The poem emphasises the moral standards of the people and warns against hypocrisy. It continues to advise that one should do accordingly as one wants people to do to you.
This life is balanced for everybody to live if people can adjust well. The poem has been appreciated so that the researchers and readers can learn more and analyse for criticism. Read the similar post on this page.
Why?
Why disturb God for praises
When you blame people
Why preach forgiveness
When you are not a forgiver
Why look for a promotion
When you are a beneficiary of the promotion
Why seek success
When you are a hindrance to the success
Why pray for wealth
When you are stingy to Talakawas
Why mount Everest for an open heaven
When you are an oppressor of Mekunus
Why expect respect
When you disrespect your superiors
Why seek peace
When you are a riotous person
Why look for assistance
When you are not an assistant
Why fear assassination
When you are an assassinator
What you sow, they say, you reap
‘Tis possible to sow onions and reap yams
Poet: Deola Adelakun
Briefs of the book
The poem emphasises the moral standards of the people and warns against hypocrisy. It continues to advise that one should do accordingly as one wants people to do to you. This life is balanced for everybody to live if people can adjust well.
The poet is concerned about why people will act badly to others and expect others to do good to them. It is 50-50. What you want people to do to you, you are expected to do the same to people. The poet calls our attention to this.
The poet states you disturb God for praises, but you blame people; you preach forgiveness, but you are not a forgiver; you want promotion and success, but you are a hindrance to the promotion and success of others.
He continues, You pray for wealth and open heaven, but you are stingy and miserly. You want people to respect you, but you disrespect others. Why seek peace when you are violent and riotous people? That is, all that people want here is expected of them to do too.
You want peace, but you are a violent person; you look for assistance, but you cannot assist anybody; you fear assassination, but you are an assassin. If you want all this, they try to offer people the same.
The poet affirms that what you sow is what you will expect to reap. Stop being hypocritical and do exactly what you want people to do to you. Do good to receive good.
Theme
The poem, “Why”, is a poem which teaches moral lessons and good virtues. The poet sees the people who live in our society as those who do not love one another. That is the call of the poet. There are themes in the poem that discuss attitudes. Some of those themes have been discussed below.
The theme of a good attitude
Good attitude matters to the poet as he tries to correct the error of a bad attitude in our society. The poet points out many behaviours and actions which people cannot accommodate, but they do them.
Such habits and actions include blame, unforgiveness, hindrances to promotion and success, stinginess, oppression, disrespect, violence, and a lack of readiness to assist, among others. The poet is worried about how people hate all these things, but they are doing them to people.
What can make this world more peaceful, and beings to live in casinos do so excitedly, as we love people to do to us. Your thoughts, behaviours, etc. must not contradict what you expect from people.
The theme of respect and good virtues
An adage says, “Respect begets respect”. And good virtues make people become a man. If one shows respect, definitely one will be respected.
One of the major things our society lacks at this time is respect, and that is why the poet uses his poetic tool to suppress it in this poem. If our society is to be what it boasts of, it is important to take respect and good virtues as a priority.
The theme of bad behaviours and actions
The poet advises people to shun bad behaviours a behavior towards one another. The habits you cannot tolerate, don’t do them to other people; the actions you cannot tolerate, don’t do them to other people.
The behaviours you cannot accommodate, don’t do to other people because what you sow, you reap. According to the poet, everyone should stop assassination, stinginess, bad attitudes towards success and promotion, oppression, violence, unforgiveness, etc.
Languages and Poetic Devices
The poet makes use of several languages and poetic devices to enrich his work and allow other researchers and readers to criticise and appreciate his poem. Some of the languages and poetic devices are discussed below.
Stanzas and lines
The poem has 11 stanzas and 22 lines. The stanza has two lines, which are a couplet. Each stanza opens with questions, and the second lines complete the questions.
The structure and the mind of the poet is to seek the opinion are the people and point out people who are engaging in bad behaviours in society.
Rhymes and rhyming schemes
Each stanza has a good rhyme, which makes the poem have a rhythmic effect. Stanza 1 has rhyming schemes of ab, stanza 2 has ab, stanza 3 has aa, stanza 4 has aa, stanza 5 has ab, stanza 6 has ab, stanza 7 has ab, stanza 8 has ab, stanza 9 has ab, stanza 10 has ab, stanza 11 has ab.
Mood/Tone
The poet feels concerned about how people cannot tolerate what they do to other people in our society. His mind is to correct those errors and make things right.
Didactics
The poem is didactic in nature. The poet tries to correct all errors and imbibe standards and culture.
Neologism
The poet makes use of some local languages to communicate strongly with Nigerian society. Some of the examples of neologisms are “Talakas”, “poor people” (line 10), “Mekunus”, which means ordinary citizen (lines 12)
Figures of Speech
The poet makes use of several figures of speech to enrich his work and allow other researchers to criticise and appreciate his poem. Some of the figures of speech are discussed below.
Rhetorical Questions
The poet makes use of rhetorical questions, and the questions are predominant figures of speech. Almost every line has a rhetorical question. Check lines 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21)
Proverbs
The poet makes use of proverbs such as “What you sow, you reap”(line 21) and “Farmers that sow bitter leaves cannot reap sugarcanes”.
Hyperbole
The poet makes use of hyperbole such as “Why mount Everest for open heaven”.
Word List and meanings
Tanaka was: The poor
Menus: The ordinary citizens
Assassinator: He who assassinates people
Blockade: Something that is used to stop people from entering or leaving a place
Assassination: Killing or murder
Riotous: Noisy or violent, especially in a public
Everest: One of the largest mountains in the world
Practice Questions
1. Comment on the use of rhetorical questions and repetitions in the poem.
2. Explicate the message of the poem.
3. Discuss the themes of the poem.
Editors
