AUTHORSHIP:
Ubaji Isiaka Abubakar Eazy holds a BA in English Language and Literary Studies. He is a fine poet whose poems and short stories have been published in both national and international journals and numerous literary blogs. He is the CHIEF EDITOR of "Literary Critics And Writers". You can reach him on +2347063369010 (Abubakar Ishaq Eazy on Facebook).
THE SILENCE OF THE ANCESTOR
Here we sit quietly;
Palms on our cheeks;
Aching to hear
The voice of the ancestor
Who has refused to speak
To his people from the foreign land
Of white spirits.
The Ifa priest throws his beads
On the divination plate
"Speak our father!" He implores
He repeats the same process
Time and time again
"Show to us where thou art father?"
The priest asks again and again
Yet he looks up each time a frustrated fellow,
Shakes his head vigorously with pouted lips,
And he gives the same answer over and over again,
The answer of silence
The ancestor would not speak.
"Try one more time please,"
We urge him
He throws the beads and pleads
"Should I offer you gin
Or is it the head of a goat you want?"
Suddenly!
He jumps up and we exclaim "Ahaa!"
The ancestor must have answered.
"The ancestor is livid!" Shouted the priest.
"No one, I say, no one can force the ancestor
To speak from the land of white spirits!"
GENERAL COMMENTS/SUBJECT MATTER:
ABUBAKAR ISHAQ EAZY'S " The Silence Of The Ancestor", is a satirical poem that paints a humorous yet mockery picture of the high handedness,lordly air, and impunity culture that characterized our political leaders who were elected to serve the people with utmost humility, timely sensitiveness to their ever increasing plight,and even be more corresponding to their responsibilities. Conversely, they have, over the years and in the present, remained unyielding to the masses' pleas for a good governance. So, it's against this backdrop and the attendant refusal by the head's spokesman to furnish the populace with reliable information about his(the leader's) true health condition (whom the poet refers to as "ancestor")who had sought medical attention in a foreign land-the UK- that, the poem was constructed. Hence the title:"The Silence Of The ancestor".
SETTING:
The poem has both time and physical settings. Its time setting is present( i.e 2017) while its physical setting is post independent Nigeria.
STANZA BY STANZA ANALYSIS:
In stanza one(lines 1-7),the poet persona, in his first person plural "We", describes how concerned and anxious the populace are to hearing from their "ancestor"(leader) who is away for routine medical check-up. Here at home, citizens sit "quietly with palms on their cheeks" close to their television set, radio, and even go as far as patronizing different print media for possible news about their ancestor's health who has refused to speak to them directly from the "foreign land of white spirits"(the UK). He puts it thus:
"Here we sit quietly;
Palms on our cheeks;
Aching to hear
The voice of the ancestor
Who has refused to speak
To his people from the foreign land
Of white spirits".
In stanza two(lines 8-19),many Nigerians are clamoring that their ancestor(leader) speak to them from a foreign land through his Ifà or chief priest(i.e his spokesman). But each time they engage his spokesman on the issue, he either evades it or retorts angrily that the "ancestor" can not be compelled to speak from the foreign land of the white spirits. He puts it succinctly:
"...Yet he looks up each time a frustrated fellow,
Shakes his head vigorously with pouted lips,
And he gives the same answer over and over again,
The answer of silence
The ancestor would not speak."
Stanza three(lines 20-30) of the poem opens with a persuasive plea from the people urging him(the chief priest) to harken to their wish of talking the ancestor into speaking to them so they could be assured he's still alive but he suddenly exclaimed "ahaa" (a show of unsuppressed anger),and remarked thus:
"The ancestor is livid!...
"No one, I say, no one can force the ancestor
To speak from the land of white spirits!"
Leaving the people as dissatisfied and discontent with the irresponsiveness of the current administration as ever.
STYLE/STRUCTURE:
The poem is written in three stanzas of unequal lines. The poem constitutes thirty lines which are structurally arranged in stanzas such that each stanza embodies some aspects of the major themes inherent in the poem.
THEME(S):
1. The needs for a responsible government
2. Government is nothing without its people
2. A call for transparency on our leaders
DICTION:
The poem is rendered in a very simple and straightforward language that every semi-lettered reader would not find it difficult to understand. The choice of words succinctly conveys the poet's message to his readers. For instance, words like "implores"(to beg earnestly), "vigorously"(with great force), "pouted"(to push out one's lips as a sign of anger)and "livid"(angry), will not pose difficulty in understanding the poem. The use of direct speech such as "Speak our father!";"Show to us where thou art father?" Suggest a protracted silence on the side of the ancestor(leader)whose health status is of great concern to his people.
DEVICES OF LANGUAGE:
1. Metaphor
"Ancestor","chief priest","Ifà priest","foreign land of the white spirits" are metaphors for president,his spokesman in media related issues,and the UK respectively.
2.Rhetorical Question
Lines 13, 23 and 24 respectively
"Show to us where though art father?", "Should I offer you gin"/Or is it the head of a goat you want?"
3. Repetition
Lines 7 and 30 are repetition. E.g
"To speak to his people from the foreign land of white spirits"
MOOD/TONE:
The mood of the poem is that of worry,anxiety or dissatisfaction with a corresponding tone of concern.
