ANALYSIS OF THE POEM "ECHOES" (Kundi Faraja) BY Samson Mwita

ECHOES

Kundi Faraja

Me,

I plead guilty

That my woman is a tool

To fulfil my sexual desires,

That she’s the source of sensual pleasure.

A garden

Where I plant my seeds

So as to get children

Which are mine.

And not hers,

Who have the right

To inherit my property,

And not her.

I plead guilty

That I have regarded my woman

As my property,

Because I paid the bride price

To her parents.

What did her parents think

When they demanded

The cows,

The tanks of beer,

The goats,

The money

They knew

That they were making wealth out of me

Because their girl would work for me

Just like a slave

I plead guilty

That I have inherited the stupidity

Of my slavery age parents,

That I have prolonged inequality,

That I have continued oppression,

Though unknowingly,

I am guilty

For dominating

My woman.

My nation pleads guilty

That it has shut an eye

To the rights of women,

That it has kept the women,

In the kitchen,

In the church,

And at home

To look after the children.

My nation pleads guilty

That it has given little room

To the she sex,

That the number of girls at school

Has always been smaller

Than that of boys.

My nation pleads guilty

That it has always given a narrow chance

For women to become

Teachers,

Physicians,

Scientists,

Leaders of State

And Public Organizations,

That their percentage

Has always been meagre.

My church is guilty

That it has declared women

Unholy,

Unsanctified,

Ungifted to God,

And that it has confined the alter work

To the blessed men,

To the chosen men,

The gifted men,

Though it is nowhere written in the Gospel

That women shouldn’t be priests.

I agree that

If a woman is to be oppressed

By a man

Who is in turn exploited,

Who is in turn disregarded

By the bourgeoisie,

By the petty bourgeoisie,

Then she’s doomed:

She has nothing left to live for!

I agree that

To deny them freedom

Means to refuse human equality,

Means to accept capitalism

Deep in our hearts

And also means refusing

The development of the majority.

INTRODUCTION

In most cases Kundi Faraja speaks for the lower class and the oppressed. In this poem his attention is focused specifically on women showing how his society including himself being a man, has mistreated women in different spheres of life. He takes a more feminist stand and speaks from a feminist point of view to show that a woman is oppressed from family to national level. As a result he becomes a spokesperson or a woman’s voice against this stereotype, hence echoes. An echo is a sound that is reflected back off a wall or inside a confined space so that a noise appears to be repeated. Kundi Faraja is echoing the cry of women.

THEMATIC ANALYSIS

FEMINISM AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Feminism is a belief/ideology that women should have the same rights, power and opportunity as men. To the most part the poet seems to be on the side of feminism movement in advocating for women rights. Despite all the international conferences and ‘‘universal declarations’’ in favour of female equality, the lives of most women around the world remain confined by prejudice and social oppression. The means by which male supremacy is enforced vary considerably from one society to another (and between social classes within each society), but everywhere men are taught to regard themselves as superior, and women are taught to accept this. Very few women have access to power and privilege except via their connection to a man.

v  Feminism appears in the following spheres.

Gender inequality.

The poet advocates for gender equality in areas such as jobs, education (school), and leadership.

That the number of girls at school

Has always been smaller

Than that of boys.

***************

That it has always given a narrow chance

For women to become

Teachers

Physicians

Scientists

Leaders of State

Gender discrimination.

He also shows that women are segregated even in some religious institution and considered unholy, ungifted and unsanctified.

My church is guilty

That it has declared women

Unholy,

Unsanctified,

Ungifted to God

MARXISM AND WOMEN LIBERATION

From its inception, the Marxist movement has championed female equality and women’s rights, while regarding women’s oppression (like racial, national and other forms of special oppression) as something that cannot be eradicated without overturning the capitalist social system that nurtures and sustains it. Marxists assert that women’s liberation is bound up with the struggle against capitalism because, in the final analysis, sexual oppression serves the material interests of the ruling class. The elements of Marxism appear in the last stanza when he says;

To deny them freedom

Means to refuse human equality,

Means to accept capitalism

Deep in our hearts

And also means refusing

The development of the majority

Marxists believe in majority rule and welfare and are against capitalism. Considering the surrounding atmosphere of the political situation of the time when the poem was written it fits that immediate context.

 AWARENESS

There is a growing awareness among the people on women’s rights among different social groups in the society. The poet seems to be aware of his faults and his nation at large for perpetuating this stereotype against women for so long. However, on his side he admits that he did it unknowingly because he inherited this stupidity from his parents.

I plead guilty

That I have inherited the stupidity

Of my slavery age parents

That I have prolonged inequality

That I have continued oppression

Though unknowingly

It is this awareness that makes him take time to educate others about the importance of giving opportunity to women.

POSITION OF WOMEN.

The poet has also discussed different positions that women occupy in this society.

a)    As Tools for pleasure

That my woman is a tool

To fulfil my sexual desires

b)   As a property

I plead guilty

That I have regarded my woman

As my property

c)    As a source of income and a slave

They knew

That they were making wealth out of me

Because their girl would work for me

Just like a slave

d)   Women are oppressed

That I have continued oppression

Though unknowingly

e)    Children bears and caretakers.

A garden

Where I plant my seeds

So as to get children

Which are mine

And not hers

f)    Women have no right to inherit property of their husbands

(Children)Who have the right

To inherit my property

And not her

REPERCUSSION OF BRIDE PRICE

Bride price has become a complicated phenomenon among Africa societies. There are women who support it and those who oppose it. There are men who support it and those who oppose it. The persona however, takes a negative view about bride price. He shows that it is the payment of bride price that makes women to be reduced to a property level. Most women experience the suffering in their married life and are treated like slaves because their husbands paid for them. He says:

I plead guilty

That I have regarded my woman

As my property,

Because I paid the bride price

To her parents.

What did her parents think

When they demanded

The cows,

The tanks of beer,

The goats,

The money

They knew

That they were making wealth out of me

Because their girl would work for me

GUIDING QUESTIONS

1)   Comment on the use of Figures of speech

a)    Metaphor

That my woman is a tool

(my woman) is a garden where I plant my seed.

b)   Simile

That I have regarded my woman as my property

Because their girl would work for me just like a slave

c)    Rhetorical question

What did her parents think…

d)   Parallelism

The cows

The tanks of beer

The goats

The money

In the kitchen

In the church

And at home

e)    Personification

My nation pleads guilty that it has shut an eye to the rights of women.

My church is guilty that it has declared women unholy…

2)   What is the tone and mood of the poem?

The tone is sympathetic to women so it creates a sympathetic mood towards women.

3)   Who is the persona? How do you know?

The persona is a man who is aware of women rights. (A feminist) We know this because he says

“I plead guilty

That I have regarded my woman

As my property”

4)   Comment on the rhyming scheme.

The poem has irregular rhyme scheme with unequal length and number of lines and stanzas.

5)   How many stanzas are there?

There are nine (9) stanzas in this poem.

6)   What type of the poem is this?

It is a modern free verse poem but specifically it is a narrative poem as it tells a story of how women are mistreated.

7)    What is the meaning of the title of the poem? ‘Echoes’.

Literally speaking, an echo is a reflected sound on the surface or wall after the original sound has stopped. In the poem the poet uses Symbolic title “Echoes” to mean that the person who is speaking is just reflecting the problems that are facing women and not himself. So he echoes the cries of women.

8)   What messages do you get from the poem?

1. Ø  Gender discrimination should be discouraged.
2. Ø  Women should be given equal rights to own or inherit properties as men.
3. Ø  Women should not be taken as tools to satisfy the sexual desires.
4. Ø  Women should not be treated as slaves by their husbands.
5. Ø  Bride price should be discouraged as it makes women to be treated as properties.

9)   Is the poem relevant to Tanzania today?

• The poem is relevant to Tanzania today in a number of ways. There are many societies in which;
• Ø  Women have no right to own or inherit properties.
• Ø  Women are treated as slaves
• Ø  Women are taken as tools for pleasure by men.
• Ø  There are also different NGOs that fight for women empowerment and emancipation such as TAMWA, TAWLA, TGNP, WAMA et.