HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON POETRY

 SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QN: “Poets like other literary artists have messages they want to convey to their readers through poems”. By referring to two poems which you have read and appreciated give four messages from each poem.

Answers; 

Poets are writers of poems. They use imagery and rhythmical sounds to convey messages to the readers within the society. The statement “Poets like other literary artists have messages they want to convey to their readers through Poems” can be agreed by using two poems which are “DEVELOPMENT” written by kundi Faraja and “LIVE AND LET DIE” by kundi Faraja.

By starting with “DEVELOPMENT” by kundi Faraja the following are the messages which poet conveys to their readers:-

             Corruption should be abolished in order to attain development; corruption is the situation something that an individual offers to a service provides so as to hare that service. The person says

                       “How is development to come?”

                       “When the people “whom”

                       “We have entrusted power”

                      “Are corrupt”

This shows that for development to occur we should first abolish corruption in our societies there are people who are corrupt.

             Exploitation hinders development; Exploitation is the situation where one uses public resources unfairly. From the poem we learnt that wherever there is exploitation development cannot be attained, the person says

                             “The majority plead”

                              “Exploited”

 The verse reveals that in the society majority a

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re exploited. Also in our societies the majority are exploited by the minority.

      Egoism/ selfishness does not bring development; selfishness is the situation where are considers himself or herself without considering others in various matters such as finance. The persona says

                                “I reason the minority

                                 “More sensitive to Egoism”

                                “Than to National development”

From the verses leaders are more sensitive to their own development that to the whole nation. Also within our societies leader. Are more sensitive their own development, this habit should be abolished.

           Classes should be discouraged in order to alleviate poverty; classes cause intensive exploitation of the lower class by the powerful (upper class) This classes should be abolished so as to bring about development. There are two classes the minority class who are leaders; the person says   

                     “………….stomachs”

                    “The majority plead”

                      “Exploited”

Also in our societies there are two classes the exploited one and exploitators who are leaders.

          Also in the poem “LIVE AND LET DIE” the following are the messages poets conveys to their readers;

         Developing countries should fight against neo – colonialism; neo- colonialism refers to the interference of developing country like Tanzania by a developed country in political and economic matter. The persona says

                                           “Let them eat brother”

                                             “Because the rich nations”

                                             “Are not yet”

                                            “To dire a little”

The persona tells that the rich nations still have control to the poor countries; this causes poverty in poor countries. Also in our context there in neo – colonialism.

          We should fight against exploitation in order to alleviate poverty; in order to remove poverty we are supposed to fight against those who exploit. The persona says

                                             “Let them eat brother”

                                              “Until exploitation end”

                                             “Until the system charges”

From the verses the persona reveals that there is exploitation and continues to say that if exploitation poverty will be alleviated. Even in our societies there is exploitation.

              Classes should be abolished in order to bring unity; classes lead to disunity and hostility, thus classes have to b discouraged in our societies. There are two classes the rich people and poor people. The person says” let them eat brother”

                                                 “Because the rich man”

                                                   “Is not yet”

                                                  “To dire a little

                                                    “So the poor man”

                                                       “May live”

It shows that the rich man is benefiting from the poor man hence creating disunity and hostility. Even in our societies there are classes.

           Developments are attained through changing system of leadership; in order for a developing country to attain it should not allow interference by another country in its economic matter and build its strong leadership.

          The person says “Let them eat brother”

                                      “Until exploitation ends”

                                        “Until the system changes”

It shows that the whole system should change in the country in order for it attains development. Also in our country the system is changing in order to bring development.

           By concluding, a message from the poems above has helped to educate, to warm the society and to build the future society which will not be practising exploitation, corruption and selfishness.

 QN: With reference to two poems you have studied comment on the poet’s use of language (Give four poents from each poem).

Answers: 

Use of language; this is a totality of all the words that the poet has used and the way they are corrupted to bring up the meaning the poet wanted to convey. Most poets use simple language which is full of imagery and figures of speech so as to help him to bring up the desired taste. From the poem of FREEDOM SONG and BULDING UP THE NATION, the poets have used their words very well to bring about the required meaning of the poems.

To start with the poems of BULDING UP THE NATION; the poet has use;

Irory; this is saying or using some words to mean the opposite of what it is discussed. The poet has used ivory by saying from the beginning,”The title, building the Nation”. The poet here means the opposite that the permanent secretaries and many of the civil servants in the country do not build up the nation but demolish them as they consume the resources by parties and Luncheons.

                   “To day I did, my share in

                      Building the nation, as

                      Drove the PS to the meeting

                      In fact, to the luncheon at VIC.

                    Barbarism that is the use of vernacular language apart from English. Here the poet used a Swahili word “Mwananchi” so as to mean a “citizen”, this associate with the people in a country who are oppressed but patriots they are the ones who surely build the nation rather than the top officials in the country.

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           Diction; this is the choice of words that the poet use cautionally so as not to spoil the intended massage and meaning. The poet has used words like “ulcers” to associate with “pain”, “hunger” and “mourrungs” to people who build the nation with all efforts like the driver, who does his work with hunger. This evokes the feeling of “eorie”, “melancholy “and “sympathy” to such people.

         Satire; this is the uses of strong words that make people laugh and some time evoke the feeling of anger but in tends to bring up the message to concerned. For instance the poet in stanza two “when he describes the contents of the luncheon, this evolves the felling of hatred towards such people like Permanent secretary also reveals the embezzlement of funds by leaders of the government.

         Also by using the poem of FREEDOM SONG, the poet has used;

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Euphemism; this is the use of less offensive words in a place offensive words. The poets has used the words like “gone to glory” instead of doing or death here Atieno died of post partum blooding after giving birth the poetess said gone to glory to that Atieno died and hence resting from all the oppression and abuses from her uncle’s family hence poet novels poor health services and theme of poor sexual health education.

         Imagery, this is the use of description that creates a mental image only through reading something. The poets describe the poor living condition of Atieno despite the richness of her uncle. This reveals stigmatization and child labour that Atieno faced and she was a victim. She was over worked and all sorts of problems for instance;

                             “Atieno washed dishes,

                               Atieno plucks the chicken……………….

                               Ehe beds her sacks down

                                In the kitchen”

  Symbolism; this is the use of some words so as to represent other words or some other things; the poetess used words like “meat” and “Sugar” to associate with “good food”, “good treatment” and “luxurious life”. These were the things that the mourners were offered in the Atienos funeral by her ucle but she had never get such treatment this shows hypocrisy of the uncle hence evoking the feeling of hatred towards him.

          Diction; this is the proper choice of words according the message and meaning planned to be conveyed by the poet. Here the poetess has use words like “dishes”, “washes”, “plucks the drickon”. This is to associate with the child labour inflicted upon the girls who seem to do work unceasingly.

Generally, it may be concluded that the language use in any literary work like poems is very important because it colors the whole work and hence enables easy graspiring of the intended messages.

HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON POETRY

QN: Differentiate poetry from other readings like novel

 Answers:       

 Poetry is the act of making poems. Poems are pieces of writing using beautiful and figurative language, which consists of fixed lines or verses in stanzas with a particular musical beat. Poetry differs from other literary readings like a novel through they both aim at convening a particular message in the society. Notable differences can be seen from both sides. The following are differences between poetry and other literary readings.

             In poetry poems are arranged in fixed verses and stanzas while other breading like novels are arranged in sentences and paragraphs. In poems the sentences are arranged in a fixed stanza to bring about a particular musical beat on the contrary other readings like novels are just arranged in paragraphs.

              In poetry, poems employ language economy while other readings like novels do not employ language economy. This means that poems use fowler words to convey its message while other literary genres use plenty of words, making poems appear shorter and novels much longer.

             In addition to that, in poetry poems are poems are compared for the aim of being sung while other readings like novels are created so as to be read.

             In poetry, the character of the poem is the person while in other readings like novels the character can be any person or animals. In poem the person are usually the characters who carry the message intended but in novels the message intended can conveyed by various character like animals birds or insects.

           In poetry, the first letter of a verse of a poem is always capitalized while in other reading like novels only the first letter of a word in the beginning of a sentence is capitalized. This means that unlike other readings like novels, poems have the first letter at each verse of a stanza capitalized.

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           Moreover, poems are rich in figures of speech but other readings, like novels, have less or fewer figures of speech. This is due to the foot that poems employ language economy and therefore most of the words used are symbolic making it rich in figures of speech, unlike other, reading where most of the words carry their true meanings.

          Poetry is richer in imagery than other readings like novels which are rich in imagery. This means that poems are more imaginative and creates images in the minds of readers unlike other readings like novels which are not rich in imagery. Poets are therefore imaginative than

           Poetry has or consists of musical features while other readings like novels; do not have such musical features. This is because poems have hymning patterns and rhythmical beats which make it rich in musical features unlike other readings like novels which have no rhyme or stressed syllabus

          Lastly, in poetry there is tone, mood and attitude of the poet unlike other readings like novels which have no tone or mood of the writer. In poems attitudes and tones of poets can be identified who’re. In novel it cannot be identified.

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