The Literary Analysis of Lene Ododomu's Where is the Legacy? by Elizah Christian

THE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF LENE ODODOMU'S WHERE IS THE LEGACY? BY ELIZAH CHRISTIAN

                        The poem

Where is the legacy?

The legacy you promis'd Nigerians

That would enable them to see God face to face.

Even though you are Mr not doing well,

At least Nigerians were happy and forgot your faults,

And this evok'd the happiness of the moon to praise you too,

But the people can't find where you kept the legacy.

Where is the legacy?

The legacy you promis'd Nigerians

That would enable them to elect a good leader by themselves,

Not the one that will impose himself on them

Like a lion controlling the jungle.

But what now happened?

Nigerians are now like a blind bat,

As if they don't want a good government

 To heal the wound you put on them.

Nigerians didn't get the free choice you promis'd them

Because their choices became like hook, bait and sinker

That were swallowed by giant whale.

Now they are crying

Because their mandates have been stolen.

But you are laughing at them

Instead of standing by your promise.

You are a lion,

And you are a sabatootgef tiger that can tear a man into a thousand pieces.

So you are expect'd to question

The eye of the election result

Who declared the unwant'd guest.

You are expected to summon the eye of the election result

Like a family bell summoning the people

And command him to prove to the face of the sky

That the election  conducted was free and fair.

Your government is like vanity upon vanity,

Because nothing to be recorded as a legacy.

The tears of Nigerians are knocking at your door.

So open the door for them

And show them the legacy you promis'd them.

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SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

The poem is taking about the legacy that was promised to Nigerians that they would have a free and fair election by the unknown man. The promise was that it will be free and fair without any compromise but the at the end of everything disaster. The promises were not fulfiled. The government of Mr not doing well failed us woefully, Vanity upon Vanity, the poem therefore, reveals the theme of unfulfilled promises and disillusionment.

In the first stanza

     In line 1-7: in these lines, the poetic personnel is asking of a legacy. He is asking a character (unknown) of the legacy he promised Nigerians, " that would enable them to see God face to face" seeing God simply means purity and fairness in doing things. So in this context, the poetic personnel is saying the legacy he (unknown character) promised Nigerians was to make free, fair and purity. In line three of the first stanza, the poetic personnel called him " Mr not doing well". " At least Nigerians were happy and forgot your fault", in this line, the character (Mr not doing well) has caused Nigerians a lot of pains and hardship. Despite all these, Nigerians were still happy and have forgotten the painful torment from Mr not doing well. " And this evok'd the happiness of the moon to praise you too", the poetic personnel uses " moon" as a symbol of men who are in higher position in in church or in second interpretation, God Himself also to be happy because the happiness of the people despite the torment of Mr not doing well also Make them to praise him. But the people can't found their legacy of being Free, fair and purity. 

In the second stanza

    

      In line 8-17: in these lines, the poetic personnel still repeats the same question, " where is the legacy" the poet is desperate about the legacy he ( Mr not doing well) promised Nigerians. But in this stanza, the poet is asking for the same legacy Mr not doing well has promised Nigerians, the legacy of enabling them to elect a good leader themselves, not the one that will impose or force himself on them. In line 6, of the same stanza, " like a lion controlling the jungle". The are demanding for the right legacy not the one who imposes himself on them like a lion forcing himself to control the jungle. In the last line, (7-10) " but what now happened?"

   Nigerians are now like a blind bat.

As if the don't want a good government to heal the wound you put on them." In these lines the promised Mandate of enabling them to elect a good leader is stolen, it makes them to look as if the don't want good government to stop/heal the pains you have putting on them.

    

In the third stanza

      In line 18-26: in these lines, Nigerians were unhappy because the promises he made to them has failed. Their choice of leader was not given," their choices became like a sinker, with hook, line and bait that were swallowed by great whale". Now there choices have been take away by men of influence and riches who imposes themselves to them (Nigerians), now their choice has been swallowed. They are crying 😭. Instead of him(Mr not doing well) to stand by his promises he is laughing and making mockery of them. 

In the fourth stanza

    In line 27-37: in these lines, because he is holding the mantle of supreme power as the head of the country, the Poet called him a lion, and "a saber toothed tiger", that can destroy and tear a man into different pieces. He(Mr not doing well) has the power to summon and questions the person who declared the unwanted whale. " Like a family bell Summoning the people" he has the power to summon him to prove the election in the presence of everyone that the election was Free and fair.

In the last stanza (stanza five) 

  In line 38-42: in these lines, the poetic personnel calls the government of Mr not doing well has a government of Vanity, emptiness, depression dolorous and heartbreaking 💔. Because there is nothing to be recorded has a legacy. Nigerian are crying to you to show then where you kept the legacy you promised them.

POETIC DEVICES

1) the use of repetition: in the poem, " where is the legacy" is repeated in stanza two, asking for the promises he( Mr not doing well) made to them (Nigerians). In line 31 and 34, " the eye of the election result" is repeated. Nigerians are not happy with him, for not summoning the person who declared the election result, to come to the public for it's transparency .

2) the use of metaphors:

          In line 37 and 38, " you are a lion". "And you are a saber toothed tiger" . Here the Poet referred him to some strong and powerful animals because he has the supreme power to question anything as the head of the country.

3) the use of simile: 

         In line 13, " like a lion controlling the jungle". This means unwanted guest imposing themselves on Nigerians to control them. "Nigerians are now like blind bat"(L. 15), " like sinker with hook, line , and bait, (L.21), "like a family bell Summoning the people "(L.35), " your government is like Vanity upon Vanity ". All these similes in the poem portrays the anger of the poet towards the failed government of Mr not doing well.

4. Personification: In stanza 1, line 6 "And this evok'd the happiness of the moon to praise you too" the inanimate object which is the promise made by the unknown man impressed God Himself to praise him and this object is given human attribute to function like these further examples in stanza 4, line 35" the family bell summoning the people" and in stanza 5 line 46 "tears of Nigerians are knocking at your door" 

5. The use of alliteration e.g face to face by using the initial consonant sound /f/ /f/.

6. The use of Symbolism e.g "unwant'd guests" which is interpreted as the unwanted candidate who was declared by INEC and "the eye of the election result" is another symbols that represented the INEC chairman.

Etc.

THEMES

1. Theme of disillusionment and disappointment (serving one of the major themes

2. Theme of corruption by examining the manipulation of the election result

3. Theme of vanity because nothing to be counted as a legacy left by the unknown man

4. Theme of unfulfilled promises

5. Theme of bad governance

6. Theme of riches and influence

Etc.

SETTING

The physical setting of the poem is Nigeria.

The physical explanation to the poem is the just concluded election of Nigeria, conducted on the 25 of February. According to the poet, the election was fully rigged and the people's Mandate/ choice was stolen by men of high influence. The government of President Mohammed buhari who promised Nigerians that there will be a free and fair election was a sleep of tongue 😂, he has totally failed the nation.