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FULL NAMES:
STUDENT NUMBER:
MODULE CODE: ENG2602
MODULE NAME: GENRES IN LITERATURE AND
LANGUAGE: THEORY, STYLE AND POETICS
ASSIGNMENT: 03
QUESTION 1: POETRY
DUE DATE: 13 AUGUST 2024
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QUESTION 1: POETRY
In E.E. Sule's poem "Farewell," the poet employs a rich array of diction, metaphors,
and poetic techniques to convey a profound sense of frustration, outrage,
disappointment, hopelessness, and sadness at the forced migration of educated
individuals from their homeland following political independence. Throughout the
poem, the poet's language serves as a vehicle for expressing the profound
disillusionment experienced by the educated class in Nigeria, particularly university
professors. Turning to inanimate objects for answers and employing personification,
the poet illustrates the loss of confidence in his compatriots and the dismal state of
affairs in his country.
The opening lines of the poem set a tone of disillusionment and despair as the poet
describes "Tight jinxed professors gazing at the immensity of nothing!" The choice of
words like "jinxed" and "immensity of nothing" conveys a sense of futility and
hopelessness experienced by the educated elite. The metaphor of "a multitude of
books speeding away in escape" vividly depicts the exodus of knowledge and
expertise from the country, highlighting the brain drain phenomenon. The use of the
word "escape" suggests a sense of urgency and desperation among those leaving,
further emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
The poet continues to lament the situation by describing "Pens swagger in hollowness,
prostitute with cheap sheets." Here, the metaphor of pens prostituting with cheap
sheets implies a degradation of intellectual pursuit and a commodification of
knowledge. The word "swagger" suggests a false sense of confidence or bravado,
masking the underlying emptiness and despair. This imagery underscores the poet's
frustration at the devaluation of education and intellectualism in Nigerian society.
All rights reserved SIR MTHEMBU (PTY) LTD
FULL NAMES:
STUDENT NUMBER:
MODULE CODE: ENG2602
MODULE NAME: GENRES IN LITERATURE AND
LANGUAGE: THEORY, STYLE AND POETICS
ASSIGNMENT: 03
QUESTION 1: POETRY
DUE DATE: 13 AUGUST 2024
All rights reserved SIR MTHEMBU (PTY) LTD
, Online store: www.sirmthembu.store | 0617568718/0670276883 | Email:
QUESTION 1: POETRY
In E.E. Sule's poem "Farewell," the poet employs a rich array of diction, metaphors,
and poetic techniques to convey a profound sense of frustration, outrage,
disappointment, hopelessness, and sadness at the forced migration of educated
individuals from their homeland following political independence. Throughout the
poem, the poet's language serves as a vehicle for expressing the profound
disillusionment experienced by the educated class in Nigeria, particularly university
professors. Turning to inanimate objects for answers and employing personification,
the poet illustrates the loss of confidence in his compatriots and the dismal state of
affairs in his country.
The opening lines of the poem set a tone of disillusionment and despair as the poet
describes "Tight jinxed professors gazing at the immensity of nothing!" The choice of
words like "jinxed" and "immensity of nothing" conveys a sense of futility and
hopelessness experienced by the educated elite. The metaphor of "a multitude of
books speeding away in escape" vividly depicts the exodus of knowledge and
expertise from the country, highlighting the brain drain phenomenon. The use of the
word "escape" suggests a sense of urgency and desperation among those leaving,
further emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
The poet continues to lament the situation by describing "Pens swagger in hollowness,
prostitute with cheap sheets." Here, the metaphor of pens prostituting with cheap
sheets implies a degradation of intellectual pursuit and a commodification of
knowledge. The word "swagger" suggests a false sense of confidence or bravado,
masking the underlying emptiness and despair. This imagery underscores the poet's
frustration at the devaluation of education and intellectualism in Nigerian society.
All rights reserved SIR MTHEMBU (PTY) LTD
