By Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye (Kenya)
Atieno washes dishes,
Atieno plucks the chicken,
Atieno gets up early,
beds her sacks down in the kitchen,
Atieno eight years old
Atieno yo.
Since she is my sister’s child
Atieno needs no pay
While she works my wife can sit
Sewing every sunny day,
With her earnings I support
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s sly and jealous
Bad example to the kids
Since she minds them, like a school girl
Wants their dresses, shoes and beads.
Atieno ten years old,
Atieno yo.
Now my wife has gone to study
Atieno is less free,
Don’t I feed her, school my own ones,
Pay the party, union fee
All for progress? Aren’t you
grateful,
Atieno yo?
Visitors need much attention,
Specially when I work nights.
That girl stays too long at market
Who will teach her what is right?
Atieno rising fourteen,
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s had a baby
So we know that she is bad
Fifty-fifty it may live
To repeat the life she had,
ending in post morten bleeding
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s soon replaced
Meat and sugar more than all
She ate in such a narrow life
Were lavished on her funeral
Atieno’s gone to glory
Atieno yo.
ANALYSIS OF A POEM
1. THE POET
Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye (Kenya)
2. TITLE
The title of this poem is ironical because it satirizes the speaker who
also does the things contrary to what he is supposed to be doing.
The title symbolizes the various forms of fight for freedom. A freedom
is a song which when it is sung, it awakens people and encourage them to fight
for freedom. The house girls and other disadvantaged children have to be
emancipated from the chains of torture, exploitation and oppression.
3.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE POEM
This poem deals with the story about a girl, a house girl who is heavily
exploited by her Uncle. The girl wakes up early every day, does everything in
the house, and she is the last one to go to bed as well. Apart from doing so
many works while others are enjoying more freedom, she is not paid and she has
no access to basic needs like education, shelter and clothes. Desperately, she
tries to finds her own solutions but she gets pregnant and she dies during
giving birth.
SUMMARY OF THE STANZAS
1st Stanza
Atieno is eight years old. She wakes up early in the morning every day.
She beds her sacks in the kitchen floor because she does not sleep on either mattress
or bed. The stanza also talks about the works Atieno does such as washing the
dishes and plucking the chicken although she is only eight years old only.
2nd Stanza
Atieno is the persona’s sister’s child. She is her uncle. According to
her uncle, she is his sister’s child and so she needs no pay for what she does.
Her uncle’s wife can just sit and sew every sunny day while Atieno works.
3rd Stanza
Atieno is ten years old now. Because she is child, Atieno is also sly
and jealous to other children who go to school. She wants to be like them, to
dress like them, but her Uncle does not want that to happen. She also needs
other things because she is growing already.
4th Stanza
Atieno is now busier than before because her Uncle’s wife has gone to
study. Now she has to do everything at home. She is less free. Her Uncle brags
himself that he feeds her and he gives her many things and she should be
grateful to him instead.
5th Stanza
Atieno is now fourteen years old and her Uncle is now complaining about
her new behaviours. Her Uncle says nowadays, Atieno stays too long at the
market. Sometimes she stays long at the market while there are visitors at home
who need attention. Her Uncle also explains and asks himself that ‘who will
teach her what is right?’
6th Stanza
Atieno is pregnant and she has a baby now. This time, she is blamed that
she is a bad girl although no one taught her what is right or wrong. However,
the baby’s condition is worse and she is also in terrible condition. She ends
in post mortem while bleeding badly.
7th Stanza
Atieno is dead. After her death, her departure is replaced with
ceremony; meat and sugar which she never had when she was alive, were eaten in
her absence. She had such a turbulent shorter life, but now people are enjoying
things during the funeral. Her Uncle invite many people to her funeral and they
lavish her funeral while she is gone to glory.
4. PERSONA
(Who is speaking in the poem). The persona of the poem is an ironical
man/Uncle who does things contrary to what he is supposed to do. He is the
exploiter and oppressor who enjoys doing these for his own good.
5. ADDRESSEE
(Whom the speaker is speaking to). The addressee or the audience of this
poem are those who exploit and oppress others in this way or other. The
audience of this poem is also the people like Atieno who unfairly suffers for
the benefits of others.
6. TONE
The tone of the poem is ironical, satirical, and hypocritical one.
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