The Lion’s den- Dookwon Iswamaf. Autobiography of the poet.
Born in Mali, year 2006 December 22 grew up with his father after the tragic death of his mum. Then at age five (5), travel to Sierra Leone upon the call of the mission of the unification church, where he faced a lot of tremendous challenges and obstacles as a result of the ugly damage of the organization.
The poet attended the Evenly’s Royal Academy for his primary level and continued his secondary studies in the Dr David Arnold high school, then finally sat his WASSCE exams at the ST. Ambrose Academy.
Dookwon’s motive for writing this poem is to systematically appeal about the past sufferings and struggling that mankind ****** at his face, and the gain of once achievements after going through deadly hardships in a chaotic environment. Soon in odds of these request, on the 1st of October 2024 at age 17, he made a resolution of writing this poem.
The Lion’s den.
Stilled in the land of war,
Built with shadows and darkness,
Dressed with narrows and thorny paths.
Trials and tests are no fail.
Oh you stubborn boy, Malian born.
Rains and sun-rays strike from plants;
Warriors grieved
Their own swords.
The cloudy night and dangerous storms
Far from over.
Peace and love are far from reality.
Oh you stubborn boy, Malian born.
The den clothed in the Red Sea,
Painful laughter and cries are known for us.
The fearless monks appeal for bloodshed;
Smiles the tyrannic’s impure dance.
The last days we await.
No more.
Oh you stubborn boy, Malian born.
The white doves are fierce fighters,
The underdogs.
And as for the plants on the sad height,
The sun rays will come,
And the wounded fruits will tell
On the battle of the fists.
Oh you stubborn boy, Malian born.
Contexts analysis
The background of the poem revolves around an unacceptable agony raining in a certain environment. To the extent, the poet registered a note of protest where by the entire area of land is view as having been drowned into a great disaster called the Red Sea as illustrated in line 13 of the poem. However, the protagonist serves as a voice of laments and regrets against the the unfairness and injustice behaviors manifested in this awful environment.
So therefore in claim of these ugly satire, and negative metamorphic images like “blood shed”, shadows and darkness”,red sea”, cloudy night and dangerous storms”,are all effective and strong enough to show the protagonist believability in comparing its to the “Lion’s den “.
EVIL AND SUFFOCATION
The poem thematically reveals the ruthless actions of the tyrannic towards his surbodinents, and how will it’s affect the sphere of the environment and thereafter.
Furthermore, these evil practices and painful cries inflicted, were used to suppress and torture the lives of these prospective victims who are in pain and agony. The Lion here demonstrated his evil and suffocating plans through the use of spiritual powers which makes him faroushed and untouchable despite his evil nature. In this case, the people or masses of that land suffered fearful events, such as the death of honest blood, the delay of prominent destines, the decline of future generations, and the introduction of malefic objects in product of sebeh , charms and hamelets, witches pots etc in order to create more disasters and suffering than ever before.
As mentioned earlier in the third stanza of the poem that....” The den clothed into the Red Sea, painful laughters and cries are known for us, The fearless monks appeals for blood shed, Smiles the tyrannic’s impure dance. The last days we awaits, No more”. The above quotations reminds us about how perishable and evil the environment looks like in an actual face especially with the lead of a ferocious and selfish actor. To continue, the poet further expresses his anger and frustration on the emotional anguish suffered by these innocent people in request of their bubbling dreams. In other words, it is rather unfortunate that these ungodly and acquit scenarios played a vital role to the submission and degrading lives of these faithful servants, making the tyrannic too powerful and threat-full to the successful reach of their flaming fate.
So as a result, of this calamentical avenues the environment becomes miserable and perishable in an actual face, no sign of progress is seen in reality all we know are pathetic circumstances and detorating features appearing our ways, leaving us to grieve in fear and to wait for the “last days “ as illustrated in stanza (3).
THE EXPERIENCE OF BAD LEADERSHIP.
Leadership is not a bed for roses, but should be a field of sacrifices. The ugly experience that goes with the gandeur of power is clearly illustrated in the poem. As a result of missues and misrule of power a cleaver call is made for a major theme capture in the poem. There fore, the protagonist further exposes the negative impacts played by this tyrants rule to the disadvantage of all sphere of life and the environment as a whole.
Historically,this tyrants lion exercises his superiority and dominance over these faithful servants through evil practices, dictatorship and authoritarianism. Thus, major aftermaths of the tyrannical governance over this entire environment, is a horror of awful and shameful experiences in the venom of its regime. Effectively, the poet further re-established his sorrow and grieve on the “shadows and darkness “ encountered by these surbodinents in provocation of their golden dreams.
As a matter of facts, their longing goals were drawned into the “Red Sea” , leaving them to perish in pain and despair through evil manipulation in result of absolute power. Unfortunately though,they have seen and witnessed their lives, reputations, futures, and stars been destroyed under the alter of selfishness and greed, the poetic personnel theologically expresses the horrible and unacceptable agony pouring on this deadly zone, terrorizing the request for success and progress in the society. This was clearly captured in the second stanza of the poem which reads” rains and sun rays strike from plants, warriors grieved, their own swords, (lines 6,7,8). The above quotations also bring light to the horrific punishment injected in the lives of these members who where discriminated, deprived, bullied, and even depressed by this tyrannic lead. The predicaments and sufferings (shadows) undergone by these loosing servants in the hands of this worthless and ruthless being has its infinetic consequences unto today’s era. This can also observe the probability of members loosing their faith, and also creating the use of violence and disharmony as it was logically proposed that “peace and love is far from reality”.
Despite these ungodly experiences, the poet also regards this part of the poem as a test for these brave warriors to persevere, endure and maintain faith for the “last days” to answer their tearful prayers.
In sincerity, these vibrants mens before the catastrophe were aiming for prosperity and development in the land, society, and nation as a whole, breaking through their lives endeavors . The speaker nervously confirms that these imperishable hopes should remain at the corner of their bleeding hearts, for the day to achieve freedom and succeed as it was proclaimed “ And as for the plants on the sad height, the sun rays will come”. Another consequence of this chaotic scenarios is dictatorship and authoritarianism. The poem is a protest poem chronicling the peak of terrors by which members with the environment were wantonly abused, spoiled and exploited by this ironic lead. The background of the poem is drowned from the 2012 change of Leadership in the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Sierra Leone, which set up the heat for members to be arranged in hierarchal form with their leaders in each regions of Heavenly Africa. This part therefore serves as a voice of reason and condemnation against the injustice and unfair treatment meted against these members, by this superiors. The poet executively proclaims that, the entire area of land is viewed as terrifically deadly and destroyed when he reveals that “stilled in the land of war”, describing the Kind of hardships and obstacles designed in the midst of its atmosphere including all sort of discriminations and fake documentaries pasted on the lives of these members, in protection of this communist failure’s “impure dance”. To the extent, bribery and corruption to some higher ranks of this organization created an oath for embezzlement and self interest crucially detecting a lead to failure and crisis in the land.
Finally, as a result of this upsetting circumstances, the poet justifies the uses of trials and tests in the poem as a course of this failing actor bringing life to all sarcastic events in the “ den” which chases prosperity and development far away from human imaginations as a result of its deadly and chaotic nature.
THE STRONG DESIRE FOR SUCCESS.
Despite these disgusting scenarios suffered by these inferiors in the hands of this communist monster, the poet emphasizes on a sign of courage that these members will greatly succeed through this horrific conditions and they will do so in memories of those affliction in which their innocent blood is shed for the sake of growth and development: as it was impressed in stanza 3”The den clothed into the Red sea,painful laughters and cries are known for us, the fearless monks appeals for blood shed”(line 14 and15).
As introduced earlier in the second theme that, these innocent victims before the disaster were living in a strong desire for greatness guided by progress of purpose through their lives endeavors. The speaker further confirms that these miserable servants of that land will emerge as a great personalities that can help greatly in Our “Heavenly Parents” providence in the future and will attain there golden dreams as he describes them as “plants” in the poem meaning prominent individuals.
The poem continuously surveys the dotted amount of redemption left in the consciousness of these honest bloods and further prescribe that” And as for the plants on the sad height”, the sun rays will come”( line 22 and 23). The protagonist then continued to raise a claim on the torture and emotional anguish which he feels about this pathetic land and it’s intolerable situation which is vividly evident in the burning tears of the poem.
In the poem’s concluding stanza, Dookwon reiterates these helpless slaves will that they should conquer the obstacles through this dead zone and wait for the right moments called the “last days “.
IMAGERIES AND SYMBOLISM.
So as it identify in the poem, lines (1-5) can be considered as the poet introductory paragraph and lines (6-21) as the narrative, and finally lines (22-25) is the poet’s end of speech. For example, “stilled in the land of war” create a definate precision about this environment deadly aspect and struggles about it’s life sphere. And the second phrase says “ Built of shadows and darkness” symbolizes the sufferings and struggles implanted in these humble servants avenues and the unfortunate outcomes for their agonistic paths.
Another important imagery is “rains and sun rays are strike from plants, The cloudy night and dangerous storms, Far from over” lines (6,9-10). The above rewards the shocking caious displayed by this tyrants rule in order to cease all success and progress in hand of this prominent( plants) as he taniches their reputations to the HQ of it’s movement.
Anxiously, the significant must be mentioned as (line 13,14,15-16) that delivers the chaotic and unbearable calamities befallen the land, as a result of the tyrannic’s impure dance implied in the “den”.(“The den clothed into the Red Sea, Painful laughters and cries know for us, The fearless monks appeals for blood shed, Smiles the tyrannic impure dance”).
According to the poetic views of it’s concluding stanza, a minimum amount of hope is detected in the bleeding grasses of this chaotic land for the “ last days “ to bring in the light that chases the darkness through a trapping tunnel as it’s precisely says”And as for the plants on the sad height, the sun rays will come, And the wounded fruits will tell on the battle of the fists”( line 22,23-24).
DICTIONS OF WORDS
This part of the poem reminds us about the choice of words used to express the grief the poet. In addition, the form of the poet is pathetic in nature.
Moreover, the poet’s expression and choice of words used to describe the environmental catastrophe is sensitively declared through these choices of words:
Darkness- sufferings
Shadows - struggles
Rains - progress
Sun rays- success
Plants- prominent individuals
Warriors- ordinary masses
Swords- hope Cloudy night- discrimination
Dangerous storms- criticism
Red Sea - Disasters
Painful laughters- Evil mockeries
Fearless monks- Elders
Blood shed- Evil sacrifices
Impure dance- malefic games The last days- The ultimate change The white doves- The corruptive leaders
The underdogs-The underrates
Wounded fruits - unborn generation
Battle of the fists- The story.
TONE OR MOOD OF WRITER
The protagonist’s mood in writing this poem is dearly testified by the poem’s drastic metaphors, causing the poet to become mourning , sorrowful, and hopeful in writing this poem.
SETTINGS AND STRUCTURE OF THE POEM.
“The Lion’s Den” was set in Sierra Leone, Freetown at night by 20:00(GMT) in the rainy season
Date:1st October 2024.
STRUCTURE OF THE POEM
The poem is made up of 4 stanzas with 25 lines. The first stanza is a quintet which includes five lines. The second is a septet, which is also for the third stanza. And the last stanza consist of six lines which is called a sextet, the poem is also consist of epic proportions and inward rhymes creating a tension of despair in this context. Eventually, the poem is known as an ugly satire because of it’s pathetic nature.
POETIC DEVICES
Alliteration:this is found within the first line of the poem showing the reputation of the sound of”w”showing the weight of war.Alliteration is also find in line (4) which says “Trials and Test are no fail” emphasizing the use of “t”. Finally line(10) collect the repetition of “f” by declaring far from over. Metaphor:is found in the second, thirteen and twenty second lines in the poem which detect “ built of shadows and darkness,the den clothed into the redsea, the sun rays will come “.
Symbolism:line 3__”dressed with narrows and throny paths”.
Paradox:as unsealed in line(4) of the poem with the words “trials and tests” describing the inevitable challenges in that landscape.
Personification:in the various lines it’s has been examined of personification things and places giving human qualities in order to create a most intense and pathetic atmosphere starting with lines:6,16
and 24 which says that “rains and sun rays are strike from plants, smiles the tyrannic’s impure dance,and the wounded fruits will tell on the battle of the fists”.
Imagery:invoked in the first,third, seventh,ninth,twenty-third, and twenty fouth lines of the poem symbolizing a forbidden atmosphere in that entire land scape.
Metonymy:found in line (8) of the poem as it’s reads “their own swords” symbolizing war in a form of lies against innocents souls.
Juxtaposition:”peace and love is far from reality,The fearless monks appeals for blood shed”...( line 11-15). Showing the contradiction of the writer’s world.
Contrast:The juxtaposition of(rains and sun rays coming together implies the duality of hope as noted in line 7.
Oxymoron:this is juxtaposed in line 14 which appeals that “painful laughters and cries are known for us”. This creates joy and sorrow at the same time in the poem.
Ambiguity:
In line 17 we can see that both the end of sufferings and finality is aimed for in the phrase as it’s claims that”The last days we awaits “ suggesting a ******.
Irony: in terms of this figurative device we clearly observe such in line 20 where in the protagonist uses the white doves as an irony in order to manifest the contracting actions of these corrupt leaders who hereby contribute greatly to the destruction of the providence.
Characterization: these is updated from line 21 which creates an oppressive tone uploaded on the lives of these members making them to feel rejected and worthless as the poet declared them as “underdogs”.
Repetition: Declared in line (5,12,19,25) giving a deadly impression about an entire landscape who sounds been in a great explosion as he repeatedly sounds his identity and nationality in sign of regrets.
POEM’S RESOLUTION
This story peaks out the saying that “After the tunnels is the sunshine”i.e In all stages of life, there’s no success without tears.
May God help the providence in Sierra Leone
