By Elimu Assistant Team 
Read the following poem and then answer the questions that follow.
Should I
Or should I not
Take the oath to love
For ever
This person I know little about?
Does she love me?
Or my car
Or my future
Which I know little about?
Will she continue to love me?
When the future she saw in me
Crumbles and fades into nothing
Leaving the naked me
To love without hope?
Will that smile she wears
Last through the hazards to come
When fate strikes
Across the dreams of tomorrow?
Like the clever passenger in a faulty plane,
Wear her life jacket
And jump out to save her life
Leaving me crush into the unknown?
What magic can I use?
To see what lies beneath
Her angel face and well-knit hair
To see her hopes and dreams
Before I take an oath
To love forever?
We are both wise chess players
She makes a move
I make a move
And we trap each other in our secret dreams
Hoping to win against each other
~ Everett Standa
QUESTION
- Comment on the title of this poem. [3 marks]
- Explain the dilemma of speaker in the first stanza. [2 marks]
- What is the speaker’s attitude towards their relationship?
- Discuss and illustrate two character traits of the persona. [4 marks]
- Comment on the imagery of the plane. [3 marks]
- Explain how the relationship is compared to a game of chess. [3 marks]
- Explain the meaning of the following line: leaving the naked me. [3 marks]
Marking Scheme
1. Comment on the title of this poem. [3 marks]
- The title is an interrogative/question-based title. It sets a tone of uncertainty and hesitation. (1 mark)
- It reflects the central theme of indecision. The speaker is at a crossroads regarding whether to commit to a lifelong “oath” of marriage/love. (1 mark)
- It captures the internal conflict. The brevity of “Should I” emphasizes the weight of the choice and the persona’s lack of confidence in the partner’s motives. (1 mark)
