfishness.
The poet criticizes the hypocritical behaviour of the leaders who think of
themselves while the majorities are disregarded. He shows that they are more
sensitive to selfishness (egoism) than to matters pertaining to national
development. To be precise he asks whether they are incapable “to bring about
development”. So the poet urges the leaders to change their behaviour or else
the majority should take actions.
Additionally, there
is an issue of corruption. Corruption is an obstacle to
development. It is however sad to note that the people who are corrupt are the
same leaders that we have given the power to rule us. He shows that it is
difficult for a nation to develop when the leaders to whom we have entrusted
power are corrupt. So here again the poet calls for actions so that we may
change the system and put in power people who are not corrupt if we need to get
development.
Coming to “Building
the Nation”, the poet discusses about hypocrisy. Many
people in our society are hypocrites. They speak one thing and do quite the
contrary. In the poem we see the PS goes to take a heavy lunch and leaves his
driver. On coming back he claims to have eaten nothing and says he had attended
to matters of state. This is Hypocrisy and it is very bad in as much as
national building is concerned. That’s why the poet says they were building the
nation “different ways”. So the poet calls for the masses to take actions
against hypocritical leaders.
Moreover,
the poet shows the issue of classes. Classes are inevitable
in any society however there should be no class that exploits the other. The
poet shows that there are two classes in this society. High class represented
by the PS who misuses the public funds by feasting and lower class who work on
empty stomachs. So the poet is calling for the change in which the national
resources will benefit not only the ruling class but also the masses or else
the lower class may one day stage a revolution.
And in the
poem “A freedom Song” the poetess shows the issue ofexploitation.
The poem shows that the young girl Atieno works for her uncle as a house help
but she is not paid. The uncle gives a lame excuse that “since she is my
sisters child” that why she “…needs no pay”. This is a high level of
exploitation. Today there are a lot of people who live with their relatives’
children but they make them work all day long yet without pay. The poetess
calls for change as this is a very bad habit.
Lastly, the
poet discusses the issue of early pregnancy among children.
This is a common problem today. The young girl Atieno gets early pregnancy and
dies during delivery because of lacking proper guidance and care from parents
who are busy with work and studies. Many young girls now get engaged in
premarital sex which leads them to get early pregnancies and as a result some
drop out of school or die during delivery or contact HIV. The poetess is
calling for parents to change this behaviour and take good care of their
children.
In summary,
it can be seen that poems do not develop in a vacuum. They address issues found
in our societies and provide the way forward. If we need to achieve sustainable
development and live harmoniously we must discourage and fight against the
evils discussed in poems that are still prevalent in our societies.
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Ø By
using specific relevant examples, from your experience describe the unique
features/characteristics that distinguish poetry from other genres.
Ø There
is pleasure and enjoyment in reading poetry which makes it different from
prose genre of literature. How do you differentiate poetry from prose?
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Poetry is a
work of art that uses creative and imaginative language which arouses emotions
to portray social realities to the intended audience. Poetry as a literally
genre differs from other genres in many ways. This essay disuses some of the
features that differentiate poetry from other literary genres like; plays,
novels or short stories.
Poetry is
arranged in form of verses and stanzas. Unlike prose which is arranged in long sentences,
paragraphs, and chapters, in form of a book, poetry is represented in the form
of verses which are grouped together to form stanzas. Example the following is
a stanza with three
verses.
Your pain
Yet more
my pain
Shall
suffocate oppression.
Poetry
employs language economy. Unlike prose which uses long sentences that form paragraphs, chapters
and a whole book, poetry on the other hand employs language economy. This is to
say words are carefully chosen so that very few words present much information.
For example in a short poem like “Building the nation” we can establish themes
like; classes, hypocrisy, marginalization, misuse of public resources, poverty
etc
Poetry is rich in figures of speech
and sound devices. Unlike prose poetry makes frequent use of figures of
speech such as hyperbole, personification, simile, metaphors and other but
additionally poetry has sound devices like, alliteration, assonance,
consonance, rhymes, refrain, anadiplosis etc. for example Alliteration “Highly delicate diplomatic duties…”
in Building the Nation” or a Refrain “Atieno yo” in A Freedom Song”.
Poetry
employs poetic license. Unlike, prose which mostly follows standard rules like punctuation,
sentence structure etc. Poetry has the freedom/permission to break/violate
certain grammatical rules to achieve a poetic effect. Look at the following
verses, “Forward they go” instead of “They go forward” in
“Sunrise”, “I too am America” instead of “I am an American too”
in “I too sing America”, “away they go…” instead of “they go
away” in “When I Say I Love You”
Poetry is
rhythmical. Unlike
prose poetry is arranged in form of regular beats that make it possible to be
sung. There are regular beats that fall on stressed and unstressed syllables
that make the poem easy to be sung. Stressed syllables cause rising sound while
unstressed syllables cause a falling sound. By alternating the rise and fall of
sounds the poet creates rhythm.
In poetry
the character is the persona and rarely bears a name. Unlike prose which has many
characters with names performing different roles, poetry hardly has characters
with names. With exception of few narrative poems like “A freedom song” most
personas in many poems are named after their jobs, relationship or the class
they belong to. Example, in “Building the nation” the persona is the driver. He
is named after his job.
Poetry is
meant to be sung or recited. Unlike novels which are meant to be read, and plays which are meant to
be performed, poetry is meant to be sung or recited. Poems are patterned in a
way that they can be sung or recited that’s why they have sound devices like
rhymes, alliteration, consonance, assonance, reiteration, and refrain which
bring about music and add effect to the poem.
Poetry
uses imaginative language. Poetry employs imagery and symbolism that makes the reader to dig
deeper to uncover the underlying meaning. Poetry is not to be taken at face
value because some poems contain two layers of meaning. Some words carry an
extra meaning in poetry apart from their literal meaning. Consider for instance
words like “little bird, and “honey bee”, in Mwaikusa’s “When I say I Love you”
they might be representing girls/women also he used imagery like “sweetness”
(image of taste), soft soil, standing hard (image of touch), hasty
ploughs/climbing your tree, images of motion, and as I sing an image of sound.
All these make the poem enjoyable.
Poetry
arouses emotions and feelings. Unlike prose, poetry appeals to the five senses of touch,
smell, taste, sight, and sound. The poem can move someone’s emotions and they
cry or laugh. It can make you annoyed, angry, sad, embarrassed, sympathetic or
amused, excited, and happy. For example the poem “If we Must Die” C. McKay and
“Your Pain” by A Guebuza arouse the feeling of hatred against the white people.
Poetry
has the first letter of each line capitalized (In Most poems). Unlike prose in which
capitalization occurs only at the beginning of a new sentence or proper nouns,
in most poems the first letter of each line is capitalized. This happens even
when the sentence is still in progress. Look at the following stanza from
Okot’s “The graceful giraffe cannot become a monkey”
Listen,
Ostrich
plumes differ
From
chicken feathers,
A
monkey’s tail
Is
different from that of a giraffe…
As a way of
conclusion however it should be noted that the different features discussed
above are not necessarily to be found in every poem. Some poems contain some
features and lack others. But there are some features which are found in almost
every poem.
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With
reference to two poems you have studied, discuss the main ideas you
experienced in relation to your society. Four main ideas from each poem
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Poems
usually have main ideas or the themes they want to communicate to the society
for the purpose of educating, criticizing, or correcting the societal ills.
This statement can be proved by the main ideas presented in, “A Freedom Song”
by M, Macgoye and “Development” by K. Faraja. To start with “A Freedom
Song” the poetess communicates the following main ideas.
One
of the main ideas discussed is the issue of child labour. This
has become a burning issue that attracts the attention of most social activists.
Atieno in the poem represents children who are working as house girls and are
not taken to school. Atieno is working at the age of 8 and strangely
enough without pay. In ourcountry today we see many children in the streets
selling things like plastic bags, washing cars and so on. This has to be
stopped immediately.
The
second main idea is Exploitation and Oppression. The young girl in the poem is
not only exploited but also oppressed by her own uncle. Although she works and
does all the domestic chores she is not paid nor given any good care. Here says
the poetess.
Since she
is my sister’s child/Atieno needs no pay
This is
common in Tanzania today where many people are working but are not paid
according to their labour.
Another
main idea is the issue of Early pregnancy. This is another common problem among the
teenagers today. Many girls today have failed to reach their educational goals
because when they become pregnant, they are kicked out of schools altogether.
At the age of fourteen Atieno becomes pregnant. This is partly due to poor
parental care. As the poetess says that her aunt has gone to study and uncle is
busy with the work while poor Atieno has no one to teach her what is right..
The poet
also discusses the issue of Poor parental care. It is evident from the poem that
Atieno’s parents are irresponsible. They have no time to make
regular follow-ups to check the kind of upbringing their child goes through.
Atieno goes to work in her uncle’s home at the age of eight, and her parents
are not making follow-ups. Atieno’s uncle is also portrayed as a bad parent
since he mistreats his own niece. Today most parents are avoiding this most
important responsibility claiming to be so busy.
Turning
to the poem “Development” the following main ideas are presented
The poet
talks about selfishness. We see the high class misuses the national resources at the expenses of
the lower. Kundi Faraja criticises the hypocritical behaviour of most African
leaders who think of themselves (being the minority) while the majority whose
efforts are wasted are disregarded. Their selfish tendencies are expressed by
the poet in these terms.
I reckon
the minority
More
sensitive to egoism
Than to
national development
This is
common among many post-colonial African leaders who are thinking in terms
of me, myself and I.
Moreover
the poet has portrayed the issue of corruption. He shows that it’s not the common
people who are at the forefront in giving and receiving corruption but the
leaders. Critically speaking, the issue of development is even more complicated
when we come to think of the fact that those to whom we have entrusted power
are the same who are corrupt. Thus the poet comes to a poet when he shows there
is no way a country whose leaders have invested in corruption can develop. He
says
When the
people to whom
We have
entrusted power
Are
corrupt?
This is
common in our country where we see ministers signing bogus treats that affect
the country’s economy because of corruption.
Furthermore
the issue of Classes and marginalization is also presented. Realistically speaking, classes in
any society are inevitable. In most cases it has been evident that
whenever these classes exist, the high class oppresses, exploits and
marginalises the lower. To show how detrimental class division can be in any
society, the poet uses strong metaphorical comparisons to bring the message
home. While the minority (whom he calls privileged few) enjoy the national
cake, the majority have been marginalized and disregarded.
I plead
the stomachs
Of the
privileged few
Greater
than the rift valley
They
cannot be satisfied
With a
normal share.
This is
common in Tanzania where we see most government officials (the high class)
enjoying life, buying luxury cars living in decent mansions while the majority
can hardly afford the three basic meals of a day.
Generally it
can be said that poems do not develop in a vacuum. They usually have something
to communicate to the society that emanates from the society in which we live.
They criticise bad behaviours so that we may reform and they educate on the
good morals
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Poets like
other literary artists have messages they want to convey to their readers
through poems. By using two poems you have read and appreciated give four
messages from each poem. NECTA 2016 & 2014
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Messages
refer to the lessons taught by a literary work. A poem, often suggests a
lesson/moral that is not directly stated. It is true that “Poets like other
literary artists have messages they want to convey to their readers through
poems”. This statement can be proved by using the poems “Development” by Kundi
Faraja and “A freedom song” by Marjorie O Macgoye. To begin with Development,
the poet has conveyed the following messages;
The
leaders should be careful with national development. The poet shows that if the
leaders are not careful with the national development one day the majority
might stage a revolution. The majority are tired of witnessing the leaders
enjoying life while they are suffering. As a result the citizens need changes.
The poets says
How is
development
To be
brought brother
When the
people to whom
We have
entrusted power
Are
corrupt?
This is a
wakeup call to his fellow citizens that they need to do something to change the
current leadership as it is corrupt.
Awareness
is an important tool in so far as the liberation of the oppressed is concerned. The poet shows that if the
oppressed class is aware of what is taking place it is easy for them to bring
about the desired changes. But if the oppressed class is not aware then bring
about liberation becomes almost an impossible task. The poet shows that these
people are aware that they are exploited, cheated, disregarded and in that
case, impossible development. He says;
The
majority plead
Exploited,
Cheated,
Disregarded,
But,
brother,
How is
development to come?
This shows
that the majority are aware that if exploitation, cheating, and disregard
continue, then no development should be expected.
Corrupt
leaders are an obstacle to national development. The poet shows there is no way
a country whose leaders have invested in corruption can develop. The issue of
development is even more complicated when we come to think of the fact that
those to whom we have entrusted power are the same who are corrupt. In this
case we cannot expect sustainable development. He says
How is
development
To be
brought brother
When the
people to whom
We have
entrusted power
Are
corrupt?
This shows
that we cannot get development with corrupt leaders still in power.
Bringing
about development is not a simple task or a cheap commodity. It needs determination, dedication
and focus. The poet uses different metaphorical comparisons to show how
bringing about development and fighting underdevelopment is a tough task to
undertake. He compares it with, hurricane, fighting wounded buffalo, combating
colonialism, and stopping a coup d’état. For instance he says
I plead
fighting underdevelopment
Tougher
than fighting
A wounded
buffalo
With a
pocket knife;
This shows
that people need to show the spirit of determination, focus and sacrifice in
order to get sustainable development.
Selfishness,
exploitation and misuse of public resources for private gain are also obstacles
to development. Leaders should utilise the national
resources for mutual benefit from both classes. But more often than not, the
leaders are selfish, exploit their subjects and misuse the public resources for
their own benefits. This is not good if we need to bring about sustainable
development. The poet says
I reckon
the minority
More
sensitive to egoism
Than to
National Development ;
Nothing
that is not theirs
Is of any
interest.
The
leaders should fulfil their promises to the majority when they get power.The poet shows that the leaders usually betray their
subjects when they get power. Before independence the citizens were promised
better life once uhuru is gained. This happens today as well when the leaders
are asking for votes. But when they get power they forget the promises they
gave to the poor citizens. The poet says.
You have
always been telling us
What we
need
Health
centres
More
schools
Clean
water
Better
transport facilities
Better
living conditions
This shows
that the leaders have not been capable to fulfil the promised they gave to
people.
Turning
to the next poem, “A Freedom Song” The poetess has conveyed the following
messages.
Parents
should be careful with the upbringing of their own children. Atieno is mistreated by her
uncle since she is not his biological child. We are not told the reason
whatsoever why Atieno is not living with her parents, but they had a duty to
make regular follow ups and know how she is doing. Atieno lacked proper
guidance because of the negligence from her uncle and aunt. The poetess says
Specially
when I work nights.
That girl
stays too long at market
Who will
teach her what is right?
Atieno’s
uncle is busy with his work and the young Atieno lacks parental care. This is
common among the busy parents today who leave their children under the care of
house girls.
Child
labour should be discouraged at all cost. The young Atieno is working as a house girl at the age
of 8 and strangely enough without pay. At this age she should have been in STD
2. Yet she is employed in her uncle’s home while his own children attend
school. The poet shows that she is overworked doing the domestic chore but
without pay.
Since
she’s my sister’s child
Atieno
needs no pay
While she
works my wife can sit
Sewing
each sunny day,
This is
exploitation of the highest order so it should be discouraged because the
reason he gives as to why he does not pay the young girl is a lame excuse.
All the
children should be given the right to education. All children have the right to
education but Atieno’s uncle sends only his wife and children to school while
Atieno is left working at home. She is still at such a tender age that she
should have been in school. This negligence to the children’s right to
education should be discouraged.
Now my
wife has gone to study
Atieno’s
less free,
Don’t I
feed her, school my own ones,
Children should be given proper
reproductive health education. Without proper guidance, the young girl Atieno becomes
pregnant and dies because of post-partum bleeding. Children need to be provided
with reproductive health education when they reach puberty to avoid early
pregnancies which may result to death as did Atieno. The poet shows that all
this happened because Atieno was neglected by her uncle who paid attention to
the visitors and his work than to Atieno (his niece).
Visitors
need much attention,
Specially
when I work nights.
That girl
stays too long at market
Who will
teach her what is right?
As Atieno
had nobody to teach her what is right she ended up getting pregnancy and died
of the same.
So
it is true that poets usually have a message they want to communicate to their
readers. It is this message that gives the members of the society a sense of
awareness, knowing where they are right and where they are wrong. They have to
discard the bad habits and pick the good ones. In this case, poems are worthy
reading.
AN
EXAMPLE OF SHORT-ANSWER-TYPE QUESTION.
Behold!
The sun has
arisen,
And with it
the sons of the land have arisen too
Forward they
go,
Well armed,
Singing
praises to the beauty of the sunrise,
With the
determination of long-term warriors,
Challenging
the enemy
With the
courage of a free mind
And the
vigour of a clear purpose.
Sit and wait
brethren,
Wait and see
what glory they bring at sunset;
How they pay
homage to the land -
And their
people!
Questions
(NECTA 2011)
(a) What
is the poem about?
The poem is
about the sons of the land who have risen up singing the beauty of the sunrise.
They challenge the enemy waiting for victory at sunset. Which is to say, they
have started up a struggle for redemption of their land and hope to bring
victory at the end of the struggle.
(b) For
whom does the poem tell us that the sun has risen?
The sun has
risen for the sons of the land which symbolically means the oppressed ones; the
peasants, workers, or the proletariat class.
(c) What
does the word “sunrise” symbolize?
The word
‘sunrise’ symbolizes the beginning of the struggle just as it
signifies the beginning of the day.
(d) What
type of poem is this?
This is a
sonnet because it is made up of fourteen verses.
(e) Comment
on the structure of this poem.
It is a
free-verse poem with no rhyming pattern
There is
variation in the length of verses; some are very short and some very long. Also
the poet has employed poetic licence when he says ‘Forward they go” which is
not a normal English structure of SVA. ‘They go forward’
(f) The
poem contains two major images. Mention them
1. Sunrise this
symbolises the beginning of the struggle (or the war of liberation).
2. Sunset this
symbolises the end of the struggle.
(g) The
poet talks about “challenging the enemy” who do you think the enemy might be?
The enemy
might be the colonialists who oppress, humiliate, and exploit the
Africans.
(h) What
do we learn from this poem?
Ø Struggle
for freedom is not a simple thing it needs determination.
Ø Unity
is very important in any struggle. (the sons have risen with unity)
(i) Suggest
4 themes from the poem
a. Armed
struggle for freedom.
Wait and
see what glory they bring at sunset.
How they
pay homage to the land
And their
people
b. Unity.
In the poem
the ‘sons of the land’ rose in unity, marched forward with determination.
c. Sacrifice
and determination.
Any armed
struggle needs both courage and sacrifice.
With the
determination of long-term warriors
Challenging
the enemy
With the
courage of free mind
d. Awareness.
The sons of
the land are very aware of their enemy, they are aware of the means to fight
against the enemy (armed struggle) and they have a clear purpose. They have the
reasons to fight against the enemy.
With the
courage of free mind
And the
vigour of a clear purpose
(j) Suggest
the title of the poem
The title of
the poem could be “SUNRISE”
