WAEC Literature in English 2016 Theory Past Questions

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Nii Kpakpo Yartey's relationship with Maa Tsuru is one of drudgery, exploitation and eventual abandonment. He deceives her from the start, promising a decent life while planning to use and dispose of her. Kpakpo relies on Maa Tsuru sexually and instrumentalises Baby T in the transportation of drugs. He abuses her sexually, gets her pregnant and further impregnates her, leaving her with even more children (two boys and two girls). Maa Tsuru and her children live under conditions of poverty made worse by Kpakpo, who does not stay to provide for or father his children. Afterwards, Kpakpo goes further to destroy her life by seducing Baby T and instrumentalising Baby T in the perpetration of Naa T's sexual exploitation. Kpakpo plays a crucial role for the age difference between his and Maa Tsuru's household, which engages Yaremi Moye's culpable in loneliness — this illustrates how a corrupt man like Kpakpo exploits vulnerable women and their children in the novel.

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Vickie and Kabria's visit to the police station reveals the poor state of the police as an institution meant to protect citizens. They go with necessary information about a MUTE girl (Fofo) and Kabria decide to help. As agreed by the MUTE informant, Kabria and Vickie visit the police station with the message that implies that a girl vehicle is supposed to go there. What they insist upon, cynically and mockingly, is that they seem to be genting the message. Kabira and Vickie decide to go, revealing the police's unmotivated state of the poor sector city. Their visit shows that the Inspector continues to order the women to leave. When they insist and asks them to see the yard and puts him if they show the message that the phone is dead, in the ceiling decide to leave. The Inspector confirms this two of them on the phone that dying up. Then, minds for one seat to leave the two orders pick up on the phone contributes irreconcilable to the theme of sexual abuse and parental irresponsibility in the novel.

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The theme of loneliness is central to the novel. After the death of Alumjimobi, Yaremi Loncely Days becomes lonely, as a widow. Yaremi engages solitude and loneliness on the daily basis rests and even at the end of the novel. The death of Alumjimobi's death solitude and loneliness case becomes ostracized for that fact that Yaremi's case becomes ostracized, she becomes married to her husband and married to her blacksmith. She is regressed in his carpentry work in Ibadan. Woye lives with Yaremi to keep her company but he too becomes more pathetic as the boy from her former education. Woye plays a crucial role for the yearning company's loneliness but the age difference in oth-erness's Yaremi engages him with Yaremi's conversation; she regales him with.

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The author uses the third-person point of view. With this omniscient vantage point, he demonstrates his ability to observe people and events very closely and passing appropriate comments on them. The author likewise shows the thought flow of the characters as evident in Yaremi. This is similar to the stream of consciousness. Yaremi demonstrates this several times in the novel. Yaremi manifests this at the cap-picking ceremony as she inwardly denounces the caps laid on the bench: 'But Yaremi was already resolved. For her, there was no going back... Give this bage cap to the baboon swinging on the branches of tall trees to wear,' she mumbled to herself, as she moved away from the first cap, 'Not to Yaremi. Not to Yaremi.' The author also employs poetry in his narrative. The entirety of the novel could be summed as poetic. The novel is prefaced by a poetic prologue. The expressions in the novel are concise. There are instances of songs and folktales which are typical of African oral tradition. A good example of this interaction between Yaremi and Woye is where Woye needs to draw from Yaremi's poetic song to speed up his work. The Widows: the like of Dedewe, Radeke and Fayoyi are also expected to sing dirges to accompany the deaths of their husbands. This is evident in Radeke's widows' traditional song of innocence and lamentation. The author's leaning on African tradition also reflects on his use of myth and folktales. There are references to stories of tortoise who visited his in-law's house and 'messed himself up with a mess of hot pottage in the sitting room right in front of his new wife, Yanibo', the proud antelope who lived like a prince and who was eventually subdued by the hunter's bullet and many more. The author employs the use of incantation in the novel. As the language is poetic, the poet introduces words from his local language to communicate his message appropriately. This is evident in Yaremi's use of incantation to frustrate the efforts of her perceived enemies: 'Osibata floats tente on the surface of the river, she will float tente above enemies.' The author uses flashback to regale the readers with past experiences of Yaremi. Woye is enthralled by the flashback on Yaremi's childhood story of climbing the nine hills that separate Adeyipo village from the neighbouring villages like Aderogba, Orita, Kange, Kufi, Ladunni, Idiogun, Kelebe and so on. The author also uses flashback to recall the relationship between Yaremi and Ajumobi. Ajumobi is not an active character in the novel but through the use of flashback, the author brings his actions to life. There is also a use of suspense in the novel. The readers' interests are sustained by instances of Woye's illness, the cap-picking ceremony and the aftermath of Yaremi after her refusal to honour the picking of a cap at the cap-picking ceremony. The readers are made to seek desperately the aftermath of Woye's sickness. They are also eager to know whose cap Yaremi is going to pick at the cap-picking ceremony. The destination of Yaremi is also worth questioning in the novel. The author also makes use of dialogue in the narration. There are instances of dialogue between Yaremi and her suitors, Yaremi and the widows, Yaremi and Ajumobi, Yaremi and Woye.

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Bigger is a product of a racist society and this is what makes him a murderer in the novel. At the beginning of a novel we see a wild Bigger who is the product of a racist and stereotypical society. Bigger inhabits a rat-infested house with his family; he is deprived of education and his career is not guaranteed. These have conditioned him to hating the white majority that defines his existence. Bigger does not have access to quality education and worthwhile education. He wanted to attend a school where he could train as an aviator but he was denied admission due to the colour of his skin. He wanted to join the Army but the only job available for the blacks like him was digging trenches. In the Navy, he could only be employed to wash dishes and scrub floors. In business, there is no chance for a black guy. With this situation, Bigger loses interest in work altogether. He prefers petty stealing to legitimate work in order to take care of the immediate needs of his flesh. He engages in sexual acts with Bessie who offers sexual consolation whenever needed. He is involved in illicit activities with his gang. Bigger manifests the murderous tendencies from the beginning of the novel. He keeps a gun and a knife. Bigger keeps a gang, the likes of Gus, GH and Jack. Their first aim is to rob Mr. Blum's delicatessen. Mr. Blum is a white man and Bigger and his gangs haven't robbed a white man before. This plan to rob Mr. Blum is predicated upon hatred, fear and terror that is unleashed upon them by the white majority. Of all the gang, Bigger is the most furious and fearful. Although Bigger's fear is wrapped in fake courage, Gus confirms it that he is fearful just like every other person. Like every other black, Bigger is caught in the web of hatred and oppression from the majority white. He is a product of frustrated dream occasioned by the white-dominated society. The conversation between him and Gus at the entrance of the pool room shows that he is not satisfied with the situation of things in the society. The blacks have been made to be mere wishful thinkers by the whites. They cannot aspire for great things. Bigger fumes with rage upon the thoughts of the maltreatment of the blacks by the whites and begins to manifest some murderous tendencies. Bigger does not only manifest hatred towards the whites who he thinks are responsible for his predicaments, he also manifests hatred towards the blacks who don't share the same thoughts with him. At times his case is just a transfer of annoyance. He becomes unnecessarily aggressive towards his immediate siblings, mum and friends. His threat to kill Gus with a knife is an attestation to his murderous tendencies in the novel. Thus, it could be said that that is his first murderous attempt, sourced by perceived failure to rob Mr. Blum. Poignant is the threat from Mr. Buckley's poster that reads: IF YOU BREAK THE LAW YOU CAN'T WIN. Bigger lives with the consciousness that he is in a society where there is hatred. He feels he is being hated. Hatred begets hatred as Bigger chooses to hate every white. Not only does Bigger resent the treatment he suffers in the hands of the white folks, he hates them for treating him the way they do. Bigger believes that whites' efforts at keeping his people down are a sign of their hatred for them. Thus Bigger interprets Daltons' supposed kindness as hatred and hates being in close contact with the whites. Fear, frustration and anger dominate Bigger's existence. These three negative feelings define his existence. He fears and hates Mary for being white and trying to be so close. He kills Mary out of fear and out of hatred. He puts her corpse in a trunk and then in the furnace. Bigger becomes very wild after the killing of Mary. He not only kills Mary, he demands a ransom, implicates Jan and puts the whole state in confusion. Killing Mary graduates Bigger to serial killing as he proceeds to murder Bessie for the fear of having his secret exposed. Bigger becomes notorious at the manifestation of his true identity. He becomes the talk of the newspaper. He shows no remorse for the killing and he is prepared to face the consequence of his murderous act. In the court of law, Boris Max makes it known that Bigger is a product of a racist society. Hence, it can be concluded that it is the society that makes Bigger a murderer.

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Max is a Communist colleague of Jan Erlone. The name Max brings to mind the philosopher and Communist Karl Marx. Boris Max works at the Labour Defenders Office as a lawyer. An elderly fellow of Jewish background, he is introduced to Bigger by Jan over the possibility of defending Bigger in court in his murder case. Max is the writer's persona in the novel because he voices out the mind of the writer as regards race relations. Max's attitude towards race relations contrasts with that of Buckley and every other white person portrayed in the novel. Max is not a racist. For this reason, he is able to relate freely with Bigger and defend him without demanding a dime. Max, unlike other whites, does not see Bigger from the stereotypical stand point. Rather, he treats Bigger as an individual. Max is free with white and with black. Max's attitude towards race relations is shown both in prison where he interviews Bigger and in the law court where he defends his case. Max takes time to hear about Bigger's predicaments, reasons with his murderous acts. He tries to understand why Bigger killed Mary. Max helps Bigger to understand the fact that blacks are hated by the whites. Hatred is also directed to the unionists too. He urges Bigger not to hate the whites in return. He also makes Bigger understand that even the black activists behave like the white sometimes. He educates Bigger on race relations and from their interaction, Bigger becomes a better person. At the court scene Max educates the whites. He lets the Daltons to understand that charging such exorbitant prices on house rent in Black Belt shows the shylock attitude of the Daltons. He also makes them to understand that Mary is a sacrificial lamb for the racism exhibited by the whites towards the blacks. Max makes the whites to understand that hatred will not stop and there will always be the likes of Bigger if racism is not curbed in the US or until the whites begin to see the blacks as individuals.

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The Blood of a Stranger is a play about the colonial exploitation of Africa and how Africans were complicit in the exploitation of their own people. With the arrival of Whitehead comes the exploitation of the people of Mando. This is representative of colonial exploitation of Africa. The play opens with a conversation between Maligu, the king's adviser and Soko, the village shrine priest. The conversation is surreptitious and it suggests that there is something to be kept confidential between the two characters (Maligu and Soko). Maligu has just received a letter from his brother announcing the coming of the white man. The white man (Whitehead) is to come on the pretext of establishing tobacco plantation meanwhile Whitehead's intention is to explore the diamonds in Mando land and exploit them for his own selfish gain. Mando land is blessed with natural resources, which the people, due to their ignorance and illiteracy, are oblivious of. The love for wealth and power influence the actions of Maligu and Soko. Maligu, being the right-hand man of the king, in collaboration with Soko, their spiritual head, plans to deceive the people into accepting the white man. This they believe will be of financial benefit to him and Soko. Maligu maintains a significant influence on the king. Soko is also the spiritual head and the voice of the gods. His words are highly believed by the people. Having such great influence on the king and the people, Maligu and Soko are able to manipulate the people into accepting Whitehead even when the custom states that a stranger should not be accepted in the land. Soko summons a communal meeting to tell the people about the expected stranger. In the process of the ritual, Soko reveals that a stranger comes to the land, and if they love peace they should treat him well and throw more blood — 'the blood of a virgin, born in another place.' This is utter deception. Soko's poverty and Maligu's greed make them easy tools in the hands of Whitehead. Although they are fully aware of Whitehead's selfish plans and how these are going to be detrimental to the progress and peace of the land, they egg him on. This is typical of how Africans are instrumental in the exploitation of their own people. Although he comes with the pretext of establishing tobacco plantation, Whitehead's main plan is to explore the diamonds which he calls 'evil stones' and exploit them for his own selfish gain. Whitehead gains more influence and confidence through the supports of Maligu and Soko and King Santigi V's ignorance. Whitehead delves into the custom of Mando land and disrupts their sanity through the introduction of 'strange drinks' contrary to their local gin (mampama) and the use of what could be suspected as Indian hemp. The ploy to eliminate Kindo who stands as the main opposition to their selfish plans becomes the target of Whitehead, Maligu, Soko and Parker. On coming to Mando land without paying necessary regards to the custom, Kindo has dealt roughly with Whitehead and his right-hand man, Parker. Kindo is also aware of their selfish plans and the plans to deceive the Mando people. Whitehead demands Wara whom he thinks to be Kindo's strength. The plan to rape Wara and use her for sacrifice would have been successful if not for her resilience and this would have weakened Kindo as planned. Their ploy to eliminate Kindo leads to the eventual banishment of him though he is able to foil their plans.

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Kindo is the son of the king and the head of the warriors of Mandoland. He is a hunter and heir-apparent to the throne of Mando. Kindo is an upright defender of his people. He is willing to defend his culture and his people even to his own hurt. He had fought his first war as a boy. He is a sensitive character. He monitors the affairs of Mando kingdom. An ambitious character, Kindo is stubborn and impetuous. Just like Maligu, Kindo can read and write and he is privy to every information in the town. He loves and protects the customs of his people. Kindo is boastful and keeps a dossier on people. In his words, 'The enemy warrior that will kill Kindo has not been born.' Kindo controls the warriors of Mando land. Two of his warriors are Sima and Boko. Kindo is a vigilant warrior and hunter. He is sensitive to the happenings around him. In his words, he says: 'I feel something in the air, Wara. The hunter sees with his eyes and ears and nose. He sees with his whole body. I smell trouble. It makes me restless. It makes me distrust everybody.' This is typical of a real warlord. Kindo manifests this in his ability to predict and suspect Maligu and Soko's egregious plans. Kindo is not oblivious of the intrigues of Maligu and Soko. He is a perceptible character. He can from the outset sense the disastrous effects of allowing Whitehead into Mando land. Unlike other characters, Kindo is ready to challenge the status quo if the need be. He kicks against the coming of the Whitehead and questions the veracity of Soko's order for sacrifice and the divine consent on Whitehead's coming. When the white man refuses to observe the custom by paying obeisance to the king, he forces him to kiss the ground and undergo forty two strokes of cane for his right hand man (Parker). Kindo does not allow his love for his woman (Wara) to interfere with his business as the warlord. He tells Wara that his heart beats for his people and Wara is also part. Kindo cannot be cowed by the concerted efforts of Maligu, Soko and Whitehead to rape Wara. Rather, they sense danger when Wara escapes. Kindo poses threat to the perpetrators of evil in the play. He kills Parker, the white man's assistant and he is consequently banished from the village. Kindo is not moved by the banishment because he is a courageous character who has vowed to die a 'warrior king' and 'always fight for the truth.' Kindo ends the colonial exploitation of his people in his own time. He orders his men to seize Whitehead take him to the sacrifice stone. Whitehead is killed by Kindo. After killing Whitehead, he promises to return to claim the throne of Mando land, followed by his fellow warriors.

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Aloho is a victim of circumstance in the play Harvest of Corruption. Aloho graduated from the University of Asuka where she had Second Class (Upper) in Mass Communication. Aloho's graduation is greeted by the massive unemployment that threatens the survival of the youths in the country, the Republic of Jacassa. To combat unemployment, Aloho travels to Jabu to stay with a friend, Ogeyi who works as a receptionist at ABC Company. Aloho is desperate for a job and perhaps, her desperation is what makes her a victim of circumstance in the play. Aloho's meeting with Ochuole, her former school mate and fellow graduate from The University of Asuka creates in her the desperation to have a good job. Ochuole has paid dearly for her job as an Administrative Officer with her body. Aloho defies Ogeyi's warnings not to honour the fictitious offer of a Protocol Officer. She is being driven by desperation. The manner of her employment is questionable and the terms of employment are not clearly defined. Aloho takes the job for the first time she will be transporting an unknown substance which is suspected to be cocaine. Aloho becomes a prey in the hand of the predator — the corrupt Chief Haladu Ade Amaka. She is sexually exploited by the Chief and apart from that she becomes a cocaine pusher. Unfortunately, Aloho is arrested and arraigned in court for cocaine pushing. Although she is discharged from court, she is to live with the scar of unwanted pregnancy and peradventure, a child by the Chief. Indignant Aloho decides to abort the pregnancy even against the warnings from Ogeyi. Through the delay tactics by the doctor at WAZOBIA hospital, the pregnancy develops and abortion becomes impossible. Aloho dies during child birth in the village and thus she becomes a victim of circumstance (corruption and unemployment in the country). She reaps the harvest of her own corruption with death, through desperation, ignorance, stubbornness and naivety.

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Chief Haladu Ade Amaka is the Honourable Minister of External Relations. He epitomizes corruption in the play. Chief is described as having a protruding stomach and his friends fondly call him 'the pregnant chief.' He has a round face which is said to be constantly covered with sweat 'no matter the weather.' He breathes heavily whether he is awake or asleep. He 'walks like a man who has enlarged scrotum.' This vividly paints the picture of corruption and an image of social decay as represented in one person alone. Although Chief Haladu Ade Amaka is the Minister in charge of External Relations, the real nature of his job does not manifest in the play. He runs the company of girls, orders food and drinks at Akpara Hotel which he also uses as the hideout for his cocaine deals. He is painted as extravagant. He asks Madam Hoha to serve herself whatever she wants and add the bill immediately with the woman jocularly complains about money to settle her mother's hospital bill, he 'draws his portfolio nearer himself, presses the button open and pulls out a bundle of money' which he throws on her laps'. Once he sees Ahobo, he indicates readiness to give her a job in his Ministry and schedules a meeting at 4pm in his favourite Akpara Hotel. He later makes Aloho pregnant in the process. Chief both grows and harvests corruption in the play. He bribes the Police Commissioner and Justice Odili constantly so that they will protect him against the dictates of the law. With this, he runs his hard drugs business unmolested and when one of his carriers (Aloho) is caught, Justice Odili organizes a Kangaroo hearing and releases the culprit in a matter of days. He embezzles a whopping sum of 1.2 billion naira. He also authorizes the Administrative Officer (Ochuole) to apply, sign and collect about six million naira for the purchase of capital items. The chief engages in other criminal acts such as pen robbery or falsification of documents. He is eventually arrested and arraigned at the law court. The Chief is sentenced to serve the jail term of twenty five years.

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Mama (Lena Younger) is the matriarch of the Younger family. She takes up the responsibility of leadership after the death of her husband (Big Walter) and works to fulfill their dream. Mama is portrayed as a traditional woman in the play, religious, morally upright, hardworking and supportive. Mama demonstrates love in the play. She works to satisfy her children and with the cheque she is able to satisfy her children's dreams including Ruth's and Travis's. Mama tolerates individual differences of her children. She respects Beneatha's assessment of George Murchison as being arrogant and self centred, telling her daughter not to waste time with such a 'fool'. The Youngers family's closeness is built on Mama's attitude towards everyone. She insists, for instance, that Beneatha put on a robe in the cold morning; she offers to help Ruth in her ironing and does not forget to seek assurance that Travis has had hot oats for breakfast instead of cold cereal. Mama's habit of noticing how Ruth feels and behaves makes Ruth feel like Mama's own daughter. Mama admonishes Ruth to eat well and makes excuses for her to 'stay home from work'. Mama believes in striving to succeed while maintaining her moral boundaries; she rejects Beneatha's progressive but seeming un-Christian sentiments about God, and Ruth's consideration of an abortion disappoints her. Similarly, when Walter comes to her with the idea to invest in a liquor store venture, she condemns the idea and expostulates that she will not have such expenditure that she will not-un-Christian business. Mama pate in each so-un-Christian business. With the arrival of the $10,000 still remaining, her Willy Harris, net, With Willy Harris, net, Willy Harris, With $53,500 still remaining.

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The cheque is an important factor in the play. The actualization of Youngers' dreams. When Walter Big Walter died, he left one of his inheritance for his family that his labour as a black man. From the gain of this check, Mama sees the arrival of the $10,000 still remaining, her Willy Harris. Mama's succeeds in getting a bettering family united by obtaining a house of dreams. Of all dreams, it is Mama's dream that is actualized. 'The rainbow after the rain...' she goes into the family, when and man succeeds in the transformation of Walter's real man and can and don't and mind of the family. He is instrumental in protecting the image of the family real man succeeds and proper Walter succeeds in his mind of the family. As Walter's face the man and unite the family. Bigger stands against racial oppression.

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Examine the use of dramatic irony in She Stoops to Conquer. In the play She Stoops to Conquer, the writer draws on dramatic irony to achieve comic effect. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows situations and events hidden to the characters but are known to several events. This is dramatic irony in the play. Marlow and Young Marlow are misguided by Tony to believe Hardcastle's house is an inn. This dramatic irony runs through the play; the audience begin on Marlow and Tony's dialogue, one Hast begin the mistaking of Hardcastle's house for an inn, unaware to Mr. Hardcastle's house. Marlow proceeds to achieve events to achieve his mission within his vital role in the dramatic irony of the events that occur in the play, the writer uses drawn on dramatic irony. Comic effective devices are used both to the comic effects, the writer draws on dramatic irony.

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Mrs. Hardcastle is the mother of Tony Lumpkin and stepmother of Kate Hardcastle. She is the matriarch of the house and is impudent and rude. These are instances of dramatic irony in the play. There is use of dramatic irony as end. Tony approaches its end. Mrs. Hardcastle through a journey within the garden and lies that they are approaching Crackskull Common. Mrs. Hardcastle is left frustrated on her plan and she is the only sad character at the end of the play.

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The theme of cultural clash is central to Gabriel Okara's 'Piano and Drums'. The poet draws on symbolism to achieve the theme of cultural clash. 'Piano' and 'Drums' represent the Western and the African cultures respectively. The poet uses these musical instruments to relate the theme of cultural clash. Both 'piano' and 'drums' are musical instruments that beckon attention just as the two cultures beckon the attention of the poet's persona in the poem. The poem is patterned or structured along with the poet's efforts to differentiate between the two cultures in which he is caught. As an averagely educated African, one is caught in the dilemma of choosing between the Western and the African culture. This is what the poet stands to portray in the poem. The first and the second stanzas of the poem are dedicated to the symbolic elements of the 'drums' which represent the immediate African culture of the poet. The 'drums' is presented as rhythmical and natural. 'raw like the bleeding flesh'. This represents the African culture. African culture is presented as natural, simple and raw. It is a culture that commands respect from the persona because that is the culture that defines origin. The poet portrays African culture as simple and easy. He also portrays African culture as natural and crude. This is captured in the expression 'simple paths with no innovations'. The poet paints the vivid picture of the idyllic African environment in his reference to 'green leaves' and 'wild flowers pulsing'. African culture is also said to be 'rugged' and 'fashioned with naked warmth of hurrying feet and groping heart'. This attests to the simplicity and naturalness of African culture. The Western culture on the other hand symbolized by 'piano' is characterized by complexities and equivocations. It is of note that 'piano' is a foreign musical instrument which is used by the poet to represent the foreign Western culture. The poet also treats the Western culture with disapproval as he confesses to 'hear a wailing piano' speaking of 'complex ways.' Western culture is characterized by complexities and lack of familiarity. The poet portrays it as speaking of 'far-away lands' and 'new horizons'. This intensifies the fact that the persona is alien to the Western culture. Thus Western culture is represented by those foreign and unfamiliar terms such as 'concerto,' 'coaxing diminuendo', 'crescendo,' all which refer to the tempting influence of the Western culture. The poet expresses his dilemma in the last stanza of the poem as he is unable to make a choice between the two cultures represented by the piano and the jungle drums. This expresses the theme of cultural clash in the poem.

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The poet's persona in the poem 'The Panic of Growing Older' is of the view that fear accompanies every stage of one's life as one grows older. The persona is of the view that one is active and effervescent at twenty and as a result, one is hopeful. One is 'stilled by hope of gigantic success, time and exploration.' Because one is still agile and active, one is hopeful of achieving huge success. That is typical of everyone at that age. One's hope of succeeding and achieving one's dream in life dwindles as one advances in age. At thirty, one is shocked by the fact that one has not achieved some things as planned. The reality dawns on one as one realizes that one's 'legs are crib bed in domesticity' which allows 'no sudden leap at the moon.' Responsibilities heap up as ones advances from age thirty to the middle of one's life time. One's freedom is restricted and of course, one is expected to have children, which is the norm in the society. At this point, one realizes that one's 'failures' manifest gradually. It is natural that one should be expecting death from age seventy as bible confirms it but 'science gives hope of twice three score and ten' which is impossible. It becomes crystal clear at this age that the hope of achieving huge success gets dwindled and even at the nadir: 'Hope is not a grain of sand.' At this point one's better option is to be satisfied with one's achievements: 'inner satisfaction dwindles in sharp blades of expectation.' At that point, one surrenders to the world which one has constantly engaged in battle. One gives in and gives up.

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In the poem 'Birches', the poet expresses his attitude towards nature. Birches are trees that grow in the temperate and arctic region of the northern hemisphere. The poet describes the situation in which the trees are bent either by a boy swinging them, or by nature through the effects of snow and ice-storms. Details of the ravages brought upon the trees are provided as they 'click' and 'crash' under the snow until summer when the warmth of the sun melts the snow and enables them to rise again. The emphasis throughout the poem is on the resilience of the trees, whether they are bent by humans or by nature itself. In spite of the fact that they never right themselves to their former weights, they never fail to rise 'years afterwards' as their trunks arch in the wood attractively like girl's 'hair' tossed 'before them, over their heads to dry.' The poet also recalls a memorable incident of some boy that had taken to swinging birches, and has taken care not to swing too low to lose hold as the trees swing back. He remembers his own childhood experience too: 'So I was once myself a swinger of birches'. The lesson from the poem is the resilience and determination to endure life the way birches do, just like the experience of the poet himself. Just as the 'birches' supple frames enable them to endure what both man and nature do to them, humans must as well be resilient and be able to endure situations as they are presented to them either by fellow humans or by nature.

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The poem 'Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?' is an appreciation of beauty. The beauty though transient, becomes eternal through the permanence of art (poetry). The poet compares the beauty of his lover to that of the summer's day. The summer's day is known to be beautiful and alluring. However, the poet is of the opinion that the beauty of his lover surpasses that of the summer. The lover is said to be 'more lovely and more temperate' than summer. Sometimes, summer's season goes through some vagaries and challenges. Such challenges include 'rough winds' that shake the 'darling buds of May'. The poet also opines that summer is seasonal; it comes and goes, but the beauty of his lover is timeless. Summer is also characterized by brightness produced by the activity of the sun. However, the sun 'in his gold complexion' gets 'dimmed'. Summer's beauty has its flaws but the beauty of the lover is flawless. Nothing in this life is eternal, beauty fades, nature changes but 'thy eternal summer shall not fade/ nor lose the possession of that fair thou ow'st.' The poet idolizes and appreciates the beauty of his lover with those lines. Although summer faces the challenge of time or summer is seasonal, the beauty of his lover is eternal. The poet continues to appreciate the beauty of his lover which shall never fade or die: 'Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade.' The fact remains that so far this beauty is etched in artistic lines: 'eternal lines', it will stand the test of time and men, and women from generations to come will continue to appreciate the beauty and of course, the poem gives life to his lover's beauty.