Emma Singleton
Those who shared the dream,
Who nurtured it;
Handled it with utmost care.
Watchmen of the vision,
Guarding it's front,
Protecting the rear.
As she sits alone,
Weeping for Shehu and Bello Shedding a quite tear.
- Nana Asma'u (themuslimtimes.info)
- The backstory of Nana Asma'u:
- Daughter of Usman Dan Fodio, founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Nana Asma'u was a princess, teacher, and a poet. She is considered one of the earliest feminists in Africa. Throughout her life, her main focus was to educate Muslim women. She was an adviser to her brother under his rule as Caliphate. Her poetry focused on women's rights within a community. (wikipedia.com)
- Picture Analysis:
- The picture of the crying woman represents the last line of the poem, "Shedding a quite tear". This picture helps convey the sadness of the poem.
-Poem Analyzation:
- This poem by Nana Asma'u is a reflection of the feeling of sadness. The poem makes me think of losing a loved one and, then in return feeling the sadness that comes with losing that person. The speaker of the poem is the voice referenced in the first line of the poem. By explaining the speaker is the voice it allows the rest of the poem to be considered from the voices point of view. Although this poem does not have a lot of figurative languages there are still deeper meanings to the words. The main figurative language used was personification. The personification of vision in lines 6-8 adds depth to the final three lines of the poem. By saying vision is "Guarding its front" and "Protecting the rear" it brings the idea of being lonely and paranoid. There is no obvious rhyme scheme affiliated with this piece which adds to the idea of being separated and lonely. By putting the first line of the poem separate from the rest it adds the feeling of a separation between the speaker and the poem. The tone of the poem is sadness, being lonely, and separation. Without three descriptive words, the tone of the poem would be lost because of the shifts in tone. The poem starts off as loneliness, then shifts to separation, and finally ends in sadness. The theme of the poem is that when a loved one is gone, their identity leaves with them.
- Picture Analysis:
- The picture of the crying woman represents the last line of the poem, "Shedding a quite tear". This picture helps convey the sadness of the poem.
-Poem Analyzation:
- This poem by Nana Asma'u is a reflection of the feeling of sadness. The poem makes me think of losing a loved one and, then in return feeling the sadness that comes with losing that person. The speaker of the poem is the voice referenced in the first line of the poem. By explaining the speaker is the voice it allows the rest of the poem to be considered from the voices point of view. Although this poem does not have a lot of figurative languages there are still deeper meanings to the words. The main figurative language used was personification. The personification of vision in lines 6-8 adds depth to the final three lines of the poem. By saying vision is "Guarding its front" and "Protecting the rear" it brings the idea of being lonely and paranoid. There is no obvious rhyme scheme affiliated with this piece which adds to the idea of being separated and lonely. By putting the first line of the poem separate from the rest it adds the feeling of a separation between the speaker and the poem. The tone of the poem is sadness, being lonely, and separation. Without three descriptive words, the tone of the poem would be lost because of the shifts in tone. The poem starts off as loneliness, then shifts to separation, and finally ends in sadness. The theme of the poem is that when a loved one is gone, their identity leaves with them.
The poem has a very depressing and reminiscent tone. The hurt the speaker is feeling reminds me of how you feel when you lose a love one. I connected with this poem because the symbolism had a powerful meaning. The symbolism helps the reader connect on a personal level with the author. The author also mentions how she cries silent tears which would only make them sadder because holding emotions inside deteriorates the soul.
ReplyDelete