Oumar Farouk Sesay’s “The Song of the Women of My Land” presents a profound exploration of memory, suffering, and resilience through the voices of the women who have toiled and endured through time. The poem reflects on the echoes of their lives, captured in the fading song of their struggles and dreams. Sesay weaves together themes of servitude, survival, and the passage of time, showcasing how the memory of these women’s sacrifices persists in the songs of the past.
This article will offer a comprehensive breakdown of the figures of speech, mood, tone, and language in Sesay’s poem, making it accessible even to those who are new to literature. It will also suggest classroom activities and assignments for educators seeking to engage students with this rich and emotive work.
The Poem: “The Song of the Women of My Land”
Like a sculptor chipping away at bits of wood,
Time chisels away bits of their memory
It strips away lyrics of the song of the women of my land
Leaving only a fading tune echoing the song,
they sang in the forlorn fields
about their lives; songs
of how they ploughed the terrain of their landscape
for memories of lyrics lost in the vast void of time,
in those days when a song beheld their lives;
when servitude cuffed the ankles of their soul,
and dereliction decapitated the epic of their lives.
With a song, they sponged off their anguish,
to behold their collective pain,
to celebrate their gains
give lyrics to the tune of their lives,
cheat the tyranny of time
and commune with the yet unborn
to give meaning to an epoch lost in antiquity,
Yet time strips the lyrics and scars the tune,
leaving a dying song.
Dead!
Like the woman who died long ago,
Leaving the song to tell the story of their lives.
Today the tune roams the forlorn fields
Like their souls looking for lyrics.
To tell the tale of the servitude
of the women of my land
Who ploughed their soil and soul
For a song to sing the story of their lives
The song of the women of my land
left in the memory of the wind.
Now feeding the verses of poets, it echoes in
Wriggling in rhythms and melodies,
Hollering in distant tunes
In places far afield the forlorn fields,
where the song of their lives died.
The stuttering lips of my pen
And the screeching voice of my rib
try to sing the song of the women of my land
In verses far from the theatre of toil
where they left a song that now roams the land
stripped of lyrics like a scorned ghost.
The tune tuning the tenor of my verse
is all that remains of the song of the women of my land
Who labored and died leaving a dying song.
The dirge of their lives!
Figures of Speech in “The Song of the Women of My Land”
- Simile
- Example: “Like a sculptor chipping away at bits of wood”
- Explanation: The process of time stripping away memory is compared to a sculptor chiseling wood, suggesting a gradual but inevitable erosion.
- Metaphor
- Example: “Time chisels away bits of their memory”
- Explanation: Time is portrayed as a chisel that erodes memory, emphasizing the fleeting nature of history and human experience.
- Personification
- Example: “Time strips away lyrics of the song of the women of my land”
- Explanation: Time is given the human ability to strip and remove, suggesting its active role in fading history and memory.
- Symbolism
- Example: “The song of the women of my land”
- Explanation: The song symbolizes the collective memory, struggles, and lives of these women, encapsulating their history and sacrifices.
- Irony
- Example: “Yet time strips the lyrics and scars the tune, leaving a dying song”
- Explanation: The irony lies in the fact that the song, which once represented life and vibrancy, now symbolizes fading and loss due to the ravages of time.
- Alliteration
- Example: “The stuttering lips of my pen”
- Explanation: The repetition of the “s” sound emphasizes the hesitation or difficulty the poet faces in capturing the full essence of the song.
- Hyperbole
- Example: “The dying song”
- Explanation: The concept of a “dying song” exaggerates the idea of loss, making it feel like the very essence of these women’s lives is vanishing.
- Juxtaposition
- Example: “Today the tune roams the forlorn fields”
- Explanation: The contrast between the past (when the women’s song was alive and vibrant) and the present (when the tune is but an echo) highlights the passage of time and loss.
- Allusion
- Example: “To commune with the yet unborn”
- Explanation: This alludes to the idea of connecting across generations, giving the women’s song a timeless quality.
- Anaphora
- Example: “The song of the women of my land”
- Explanation: The repetition of this phrase reinforces the central theme of the poem: the song as a symbol of the women’s experiences.
- Metonymy
- Example: “The song to tell the story of their lives”
- Explanation: The song represents the women’s experiences and lives, standing in for the broader narrative of their struggles.
- Oxymoron
- Example: “A dying song”
- Explanation: The idea of a “dying song” is contradictory, as songs are typically associated with life, vitality, and memory. This juxtaposes death with the act of remembering.
- Epiphora
- Example: “Dead! / Like the woman who died long ago”
- Explanation: The repetition of “dead” at the end of sentences emphasizes the finality and loss associated with the women’s song and the woman herself.
- Synecdoche
- Example: “The stuttering lips of my pen”
- Explanation: The pen, as a part of the poet’s process, is used to represent the entire act of writing and creating poetry.
- Personification
- Example: “The song of their lives died”
- Explanation: The song, a symbol of life and vitality, is personified as capable of dying, symbolizing the erasure of the women’s legacy and their suffering.
Mood, Tone, and Language in “The Song of the Women of My Land”
- Mood: The poem evokes a mood of melancholy, reflection, and loss. The reader feels the weight of history, the fading memory of the women’s struggles, and the sorrow of time eroding their legacy.
- Tone: The tone is mournful and contemplative, as the speaker reflects on the fading song of the women of his land. It conveys both reverence for their labor and lament for their forgotten sacrifices.
- Language: Sesay uses evocative and vivid language throughout the poem. The imagery of songs, memories, and time creates a deep emotional impact, while the use of figures of speech enhances the poem’s expressiveness and complexity.
Classroom Activities for “The Song of the Women of My Land”
- Memory and Legacy Mapping
Students can create a visual “memory map” of the poem. They can trace how the song changes throughout the poem and what it symbolizes at different points. - Comparing Songs and Poems
Have students compare “The Song of the Women of My Land” to other works that center on songs or oral traditions. They can analyze how different cultures use songs to preserve memory and history. - Group Recitation
Have students work in small groups to recite the poem aloud, focusing on the tone and emotional delivery. Afterward, they can discuss how the rhythm of the poem enhances its themes. - Symbolism Discussion
Ask students to choose one symbol from the poem (such as the “dying song”) and discuss its significance. They can present their findings to the class. - History and Literature Research
Students can research the historical context behind the poem, particularly the role of women in African societies. They can then write a brief report on how this history informs the poem.
Classroom Assignments for “The Song of the Women of My Land”
- Poem Analysis Paper
Students can write an analytical essay focusing on how the poem uses the concept of song to symbolize the struggles and resilience of women. - Creative Response
Students can write a poem or a short story inspired by “The Song of the Women of My Land”, exploring similar themes of memory, loss, and legacy. - Historical Context Essay
Ask students to write an essay on the historical role of women in African agricultural societies and how their stories are preserved in literature and oral traditions. - Literary Devices Exploration
Students can identify and analyze the use of literary devices in the poem, such as metaphor, symbolism, and alliteration, and discuss how each contributes to the meaning of the poem. - Personal Reflection
Have students write a personal reflection on the poem’s themes. How does the poem relate to their own experiences with memory, loss, or the passage of time?
Conclusion
Oumar Farouk Sesay’s “The Song of the Women of My Land” is a poignant tribute to the women whose lives have shaped history but whose stories risk fading with time. Through powerful figures of speech and a mournful yet hopeful tone, Sesay invites readers to reflect on the resilience of the women of his land and the power of memory. The poem encourages us to keep alive the stories of those who have labored and suffered, ensuring that their legacies live on through song, poetry, and remembrance.