A Freedom Song by Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye Growing up With African Poetry
MARJORIE OLUDHE MACGOYE: She was born in England in 1928. She went to Kenya in 1954 and worked with the C.M.C Bookshop in Nairobi, where she got married. She is publisher’s representative in Nairobi.
A freedom song
Atieno washes dishes,
Atieno plucks the chicken,
Atieno gets up early,
beds her sacks down in the kitchen,
Atieno eight
years old
Atieno yo.
Since she is my sister’s child
Atieno needs no pay
While she works my wife can sit
Sewing every sunny day,
With her
earnings I support
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s sly and jealous
Bad example to the kids
Since she minds them, like a school girl
Wants their dresses, shoes and beads.
Atieno ten
years old,
Atieno yo.
Now my wife has gone to study
Atieno is less free,
Don’t I keep her, school my own ones,
Pay the party, union fee
All for
progress? Aren’t you grateful,
Atieno yo.
Visitors need much attention,
All the more when I work nights.
That girl spends too long at market
Who will teach her what is right?
Atieno rising
fourteen,
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s had a baby
So we know that she is not barren
Fifty-fifty it may live
To repeat the life she had,
ending in post partum bleeding
Atieno yo.
Atieno’s soon replaced
Meat and sugar more than all
She ate in such a narrow life
Were lavished on her funeral
Atieno’s gone glory
Atieno yo.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
Qn 1. What is the poem all about?
Answ:
The poem is all about the mistreatment of a young child called Atieno by her blood uncle. Generally, the poem explores ideas of freedom in relation to children.
Qn 2. Who is the person speaking in
this poem?
Answ: The person speaking in this poem is Atieno’s uncle. Consider the following verse from the poem:
“Since she is my sister’s child……”
Qn 3. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the poem is sympathetic to the girl but ironical at the same time. It is ironical in a sense that the uncle pretends to be very sorry for Atieno while he is in fact the one torturing her.
Qn 4. What is the mood of the poem?
Answ: The mood of the poem is sympathetic to the girl on one hand but it also makes us feel disgusted with Uncle’s behaviour of torturing the little girl on the other.
Qn 5. Where do you think the setting of
this poem might be?
Answ: The setting of the poem is in Atieno’s Uncle’s house. Most of the events happening in this poem take place inside the Uncle’s house.
Qn 6. What kind of a poem is this?
Answ: This poem is a narrative poem. The poetess is telling us a story of Atieno from when she was living with her Uncle, and then she got pregnancy up to the end of her life.
Qn 7. Why do you think the poem is called “A freedom song” Whose freedom is it about?
Answ: The poem is called “A freedom song” as it is meant to free children from all sorts of mistreatment. Children have to be free from humiliation, exploitation and should be free to get education.
Qn 8. Comment on the musical devices used in the poem.
answ: (a) Rhymes
-The word “kitchen” rhymes with “chicken”
-The word “pay” rhymes with “day” so do “kids” and “beads”
-The word “free” rhymes with “fee” so do “night” and “right”
(b) Refrain.
– Atieno yo.
Qn 9. Discuss the themes found in the
poem.
The themes found in this poem are child labour, humiliation, exploitation, segregation and hypocrisy.
{i} Child labour. There is a question of child labour discussed in this poem. For example in the first stanza, Atieno is burdened with a house chore at her Uncle’s home when she is just eight years old while there are other grown- ups like the aunt who just watch her being busy with house activities and not assisting her.
{ii} Humiliation.
This is another theme found in this poem, from the poem Atieno is humiliated by her uncle’s family, despite working very hard for them, Atieno sleeps in the kitchen with sacks as her beddings and floor as a bed.
{iii} Exploitation.
Exploitation can be defined as the misuse of human resources without paying proper benefit for it. In this poem Atieno is exploited by her blood uncle, she works hard for him but being paid nothing, as this is not enough, whatever Atieno gets from her work (sewing) the uncle also shows the interests in her earnings.
{iv} Segregation. This is also another theme found in this poem, Atieno is badly treated by the members of her uncle’s family, Atieno is segregated as she does not sleep with the rest of her Uncle’s family, she is also segregated by not being sent to school as other children although her age allows her to be at school.
{v} Hypocrisy.
This refers to that practice in which a person pretends to be different from what he or she really is, because he or she wishes to appear to be a better person. This is shown from this poem in the last stanza.
During Atieno’s funeral, the uncle prepares a huge feast for the mourners to show that he is so much concerned (very touched by Atieno’s death) while in reality, he is the one responsible in one way or another for her death.
