Introduction to Raider of the Treasure Trove
by Lade Wosomu
Subject: Literature-in-English
Theme: POETRY
Topic: Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Wosomu
Sub Topic:
Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Class: S.S 2
Average Age: 15 years and above
Duration: 35 Minutes
No of Learners: 40
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson learners should be able to:1. Explain the Background of the Poet
Ladé Wosornu, professor in surgery (retired), is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and a poet, essayist and columnist for The Ghanaian Times, writing on health and wellness issues. He has had a distinguished professional and academic career in surgery, practicing Ghana, Zambia and Saudi Arabia. He was the first African to win the coveted Brunton Memorial Prize. He won the V.A.L.C.O literary award. His most abiding poems are Dessert Rivers and The Matter Brewer.2. Explain the Background of the Poem
In Raider of Treasure Trove, Lade emphasizes the negative impacts rage can wreak on a man's life. Many have built a lot of goodwill through hard work over a long period of a lifetime, only to destroy all with rage. He expresses that this inherent potential of rage in his poem and presents its overwhelming damage to the Treasure Trove.3. Recite the poem
Raider of the Treasure Trove
But what can be worthy of your life?
What dearest than the gems of your dreams,
The reason you are here? Always strive
To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams
Powered by the breeze of love, your course
Chartered in the ink of compassion
And, fling roses wherever you pause
Heaven-on-earth your destination
Of things which blot out that brief
Or breach your sails with arrows unseen;
No! Rob you of your life, rage is Chief
Rage drags rags after you. Of charity
Laughter, sweetness and light, rage is thief
Enemy of equanimity,
Rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene
In essence, rage spells calamity.
It’s sole cause? Your perception of storms
Breaking around not upon, your head.
There are neither snakes deviants, nor norms:
As you think, so you feel. Watch your mind.
Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind?
I’ll fling roses wherever I berth
My destination is heaven-on-earth
Lade Worsonu
But what can be worthy of your life?
What dearest than the gems of your dreams,
The reason you are here? Always strive
To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams
Powered by the breeze of love, your course
Chartered in the ink of compassion
And, fling roses wherever you pause
Heaven-on-earth your destination
Of things which blot out that brief
Or breach your sails with arrows unseen;
No! Rob you of your life, rage is Chief
Rage drags rags after you. Of charity
Laughter, sweetness and light, rage is thief
Enemy of equanimity,
Rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene
In essence, rage spells calamity.
It’s sole cause? Your perception of storms
Breaking around not upon, your head.
There are neither snakes deviants, nor norms:
As you think, so you feel. Watch your mind.
Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind?
I’ll fling roses wherever I berth
My destination is heaven-on-earth
Lade Worsonu
4. Explain the setting of the poem
Anger is a reflex action associated witb human beings. It is a condition associated with emotion, irrespective of age, gender, race, or class. Therefore, the setting of the poem is said to be universal in the spartial sense, and eternal in in the temporary sense.6. Analyse the poem stanza by stanza
STANZA ONE: The opening lines of the poem and this stanza begin with a series of questions. The poetic persona quizzes us on what can be worthy of our lives and dearer than the gems of our dreams. The first two questions, rhetorical as they are, are tinged with the poetic persona’s views about the importance of life, a well lived life at that; one anchored by the “gems of your dreams”. The third question asks for the reason we are here on earth. It is everyone’s dream to live a fulfilled joyous life, one akin to the sybaritic bliss of the paradise, predicated on certain temperaments, emotional states, and life creeds.As can be predicted from the line of questioning, the poetic persona goes on to admonish his audience on how to live our lives on certain codes. He advises us to “always strive/To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams”. It appears the poet is admonishing us to always be happy regardless of the situation or the circumstances we find ourselves in life. And already, the poem is taking the form of a lesson on how to live a happy and ideal life (if such thing exists).
STANZA TWO: The second stanza of the poem completes a thought process initiated in the last two lines of stanza one. The poetic persona goes on to advise us to “sail on streams/Powered by the breeze of love, your course/Chartered in the ink of compassion”. Here, the poetic persona tells us to imbibe the values of love and compassion as we journey through life.
The poetic persona emphatically tells us to show love and kindness to everyone we meet. In his own metaphorical words, he asks us to “fling roses whichever way you pause”. And for imbibing the values we have churned out thus far from the poem, he says “Heaven-on-earth your destination”. The roundabout expression of “heaven-on-earth” connotes the displacement of the blissful luxurious life supposedly found in heaven to earth. The imbibing of the said values implies that we will live worry-less lives. This is not doubt the type of life everyone aspires to have. And the prerequisite values of love, joy compassion et cetera compose “the gems of your dreams” stated in the first stanza.
The poetic persona then initiates another thought which would be completed in the third stanza. He shifts in tone and subject to the one thing that may destroy this prospect of a blissful life and ultimately of our relations with people everywhere we go or stop: “Of things which would blot that brief”.
STANZA THREE: In this stanza, the poetic persona throws insight into the thing that may deprive one of the good life the poet idealises about. Already, he is in the process of telling us that thing right from the previous stanza. He avers that of all the things that “would blot that brief” and “breach your sails with arrows unseen” and “rob you of life”, “Rage is chief”. Here, the poet aptly identifies “Rage” as the undoing of a dream of near-perfect, near-blissful life. In his identification of “Rage”, the poet already impresses upon us what wild, uncontrollable anger is capable of doing to us. One thing is obvious from the poet’s choice of words, “Rage” when and wherever unleashed would surely bring one problems.
The poetic persona describes “Rage” as a thief with the capability to “rob you of life”, “charity, laughter, sweetness and joy”. The message in this stanza resonates with the title of the poem, “Raider of the Treasure Trove”. “Rage” is identified as the “Raider” while “life, charity, laughter, sweetness and joy” are pinpointed as components of the “Treasure Trove” in the metaphorical sense in relation to our everyday lives.
The poetic persona posits that “Rage” when unleashed can strip us of our composure, tagging it “enemy of equanimity”; that it “drags rags after you”, meaning that it can bring one dishonour and apparently disgrace.
STANZA FOUR: The fourth stanza echoes the poetic persona’s position about rage in the previous stanza. In the manner of a rickety car, “Rage” is said to spread “toxic fumes” on every scene and poisoning for everyone around. It is “breaking around, not upon, your head”. In other words, people or things around a person consumed by extreme anger are more adversely affected by it in any case than the bearer. The enraged person always vents his anger on the other person(s).
The poetic persona further attributes the cause of rage to our clouded visions of issues and approaches to life. He says the cause of rage is “your perception of storms”. He concludes the stanza with the line: “There are neither snakes, deviants nor norms”. It appears the poetic persona is saying that things appear to us the way we choose to see them. If we are patient enough, we may learn to understand other people’s perspectives too.
STANZA FIVE: In the concluding stanza, the poetic persona opines that our thinking ultimately influences our feeling. Here, he demotes “Rage”, before now personified with abilities of its own, to a feeling spurred by our line of reasoning. Then, he warns us to watch our mind. He quickly reminds us with a rhetorical question of the fact that “Rage” and “ruin” are five and six, two inseparable siblings. Where there is rage, you find ruin – they are never out of each other’s sight.
The poetic persona intimates us of his resolve to spread love and sweetness wherever he stops: “I’ll fling roses wherever I berth”. He also tells us his “destination is heaven-on-earth”. His aspiration, he confirms, is to live a worry-free sybaritic life here on earth. This also confirms that our poetic persona is not the kind of person that says do as I say, not as I do. He is ready to follow his pieces of advice to the very last letter.
7. Explain the theme of the poem
1. Theme of Destructive Impacts of Rage: The theme of the destructive impacts of rage is a dominant theme that accentuates the Philosophical discourse of the poem. In the poem, the poet emphasis how "Rage" undermines the goal of a fulfilled life, and this didactic aspect of the poem enables the reader to understand the grave consequences of the subject matter. Also, the poet effectively engraves the theme of the destructive impacts of rage through his careful choice of words that help to perfect the pernicious effect of rage.2. Theme of Essence of Existence: The poet, through its deployment of a rhetorical question at the opening line of the poem and in line three, was able to express the fact that the ultimate goal of human existence is for every man to bring joy to all and sundry.
The poet admonished that man should spread hope, happiness, joy, and make a positive impact on others as he journeys through life.
3. Theme of Rewards for virtue and good moral: The person eulogies good morals to the sky because they make life more meaningful and worthwhile; The reason why we are on earth is to always strive to fly flags of joy and sail up streams, “that is, we must endeavor to promote peace and harmony and show kindness and compassion to other. This way, heaven-on-earth will be our destination and reward. This is the way we will live the best life that is as sweet as heaven. This can be alluded to the biblical meek in the book of Mathew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit earth”.
The critical study of this poem shows that it is didactic in nature. This is evident in the first stanza which says that one should always be joyfully spread love and be compassionate. “Powered by the breeze of love, your course/chartered in the ink of compassion and, fling roses wherefore you pause’. Here the poet implores us to be kind and promote love and that is the only way peace can be sustained. Contrarily, the persona also frowns at immoral behavior such as rage in the second stanza which can hinder someone from being morally upright or achieving “Heaven-on-earth…“as our final destination. He regards it as one ultimate vice that spreads calamity. “Rob you of your life… rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene” The persona therefore, sees rage or anger as the ballistic missile that can ruin your other good virtues.
6. Explain the Styles and Symbol (Poetic devices) in the poem
Language and Style
The following are the techniques/ways through which the writer presents his work.(a) Diction: The poet's choice of words is simple and straightforward. The poet carefully selects words that help in creating a mental picture of its subject matter. Generally, the poet's use of diction makes
Figures of Speech
1. Rhetorical question:: The persona poses some question that do not require answers. Instances of such questions include”.“But what can be worthy of your life” (1.1)
What dearer than the gems of your dreams;
The reason you are here? (1.2.3)
Rage sets sail, Can ruin lag, for behind? (Line 21)
The essence of rhetorical question is for emphasis.
2. Alliteration: In lines 4, 9 and 21, we have the sounds /f/ /w/ and /s/ alliterate Line 4 reads: To fly the flag of joy”. Line 9 “Of things which would blot out…” And line 21, “Rage sets sail. The prominence of pitch that results from a repeat of /f/ in line 4 underscores the need to promote joy among ourselves and idea of fullness. The sound (s) in the third example emphasizes the destructive nature of rage or anger if allowed to live with humans.
“dearer . . . dreams” (l. 2)
“fly flags” (l. 4)
“sail . . . streams” (l. 4)
“blot . . . brief” (l. 9)
“Rob . . . Rage” (l. 11)
“Rage . . . rags” (l. 12)
“spreads . . . scene” (l. 15)
“neither . . . nor norms” (l. 19)
“sets sail” (l. 21)
3. Repetition: A couple of expressions are repeated in the poem. For instance, rage is repeated six times as noun to emphasize the fact that it is a virtue that can destroy man completely. Emphasis is placed on the word, because it spreads and ruins all the good virtues inherent in humans. Rage is chief, for it occupies the very top rank of all the vices in the world. It is also a thief because it robs you of your sleep, liveliness, happiness or joy. Other instances of repetitions in the poem is found in line 8 and 23 “Heaven-on-earth” and destination” are repeated to show that if only one can tame one’s rage, life on earth will be sweet as heaven.
4. Inversion: There is abnormal syntactic arrangement in line 8: Heaven-on-earth your destination “instead of your destination is heaven on earth’ which is well-structured in line 23. The persona purposely deviates from the norm to achieve rhyming scheme “compassion” for destination.
5. Hyperbole The use of exaggeration can be found in lines 4, 8 and 23. In line 4, “To fly flag of joy and sail up streams” implies to embark on an impossible mission. When you try to promote peace, empathy and joy among your fellow man, it is attributed to doing the impossible. This other example “Heaven-on-earth your destination” is equally hyperbolic I nature because it is not humanly possible for heaven to come down on earth.
6. Personification: There are also instances of personification in the poem. In line 12, the poetic persona mentions, “Rage drags rags after you” Rage is said to possess the human ability to pull something with force. In line 16, rage also assumes the quality of human, equipped with the ability to cause calamity. We also have this in line 21 when rage assumes the ability to sail or travel on the sea.
7. Assonance: There is the repetition of vowel /e/ in line 14, “enemy of equanimity”.
8. Rhyme Scheme: The poet employs alternate rhyme in the first stanza of the poem which is AB AB AB AB. The last stanza is a couplet: “berth” and “earth”. The rhyme scheme goes thus:
life-strive,
dreams-streams,
course-pause,
compassion-destination,
brief-chief-unseen
charity–equanimity,
storms-norms,
mind-behind,
and berth-earth.
This sound device enhances the Iyrical quality of the poem.
9. Metaphor: Metaphors are amply observable in the poem, beginning with the title.
a. “Raider” is the metaphor for anger which attacks or ruins other vital human attributes.
b. “The treasure trove” is a metaphor for man’s hidden virtues which anger can render useless. It implies that anger spreads like virus and it contaminates other qualities such as joy, love or sound mind and shouldn’t be welcome.
c. “To fly flags of joy” refers to the need to preach peace in other to put smile on people’s faces.
d. “Sail up streams” means to do that which is impossible.
e. Fling roses wherever you pause” is a metaphor for motivation to be generous.
d. “Rage is chief” – metaphor for anger as the number one enemy of destruction.
i. “Rage is thief” is a metaphor for deceit and denial.
h. “Rage drags rags after you” is a metaphor for shame; for anger brings shame and anxiety.
i. “Heaven-on-earth your destination” is a metaphor for a glorious and peaceful life that is free from anger.
10. Euphemism: Euphemism is the use of soft word or expression for a harsh condition. For instance, the expression “Raider of the treasure trove” takes our minds to a particular criminal who raids a place where hidden treasures are kept whereas the poem is not about robbery or physical attack.
a. “Raider” is a term for rage or anger
b. “Treasure trove” refers to the useful human virtues such as love kindness charity, Compassion, etc:
c. “Sail up streams – an invitation to do impossibility
11. Symbolism: Closely linked to metaphor is the use of symbolism. Some of the instances of metaphorical representations in the poem are also symbolically relevant. It is observation that the poem makes use of some words that are associated with sea travel and they are symbolic such words include: “Sail” in line 4, 11 and 21, “storms”, “berth” – these words are euphonious (sound pleasant) and they help to depict human virtues that enhance our existence. There are also criminally related terms such as “thief” raider, calamity, ‘rage’, arrow, deviants, breaking, are symbolic of the effect of anger.
12. Enjambment: This is a poetic device in which there is a carryover of thoughts from one line to another. That is, an idea runs from one line to another. We see that ideas in the runs from one line to another. line 3 runs to line 4:
Always strive/To fly
flags of joy
line 4 runs to line 5, sail up streams/powered by the breeze of love, etc.
7. Explain the structure of the poem
The poem consists of twenty-three lines in four irregular stanzas. Two of the stanza comprise eight lines each. The third stanza consists of five lines with the fourth and last stanza, a couplet. The poet in stanza one established the ultimate goal of man's existence which is to affect lives positively.7. Explain the Subject natter of the poem
This is a metaphorical and didactic poem that explores the good virtues that are inherent in us that makes life worth living and how one evil virtue known as rage can render others useless. The word “raider” in the title means a person who makes a criminal attack on a place, while “Treasure trove” refers to valuable things that are found hidden and whose owner is unknown. It therefore means that whoever that possess this devil’s vice, called anger or rage that can destroy humanity is a raider and it’s capable of destroying other virtues such as love compassion, kindness and joy which are century-old world known treasure trove.Rationale:
Lade's Raider of Treasure Trove is a didactic poem that presents the Philosophical discourse of man's life. From its title which depicts man's pursuit for life treasures or value of life to its opening line by employing the use of rhetorical question of what value life has: "But what can be worthy of your life?"The poet uses the word raider to represent human beings. Every human being enters the world with the sole aim of unearthing their destiny. This destiny is the treasure trove. From the poem, the poet metaphorically presents two concepts that will enable every human being to achieve or lose this "Treasure Trove". They are love and rage. He specified that" Rage" which was personified in line 11, is a weakness in human beings that certainly has snarky power to limit humans' journey in life.
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. Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Wosomu
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 |
The teacher begins the day's lesson by asking questions based on previous knowledge. The teacher recited the poem and asks the studends to list and explain the poetic devices of the poem “The Grieved Lands” by Agostinho Neto THE GRIEVED LANDS OF AFRICA The grieved lands of Africa In the tearful woes of ancient and modern slave In the degrading sweat of impure dance Of other seas Grieved The grieved lands of Africa In the infamous sensation Of the stunning perfume of the Flower Crushed in the forest By the wickedness of iron and fire The grieved lands The grieved lands of Africa In the dream soon undone in jinglings of jailer's keys And in the stifled laughter and victorious voice of laments And in the unconscious brilliance of hidden sensations Of the grieved lands of Africa Alive In themselves and with us alive They bubble up in dreams Decked with dances by baobabs over balances By the antelope In the perpetual alliance of everything that lives They shout out the sound of life Shout it Even the corpses thrown up by the Atlantic In putrid offering of incoherence And death and in the clearness Of rivers They live The grieved lands of Africa In the harmonious sound of consciences Contained in the honest blood of men In the strong desire of men In the sincerity In the pure and simple rightness of the stars’ Existence They live The grieved lands of Africa Because we are living And are imperishable particles Of the grieved lands of Africa. Agostinho Neto |
The students respond to the questions based on previous knowledge.Poetic Devices in “The Grieved Lands” by Agostinho Neto1. Personification: The title of the poem “The Grieved Lands” is an example of personification, where human attribute of grieving is given to land, which is inanimate object. Even lines 1-3 also, “other seas/ grieved’ is another one. “Honest blood” in stanza 6, line 4 wherein blood is said to be honest is a personification “Even the victorious voice “is another example “Iron and fire” are said to be wicked as human beings.2. Contrast: “woes of ancient and modern slave” in line 2 is a contrast “Ancient” refers to the first method of capturing African slaves were taken to Europe for cheap labor while the “modern slave” refers to the new method which is colonialism and how the various super power countries in the world still control the affair of the African countries. 3. Onomatopoeia: The persona employs some sound imitation in stanza 3, line 3 “In jingling of goalers’ keys” and stanza 2, line 5 “crushed in the forest” to show the gravity or the level of maltreatment meted out on African captured slaves. 4. Apostrophe: The poet persona deploys the use of this device throughout the poem to address “lands, that is, African countries, the slaves and the slave drivers as if they were physically present. 5. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sound is evident in line 22 “bubble up and line 26 “They shout out the sound. 6. Alliteration: This device is deployed in the poem to show sense of musicality as seen in: Line 7: “Sensation of the stunning” Line 17: “Victorious voice” Line 23: “Decked with dances” 7. Metaphor: There are quite a number of metaphorical references in “The Grieved Lands” Beginning with the title itself, the idea of grieved lands in the poem does not refer to the literal ‘land’s, we walk on. It refers to the Countries in Africa and their experience in the hands of Europeans who exploited human and natural resources on several occasions. (i) ”Wickedness of iron and fire refers to the method that slave master employed to subdue the African slaves. (ii) “The stifled laughter” is a metaphor for oppression. (iii) “Honest blood of men” is also metaphor for bravery and the desire to Fight for change. (iv) “Imperishable particles” is a metaphor for resistance and the tendency to survive all forms of condition faced by Africans or experienced. 8. Hyperbole: There is a tinge of exaggeration in stanza 5, line 3: “Even the corpses thrown up by the Atlantic”. 9. Pun: “The poet plays on words, especially with the words “alive” 1-2 “Alive/in themselves and with us alive’ for humorous effect. 10. Imagery/Symbolism: The presentation of mental images to express a central idea is seen in the poem. From the title of the poem. “The Grieved Land” portrays an image of sadness and pain. The poet also projects African continent and likens it to a tender flower in stanza two, line 4-5 being crushed by the Europeans (slave masters). “Even the corpses thrown up by the Atlantic” is another gruesome image or anguish of pain suffered by the Africans. The poet also attributes African’s ability to survive in all situations to that of imperishable particles which is another key image in the poem. 11. Diction/Language: The poet’s careful selections of words highly contribute to the success of the poem. The words used by the poet are quite simple and symbolic. |
Reversing previous lesson |
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| STEP 2: INTRODUCTION full class session Identification of prior ideas. |
The teacher review/introduce what they are going to study today, A poem "Raider of the Treasure Trove" by Lade Wosomu. Lade's Raider of Treasure Trove is a didactic poem that presents the Philosophical discourse of man's life. From its title which depicts man's pursuit for life treasures or value of life to its opening line by employing the use of rhetorical question of what value life has: "But what can be worthy of your life?" The poet uses the word raider to represent human beings. Every human being enters the world with the sole aim of unearthing their destiny. This destiny is the treasure trove. From the poem, the poet metaphorically presents two concepts that will enable every human being to achieve or lose this "Treasure Trove". They are love and rage. He specified that" Rage" which was personified in line 11, is a weakness in human beings that certainly has snarky power to limit humans' journey in life. No! Rob you of life, Rage is chief// Rage drags rags after you // Rage is thief// Enemy of equanimity" In stanza four of, The Raider of the Treasure Trove", the poet metaphorically creates the imagery of the sea and a sailor on a voyage. He draws a contrast to life and says that Life is a destination or path with pain and gain. Finally, the poet gave a stance warning against the mind that harbors Rage, that only a heart filled with love, compassion, and joy overrides rage. 'Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind.' I'll fling roses wherever I berth// My Destination is heaven-on-earth." '. The last two lines emphasize that man will surely arrive at his destination with peace when he lives with a heart full of love. |
The students listen attentively to the teacher. | Introducing the topic for discussion to arouse their interests and refresh their memories. |
| STEP 3: DEVELOPMENT Group Work |
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 Mode: Individual |
The teacher presents to the class the instructional resources and guides the students to explain the background setting of the poet and poem. | The students explain the background setting of the poet and poem. (a) THE POET BACKGROUND: Last Wosornu is a Ghanaian poet born in Lolito. He is a graduate of Glasgow University - with Honours. He won among other prizes, the gold medal as the year's most distinguished graduate. He is a medical practitioner and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburg and England. He is a retired Professor of surgery, a poet, an essayist and a philanthropist. He is a prominent figure in Ghanaian literary and academic circles. He is generally seen as one of the few Ghanaians who have broken the myth that science and creative arts have no strong relationship. (b) THE POEM BACKGROUND SETTING: Lade Worsornu’s “Raider of the Treasure Trove” is a contemporary African Poem which addresses the general problem facing humanity in general. It is a didactic poem which is directly instructional or informational. It teaches or explains the truth, principle, morals or philosophy about life. It teaches universal truth about human nature and its existence. This poem therefore explicates the essence of life, reward of virtue, and condemns the spirit of anger which the persona calls ‘rage’ that is capable of destroying man. |
The background Settings of the poet and poem. |
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| STEP 5: DISCUSSION Mode: Group |
The teacher recite the poem and explain the subject matter and structure of the poem to the students. The teacher thereafther, guides the students to Analysis the poem stanza by stanza.
Raider of the Treasure Trove But what can be worthy of your life? What dearest than the gems of your dreams, The reason you are here? Always strive To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams Powered by the breeze of love, your course Chartered in the ink of compassion And, fling roses wherever you pause Heaven-on-earth your destination Of things which blot out that brief Or breach your sails with arrows unseen; No! Rob you of your life, rage is Chief Rage drags rags after you. Of charity Laughter, sweetness and light, rage is thief Enemy of equanimity, Rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene In essence, rage spells calamity. It’s sole cause? Your perception of storms Breaking around not upon, your head. There are neither snakes deviants, nor norms: As you think, so you feel. Watch your mind. Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind? I’ll fling roses wherever I berth My destination is heaven-on-earth Lade Worsonu The subject matter of the poem is the purpose of life and how to fulfill it. The poem is both philosophical and didactic in nature. It advices man on how to live a successful life and avoid pitfalls that ruin people's lives. Structurally the poem is organized in five stanzas of twenty three lines. It is written in free verse and makes use of run-on -lines,ideas flow from stanza to stanza. |
The Students Analysis the poem stanza by stanza. Stanza 1 The first stanza is made up of four lines; quatrain. The first line of the stanza is a rhetorical question and sets the tone for the philosophical discourse on life in the poem. The question the poet persona ask is: But what can be worthy of your life? in the third line the poem persona establishes that for life to be worth living one has to discover its purpose,the reason for one's existence. Towards the end of the line the persona says that the purpose of life is to be happy in it. This is what the persona meant by saying "To fly flags of joy,and sail up streams". Stanza 2 The next virtue that is vital in maintaining the first is love. Without love it is difficult to maintain happiness,the mind that hates or harbours hatred cannot be happy. This is stated in the second stanza in the expression "the breeze of love" next the persona mentions compassion. A heart that loves is the heart that is compassionate towards others. The word "roses" which is mentioned in the third line of the second stanza is a symbol of love. Thus, when the persona says "fling roses wherever you pause"; the persona is urging individual candidate for happiness to first of all be generous in sharing love snd compassion. What should be noted in the poem is the rich deployment of metaphor. An example is the "Gems" in stanzas one which is compared to the dreams individual has.The implication of that is that the persona sees the fulfilment of one's dreams as one of the important routes to attaining happiness in life. Another instance of metaphor is "flag the flag of joy" which the persona uses to implore the reader to do everything to make others and himself happy. "Breeze of love" constitutes yet another metaphor as well as *ink of compassion" The persona encourages the readers to make the world a paradise by cultivating these virtues,this is seen in the expression, "heaven on Earth your destination" which is the fourth line of the second stanza, which is made up of five lines, a quintet in poetic terms. Stanza 3 In the third stanza which is also a quintet,the persona identifies one of the most grievous pitfalls that man must avoid in order to stay happy. And that is anger, which the persona refers to as rage. The expression "breach your sails witn arrows with arrows unseen" is a metaphor which the persona uses to reinforce the dangerous effects that anger has on the life of and individual. The persona goes on to state that anger as so bad a vice can that it can "rob you of your life "The persona who is given to anger can kill someone else and can also be killed by his own avenger. This is another truism in the poem this is because the who murders others has also succeeded in destroying his own life. Stanza 4 The poet deploys another metaphor which sees anger as a thief that steals the individual priceless virtue such as love, "Charity" and laughter The persona refers to anger as "Enemy of equanimity "Which is an instance of assonance in the poem as" e/ is repeated at the initial position in "enemy" and "equanimity". Equanimity refers to the state of being calm and stable especially when under stress,anger takes all this away,hence the need to avoid it. In the penultimate stanza which has five lines and reads "rages spread toxic fums on every scene "in essence rage spells calamity" its sole cause your perception of storms/Breaking around you not upon your head / There are either snakes deviant nor norm. In tnis stanza the persona aludes to air pollution in industrial societies through thr expression of "toxic fumes". this instance of visual imagery evokes in the reader that anget is a pollutant and the person that harbours it contaminates wherever she goes. The persona believes anger id caused by hoe people see the world. Stanza 5 in the final stanza, which is quatrain the stress the importance of mental health and the need for one to take care of his mind. The stanza begins with epigrammatic "As you think so you feel", which means that an individual should pay attention to the type of thought that he entertains. The persona is aware of the wiles of anger once it starts destruction is imminent, This is in the expression "rage sets sail" can ruin lag behind. The two expressions constitute personification and rhetorical question respectively. the persona then makes a persona decision to serve as an example to his audience whe he states; "I'll fling roses wherever i birth" here the persona identifies himself as lover of humanity and traveler through life. he is determined to spread love and happiness wherever he goes. The last line of the stanza reinterate the thesis of the poem which is that man should strive to make the earth a paradise instead of waiting for one that may come or never come. |
Analysis of the poem stanza by stanza |
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| STEP 6: APPLICATION Mode: Group |
The Teacher guides the students to explain the narrative techniques use in the poem. | The Students explain the narrative techniques use in the poem. 1. Language/Diction: The poet's choice of words is relatively simple and straight forward it makes the poem easily accessible to the reader . The syntax is not complicated and there are enough grammatical words to make the reading easier and the message decipherable. 2. Structure: Structurally, the poem is organised in 5 stanzas of 23 lines. It is written in free verse and makes use of run-on-lines. Ideas do not only flow from one line into another, they also flow from stanza to stanza. The first stanza is made up of 4 lines, meaning that it is a quatrain. 3. Personification: This is predominantly used in about six lines where rage is portrayed as a Raider who is capable of striping Man of Life; a thief who steals "laughter" sweetness and joy from a man; an enemy of calmness. Rage is also personified when the persona says that it's spread toxic fumes everywhere and drags rags after you, hence us rage is imbued with human attributes as it relates the destructive feet achieved by rage while providing the reader with a vivid image of such destruction. 4. Imagery: This refers to the use of words to create mental picture in the mind of the reader with a view to having the reader relates to the experience of the persona, a few of them are" powered by the breeze of love", "chartered in the ink of compassion" which are used to describe the image of man as it passes through life while "heaven-on-earth simply suggests a pleasant experience. All of these visual imagery Similarly, there is visual imagery drawn from marine as seen in such expressions as "fly flags of joy" and sail up streams, "breached your sails and set sail". 5. Metaphor: This is a poetic device comparing two dissimilar things to show similarity in line 13 and 14 metaphor is used the persona describes range as a thief who cartts a way laughter ,sweetness and joy and a foe of tranquility thereby underlining the injurious nature of rage Both metaphors as significant as the corroborate the harmfullness of rage. 6. Dramatic monologue: the poem reads like an address to someone that is present and listening with the repetition of the second person pronoun "you" and "your" throughout the poem the poet forgrounds thid poetic device. Besides, the use of this pronoun makes it gender case free as it applies to all human beings thereby underscoring the poem as one with a universal implication. 7. Rhetorical Question: it is a question asked not for the answer but for the effect it creates. It is used for emphatic effect and it thought-provoking provoking. but what can be worthy of your life? what dearer than the gems of your dreams? the reason you are here ...? can ruin lag behind? in relation to the poem the first 2 questions place emphasis on the value of life and purpose of existence while the last one dictates the fact that destruction accompanies rage. 8. Enjambment: (Run on line: this is a poetic device in which there is a carryover of thoughts from one line to another put out a pause and this runs across the stanzas and line of this poem, example line 3 to 4 four and five five to six 7 to 8 etc. 9. Symbolism: this is a representation of concept tthrough symbols for example in the poem the expressions "flags of joy" and "fling roses " are symbolic the former symbolizes man's endeavour to be a visual representation of joy while the latest symbolizes the idea of sharing and distributing love and happiness in the poem rose stands for love ,happiness, hope and so on. |
Narrative Techniques (Language and style) of the poem |
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| The Teacher guides students to list and explain the theme of the poem. | The students list and explain the theme of the poem. 1. Theme of Destructive effect of anger: In the poem, the poet attributes rage or uncontrolled anger to be the chief destroyer of human virtue and a thief that steals away our good morals such as happiness, joy and good life. Anger does not yield any good fruit, but rather it will “breach your sails with arrows unseen” – meaning, it exposes you to danger, “Which would blot out that brief”: reduces your lifespan. “No! Rob you of your life, rage is chief”. Here the persona sees anger as the most important vice that can ruin your life totally. “Rage drags rags after you” – anger breeds shame and spoils all other good virtues such as kindness, laughter, sweetness and light. The poet therefore calls rage thief because it spoils so many good things in you. It is the enemy of equanimity, because it steals away your gentleness, kindness, calmness and loveliness. Anger also makes one unstable in character and does not allow one compose oneself especially under stress. “Rage spells calamity” – meaning, it engineers other evils like hard luck, violence, murder, insecurity and regret. The Bible also warns us against anger. Ephesians 4:26 says “If you becomes angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day” People with hot temper do foolish things; wise people remain calm (Proverbs 14:17). The poet persona therefore sees anger as the raider of treasure trove. 2. Theme of The need for rational thoughts: The poem, being a didactic one, teaches the values, virtues and the need to harbor moral thoughts in our mind which can purge one spirit of hatred, self-pity and anger. This implies that whatever you conceive in your heart normally give birth to our actions and inaction. So one must be careful with what one feeds one’s mind with. In the poem, the persona identifies the main cause of rage or angers in human being, which is thought-the way we think and respond to challenges or problems confronting us; the way we react to those challenges matter most, because we feel the way we think. Hence “As you think, so you feel”. The Bible also explains this philosophical gesture in the book of Proverbs 23:7” As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”. The poet admonishes us to be mindful of our thoughts because rational thoughts breed good conduct while irrational ones breed evils like rage, hatred, sadness and other calamities; for anger paves way for the above-mentioned vices to strive. Thus, Rage sets sail can ruin rag for behind? The persona inquires. 3. Theme of Essence of life: In this poem, the poet raises the question bothering on the essence of our existence in the first stanza of the poem. “But what can be worthy of your life? What dearest than the gems of your dreams. The reason you are here? Here the poem opens in a note of firmness of purpose, where the persona agitates for a life lived for a purpose. He demands to know the purpose of life, if not to live a life of purpose, to quote certain preacher, to promote joy, love and show compassion towards others. He says. To fly flags of joy and sail up streams. Powered by the breeze of love, your course. Chartered in the ink of compassion. And, fling raises wherever you praise. Heaven-on-earth your destination”. On the contrary, the persona is sharp enough to pinpoint, one thing that can hinder you from achieving the best from your existence in what he regards as “Rage”. The poet calls it a chief and a thief, because it is only one evil that can impede you from attaining a glorious life, and ruin your life in just a twinkling of an eye. Rage or anger, “Robs you of your life”. |
Being able to list and explain the theme of the poem. | |
| STEP 7: EVALUATION Mode: Entire Class |
The teacher asks the students the following questions: 1. List and explain poetic devices use the poem. |
The students expected answers Some of the figures of speech in Lade Worsonu’s “Raider of the Treasure Trove” are periphrasis, metaphor, rhetorical question, alliteration, consonance, repetition, parallelism and personification. Examples of these figures of speech that can be found in the poem. 1. Periphrasis: There is an instance of periphrasis in line 8 of the poem: “heaven-on-earth”. 2. Metaphor: There are several instances of metaphor in the poem. “flags of joy” (l. 4) “breeze of love” (l. 5) “ink of compassion” (l. 6) 3. Rhetorical Question: There are quite a number of rhetorical questions in the poem. “But what can be worthy of your life?” (l. 1) “What dearer than the gems of your dreams?” (l. 2) “The reason you are here?” (l. 3) “Can ruin lag far behind?” (l. 21) 4. Alliteration: Here are the alliterative cases in the poem: “dearer . . . dreams” (l. 2) “fly flags” (l. 4) “sail . . . streams” (l. 4) “blot . . . brief” (l. 9) “Rob . . . Rage” (l. 11) “Rage . . . rags” (l. 12) “spreads . . . scene” (l. 15) “neither . . . nor norms” (l. 19) “sets sail” (l. 21) 5. Repetition: There is an emphatic use of the word “Rage” throughout the poem. “Rage” is repeated six times in the poem. Stylistically, this foregrounds the danger and the catastrophic nature of extreme anger on our existence. “Roses” is also repeated twice: first to admonish the poetic persona’s audience to show love and sweetness to others; and then, to show the poetic persona’s resolution to imbibe that value himself. 6. Parallelism: Here is an instance of parallelism in the poem: “Rage| is | chief” (l. 11) “Rage | is | thief” (l. 13) 7. Personification: There are several examples of personification in the poem. “Rage” is personified. The poet bestows on “Rage” such attributes and traits that it is not capable of without the human factor. “Rage drags rags after you.” (l. 12) “Rage is thief.” (l. 13) “Enemy of equanimity,” (l. 14) |
Asking the learners questions to assess the achievement of the set objectives. |
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| ASSIGNMENT | The teacher gives learners take home. 1. Discuss the poet’s attitude towards rage or anger in “Raider of the Treasure Trove” 2. Examine the theme of anger and its consequence in the poem. 3. Attempt a metaphorical and symbolical interpretation of the poem. 4. Discuss any three (3) major poetic devices used in the poem. 5. Comments on the language of the poem. 6. “Rage is thief enemy of equanimity/rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene”, critically examine these lines above against the backdrop of the depiction of anger in the poem. 7. Give a detailed account of the poem and comment on the appropriateness of its title 8. Do you consider the poem a didactic one? Give reasons for your answer. 9. “Raider of the Treasure trove” is a poem about the evil associated with anger”. Discuss 10. Identify and discuss the two major themes of the poem. |
The learners copy the assignment | Better understanding of the Poem. |
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| CONCLUSION | The teachers wrap up from the learners' contribution. Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Worsonu is no doubt a strong warning about the dangers of rage and the need to eschew it in pursuit of a calm peaceful life. |
The students listen to the teacher and copy down notes. | Consolidating and harmonizing scientific concepts. |