A Government Driver on his Retirement
by
Onu Chibuike
Background and setting of the poet and poem, and summary
Subject: Literature-in-English
Theme: Literature in English
Topic: A Government Driver on his Retirement by Onu Chibuike
Sub Topic: Background and setting of the poet and poem
Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Class: S.S 3
Average Age: 16 years and above
Duration: 35 Minutes
No of Learners: 40
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Mention the background of the Poet.
Ónu Chibuike was born on May 8th, 1984 into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Rosh Nduanusi Onu. He hails from Umuomi-Uzoagba ( now Ezenomi ), in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State. He schooled at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained his degree in Bachelors of Arts Education English. He is a rising Nigerian writer and a teacher. He teaches English Language and Literature in one of the secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria.His first celebrated anthology {a collection of poems} is Goodnight Africa. His other poem is A Government Driver On His Retirement.
2. Mention the background of the Poem.
The poem has it's background on the status of the civil servant in Nigeria, The Creel service has different classes or cadres One of the classes is the auxiliary class. This is the class when the government diver belongs. The poem is written within the background of one of the essential statutes of the Nigerian civil service which is the pension Act which established official retirement age and pension scheme for civil servants. Workers retire from service at a certain age or after a specific number of years in service and are entitled to receive gratitude on their retirement and a monthly pension. In the poem, the government diver receives many gratitude for the "Thirtyfive years of faithful service" (line 14), One of the appreciations or gratitude is "a brand new car in his name"(line 18).3. Identify the setting of the Poem.
The setting is Nigeria where workers are expected to retire after thirty five years of service. Workers who work diligently are often rewarded at the end of their service. In the poem, the driver is rewarded with a brand new car. The setting is also universal because all over the world, workers work and are expected to retire after putting in some years of service.4. Recite the poem.
A Government Driver on his Retirement by Onu ChibuikeMany years on wheels
In faithful service to his fatherland
Today retires he home
And a celebration he holds
Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat
In obedience to duty rules and regulations
Today, he’ll go home a freeman
Eligible for his country’s services
“Come, friends, rejoice with me
I shall booze and zoom myself home
Away from duty rules
Come celebrate my freedom”
“Early to duty tomorrow holds not,
Thirty-five years of faithful services
I’ll’ booze to sleep away my sufferings
Today I’ve long waited for”
More joy to send him home
A brand new car in his name
An appreciative symbol
For undented thirty years of service to Fatherland
“Come, friends and rejoice more,
Joy till no more joy to joy
Today frees and makes me a king
My patience rewarded.”
And so, he boozed and boozed
Celebrating the celebration of his retirement
From faithful service to fatherland
He battled with his bottle booze
On his way home on wheels,
Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment
He boomed his brand new car
And it sent him home
Home to rest in peace.
5. Explain the Structure of the poem.
The poem is written in thirty three lines of six stanzas, stanza 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are written in quatrains while stanza 3 is written in octave.The poem has no rhyme schemes. The poem can be divided into three in form.
One part is spoken by a narrator, the second part is about the driver himself.
In this part, the driver invites his friends to the celebration to mark his retirement.
In the third part the narrator informs the reader of the consequences of the driver's actions.
Blank Verse/Free Verse The poem is written without any regular patterns, rhymes or meters.
6. Highlight the subject matter of the poem.
The poem focuses on the life of a government driver who is set to retire haven served for many years with a single blemish to his work reputation. The other part of the poem is linked to the disastrous end of the government driver who dies driving as a result of high consumption of alcohol. The poet weaves the incident of celebration into this unfortunate disaster to emphasize the danger of drink-and-drive culture.
Our character in “A Government Driver on his Retirement” was in government service as a driver for the required thirty-five years. He went on a compulsory retirement afterwards. While in service, he had never for once disobeyed driving rules. He literally followed the rules and regulations of his job. He got to his workplace early and tried not to drink on duty.
However, this changes upon his retirement. He celebrates his freedom from the confining rules working for the government placed on him. He rejoices becoming a master of his own. He organizes a party where he drinks to stupor. At his workplace, he is gifted a brand new car for his meritorious service. Not putting in mind his drunken state, he drives himself home, has a fatal accident which takes his life. The euphoria of retirement and the freedom that accosted it cost him his life.
7. Summarize and Analysis the Poem Stanza by Stanza.
Poem SummaryThe poem reflects on the totality of the life of a government driver who has put in many years of service to his country and retires without a blemish. The other part of the poem is linked to the disastrous end of the government driver who dies driving as a result of high consumption of alcohol. The poet weaves the incident of celebration into this unfortunate disaster to emphasize the danger of drink-and-drive culture.
The poem talks about a typical government worker, in this case, a driver. In a quest to eke a living, people are engaged either in the private or public sector. The invasion of colonialism also brings along with it, a major paradigm shift In the means of livelihood of many Africans. There Is a general shift from peasant farming and other agricultural activities to paid employment (white collar jobs), especially in the civil service. Many Africans were employed as drivers and clerks for the white Man, the situation which continued, even after independence.
One of the disappointments associated with civil service Is the meagre salaries. The general servitude usually associated with the life of civil service, especially as it concerns the low-ranking officers like drivers and cooks account for a different perception some hold about such jobs. The highly regulated life (boring bureaucracy) in the civil service is one of the major reasons many employees look forward to their retirement with some sense of excitement.
Analysis of the Poem
Stanzas 1:
The poem opens with “Many years on wheels”, where the word ‘wheels’ is used as a synecdoche for a car, to show heis a driver. Also, the repetition of “many years” in the first and second stanzas suggests that the poetic persona, likely spends all his entire working life on this driving job. The poet persona welcomes his retirement from the civil service with celebrations, a mark of freedom from the (drudgery) daily toil of duty. He has worked in obedience to the strict “duty rules and regulations” (bureaucracy) associated with government establishments. His freedom from this monotonous work calls for celebration.
The poem starts with the description of the persona’s current state. He has served in his country’s civil service as a driver faithfully. It is his last day on the job before he retires. He holds a party to mark the end. This is common among many civil service employees. On their last day, friends, colleagues and family members come around to celebrate with them.
Stanzas 2:
The poet gives to a different perspective to the life of the persona. Here, the persona sees the years of service as imprisonment. You know civil service can be boring. Imagine repeating the same routine or duty every day for many years. It becomes tiring and partly looks like slavery. Within these years, you are bound by some rules and regulations in your office. In the case of the poet’s persona, it is the restriction on the quantity of alcohol he takes that was his problem. Lines 5 & 6, ‘Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat/ In obedience to duty rules and regulations.’
Through his thoughts we are able to see that some people in the civil service are doing something because of the rules and regulations. But these civil servants fail to realize that these rules and regulations are to safe guard their lives and that of others. Civil servants with the mentality of the poet’s persona see laws as imprisonment or slavery. Our persona in this poem declares himself a Freeman on his retirement. ‘Today, he’ll go home a Freeman’ Line 7.
Stanzas 3:
The poet calls his friends and well-wishers to come and celebrate with him. “Come friends, rejoice with me/ Come friends, rejoice more. “Due to his meritorious service, by driving carefully without accidents –“For undented thirty years of service…” he is being given a brand-new car, as a reward. He talks about alcoholic drinks as the major entertaining edible. “I shall booze…”/”I’ll booze to sleep away my sufferings.”
hear directly from the celebrant. His excitement cannot be measured. The poet’s persona invites friends to come and celebrate his freedom. He is really excited not just of being relieved of early morning duty of driving cars around cities but his freedom to drink alcohol and get drunk.
Indirectly, we infer he has not been happy and satisfied with his job. He has been waiting patiently to retire, and he doesn’t seem to love the job at all.
His words reveal his frustration on the job not being able to cater for all his needs. Can you imagine how much a driver is paid in Civil service? Can it truly solve all his problems? Lines 15 & 16 depict this; ‘I’ll booze to sleep away my suffering/ Today, I’ve long waited for…’ This is a perfect depiction of the persona’s mind. Though he does not like the job, he has to put with it, adhering to those rules and regulations for thirty-five years because he has no option to opt out.
Stanzas 4:
The persona’s joy multiples as he receives a brand new car for his meritorious service. We realize that even with the dissatisfaction with his job, he is a faithful and trustworthy servant judging by the gift given to him. See Line 20 For undented thirty-five years of service to fatherland.
Stanzas 5:
persona calls on friends to join his party, to celebrate his long awaited reward. This time, his joy doubles with the gift presented to him.
Stanzas 6:
Here in this last stanza, the poetic persona drinks to stupor In the euphoria of his celebration. He risks his life as he engages In drink-and-drive attitude. What follows is calamity (death!)!“He boomed his brand new car/ And it sent him home/ Home to rest in peace.”
Finally, the last stanza reveals how the persona lost his cool. They say excess of everything is dangerous. Hence, rules and regulations checkmates our excesses. The persona takes his celebration to the extreme. He becomes drunk because he feels the rules and regulations are no longer binding on him. What was the result? The irony of life!
A brand new car which will have been his source of happiness becomes his doom. Drunk, he lost control of his senses, his vision and finally his new wheels. He has been on different wheels for good thirty-five years driving others safely observing road safety measures but just few hours out of the job; few hours of his freedom, to drive himself home, and complete his celebration, he renegades on the principles that have guided him. Then he lost his life.
This depicts that laws are meant to protect us and lives of other citizens. Laws shouldn’t be seen as a limiter or a trap.
5. Explain Poetic Devices/Techniques, Imaginery/Symbolism used in the poem.
1. Language and style: The language of the poem is very simple and accessible. The poet uses a narrative style to give a detailed account of the persona's life. He also makes use of some slangy expressions like booze and boozy repeatedly.The diction used by the poet is not too difficult for an average reader to decipher.
2. Mood/Tone: The beginning of the poem presents a very happy mood, filled with excitement and fulfilment. The persona feels much fulfilled after spending thirty-five years in public service. He is very excited about this celebration and this runs from the first stanza to 3 the fifth stanza. The last two stanzas are, however, filled with the mood of pity and shock. The reader is very shocked at the sudden turn of death, from point of merriment to that of disastrous end of the persona's life.
The mood of the poet is a mixture of joy (celebration for retirement and brand-new car) and gloom (accident). The tone is largely that of sarcasm.
3. Imagery: The imagery in this poem is simple and vivid. It makes the thematic preoccupation very direct and understandable. The very first line, for instance, gives the picture of the persona’s profession with “many years on wheel’. ‘Boozy throat’ in line five gives an image of taste or what is often referred to as gustatory image, which gives us the picture of the persona’s strong appetite for alcohol. In line thirty- one, we see another image, ‘he boomed his brand new car’. This image is used to vividly describe the disastrous end of the persona and his new car.
4. Irony:
There are cases of irony in the entire poem:
(i) He e drives all through his service without accidents, only to be involved in a fatal accident on his day of retirement.
(ii) He dies in his own car in just one day of being given the car, and not inside the government vehicle he drives for over thirty years.
(iii) He dies on the very day he celebrates his retirement.
5. Anadiplosis: This is a figures of speech in which a word or phrase used at the end of an expression is repeated as the first word or phrase of the following sentence or expression – “And it sent him home Home to rest in peace.”
6. Personification: More joy to send him home/ Today frees and makes me a king/ And it (car) sent him home. All these give human qualities to inanimate objects.
7. Apostrophe: The poet persona addresses people as if they were present to listen. “Come friends, rejoice with me/ Come friends, rejoice more.”
Hyperbaton/Inversion, This occurs when the normal order of words or expressions is changed. A poet can do so, when he relies on his poetic licence.
Examples
Today retires he home — instead of “He retires home today”.
And a celebration he holds — instead of “And he holds a celebration”.
8. Hyperbole: Joy till no More joy to joy/ Today frees and makes me a king/ Today, he’ll go home a freeman (as if he left prison). The above expressions are overstatements, for the purpose of emphasis.
9. Euphemism: I’ll booze to sleep away my sufferings/ And it sent him home/ Home to rest in peace. All these expressions present ‘death’ in a pleasant way, instead of in an unpleasant way.
9. Repetition: Words like “booze”, “service to fatherland”, “duty rules”, “Joy till no more joy to joy”all being repeated for the purpose of emphasis.
10. Alliteration: This is a poetic device that involves the repetition of an initial consonant sound
From faithful service to fatherland (“f” alliterates)
He battled with his bottle booze” (“b” alliterates)
Today retires he home (“h’ alliterates)
And a celebration he holds (“h’ alliterates).
Line 2 – In faithful service to his fatherland
Line 22 – Joy till no more joy to joy
Line 25 – And so, he boozed and boozed
Line 27 – From faithful service to fatherland
Line 28 – He battled with his bottle booze
Line 31 – He boomed his brand new car
11. Assonance: This is a poetic device that involves the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases and sentences
“…duty rules”, “booze and zoom”
12. Synecdoche: This uses a part to represent a whole.
Examples
The poet uses “wheels” to represent motor vehicles, while “boozy throat” is used to represent the driver.
Line 1 – Many years on wheels
Line 29 – On his way home on wheels
13. Onomatopoeia: This is the use of words that suggest their meanings through sounds
“zoom” — the sound associated with movement and take-off of a car;
“boom” — the sound associated with an auto crash.
14. Pun: This is a poetic device that involves play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word or similar sense or sound of different words.
For examples:
“Joy till no more joy to joy” (the poet plays with the word ‘joy’)
Also, in stanza 1, the poet talks about “home” as a dwelling place (Today retires he home),
whereas, in the last stanza, “home” is used to represent death (And it sent him home/ Home to rest in peace.)
15. Foreshadowing: This is when a writer gives an advance hint on what lies ahead, in a literary work. Although the death of the driver happens in the last stanza, he talks about it earlier (I’ll booze to sleep away my sufferings).
16. Enjambment: It is when an idea in a line of poetry flows into the next line or lines before a complete thought is achieved. This also known as run-on-line:
Many years on wheels
In faithful service to his fatherland
Today retires he home
And a celebration he holds
In the stanza above, line 3 flows into 4.
17. Inversion (Anastrophe): One of the poetic devices in the poem A Government Driver on his Retirement is inversion. Inversion is a poetic device in which there is a syntactic reversal of the normal word order or sentence structure. It can be in the form of placing verb before its subject or placing an adjective after the noun it modifies. Poets use inversion to achieve rhyme, maintain rhyme scheme or achieve emphasis.
Examples in this poem:
Line 3 – Today retires he home
Line 4 – And a celebration he holds
Line 5 – Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat.
18. Metaphor: Being the direct comparing of two things. Metaphor can be in seen in Line 5 which states “pummeled his boozy throat”. The comparison there is the persona’s throat and boozy.
Rationale:
The poem recounts The ordeals of the government driver before his retirement. For a period of thirty five years of meritorious service, the driver has been faithful in discharging, his duties adhering to the rules and regulations guiding his job. While in service, he had never once flouted driving rules. He literally followed the ethics of his job. He got to his workplace early and tried not to drink on duty. However, this changes upon his retirement. He celebrates his freedom from the confining rules working for the government placed on him. He rejoices becoming a master of his own. He organises a party where he drinks to stupor. At his workplace, he's gifted a brand new car for his meritorious service. In his drunken state, he drives the brand new car given to him as his retirement benefit. Unfortunately he has an auto crash and dies on his way home. The retired government driver misuses his freedom and meets his doom.Prerequisite/ Previous knowledge:
Storyings, songs, history etc.Learning Resources:
Flash cards, an audio video youtube examples, Available useful objects.Reference Materials:
1. Exam focus on Literature in English by J.O.J Nwachukwu et’al.2. Standard literature in English vol.4 by Tony Duru
3. “A Government Driver on his Retirement” by Onu Chibuike
4. Internet sources
Lesson Development:
STAGE |
TEACHER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNING POINTS |
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| STEP 1: PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE full class session (3 mins) |
The teacher Introduces the lesson by asking questions based on previous knowledge List and explain any five poetic devices. |
The students respond to the questions based on previous knowledge. 1. Synecdoche: Synecdoche is a figures of speech in which a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part. 2. Alliteration: Alliteration is a literary device in which words having the same first consonant appear together in a line of poetry. 3. Inversion (Anastrophe):Inversion is a poetic device in which there is a syntactic reversal of the normal word order or sentence structure. It can be in the form of placing verb before its subject or placing an adjective after the noun it modifies. Poets use inversion to achieve rhyme, maintain rhyme scheme or achieve emphasis. 4. Pun: Pun is a play on words to produce humorous effect. It is usually common with homonyms. 5. Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is a poetic device which a word imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It usually used to create sound effects in poetry. |
Reversing previous lesson |
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| STEP 2: INTRODUCTION full class session (3 mins) Identification of prior ideas. |
The teacher review/introduce what they are going to study today, a poet “A Government Driver on his Retirement” by Onu Chibuike. Thereafter, the teacher guides students to recite the poem. |
The students listen attentively to the teacher. Thereafter, Students recite the poem. A Government Driver on his Retirement Onu Chibuike Many years on wheels In faithful service to his fatherland Today retires he home And a celebration he holds Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat In obedience to duty rules and regulations Today, he’ll go home a freeman Eligible for his country’s services “Come, friends, rejoice with me I shall booze and zoom myself home Away from duty rules Come celebrate my freedom” “Early to duty tomorrow holds not, Thirty-five years of faithful services I’ll’ booze to sleep away my sufferings Today I’ve long waited for” More joy to send him home A brand new car in his name An appreciative symbol For undented thirty years of service to Fatherland “Come, friends and rejoice more, Joy till no more joy to joy Today frees and makes me a king My patience rewarded.” And so, he boozed and boozed Celebrating the celebration of his retirement From faithful service to fatherland He battled with his bottle booze On his way home on wheels, Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment He boomed his brand new car And it sent him home Home to rest in peace. |
Introducing the topic for discussion to arouse their interests and refresh their memories. |
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| STEP 3: DEVELOPMENT Group Work (2 mins) |
The teacher guides the learners to form four groups and asks them to choose their leaders and secretaries. | Learners choose their group leaders and secretaries. | Inculcating leadership skills, competitive spirit, cooperation, teamwork and a sense of responsibility among learners. |
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| STEP 4: EXPLORATION 3 mins Mode: Individual |
The teacher presents to the class the instructional resources and leads the students
to air their views on them. Thereafter, Teacher asks probing questions that lead students to: explain the structure of the poem. The teacher makes contribution were necessory. |
The students explain the structure of the poem. The poem is written in six stanzas of unequal lines. Satire – The poem ridicules the act of dipsomania (excessive craving for alcohol), which is one of the human vices, in order to make amends. The poem has thirty-three lines, divided into six stanzas of irregular lengths. The poem is narrative in nature and can be broken down into three major parts. The first stanza introduces the poetic persona as a government driver of so many years who is set to celebrate his retirement. The second stanza gives the background of the persona as someone who keeps the rules and regulations of the establishment where he works. The third stanza gradually introduces us to the significance of and the high expectations for the celebration of his retirement. This is sustained in stanzas four and five. The last two stanzas give account of the catastrophic turn of events as the persona dies in a fatal automobile accident due to his drunkenness. |
structure of the poem. |
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| STEP 5: DISCUSSION 5 mins. Mode: Group |
The teacher guides the learners to explain the theme of the poem. | The Students in their various groups explain the theme of the poem. 1. The reward for meritorious service: Despite the persona’s grudges about the drudgery of civil service, he remains disciplined till the day of his retirement, as the persona notes in the second stanza that many years has he pummeled his boozy throat/In obedience to duty rules and regulations. The poetic persona restricts himself to the demands of his job. He shuns the temptations of personal pleasure, subjects himself to a thorough self-discipline, thereby focusing strictly on his official duties and working faithfully in service to his fatherland for thirty-five years. As a result of his outstanding performance in his place of work, he is rewarded with a brand new car as ‘an appreciative symbol’ (line 19). The poet, therefore, brings to the fore the need. 2. The danger of drink-and-drive attitude: 3. The need for moderation: |
The theme of the poem. |
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| STEP 6: APPLICATION 4 mins Mode: Group |
The Teacher allows some contributions from students, stating figures of speech use in the poem. | The Students made contribution on figures of speech use in the poem 1. Metaphor: pummeled his boozy throat' (2. 5) 2. Inversion: 'Today retires he home' (1. 3)' celebration he holds' (1. 4) 3. Repetition: "booze' is repeated in lines 10, 15, 26, 28, and 30, father land' (lines 2 and 20) 'duty rules' (lines 6 and 11) 'faithful service' (lines 14 and 27) Joy till no more joy to joy (line 22). The repetition of these expressions, in addition to emphasizing the ideas and message inherent in them, also adds to the rhythmical quality of the poem. 4. Alliteration: faithful service to his fatherland' (1.2), he home' (I. 3), ... he holds' (1. 4), 'rules and regulations' (1. 6), '...him home' (I. 17) battled with his bottle booze' (I. 28), "way home on wheels' (1.29), 'boomed his brand'. These expressions clearly add to the musicality of the poem. 5. Onomatopoeia: The poet uses some words that suggest their meanings. Words like "boozy' (1.5), 'booze' (1. 10), 'zoom' (1. 10), 'boomed' (2. 31). While the words enhance the sound quality of the poem, some of them also help to place the narrative in its appropriate context. For instance, the word "booze' reflects the social context of drinking. 6. Synaesthesia: 'undented thirty-five years' (I. 20) 7. Assonance: .. duty rules' (1.6), 'booze and zoom' (L. 10) 8. Personification: 'today frees and makes me a king' (1.23) 9. Euphemism: 'And it sent him home' (1. 32), 'Home to rest in peace' (1.33) 10. Irony: One of the most explicit poetic devices employed in this poem is irony. It is very ironic that the persona's hope and aspiration to live a free man is dashed on the very day he is celebrating this liberation. It is even more ironic when the persona is responsible for his own death. Moments of celebration have brought him a disastrous end. This is a very good example of situational irony. He has worked and laboured under restricting conditions successfully for a whole thirty-five years but cannot manage a day of his freedom. |
Being able to list and explain the figures of speech use in the poem |
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| The Teacher guides students to summarize the poem | The students summarize the poem Summary of The poem The poem reflects on the totality of the life of a government driver who has put in many years of service to his country and retires without a blemish. The other part of the poem is linked to the disastrous end of the government driver who dies driving as a result of high consumption of alcohol. The poet weaves the incident of celebration into this unfortunate disaster to emphasize the danger of drink-and-drive culture. Lines 1-4 These lines clearly introduce the poetic persona as a driver who has devoted a lot of years to the service of his fatherland, and now holds a celebration as he retires this very day. Lines 5-8 In this stanza, the narrator explains that throughout the persona's service to his nation he has restrained himself from drinking in obedience to the rules and regulations of the service. Today is, however, going to be different because he is now a free man. Lines 9-16 The persona calls on friends and associates to come and celebrate with him, as today marks his freedom. He doesn't need to wake up very early again to go to work, after 35 years of faithful service. He declares that he will drink enough so that he will sleep and forget his suffering. Today is, indeed, a day that he has long awaited. Lines 17-20 The persona is also given a brand new car as a way of appreciating his dutiful and unblemished years of service. Lines 21-24 In these lines, the poetic persona again beckons on friends and well-wishers to rejoice with him as today marks his day of reward and freedom because he is now a king in his private kingdom. Lines 25-28 The persona now begins to drink in celebration of his long years in service. Lines 29-33 As the persona drives home in his brand new car on the very day of his retirement already drunk, he cannot see very clearly. As a result of his poor vision, he crashes his new car and dies instantly. |
Being able to summarize the poem | |
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| The Teacher guides students to setting of the poem | The students explain setting of the poem. The poem is evidently set in a post-colonial African country, most probably Nigeria, where government becomes a major source of employment. The poor or non-existent facilities to check drunk drivers in Nigeria and many African countries also accounts for the frequent car crashes on the roads. However, with the universal appeal of this poem, this poem can really be located anywhere. This is because in many parts of the world, retirement from public service is usually a thing of joy, especially when such service ends meritoriously. |
Being able to explain setting of the poem. | |
| STEP 7: EVALUATION Mode: Entire Class 5 mins |
The teacher asks the students the following questions: a. List and explain the theme of the poem. b. Why did the poet use figures of speech in the poem? |
The students expected answers(a) 1. THE JOY OF RETIREMENTIt’s every civil servant dream to retire from government’s service someday with full benefits of retirement. But, not every one of them gets this privilege. Some die while in active service. Our poet persona is however lucky. He retires compulsorily after more than three decades in government’s service. This prompts him to call his friends to rejoice with him and makes him to “booze and zoom himself home”.2. THE REWARD FOR COMMITMENT TO DUTIESThe poem is a pointer to the fact that diligence, commitment and loyalty to one’s work can be rewarded. The government driver is rewarded for his commitment to work and those donkey years of meritorious service with a brand new car. It doesn’t get any better than this.3. THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF UNCONTROLLED JOYThe poet persona is obviously happy and joyous about his retirement from service after thirty five years in service. This explains why he organises a party to mark his retirement. However, his joy gets the better of him and he drinks to stupor, something he has been able to control for over thirty-five years in government employment. His over-joyousness lands him in his grave. Thus, in everything we do, there is need for moderation. Had the retiree been moderate while rejoicing and compliant to his erstwhile driving code, he would have enjoyed his retirement in peace. All his years he “pummeled his boozy throat” in compliance with his duty rules just went to waste.4. DEATHTowards the tail end of the poem, the theme of death manifests. Death is an inevitable phenomenon every human being must undergo. Every one of us will die someday. However, the poet persona hurries his death time as a result of his carelessness and unrestrained joy.In conclusion, it is apparent that the poem expresses a load of messages. It begins with the celebration of freedom; transits to unrestrained joy and reward for meritorious three decade long service, and festivities. At the very first attempt to exercise his freedom (with the accompaniment of drunkenness and careless driving), the persona loses his life prematurely. (b) The poet uses figures of speech to express deep thoughts, evoke imagination, bring beauty, paint picture and give shades of meaning to literary work. |
Asking the learners questions to assess the achievement of the set objectives. |
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| ASSIGNMENT | The teacher gives learners take home. (i) List and explain five dominant poetic devices in A Government Driver on his Retirement by Onu kingsley Chibuike. (ii) Write short note about the poet "Onu kingsley Chibuike". (iii) Write Literary Analysis of the poem “A Government Driver on his Retirement” by Onu Chibuike |
The learners copy the assignment | Better understanding of the Poem “A Government Driver on his Retirement” by Onu Chibuike |
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| CONCLUSION 2 mins |
The teachers wrap up from the learners' contribution. Background of the poem The incursion of colonialism brings along with it a major shift in the means of livelihood of many Africans. There was a general shift from farming and other agricultural activities to paid employment, especially in the civil service. Many Africans were employed as drivers and clerks for the white man Even after independence, this situation continued. The excitement with which many people rusher to civil service jobs is greeted with a lot of disappointment as it was discovered that the jobs were not as lucrative as they were assumed to be. The general servitude usually associated with the life of civil service, especially as it concerns the low ranking officers like drivers and cooks accounts for a different perception some hold about such jobs. The highly regulated life of people in the civil service is one of the major reasons many employees look forward to their retirement with some sense of excitement. Onu Kingsley Chibuike's poem is a commentary on the drudgery of the everyday life of the average Nigerian civil servant. While some civil servants in Nigeria may be accused of forgery of birth certificate to extend their stay in the office, the poetic persona in this particular poem welcomes his retirement from the civil service with celebrations, a mark of freedom from the daily toil of duty. The poet appears to take a different perception of the civil service from an organization that is filled with many redundant staff members to a place of true service and faithfulness to the nation, The poetic persona is said to have rendered many years of meritorious services to his fatherland. The other important aspect that forms the background to this poem is the drink-and-drive attitude of many Nigerian road users. While one can easily identify with this celebration, the disastrous end of the poetic persona highlights a major cause of road crashes, not only in Nigeria where the writer is from but, also, in many parts of the world. Onu, therefore, gives this poem a universal appeal by using these seemingly unrelated circumstances to beam a light on the narrow gap between celebration and calamity. |
The students listen to the teacher and copy down notes. | Consolidating and harmonizing scientific concepts. |
