, Analysis of E.E. Sule’s Poem “Farewell”
E.E. Sule’s poem “Farewell” is a poignant and incisive commentary on the
state of political and intellectual decay in a post-colonial society. Through a
deft use of diction, metaphor, personification, and other poetic devices,
Sule expresses a deep sense of frustration, outrage, disappointment,
hopelessness, and sadness about the forced migration of educated
individuals from their homeland following political independence. This
essay will explore how Sule uses these literary techniques to convey his
lamentation over the state of his country and the plight of its intellectuals.
Diction and Metaphor
The poem’s diction is charged with emotional weight and symbolic
significance. Sule’s choice of words paints a vivid picture of a country in
disarray, where the intellectual and scholarly class is rendered impotent
and disenfranchised. The phrase “tight jinxed professors” immediately
introduces a tone of misfortune and constraint. The adjective “tight”
suggests a suffocating environment, while “jinxed” implies a curse or an
inescapable doom, reflecting the professors’ grim predicament. This choice
of diction establishes a backdrop of despair and entrapment, setting the
stage for the poem’s exploration of intellectual decay.
E.E. Sule’s poem “Farewell” is a poignant and incisive commentary on the
state of political and intellectual decay in a post-colonial society. Through a
deft use of diction, metaphor, personification, and other poetic devices,
Sule expresses a deep sense of frustration, outrage, disappointment,
hopelessness, and sadness about the forced migration of educated
individuals from their homeland following political independence. This
essay will explore how Sule uses these literary techniques to convey his
lamentation over the state of his country and the plight of its intellectuals.
Diction and Metaphor
The poem’s diction is charged with emotional weight and symbolic
significance. Sule’s choice of words paints a vivid picture of a country in
disarray, where the intellectual and scholarly class is rendered impotent
and disenfranchised. The phrase “tight jinxed professors” immediately
introduces a tone of misfortune and constraint. The adjective “tight”
suggests a suffocating environment, while “jinxed” implies a curse or an
inescapable doom, reflecting the professors’ grim predicament. This choice
of diction establishes a backdrop of despair and entrapment, setting the
stage for the poem’s exploration of intellectual decay.
