Poetry Pack

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Poetry Pack

The poem under my analysis is “The Grieved Lands” by Augustinho Neto. The major theme of the poem is the intolerable behavior, sufferings and painful events happened with the black men or Africans. The poet begins the poem by telling the historical paradigm of what was happened in the past with black men that they were treated as salves. The poet uses the word "tearful woes" which shows the great sorrow of the poet regarding the historical events that happened with the Africans. Actually, the poet is hopeless after seeing the extreme poverty of the Africans (Neto).

In the poem, the poet shows mix feeling some are positive and some are negative. For example, the poet uses the words like "flower" that is "crushed" in the "forest" which symbolizes that African continent is a flower that has been brutally crushed in the forest by the Western colonizers. The poet uses the words "wickedness of iron and fire" such aggressive words shows how badly the westerns have been treating black people which supports the main theme of the poem. If we see the historical events, they clearly depict the cruel behavior of Western people towards black people, and it also shows the painful treatment of white people with Africans. In the middle of the poem, the poet tells the readers the brutal behavior and cruel punishments which were given to the black people. The poet uses the expression of "corpses thrown up by the Atlantic/in the putrid offering of incoherence and death." This line clearly states that the black people or the African slaves were badly beaten up or even starved for days and the worst punishment was death and thrown into the oceans without any mercy. These stanzas clearly imply the grief and sorrow of the poet.

Another image that has been depicted in the poem is the "dreams" of the Africans. The poet uses the words of "honest blood of men" which shows the determination and fortitude of the Africans in order to achieve their freedom. The poet symbolizes that the Africans were so determined that they gave their lives for their freedom. In the thirty one to thirty three lines of the poem, the poet uses the phrases like "strong desire of men" and the "sincerity of men" which shows the loyalty of the black men towards their goals. These lines also show the anger and frustration of the poet regarding the terrible situation of Africans or black people. The poet beautifully finishes the poem by describing the ultimate desire of Africans to conquer, and they succeeded and survived. In the last stanza, the poet uses the words "they live" and "are imperishable particles" which states that Africans are tough people. Besides, all the sufferings they strived hard for their rights and conquered successfully which makes them eternal. Their suffering made them strong, and they managed to live.

The tittle of the poem "Grieved Lands" refers to the depressed and suffering people of Africa who have lost their lives, their assets, culture, and humanity due to western colonialism. The theme of the poem can also be well depicted from the tittle. With all the pain suffered by the Africans the land itself has become grieved and sorrow. The overall poem states the ethical perspective of the poet, and it shows that the poet stands with the truth without any fear. The theme of the poem was well caught by the readers and drove all the attention due to the emotional thrust of the argument in the poem (Ramos, Celiomar Porfírio, and Marinei).

Works Cited

Neto, Augustinho. "The Grieved Lands." 29-30.

Ramos, Celiomar Porfírio, and Marinei Almeida. "TERRAS SENTIDAS-BETWEEN THE AFFLICTION AND THE COMPLAINT: THE POETRY OF RESISTANCE BY AUGUSTIN NETO / TERRAS SENTIDAS-BETWEEN THE AFFLICTION AND THE COMPLAINT: THE POETRY OF RESISTANCE BY AGOSTINHO NETO." Journal Athena 12.1 (2017).