HOW
TO ANSWER
POETRY
QUESTIONS
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 or 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.
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 of exploitation. 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.
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 our country 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
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”
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