‘BUILDING THE NATION’ Poem

BUILDING THE NATION

    Today I did my share
    In building the nation
    I drove a permanent Secretary
    To an important urgent function
    In fact a luncheon at the Vic.

    The menu reflected its importance
    Cold Bell beer with small talk,
    Then friend chicken with niceties
    Wine to fill the hollowness of the laughs
    Ice-cream to cover the stereotype jokes
    Coffee to keep the PS awake on return journey.

    I drove the Permanent Sectretary back.
    He yawned many times in the back of the car
    Did you have any lunch friend?
    I replied looking straight ahead
    And secretly smiling at his belated concern
    That I had not, but was smiling!

    Upon which he said with a seriousness
    That amused more than annoyed me,
    Mwananchi, I too had none!
    I attended to matters of state
    Highly delicate diplomatic duties you know,
    And friend, it goes against my grain,
    Causes me stomach ulcers and wind.
    Ah, he continued, yawning again,
    The pains we suffer in buiding the nation!

    So the PS had ulcers too!
    My ulcers I think are equally painful
    Only they are caused by hunger,
    Not sumptuous lunches!

    So two nation builders
    Arrived home this evening
    With terrible stomach pains
    The result of building the nation –
    – Different ways.
            Henry Barlow

Questions

1.    Identify two voices in the poem (2 mks)
2.    Explain what the poem addresses  (4 mks)
3.    Identify and illustrate the use of any two poetic devices uses in the poem and explain their effectiveness  ( 6 mks)
4.    Describe the tone in the poem (2 mks)
5.    How would you describe the attitude of the permanent secretary towards the persona?(2 mks)
6.    Describe the rhyme scheme in stanza one (2 mks)
7.    i)     “He yawned many times in the back of the car.” Add a question tag (1 mk)
    ii)     “ I drove the permanent secretary back.” Write in passive voice

BUILDING  THE NATION ANSWERS

         a)    2 voices in the poem
        i)     The driver who drives the Ps to the luncheon.
            “I drove a permanent secretary.”
        ii)     The Ps “ I attended to matters of state.”
                NB. Must identify and illustrate to score 2mks
                   No mark for identification alone
     b)    The poem is about a driver who drives a permanent secretary to an important function” which     turns out  to be a luncheon where different meals are served , but the driver is not given any     hence he goes home     hungry while the Ps is overfed
     c)    Poetic devices
        i)     Ryme – Nation / function, friend/ ahead, grain, again e.t.c
               Effectiveness – Enhances rhythm
        ii)     Alliteration – Cold Bell beer ……………….
                     coffee to keep the Ps ………………
                Effectiveness – musically/ rhythm
        iii)     Repetition – building the nation
                Effectiveness – Enhances rhythm / musicallity
               Any other relevant answer
            NB: Identify, illustrate and give effectiveness in order  to score    (3 mks)  
      d)    Tone is satirical/sarcastic – The writer scorns the duties performed by the Ps in the guise of     building  the nation. The Ps only goes to luncheons to eat yet claims to be building the     nation.
      e)    Contemptous/spiteful/ condescending. The Ps refers  to his driver as “Mwananchi”
      f)    Rhyme scheme   a b c b d
    Irregular one cannot predict the next pattern
      h)    didn’t he ?
      i)    The permanent secretary was driven back. (by me)