This article is published by the Zamfara International Journal of Humanities.
By
Ugochukwu
Ogechi Iwuji, PhD
Department of English
& Literary Studies,
University of
Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, Imo State, Nigeria
ugoiwuji@gmail.com,
08068781712
Abstract
This paper appraises selected poems from Olajire Olanlokun’s
Children’s Poetry for Pleasure. It
aims at establishing the extent to which the poems are archetypal nature poems.
The theory deployed in the study is Ecocriticism, a school of thought which
studies the relationship between literature and nature. The paper is
significant in the sense that it enlarges the corpus of discourse in Children’s
poetry in particular and Green Literature or Ecocritical studies in general.
There has been a pronounced dearth of research in Children’s poetry in Nigeria
as attention has been particularly paid to the prose fiction (stories) in
expense of the poetic genre (verses). The peculiarities of both genres are
poles apart as while stories can be complex and extensive, poetry is crisp and
short. Children’s poetry also comes with sound and cadence, hence easily
excites the psyche of children; making a work of this nature symbolic. The
paper is also significant as it explores verses of nature predilection in a
world which batters its natural endowment and environment, despite its
attendant risk to humanity. The methodology used is qualitative as relevant
poems are identified and evaluated in line with the literary elements they
embody.
Key
terms: Children’s poetry, Ecocriticism, Green literature, Nature poems
Introduction
This paper is envisioned to discuss the representation of
nature in Olanlokun’s Children’s Poetry
for Pleasure. Nature, according to Barry (1995) is a present entity which
affects us, and which we can affect, perhaps fatally, if we mistreat it. What
this implies, then, is that nature occupies an important place in humanity. It
is always with man and therefore needs a good treatment from him. This is even
as Barry has warned that nature could turn against man when ill-treated. The
theory of ecocriticism comes handy in this scenario as a potent tool in the
preservation of nature which when destroyed only brings environmental crises.
Cherry Glotfelty has provided a set of questions that address aspects of genre,
ecology gender, institutional attitudes towards nature, and more. She suggests
asking the following questions:
i.
Are
the values expressed in a given literary work consistent with ecological
wisdom?
ii.
How do
our metaphors of the land influence the way we treat it?
iii.
Do men
write about nature differently than woman do?
iv.
In
what ways has literacy itself affected mankind’s relationship to the natural
world?
v.
How
has the concept of wildness changed over time? (Dobie, 2013: 243-246).
Though late, Olajire Olanlokun published the only Children’s
poetry title on the stables of Literamed Publication, a work which this
research is interrogating for its nature essence. Some of his other titles
include Tunde’s Birthday party, My Baby
Sister, Fugitive in love, The Choice, City Boy etc. Indeed Olanlokun’s
titles exceed well over twenty, making him win a post-humous award by the
company, Literamed.
Nature
in Olanlokun’s Children’s Poetry for
Pleasure
Olanlokun’s “Sunflowers” for instance has an overwhelming
representation of nature. In this poem, the persona appreciates the great effects
nature has through the blossoming of flowering plants. Flowers to him occupy a
prominent position in the natural world and of course commands a commendable
presence:
Bright sunflowers
Your extended branches
Announce your presence to all
The foliage you display
Shows the essence
Of your being (1).
The
symbol of ‘Bright’ as used in the poem shows that nature is beautiful and
lively. Anything that is bright unarguably commands attention. In presenting
nature (through the sunflowers) as bright, the persona consciously gives
‘nature’ a symbolic toga of a piece of beauty that should be cherished and
appreciated and not destroyed.
The
imagery of ‘foliage’ is that of a
blooming mass of green leaves that exudes freshness and hope. Interestingly, it
is this foliage, according to the persona that ‘shows the essence of being.’ Once again nature is given an
adorable beam which is capable of engaging the minds of children in
appreciating the entire essence of nature. The symbol of foliage is also that
of shelter. Nature is thus, presented as capable of shielding its inhabitants
from the extreme hazards of the environment and danger.
Following
the overwhelming eulogy of nature in the poem “Sunflowers” one can conclude
that it is an ode written to nature, which is instructive especially to those
who do not see anything vital in little flowers by their homestead; hence they
derive joy in brushing and “harming” them. The adventurous nature of children
often leads them to pluck innocent flowers on their way, an action they take
unconsciously without underscoring the ecological dangers to which they
indirectly expose themselves. This further makes the focal point of this thesis
very valid as children are meant to understand that nature should be protected
and not deflected. In the poem under study for instance, the flower (nature) is
significantly presented as exuding sweet fragrance, such that makes it appear
like a queen: ‘The sweet smell around you/Makes you a queen/Among your
peers’(1).
The symbol of ‘sweet smell’ is significant in the poem for a
number of reasons. First, anything that smells fine easily attracts people,
which implies therefore that if nature attracts people, the people so attracted
should accord it a pride of place. Furthermore, it implies that nature is
friendly; for if nature were not friendly, it would not exude ‘sweet smell’. The smell, perhaps, would have been
stale or insipid. In its totality, however, the symbol of sweet smell gives nature an attractive quality. It is for this
reason therefore that the persona insists that nature is made a queen by its
sweet fragrance.
The use
of ‘queen’ evokes the imagery of royalty and magnificence, thus lending
credence to a biblical allusion that King Solomon in his entire splendour was
not as beautiful as the birds of the air (nature). The illustration of the
Sunflower with its queenly gaiety further heightens the imagery. The head of
the flower has a crown-like decoration which adorns and gives prominence to the
beautiful foliage.
According
to Garrard (2004: 18), “Ecocriticism is unique amongst
contemporary literary and cultural theories because of its close relationship
with the science of ecology”. In using ecocriticism, therefore, as a key-opener
to nature representation in Olanlokun’s Sunflowers,
nature represented by flowers is made more attractive, important and
special in the psyche of children.
In the
“Moon” by the same poet, the persona similarly gives nature a prominent
position. He accords nature a beautiful description in the opening stanza:
The moon crawls along the sky
Like a river flowing into the sea
Wrapped in black colour
With clothes of cloud (10).
The
abundant use of personification in the poem as in ‘’crawl’, ‘flowing’ ‘wrapped’, ‘clothes’ is all symbolic of the
living attribute of nature. They are symbols effectively describing the form
and movement of the moon. Evidently not satisfied with painting the moon in
glowing terms, the persona goes ahead thus: ‘The moon forms a semi-circle which
later becomes a circle/Providing a clear light brighter than that of NEPA’(16).
In lines 3 and 4 of the stanza
above, nature represented by the moon is presented as providing ‘clear light’
to mankind to help lighten his path. In this vein, the moon is presented as a
symbol of light that extinguishes darkness. Children loath darkness because it
is an agent of fear and worry to them hence the joy which pervades the veins of
children when there is light is usually great. In portraying the ‘moon’ as
providing an incandescent light, the persona implies that nature is a purveyor
of happiness and joyful essence to man (especially to children).
There
is a marked use of antithesis in lines 3 and 4 in comparing nature and man’s
creation, where the moon is presented as supplying ‘clear light’ compared with
the blurred one by NEPA, an acronym for National Electrical Power Authority. In
presenting nature as a symbol that supplies ‘clear light’ and NEPA, a human
creation with its artificiality and errors, the persona eloquently proclaims
that the importance of nature cannot be comparable to any other thing that
performs a similar function. It follows that if NEPA supplies light like
nature, that of the latter is brighter and better. Its light is ‘clear’, and of
course naturally bright; whereas that of the former is described as blurred as
it does not shine like the natural light that is represented by the ‘moon’.
The use of satire that is subtly intended to lampoon the
authorities for being unable to provide a formidable electric power system to
its populace draws from the ecocritical tenet that nature is kind, while man is
unkind to his fellows. In being unable to stabilize NEPA, the authorities,
according to the persona has impliedly failed to provide care to children who
need light to play. This is why in the subsequent stanza, the persona, who is
obviously a child, entreats the moon to grace him and his fellow children with
his presence:
Come to us always
Provide unblinking light
For children to play
And make merry(16).
‘The
moon’ is further presented as a symbol of happiness and comfort. The children
express their joy and delight at its presence as they use it to ‘play’ and make
‘merry’. By nature, Children are adventurous hence children always want to play
and be happy. The presence of darkness and blurred light symbolized by NEPA is
repulsive to them. They need light and its warmth actuated by the play and
merry they make in its presence.
The
imagery of ‘unblinking’ is that of something which never gets tired of shinning
or beaming. Nature, by implication is presented as an element which is
infinitely functional in providing light. In according an eternal status to
nature, the persona impliedly validates the beautiful essence of nature in the
provision of joy to children.
The
metaphor of ‘woman’ accorded nature in lines 9 and 10 is instructive of the
kind essence of nature: “But the moon is a woman/kind, lively, caring mother”.
In comparing the moon to a woman, the persona undoubtedly valorizes nature by
giving it a motherly status which in itself is symbolic of kindness, care and
liveliness. Impliedly therefore, while a mother cannot harm or overtly show
hatred to her child, NEPA is a direct antithesis of whatever nature represents.
For, where the moon (nature) does not blink, NEPA blinks. Where the moon is
bright, NEPA is blurred. Furthermore, where the moon is kind, NEPA is unkind
because children cannot play and merry under the blurred light it gives.
Finally, where the moon is motherly, NEPA is indifferent. The import of these
binaries goes a long way in revivifying the significance of ecocritical studies
which expresses the relationship of literature and nature. Consequently,
children desire the presence of the moon (nature) always as in ‘’come to us
always’’ just as they see nothing good in NEPA which does not favour their
cause with its blinking light.
Olanlokun’s
“The moon” is similar to Iris Hesselden’s “Starlight”, where nature elements of
‘star’ and ‘moon’ are given a pride of place. Whereas, Olanlokun’s ‘The moon’
brings ‘clear light’ that gladdens the minds of children, Hesselden’s “the
moon” is symbolic of peace: ‘I gazed at the stars in the silent sky/when the
earth was calm and still and/I watched the moon as she sailed aloft over the
distant will/And I wished that this piece can still remain’ (Thomson ed.
2012:136).
The
moon in the poem is symbolic of peace. If therefore nature is a symbol of
peace, it follows that nature should be appreciated by man. Anything that is
peaceful is loved by man; as such no sane person cherishes a situation of
strife and disturbance. The persona so desires this peace that he proclaims:
“And I wished this peace could still remain and last through the/coming day to
calm the world with its stress and strife/And soothe the worries away” (136).
Nature represented by ‘moon’ is once again seen as a symbol
of peace that comes to quell the crisis into which humanity has been engulfed.
The imagery of ‘stress’ and ‘strife’ as used in line 3 above is that of a world
that has been thrown into pandemonium and restiveness perhaps by
industrialization and activities that denigrate nature and its essence. When
therefore the consequences of this disdainful treatment of nature emanate,
nature is once again entreated to come to the rescue. In this light, nature is
viewed by the persona as the deux ex machina in a world full of crisis and
worries; full of regrets and tears.
The
reverence accorded to nature as represented by the moon is also extended to the
stars, which the persona equally views as a symbol of peace and hope: ‘But I
thanked the stars for the peaceful night/and the hope they gave to me!”(136).
If according to the persona, nature brings peace and hope, it shows that nature
is held in high esteem, for peace and hope are two factors so desired by man in
a world that holds but little of them for its populace. For a child reader, it
has its varied implication. One, when there is peace, a child grows and
develops properly. He also experiences love and consequently exudes it.
Importantly too, peace heralds hope, the beautiful anticipation of a glorious
future - a future full of promises and good tidings. Fortunately, it is nature
that is the harbinger of this peace and hope that foregrounds a child’s happy
future. If this is so, ecocriticism therefore stands tall amongst other
literary theories in being the key opener with which a critic appreciates
nature and what it represents. And for the child reader, the representation of
nature in the works he so reads serves as a tonic to sustaining his interest.
All in
all, the tone of the poem is that of adoration for nature which is evidently
depicted and valorized in glowing terms. For instance while the moon according
to the persona symbolizes peace, the stars symbolise both peace and joy. Yet
the persona is not done with nature. Having romanticized the star and moon, he
alluringly presents the ‘sun,’ another gift of nature to man thus: ‘and when I
awoke, the sun shone out/A joy for all to see” (136). For the persona, ‘sun’ is
symbolic of joy. The imagery of joy here is that of delight and glee
experienced by a persona ensconced in solitude and melancholy. The metaphor of
joy as symbolized by the sun, to a child reader, is reminiscent of the beauty
of nature which deserves appreciation and unreserved attention. In this light,
the function of Literature is appreciated, as according to Huck et al (1993:10)
‘Literature develops children’s imagination and helps them to consider nature.’
In line
with ecocritical tenets, which Glotfelty and Fromm expounded in The Ecocriticism Reader, works of art
that bring the essence of nature to the fore help to raise the needed
consciousness which nature deserves. It is also in the light of this that
Olanlokun’s “Preserve the Environment” eloquently
proclaims the beauty of nature and the need to shield it from harm. He begins
with a glowing commendation of nature:
Forest of a thousand trees
Your inhabitants are counted in dozens
Birds fly like the jets
Antelopes run faster than sport cars
Trees harry to reach the sun
(Olanlokun, 2003: 38).
The
tone of the verse is that of admiration for nature. Like a paid praise singer,
the persona hails nature and calls it, ‘Forest of a thousand trees’. The use of
this metaphor is in utmost reverence to nature represented by the forest.
The use
of simile in ‘Birds fly like the jet’ is in admiration of the beauty that is
nature. It is also symbolic of the completeness of nature. Since jets are made
in the mode of birds, it can be safely adduced that the manufacturers are only
imitating nature, yet this imitation can only remain as any other which cannot
be like the original. This is even as the persona quickly in the next line
validates the superiority of nature over artificialities: ‘Antelopes run faster
than sport cars.’ Fast as the sport cars could be, they still cannot equal the
fastness and glory of nature illustrated by ‘antelopes.’
The use
of personification in ‘trees hurry to reach the sun’ is symbolic of the living
attribute accorded nature. The persona uses human attributes for it in apparent
admiration of its active essence. The imagery of hurrying trees determined to
reach the sun shows how effortlessly nature blooms and blossoms to protect
mankind from extreme heat and hazard.
Another significant use of simile
in ‘streams flow as if they have an appointment’ is symbolic of the seamless
coursing of the stream (nature). This natural flow has been observed by
scientists to be responsible for the purification of the water from germs and
other infections. In turn man enjoys this water by way of using it to cook and
drink. Impliedly, therefore, if nature could be this kind it means it needs
mankind’s collective attention and preservation. Little wonder the persona ends
in a didactic tone, “For every tree felled, plant another/preserve the
environment for all.” In implying that humanity should embark on afforestation
when a tree is felled, the persona impliedly postulates that the destruction of
nature is inimical to the survival of man. In this light, nature is made
significant in the poem in line with ecocritical poetics. In ‘Preserve the
Environment for all’, the tone of the persona is that of disgust with the
untoward attitude of mankind towards the natural environment, where people
mindlessly destroy nature and at the end expect to be protected by it. For the
child-reader who gains consciousness towards nature through a poem of this
ecocritical bent, he unconsciously matures to be a lover of nature, an
attribute that gives impetus to the whole essence of ecocriticism.
Olanlokun’s
poem, “Cotton Bud” is one poem that radiates with vitality as it proclaims the
indispensability of nature. The symbol of the ‘sun’ in this poem, for instance,
is that of an indispensable element that helps the environment retain its green
glamour. The cotton bud is presented as a plant which depends on nature for
survival just like every other plant does. In the poem, the cotton bud makes a
passionate appeal for the sun to come and shine on it in: ‘Beckoning the sun
for a chat/with the lips parting ways.’ The use of personification ‘beckoning’
once again reinforces the belief of ecocritics that nature is a living thing
that needs to be given attention. For, if man could go to sleep or rest, nature
in all its splendour does not. It works round the clock to make the earth
habitable for man. Yet man most does not appreciate this as he wantonly
destroys it.
The
imagery used in the last line, “with the lips parting ways” is a sensual one
showing the symbolic reception of the sun by the cotton bud. It is this that
represents the photosynthetic activities of the sun which in turn aids the
growth and greening of plants. Indeed, without this symbolic ‘chat’ between the
‘sun’ and the ‘cotton bud’; the latter will not effectively blossom and produce
the needed raw materials that are processed for clothes to be made. Human
beings are the direct beneficiaries of this ‘chat’ as the clothes so processed
are worn by them. In more ways than one, therefore, nature has effectively
asserted its central role in man’s life. It follows that humans must recognise
the important place of nature in their lives so as to defend its cause.
Olanlokun’s
‘Cotton bud’ is also symbolic of the complex roles nature plays as the persona
not only salutes the sun, he also recognises the symbolic presence of the
“harmattan’’ which according to him is a ‘friend’ of the “cotton bud in the
farm land”. The use of harmattan is symbolic in that it is the singular natural
season or activity that instigates the process of pollination in flowers and as
such helps the cotton to bloom. After the pollination, comes the beauty that is
symbolically brought about by the sun, an action which the persona does not
fail to admire and commend.
Indeed
a child-reader whose awareness of nature is raised by a poem such as ‘Cotton
bud’ stands to gain immensely. One, he will have at an early age learnt to take
a helpful recourse to nature, which has proved, after all to be a potent
element to the survival of mankind. Furthermore, his behavior and bearing will
have been cultured to the things of nature, an attitude advocated by Ogbeide
Victor in his “Beyond Complexion, class and race: An Ecocritical study of Alex
La Guma’s A Walk in the Night and A Threefold Cord,” where he quotes Rigby
(2006:535) as advocating a unity between nature and culture.
The
representation of nature also gets a vivid picture in ‘Nigeria, My Country’ a
poem where Olajire Olanlokun valorizes nature for the beautiful impartation it
has made in the country Nigeria:
Nigeria, my country
The land of the ever-brightening sun
Watered by rivers Niger and Benue
Blessed with gold and diamond (5-7).
Nature
in this poem is variously represented by the ‘sun’, ‘River Niger and Benue.’
The image of the sun is that of a natural element which not only brightens the
horizon, but also aids the growth and productivity of nature products such as
agricultural produce. It is for this that the persona maintains that Nigeria is
a land where nature (yam, cassava and guinea corn) can ‘Tame hunger and put off
the flame/ of famine.’ The image of the sun is further heightened in these
lines as a helpful and beneficial natural force that makes agriculture to
flourish bountifully. This in turn wards off the cold hands of hunger and famine
whose rage and pains could be debilitating. Significantly, the symbol of ‘sun’
has been a recurring motif in the nature poems presented in Olanlokun’s Children’s Poetry for Pleasure. It is
present in ‘Cotton Bud’and ‘Preserve the environment’, a representation that
lends credence to the overwhelming presence of nature in the stability of man’s
happiness and wellbeing.
The
symbol of Rivers Niger and Benue as presented in the poem is reminiscent of the
life and power which nature (through both rivers) bring in the stability of the
country Nigeria. Being two rivers that criss-cross through many states in
Nigeria, Rivers Niger and Benue have significantly served as a means of
transportation of humans, goods and services across the length and breadth of
Nigeria, in addition to serving as good sources of irrigation for Agriculture.
Symbolically, the place of Agriculture in providing food to feed the hungry lot
of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. And farming is one activity that does not
take place in a vacuum, especially where there is no water. Furthermore, the
presence of the two rivers is symbolic in providing reliable sources of potable
water for Nigerians. When therefore the poet’s persona proclaims that the
country of Nigeria is watered by Rivers Niger and Benue, he takes into useful
account, the power of water in the affairs of mankind.
Everything
about nature in Olanlokun’s poetry is markedly presented to exalt its
centrality in the affairs of man. Like the persona glowingly recognizes the
place of nature in ‘Nigeria, My Country’ where rivers Niger and Benue are
presented as the sources of water that prosper the land, nature in ‘Wind of
joy’ is once again proclaimed by the persona as putting smile on the face of
mankind:
Wind of joy
Be our companion
And put a smile
On the face of mankind (18).
The
metaphor of the ‘wind of joy’ in the poetry is symbolic of nature’s usefulness
in giving man the needed happiness and joy. This obviously could be by way of
the wonderful ventilation it blows across, which helps to douse the heat
produced by the ecosystem; as well as its ability to instigate the process of
pollination in plants which makes them bloom and boom. When this happens, the
aesthetics of nature and its agricultural import is appreciated and utilized.
The tone of the poem is that of admiration for
nature for being a harbinger of joy to mankind. In appealing to the wind of joy
to ‘blow across the land/and soothe the pains /of those in sorrow,’ the persona
impliedly reposes trust and confidence in what the wind is capable of doing.
The symbol of ‘pain’ and ‘sorrow’ is reminiscent of the recurring famine and
poverty pervading the ranks of humanity, an indication that man has not been
able to be of any significant help to fellow man. Similarly, the imagery
invoked by ‘pain’ and ‘sorrow’ is that of people benighted by hopelessness and
gloom, a situation that throws them in a state of mourning where they bemoan
their fate with pangs of regret. Sending a clarion call to nature to come to
the rescue therefore aptly revalidates the premium humanity places on nature as
a dependable ally that can put a smile/on the face of/mankind (19).
The
representation of nature is made more evident in Olanlokun’s “Drought” where
nature is passionately entreated by mankind to come to the rescue in the
debilitating situation of drought ravaging the land. Indeed, the outcry of the
persona is mournful:
The drought has come again
Like a thief in the night
Taking away from the land
The treasures we all cherish (33).
The imagery of the ‘drought’ in this poem is that of a
heartless fiend who makes the people to grieve in utter helplessness. Indeed,
the persona brands it ‘a thief in the night,’ an appellation befitting only to
an enemy of the people, who does not want them to eat or be happy. Similarly
the imagery in the third line (taking away from the land) further pictures the
surreptitious act of drought in purloining the treasures (happiness) of the
people.
The gory picture of the stark effects of the drought is
succinctly captured by the persona in his mournful outburst thus: ‘There is
thirst in the land/There is hunger in the land/There is illness in the
land’(line7-9). The imagery here is a serious one as the stark reality of the
drought is presented in a frightening manner. By so doing, the use of catharsis
to evoke pity at the untoward condition of the people is symbolic of the
helplessness of humanity in the face of drought. Consequently, the persona
passionately beckons on nature to come to the rescue of the people so as to
restore their land, lost treasures and health: ‘’Earnestly we pray/Rain, please
come again’ (lines 10-11).
The
tone of the poem is that of an emotional plea for nature to intervene amidst
the rampaging drought engulfing humanity. The symbol of this appeal to nature
for restoration and merciful intervention revs up against the backdrop of the
stabilizing role of nature. Man thus retains the belief that nature’s role in
his overall well-being is just non-negotiable. Impliedly, therefore, the
persona is full of respect and gratitude to nature (rain) for possessing the
innate capacity to protect and shield man from hunger and sickness, a role
which he beseeches it to play in order to salvage their pitiable condition of
drought.
The capacity of nature in restoring normalcy in a land
ravaged and beclouded by drought in Olanlokun’s ‘Droughts’ is figuratively
proclaimed by the persona who goes emotional in pleading that nature sends rain
to drive away drought, which by implication shows nature as the ultimate
solution to man’s unending problems. This much is reasserted in Iris Hesselden’s
‘Wishes’ where the persona presents a number of his heartfelt wishes for his
beloved who is apparently in a serious, pitiable situation:
I wish you a rainbow after storms
And a soft wind from the sea
With small wild flowers round your paths,
Which others may not see
(Thomson ed. 2012:4).
The
natural elements of rainbow, soft winds and wild flowers, are symbolic of the
solace that is nature. For, despite the degree of his distress and solitude,
the persona is optimistic that nature can effectively restore his lost joy and
glory. In the light of the foregoing, the tone of the poem is that of optimism
that nature’s restoration power can certainly end the distressful situation of
his beloved. For if the ‘rainbow’ with its beauty and splendour can give the
beloved a wonderful entertainment, a ‘soft wind from the sea’ is capable of
serenading him to a peaceful sleep which blesses the deep recesses of his soul
and fills him with delight and pleasure thereafter.
The
value of nature is once again explored in the last stanza as the persona
proclaims his last wish for his beloved:
I wish you the beauty of nature
The wonder of all you can see
With love growing stronger around you
And all that tomorrow can be (line 18-21).
Nature
is glowingly valorised in the above lines as possessing immense beauty that can
rhapsodise a distressed person. This way, nature is presented as being
self-sufficient enough to give comfort to the discomforted, happiness to the
unhappy and rest to the restless. This self sufficiency in beauty and splendour
is heightened in the second line where the persona metaphorically considers
nature as ‘The wonder of all you can see’ which is capable of giving a
distressed and a hopeless, hope as seen in the last two lines: ‘With love
growing stronger around you/and all that tomorrow can be’. Nature, thus,
betokens hope which makes mankind to be symbolically positive about life. The
consequent effect of this is joy which pervades mankind.
The
representation of nature is apt in Olanlokun’s “I look up the Sky” where the
persona views nature with admiration and love. Like a typical Romanticist of
Wordsworthian mould, he stands in utter wonderment at the workings of nature.
At the end of his studious assessment, he arrives at the conclusion that ‘I
have no control on all’(60). This lends credence to the timeless and
well-routined way that nature could exert some level of control over other
things besides it. In this light he views nature as awesomely unique. The
workings of nature further astound the child-persona as he proclaims,
I look up the sky
The sun rising from the east
I look up the sky
The sun setting in the west (60).
The
symbol of the sun is once again invoked by the persona as one piece of beauty
with which nature decorates earth. In other preceding nature poems in this
anthology, the persona had seen the sun as a symbol of hope to mankind with its
brilliant light which adds glamour to every nook and cranny of the earth. The
persona may have laboriously wondered what and how the earth could have been if
the sun had not been in existence. He may have also imagined how plants would
grow food for man without the positive touch of the sun. In this light
therefore, the imagery of the sun becomes that of a benevolent force that makes
the sky and the earth glow.
For the
child-reader, the implication of the poem is that his sense of adoration for
the natural environment is heightened and intensified. He also gains some
nature-induced knowledge on how the sun significantly rises and sets. With
these nature-workings in mind, a child’s awareness of nature is aroused and
consequently sustained. He may even revel in the splendour of the rising and
setting of the sun, an activity that may prompt him to stand symbolically like
the illustrated child in the pages of the book who stands with hands placed across
the chest, marveling and pleasantly wondering on how the sun rises in the east
and sets in the west. With mouth agape at the piece of beauty he so imagines,
as aptly illustrated by the image of a child standing with eyes admiring the
sun, the child’s sense of appreciation is further aroused as he may
unconsciously plunge the results of his imagination to a physical drawing that
captures his thoughts.
Nature
also manifests in the poem with the symbolic reference the child persona makes
at the moon as that which makes the night ‘bright’ for children to be happy and
hopeful: I look up the sky/The moon making my night/bright (line 5-7). The
symbol of the moon to the child persona is that which makes the night
beautifully bright and inviting, thus confirming the fact that children are not
in love with darkness. A child engulfed in darkness that the night brings is
gloomy and full of fear. His melancholic state could even make him see nothing
good in nature and all its bounties and beautiful essence. Therefore, the
symbolic presence of the moon not only makes the night pleasant for him, it
also makes it friendly. For instance, when the moon shines and exerts its
brilliance on the earth, a child’s enthusiasm to play and make merry is
aroused.
The
tone of ‘The moon making my night/bright’ stems from the fact that children
want to be thrilled always as they do not cherish or contemplate any dull
moment. Their simple nature and mind goads them to engage in any activity that
may makes them glow with joy and triumph. When therefore the brightener of the
day (sun) gives way and that of the night (moon) sets in, the adrenalin to play
literally revs up in the child. In this light, the moon assumes a symbol of joy
for the child-persona who makes merry under its influence. This is even as the
persona had in a similar poem referred to the moon as ‘a woman/kind, lively,
caring mother.’ These are symbols of goodness represented by the moon.
The
admiration of nature as expressed by the child-persona is taken a notch further
as he relishes the process of rainfall which nature facilitates. In his
pleasant puzzlement, he exclaims: “I look up the sky/The rain falling on my
head” (line 8-9). The tone of these lines is that of love and appreciation for
what nature offers to humanity. The persona apparently expresses his excitement
at the manner the rain splashes on his head. The symbol of rain to a
child-reader is significant in many ways. First, the rain provides a
pleasurable experience for children, an experience which motivates children to
march out with glee to play and merry under the rain. Secondly, the rain is
always needed for children to drink in order to be healthy. Nature, thus
becomes an object of good health for children. Also, the symbol of rain is that
of a natural force that encourages greenery because when it rains, plants and
crops are fed to blossom and bloom, a process that generates food and makes the
environment healthy.
Nature
according to Hesselden (2012:104) ‘has a perfect plan/A special magic to
impart’. This lends further credence to Olanlokun’s lines in “I look up the
sky,’’ where the perfect plan of nature is clearly manifested in the timely
rising of the sun in the east and its setting in the west, as well as the
blossoming of the moon at night, and the falling of the rain at its appointed
time. If nature has a perfect plan, according to Hesselden, it then means
nature requires mankind’s collective appreciation and admiration, a gesture
which should be shown through the preservation of nature in order to enable it
function adequately.
The
power of poetry in capturing man’s treatment of nature is instructive. Like
Olajire Olanlokun in his Children’s
Poetry for Pleasure, under study, many ecocritical poets are emerging
gradually in Nigeria. These are poets who are concerned with the representation
of nature in art; while some represent nature by appreciating its workings,
others represent it by repudiating humanity for the undue harm it exerts on it.
Uche Umez’s Dark Through The Delta,
for instance laments the degradation of nature by oil explorers:
I see the fat of the land
Being eaten out
By the bourgeoning pollution
By the intricate machinery of oil greed (2005: 8).
The
grim imagery in the above lines is symbolic of the harm that has been
mindlessly done on the natural environment especially in the Niger-Delta parts
of Nigeria. This harm has indeed adversely affected the living conditions of
the people who have to live in very unacceptable situations because their major
means of livelihood (the river) has been polluted. Accordingly the tone of the
poem is mournful as the poet’s persona is obviously sad at the state of his
once prosperous land now ‘eaten out’ by unfriendly ‘machinery of oil greed’.
The symbol of the ‘fat of the land’ is that of the wealth of the people that
sustains them, but which has been obviated by oil explorers. The persona
characterises these explorers as greedy because they are oblivious of the harm
their activities bring to the people. Figuratively therefore, he sees them as
enemies of nature who do not mean well for the environment of the people.
The
child-reader through this learns that it could be harmful to degrade nature;
and as the ‘fat of the land’ is being ‘eaten out’ by the utter neglect of
nature, a child reader is faced with the choice of embracing nature and its
ideals so as to sustain their beautiful environment, which after all forms the
beckon of his survival.
The
disgust of Umez in the degradation of nature is also evident in “No Honey Flows
Here” where the poet’s persona bemoans the fate of the land in the hands of oil
explorers who exploit their oil and ravage their environment without caring a
hoot. He therefore decries the abject poverty into which his people are thrown
after their natural environment has been destroyed:
No honey flows here
Where children scavenge the streets
In search of mildewed bread in the bins
No honey flows here….
Just the undying bitterness of a land shaded (10).
The
imagery of the above verse is scary and frightening as a situation where
children suffer and wander hopelessly in search of ‘mildewed bread in the bins’
is unacceptable to the poet’s persona. Similarly a condition where the ‘honey’
of the land has been drained away by greedy oil companies is totally disgusting
to the persona. The symbol of ‘honey’ as used in the passage is the natural
environment which has over the time shielded the people from poverty and
hopelessness. Unfortunately, it is this nature’s gift to the people that has
been mindlessly ravaged and purloined hence children, who after all, are always
the worst-hit; roam about in a helpless adventure for food. The symbol of
‘bitterness’ and ‘shackled’ used in characterizing the land of the people
evokes pity and soberness of the mind.
According
to Garrard (2004:1) ‘pastoral peace rapidly gives way to catastrophic
destruction.’ This is indeed evident in the lamentation of Umez whose
ecocritical poetry is mournful in tone, arising from the mindless plundering of
the natural environment of the Niger Deltans, a people who have historically
been at the mercy of multi-national oil giants whose activities have been
inimical to the ecosystem of the people. Impliedly, therefore, Umez is of the
strong opinion that the oil explorers in the Niger Delta should preserve the
natural environment of the people so that they do not entirely lose out both in
the area of their oil and their environment.
A
beautiful natural environment attracts tourists besides serving as a people’s
beacon of hope and survival, a type of environment which Gostelow (2007)
captures in describing the natural beauty of South Africa thus:
South Africa has a magic that captures every visitor. It
casts its spell on one summer’s night spent under the stars in the sands of the
Kalahari. As the sun slipped below the horizon, we barbecued around a camp fire
before resting our heads beneath the most romantic roof in the world (87).
The imagery of an aesthetically
pleasant nature environment in South Africa pervades the mind as one read this.
It is the allure of this environment that draws visitors and tourists to South
Africa. It follows, therefore, that nature on its own has an attractive
essence. And the symbol of magic in the excerpt above represents no other thing
than the presence of a natural environment unspoiled by the activities of an
industrialized world. It is this presence that Gostelow (2007:3) reminisces yet
again about Pretoria: ‘The region around Pretoria – called Jacaranda city for
its avenues of trees that blossom into purples clouds in October is scattered
with mansions and monuments that encapsulate in stone and bronze the country’s
exciting history.” The pride of place accorded the natural environment of South
Africa is symbolic of the premium placed on nature by ecocritics. As an ecocritical
journalist, Gostelow does not hide the sole purpose of the attractions and
fascinations accorded South Africa, which is the beauty of the natural
environment there.
It is in the light of this that
Olajire Olanlokun maintains in “The Night and the Moon” that nature has a
special beauty that makes it exude hope to mankind. In the poem, the child
persona represents nature by capturing the relationship in function between
‘The night’ and ‘The moon’. For instance when night, which of course
symbolically divides two separate days, sets in, it brings darkness which is
not in any way endearing to children. However, while mankind prepares for night
through ‘lamps of various sizes’ which ‘Run to embrace him,’ (Olanlokun
2003:62-63) the persona still patiently awaits the arrival of the moon.
The
child-persona uses the metaphor of ‘a bride in the waiting’ to compare the
moon. The symbol of ‘a bride’ is that of a highly valued, cherished person
whose absence could mar a wedding occasion. In symbolically presenting the moon
as ‘a bride in the waiting,’ the child persona implies that it is the presence
of the moon that actually adds glamour to the night. And for children who are
affrighted by a gale of darkness, it is this bride in the waiting that changes
their gloom to bloom.
The
tone of the poem is that of hopefulness. This is even as the child persona is
confident that the moon (a bride in waiting) will ‘creep in’ and extinguish the
darkness that frightens children. The valorization of the moon here which is
symbolic of the working of nature is significant because ecocritics are always
interested in how nature is represented in a literary work.
According
to Chukwu (2008:5) ecocritical poets are unique for their exceptional ability
to gauge the beauty of nature. It is in this light that Dorothy Morris, like
Olajire Olanlokun, profusely admires and illuminates the essence of nature in
“Living Flowers”, a metaphor for
beautiful birds and butterflies like the ‘Peacocks’ and ‘Admirals’. The imagery
cast by the mere perching of these creatures is that of flowers that are living
and moving:
They settle on the buddleia
And I could watch for hours
Red admirals and peacocks
Like living, moving flowers
With the middle-faintest tremble
As though wafted by a breeze (Morris, 2012:50).
Indeed
it is only a poet obsessed by the exquisite offering of nature that can, like
William Wordsworth, highlight the symbolic appearance of birds on the buddleia.
The use of simile in line four typifies the flowery appearance of the birds on
shrubs. The persona’s comparison of the birds’ appearance on the buddleia
heightens with his disclosure that they create beautiful patterns that surpass
that of an emperor:
And I can gaze at ease
At the richness of their patterns
More exquisite by for
Than the jewels of an emperor (8-11).
The symbol of ‘richness’ and ‘exquisite’ is that of
adorability at the natural beauty of birds. In being rich in beautiful
patterns, the persona implies that the sight of birds offers engaging and
admirable scenery which in its exquisiteness an on-looker ‘can gaze at ease’.
The result of this quiet gaze is peace, a reason for which Greenslade (2012:49)
writes:
Inside, you’ll feel tranquil and unwind
Relaxing, you’re healing within
Refreshed in your mind you will find then
What a state of composure you’re in
(Thomson ed. 2012:49).
Nature therefore offers peace in many ways. And this peace
has a marked significance of providing a bastion of comfort in which mankind
could forget his troubles and trials, a comfort which Gent (2012:91) describes
as Nature’s gift in fulfilling ‘her time-honoured tryst’ with mankind.
Conclusion
Children’s poetry presents a potent tool for social
orientation and integration in a world that is fast losing its essence. Man’s
natural environment is under a grave depletion masterminded in part by the
activities and negligence of man himself. Studies in Children’s poetry of
nature predilection come timely to fill a yawning epistemic space. Children by
their nature have a psychological capacity to be influenced by what they read
or taught. Olanlokun’s Children’s Poetry for Pleasure embodies archetypal poems
of nature which can influence little minds to become conscious of nature and
its centrality in the affairs of men. Markedly, nature poems easily permeate
the psyche of children because nature itself is pervasive, and indeed part of
the children’s wellbeing.
References
1. Barry, P. (1995). Beginning
Theory. United Kingdom, Manchester University Press.
2. Chukwu, E. (2008). The
Poet and His Nation. Port-Harcourt: His Grace Printers.
3. Dobie, A. (2012). Theory
into Practice: An introduction to Literary Criticism. USA: Wadsworth.
4. Garrard, G. (2014). Ecocriticism
USA: Routledge.
5. Gent, B. (2012) ‘Tranquility Beckons’ in The People’s Friend. Thomson (Ed) London
D.C Thomson Annuals.
6. Glotfelty C. and Fromm H. (1996). The Eocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. London:
Longman Group.
7. Gostlelow, M. (2007). South
Africa USA: Jpia Publications.
8. Hesselden, Iris (2012). “Perfect Plan” in The People’s Friend. Thomson (Ed)
London: D.C Thomson Anuals.
9. Ogbeide, Victor (2014)
Beyond Complexion, Class and Race: An Ecocritical Study of Alex La Guma’s a
Walk in the Night and a Threefold Cord in Journal of Emerging Trends in educational research and policy studies,
Scholarlink Research Institute Journals (ISSN:2141-6990).
10. Olanlokun, O. (2003)
Children’s Poetry for Pleasure. Ibadan: Literamed.
11. Onuekwusi, J.A (2002).
Romanticism in Literature. Owerri: Alphabet Niageria Publishers.
12. Umez, P.U.
(2005). Dark Through the Delta. Owerri: Edu-Edy Publishers.
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