GRADE 10
THEMES OF THE LEADER AND THE LED
1. Leadership crisis in Africa: The poem addresses the problem of leadership in Nigeria and the endless search for credible and transparent leaders. The poet metaphorically compared the animal kingdom to the Nigeria society. Just as the different animals don't trust one another, so also is the people in the Nigerian society.
The lack of trust is caused as the result of religious and ethnic diversity among the people. This has greatly resulted to the lack of trust among the led and hence the cause of the division in the society.
2. Theme of disunity: This theme runs through out the poem and it is responsible for the underdevelopment not only in Africa but in Nigeria. In the poem, the poet uses allegory and metaphor of the lion to represent the political atmosphere of Nigeria. The animals are not United enough to challenge the lion, his dominance can not be properly checked this is because the other animals are not united. The animals are at each other's neck as they just can't agree on who to rule them. This lack of unity among the animals can be metaphorically compared to the Nigeria masses who are not united enough to challenge the crop of leaders in the country. The poet believes that this lack of unity is as a result ethnicity as every region want to have a share of the country's national resources. However ,the poet suggest a solution to the leadership problems in Nigeria, he called on all the masses to speak with one voice and be united in other to wrestle power from the corrupt leaders.
3. Attitude of political leaders: The poem expresses the attitude of leaders and followers towards public offices. The poet highlight the fact that the Nigerian society is in dare need of a trustworthy and transparent leaders who can serve the people and not embezzle public funds for their selfish interest. The poem which addresses the problem of leadership tussle in Nigeria using allegory of animals can be viewed as a challenge to political leaders to have the attitude of accountability, transparency and humility. At the last stanza of the poem ,the poet summaries the attitude of a good leader when he stated:
Our need calls for a hybrid of habits
Tough like a tiger, compassionate like a doe
This simply implies that the Nigerian society need leader who are dogged, humble, gentle, transparent and compassionate towards the masses.
Assignments
1. Discuss "the leader and the led" as a criticism of leadership struggle in the Nigerian society.
2. Examine in details the poet's attitude towards the leaders of the Nigerian society.
Note: All assignment should be forwarded to my email next week.( ugamaegwu@yahoo.com)
POETIC DEVICES OF THE LEADER AND THE LED
1. Simile: this is a comparison between two unlike things using like and as. The poet employs simile in projecting the subject matter of the poem. Examples of simile in the poem includes the following:
*And the pack thrashes around
Like a snake without a head
* Tough like a tiger, compassionate like a doe.
2. Allegory: The poem is an example of allegory. An allegory is a work of art in which characters are used to represent ideas in the society. In this poem, the poet uses animals to represent the leaders and followers in Nigeria. The lion symbolizes the ruling class while the other animals represent the masses.
3.Metaphor: The poet employs lot of metaphorically examples in the poem. The lion metaphorically referred to as the ruling class in Nigeria who wants to always remain in power. The lion is also a metaphor for dominance and violence as it possesses the attribute of controlling the other animals. Other animals like hyena , giraffe, zebra, elephant are metaphors of corrupt politicians who contest for leadership post in other to enrich themselves.
4. Alliteration: This is the repetition of consonant sounds in lines of poem. Examples of alliteration in the poem includes:
* The ferocious pounce of his paws
* Our need calls for a hybrid of habit
* The rhino is too riotous
*. A little bit of a lion
5. Imagery; using words or expressions to created mental picture in a poem so the readers can see, smell, feel the event clearer. Few in the poem are "But the impalas shudder at his lethal appetite" in line 6, "And the pack trashes around" in line 16, "The pack points to the duplicity of his stripes" in line 10.
6. Symbolism; using word or expression to represent a status, event, or idea. In the poem The Leader and the Led, the term “Forest Sage” symbolized a wise person which in a normal human democratic setting represents the poet. The different animals used in the poem are examples of symbols. For instance Lion symbolises politicians who wants to always remain in power while the giraffe symbols myopic leaders who have no vision
1. Leadership crisis in Africa: The poem addresses the problem of leadership in Nigeria and the endless search for credible and transparent leaders. The poet metaphorically compared the animal kingdom to the Nigeria society. Just as the different animals don't trust one another, so also is the people in the Nigerian society.
The lack of trust is caused as the result of religious and ethnic diversity among the people. This has greatly resulted to the lack of trust among the led and hence the cause of the division in the society.
2. Theme of disunity: This theme runs through out the poem and it is responsible for the underdevelopment not only in Africa but in Nigeria. In the poem, the poet uses allegory and metaphor of the lion to represent the political atmosphere of Nigeria. The animals are not United enough to challenge the lion, his dominance can not be properly checked this is because the other animals are not united. The animals are at each other's neck as they just can't agree on who to rule them. This lack of unity among the animals can be metaphorically compared to the Nigeria masses who are not united enough to challenge the crop of leaders in the country. The poet believes that this lack of unity is as a result ethnicity as every region want to have a share of the country's national resources. However ,the poet suggest a solution to the leadership problems in Nigeria, he called on all the masses to speak with one voice and be united in other to wrestle power from the corrupt leaders.
3. Attitude of political leaders: The poem expresses the attitude of leaders and followers towards public offices. The poet highlight the fact that the Nigerian society is in dare need of a trustworthy and transparent leaders who can serve the people and not embezzle public funds for their selfish interest. The poem which addresses the problem of leadership tussle in Nigeria using allegory of animals can be viewed as a challenge to political leaders to have the attitude of accountability, transparency and humility. At the last stanza of the poem ,the poet summaries the attitude of a good leader when he stated:
Our need calls for a hybrid of habits
Tough like a tiger, compassionate like a doe
This simply implies that the Nigerian society need leader who are dogged, humble, gentle, transparent and compassionate towards the masses.
Assignments
1. Discuss "the leader and the led" as a criticism of leadership struggle in the Nigerian society.
2. Examine in details the poet's attitude towards the leaders of the Nigerian society.
Note: All assignment should be forwarded to my email next week.( ugamaegwu@yahoo.com)
POETIC DEVICES OF THE LEADER AND THE LED
1. Simile: this is a comparison between two unlike things using like and as. The poet employs simile in projecting the subject matter of the poem. Examples of simile in the poem includes the following:
*And the pack thrashes around
Like a snake without a head
* Tough like a tiger, compassionate like a doe.
2. Allegory: The poem is an example of allegory. An allegory is a work of art in which characters are used to represent ideas in the society. In this poem, the poet uses animals to represent the leaders and followers in Nigeria. The lion symbolizes the ruling class while the other animals represent the masses.
3.Metaphor: The poet employs lot of metaphorically examples in the poem. The lion metaphorically referred to as the ruling class in Nigeria who wants to always remain in power. The lion is also a metaphor for dominance and violence as it possesses the attribute of controlling the other animals. Other animals like hyena , giraffe, zebra, elephant are metaphors of corrupt politicians who contest for leadership post in other to enrich themselves.
4. Alliteration: This is the repetition of consonant sounds in lines of poem. Examples of alliteration in the poem includes:
* The ferocious pounce of his paws
* Our need calls for a hybrid of habit
* The rhino is too riotous
*. A little bit of a lion
5. Imagery; using words or expressions to created mental picture in a poem so the readers can see, smell, feel the event clearer. Few in the poem are "But the impalas shudder at his lethal appetite" in line 6, "And the pack trashes around" in line 16, "The pack points to the duplicity of his stripes" in line 10.
6. Symbolism; using word or expression to represent a status, event, or idea. In the poem The Leader and the Led, the term “Forest Sage” symbolized a wise person which in a normal human democratic setting represents the poet. The different animals used in the poem are examples of symbols. For instance Lion symbolises politicians who wants to always remain in power while the giraffe symbols myopic leaders who have no vision
7. Antithesis; creating an opposing or contrasting opinion or character in a work of art. This is the dominating poetic device because most line of the couplets share opposite characters. Hyena versus impalas in stanza 3 “The hyena says the crown is made for him/ But the impalas shudder at his lethal appetite” and the elephant versus the colleagues in stanza 6. Another instance of antithesis is in stanza 11.
Assignment
1. Assess the use of metaphor and contrast. Explain how they help us to have a total understanding of the poem.
NON AFRICAN POETRY
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
The poem highlights oppression and the African-American Experiences.
The poem describes a "caged bird"—a bird that is trapped in a “narrow cage” with limited mobility, (movement) only able to sing about the freedom it has never had and cannot attain. This caged bird is an extended metaphor for the African American community’s past and on-going experience of race-based oppression in the United States in particular, and can also be read as portraying the experiences of any oppressed group. The metaphor captures the overwhelming agony and cruelty of the oppression of marginalized communities by relating it to the emotional suffering of the caged bird.
The poem uses the metaphor of the bird to capture not just the way that oppression imposes physical limitations on the oppressed, but also the way that those limitations emotionally and psychologically impact the oppressed. For instance, in lines 10-11 the poem states that the caged bird "can seldom see through his bars," which seems at first as if the poem is going to explain how being in the cage limits the bird's line of sight. But instead, the poem further describes the bars as being "bars of rage"—the bird is imprisoned and certainly the physical bars of the cage limit its line of sight, but the bird can "seldom see" because these conditions make the bird blind with rage. By fusing the limits imposed by the cage with the emotional impact those limits inspire, the poem makes clear that the environment and the anger can't be separated from one another. The oppression of the cage doesn’t just keep the bird captive; the captivity changes the bird, and in so doing robs the bird of its very self.
As an extended metaphor used to convey the pain of the oppression experienced by the African American community throughout (and before) the history of the United States, aspects of the poem can be read as directly related to that particular African American experience. For instance, the caged bird’s song can be seen as an allusion to African American experiences, the cause of the caged bird’s song explicitly mirrors the pain and agony the black faces in their desire and hope for freedom, the fact that the caged bird can only hope of freedom makes clear that it lacks that freedom. The song may be full of hope, but it is born from a place of deep pain, and the hope can be seen as primarily an attempt to cope with an intolerable situation.
The poem's point about the bird's song springing from sadness is critically important, because, historically, the American people have experienced race based discrimination that has contributed to suffering and death of many blacks.
"Caged Bird" actively and explicitly disputes the notion that the musical expression of an oppressed group is a sign of contentment. It is instead an assertion that the opposite is true. And in making such an assertion, the poem refuses to bend to the convenient and racist interpretation of African-American song by white oppressors, and instead asserts that the anguish forced on black communities by white oppression must be acknowledged.
The poem “Caged Bird” compares and contrasts the experience of a free bird with that of a bird held in captivity. While part of this contrast is meant to convey the injustice forced upon the captive bird, the comparison also allows the poem to explore how a free being thinks and acts, and to argue that freedom is a natural state for living beings. As an extended metaphor for the historical oppression of African Americans in the United States, the idea that freedom is a human’s natural state of existence further demonstrates the cruelty and injustice of race-based oppression in the United States. The caged bird’s longing for freedom also demonstrates the black community's resilience against this oppression.
Assignment
1. Discuss the poem as a criticism of race relation in America.
Assignment
1. Assess the use of metaphor and contrast. Explain how they help us to have a total understanding of the poem.
NON AFRICAN POETRY
Caged Bird
By Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
The poem highlights oppression and the African-American Experiences.
The poem describes a "caged bird"—a bird that is trapped in a “narrow cage” with limited mobility, (movement) only able to sing about the freedom it has never had and cannot attain. This caged bird is an extended metaphor for the African American community’s past and on-going experience of race-based oppression in the United States in particular, and can also be read as portraying the experiences of any oppressed group. The metaphor captures the overwhelming agony and cruelty of the oppression of marginalized communities by relating it to the emotional suffering of the caged bird.
The poem uses the metaphor of the bird to capture not just the way that oppression imposes physical limitations on the oppressed, but also the way that those limitations emotionally and psychologically impact the oppressed. For instance, in lines 10-11 the poem states that the caged bird "can seldom see through his bars," which seems at first as if the poem is going to explain how being in the cage limits the bird's line of sight. But instead, the poem further describes the bars as being "bars of rage"—the bird is imprisoned and certainly the physical bars of the cage limit its line of sight, but the bird can "seldom see" because these conditions make the bird blind with rage. By fusing the limits imposed by the cage with the emotional impact those limits inspire, the poem makes clear that the environment and the anger can't be separated from one another. The oppression of the cage doesn’t just keep the bird captive; the captivity changes the bird, and in so doing robs the bird of its very self.
As an extended metaphor used to convey the pain of the oppression experienced by the African American community throughout (and before) the history of the United States, aspects of the poem can be read as directly related to that particular African American experience. For instance, the caged bird’s song can be seen as an allusion to African American experiences, the cause of the caged bird’s song explicitly mirrors the pain and agony the black faces in their desire and hope for freedom, the fact that the caged bird can only hope of freedom makes clear that it lacks that freedom. The song may be full of hope, but it is born from a place of deep pain, and the hope can be seen as primarily an attempt to cope with an intolerable situation.
The poem's point about the bird's song springing from sadness is critically important, because, historically, the American people have experienced race based discrimination that has contributed to suffering and death of many blacks.
"Caged Bird" actively and explicitly disputes the notion that the musical expression of an oppressed group is a sign of contentment. It is instead an assertion that the opposite is true. And in making such an assertion, the poem refuses to bend to the convenient and racist interpretation of African-American song by white oppressors, and instead asserts that the anguish forced on black communities by white oppression must be acknowledged.
The poem “Caged Bird” compares and contrasts the experience of a free bird with that of a bird held in captivity. While part of this contrast is meant to convey the injustice forced upon the captive bird, the comparison also allows the poem to explore how a free being thinks and acts, and to argue that freedom is a natural state for living beings. As an extended metaphor for the historical oppression of African Americans in the United States, the idea that freedom is a human’s natural state of existence further demonstrates the cruelty and injustice of race-based oppression in the United States. The caged bird’s longing for freedom also demonstrates the black community's resilience against this oppression.
Assignment
1. Discuss the poem as a criticism of race relation in America.
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