WAEC Literature in English 2022 Theory — Question 17

Model answer

Points to develop: i. Relation to theme; ii. Definition and explanation of contrast; iii. Contrast between the permanence of time and brevity of life; iv. The feeling of the women; v. Contrast between the song of old and the poet's attempt to rescue what is left. The poem is about the ability of song to express the feelings of anguish and joy as well as keep the memory of the dead alive. The women in the poem are immortalized by the song they sang in servitude. Contrast is a literary device through which writers highlight the differences between two subjects, places, persons, things or ideas for special effects. In the poem, contrast is shown between the permanence of time and brevity of life. In the poem 'died long ago'. Time has stripped the lyrics and scared the tune of the song 'which beheld their lives'. The lyrics is lost in 'the vast void of time' while the song brings to life their feelings of despair. It 'sponged off their anguish' to behold their collective pain. It also enables them to plough the terrain of their mindscape 'in the vast void of time'. Besides, it enables them to 'cheat the tyranny of time'. The feelings of the women are accentuated. The song connects the women to their ancestors. The song also highlights their feelings of joy or ecstasy. The song enables them to celebrate their gain. This finds expression in the fact that it 'sponged off their anguish'. The contrast between the song of old and the poet's attempt to rescue what is left finds expression in the fact that the song died, leaving a fading tune. The poet 'through the stuttering lips of my pen and the screeching voice of my rib' has rescued the 'tune turning the tenor of my verse'. This has not succeeded in obliterating the memory of the women as the stripped lyrics of their song have been captured for the posterity by the poet.