Site icon Words Rhymes & Rhythm

REVIEW: KUKOGHO’S ‘WE WHO SOWED HURT AND BEADED PAINS’ IS CHARGED WITH SUBTLE MESSAGES ON PSYCHIC DISORDERS AND TRAUMATIC IDENTITIES

<body><div class&equals;"booster-block booster-read-block">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"twp-read-time">&NewLine; &Tab;<i class&equals;"booster-icon twp-clock"><&sol;i> <span>Read Time&colon;<&sol;span>6 Minute&comma; 1 Second <&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<h4 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Title&colon; We Who Sowed Hurt and Beaded Pains<br>Author&colon; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;authorpedia&sol;kukogho-iruesiri-samson&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener noreferrer">Kukogho Iruesiri Samson<&sol;a><br>Genre&colon; Poetry<br>Number of Pages&colon; 66<br>Publishers&colon; Words Rhymes &amp&semi; Rhythm<br>Year of Publication&colon; 2017<br>ISBN&colon; 978-978-961-655-8<br>Reviewer&colon; Eugene Yakubu<&sol;h4>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">For readers who are inclined to evoke didactic moral lessons from poetry&comma; the central theme of Kukogho Iruesiri Samson’s collection of poems <em>We Who Sowed Hurt and Beaded Pains<&sol;em> is that there is always a hidden personality in every man&comma; a concealed frown in every smile&comma; and a bitter mask in every laughter&period;<&sol;h5>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Kukogho’s poems are sure to teach us that the serpent lies under the finest of roses too&period; Hence&comma; appalling poems like <em>A Grown Man’s Tears<&sol;em>&comma; <em>I know a Man who Cries with his Fists<&sol;em>&comma; <em>They call it Suicide<&sol;em> and so many other sullen poems seemed to teach readers that of all the hideous of devils&comma; the one true wretch that nobody ever wants to give any credence to is the one living behind the pleasing outward facade we sell out to the world&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>At least for the poet&comma; physical charm&comma; joy and happiness do not necessarily equate to personal happiness&period; Hence&comma; there are dozens of people strutting the street but carrying depressive explosives in their hearts and prone to explosion anytime&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This is poetry that dared to divorce the stale traditional popular theme of sociopolitical discourses and embrace issues of identity&comma; desire and psychological trauma— a timely effort in this contemporary world&period; This collection of poems is charged with subtle messages on psychic disorders and traumatic identities in that the poet chose to base his theme around depression and mental trauma&period; Be that as it may&comma; despite the grave tone and thunderous rhythm in the poems&semi; the poet still yet never abandoned his stylistic grandeur and literary efficacy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<blockquote style&equals;"text-align&colon;right" class&equals;"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p style&equals;"text-align&colon; right&semi;">The collection is gracefully adorned in chunks of similes&comma; metaphors&comma; rhetorical questions&comma; personifications&comma; irony and symbols&period; The diction is carefully chosen to have affective effects on readers&period;<&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-image"><figure class&equals;"aligncenter"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;12&sol;We-Who-Sowed-Hurt-Beaded-Pains-2&period;png"><img sizes&equals;"&lpar;max-width&colon; 750px&rpar; 100vw&comma; 750px" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2019&sol;05&sol;WE-WHO-SOWED-HURT-BEADED-PAINS-COVER-663x1024&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-37233" loading&equals;"lazy"><&sol;a><&sol;figure><&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In the poem <em>l&period;o&period;v&period;e<&sol;em>&comma; Love is being referred to in personification&comma; clothed as an animate figure to create enduring mental images in the reader&period; For example&comma; in a witty and creative manner&comma; the poet proffers that&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;if you see love strolling like a dreaded ragamuffin<&sol;em><br><em>with locks dangling from a rainbowed hat”&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This description practically creates picturesque memories in the reader’s mind and dragged him into the poet’s own mind as he scribbles from his thought&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This collection is commendable for its venturous glide into the psychology of the depressed&period; The poet conquered the blockading fog that most traumatic victims and depressed people are known to have cocooned themselves into— living in their souls&comma; away from society’s eyes&period; But&comma; even so&comma; the poet manages to capture the psychology of depression as it affects people and even offers various signs that point at advent of a psychological tumult&period; For the Poet&comma; in the poem <em>They call it Suicide<&sol;em>&comma; he sees the depressed person as withdrawing into himself&comma; away from public stare &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;like a sprinting snail touched on the nose”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p style&equals;"text-align&colon; right&semi;">It was Sigmund Freud who said that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;for an external frustration to be pathogenic&comma; an internal frustration must be added to it”&period;<&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This the poet knows in that he formed his victims of depression to have been under an earlier traumatic occurrence which then instigate their present chaotic thoughts&period; This is captured in the poem <em>They Called it Suicide<&sol;em>&comma; whereby the poet wrote that&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;the tiny sparks&comma; they ignited tiny flames<&sol;em><br><em>and the tiny flames&comma; they became fireballs<&sol;em><br><em>slowly eating the pages of his troubled mind”&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The poet is a moralist with an ardent bidding to correct the flawed attitude of the society towards ostracized people&period; In the same poem&comma; the poet marveled at the indifference of the world to the scourge of depression and the carefree attitude of people towards overly introvertish personality which the society choose to call &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;metamorphosis”&comma; but until the victim finally give up on life and robed his neck on a branch&comma; then people quickly criticize and label it &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;suicide”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The poet didn’t totally abandon the social issues in his society&period; In the poem <em>3<sup>rd<&sol;sup> Mainland Bridge<&sol;em>&comma; the poet makes a creative allusion to the trending suicidal acts happening in the popular 3<sup>rd<&sol;sup> Mainland Bridge in Lagos&period; The poet used this background to recount the gory situation through his poems&comma; as such mirroring the society in which he lives— a basic attribute of literature&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;'w3eden'><&excl;-- WPDM Link Template&colon; Default Template -->&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;"link-template-default card mb-2">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"card-body">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"media">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"mr-3 img-48"><img class&equals;"wpdm&lowbar;icon" alt&equals;"Icon" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;wp-content&sol;plugins&sol;download-manager&sol;assets&sol;file-type-icons&sol;pdf&period;svg" &sol;><&sol;div>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"media-body">&NewLine; <h3 class&equals;"package-title"><a href&equals;'https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;download&sol;pains-kukogho&sol;'>WE WHO SOWED HURT & BEADED PAINS &lpar;2ND EDITION&rpar; BY KUKOGHO IRUESIRI SAMSON<&sol;a><&sol;h3>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"text-muted text-small"><i class&equals;"fas fa-copy"><&sol;i> 1 file&lpar;s&rpar; <i class&equals;"fas fa-hdd ml-3"><&sol;i> 805&period;83 KB<&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"ml-3">&NewLine; <a class&equals;'wpdm-download-link download-on-click btn btn-primary ' rel&equals;'nofollow' href&equals;'&num;' data-downloadurl&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;download&sol;pains-kukogho&sol;&quest;wpdmdl&equals;37228&refresh&equals;6932450ba73111764902155">Download<&sol;a>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The poet’s diction is renowned for its ability to transpose the reader and create in him a trance- like effect whereby he envelops himself in the pages of the book&comma; in the words and by so doing in the poet’s thoughts too&period; The diction reveals strikingly expressive images&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In <em>I am Looking for My Childhood&comma; <&sol;em>the poet in the last line of the fourth stanza referred to his knock as <em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;soft- knuckled and softhearted”<&sol;em>&comma; a connotation which practically reveals the child- like nature and innocence of the poet- personae&period; He also described a depressed mind as <em>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;iced fire curdling his blood into a lumpy dirge”<&sol;em>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p style&equals;"text-align&colon; right&semi;">This mastery with words nonetheless offers the reader the opportunity to see and realize virtually every meaning and theme immersed in language&period; The poet laudably assumed to himself a liberty with words which is only evident in the most sophisticated of poets&period;<&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>He departed from the rules and conventions of standard spoken and written prose in matters such as syntax&comma; word order&comma; the use of archaic and newly coined words&semi; which fortunately is literarily doable and permissible— technically termed as <em>poetic license&period;<&sol;em> The poet was spontaneously free to violate language for special effects which of course freshens our perceptions both of literary language and of the world it represents&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In <em>I am Looking for my Childhood<&sol;em>&comma; the poet amusingly uses newly coined words like &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;longa- throats”&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;rainbowed”&semi; in <em>teach me how to be sad <&sol;em>he used &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;unteach”&semi; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;unbirthed” in <em>song from my soul<&sol;em>&semi; and in the titled poem <em>lie- f <&sol;em>to convey his personal thoughts and unique predilection— a rare feat in African poetry&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p style&equals;"text-align&colon; right&semi;">This poetry collection is sure to tell every reader a piece about his life&period; It has strikingly refreshing poems as well as meditative verses that transcend minds into nebulous realms for a peaceful re-connection with the soul&period;<&sol;p><&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The witty poem with a promising title <em>Happiness is Sand in a Hourglass <&sol;em>is a must- read for all readers&comma; likewise the succinct and efficient verse <em>My Cross <&sol;em>which says everything about contentment&period; The motivational verse <em>People Never Understand <&sol;em>is trigger that pushes the best part of an individual to just live his life&comma; it teaches that people are not ever going to understand&semi; hence one should live his life to his best&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Concealed behind this captivatingly promising title <em>We Who Sowed Hurt and Beaded Pains <&sol;em>is the sublime thoughts of a brave poet who risked stepping out of the status-quo and familiar notions of poetry and enormously succeeded in telling and schooling the reader about much that is worthy of consideration&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h5 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">This book is a must- read for all lovers of good literature and is recommended for a psychological appraisal by psychoanalytic readers to uncover the somber mood&comma; sullen diction and meditative tone of the poet&period;<&sol;h5>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-image"><figure class&equals;"aligncenter"><img sizes&equals;"&lpar;max-width&colon; 750px&rpar; 100vw&comma; 750px" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2019&sol;05&sol;sOWED-HURT-BEADED-PAINS4&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-37275" loading&equals;"lazy"><&sol;figure><&sol;div>&NewLine; &NewLine; <div class&equals;"booster-block booster-author-block">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-details layout-square align-left">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-wrapper">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"booster-row">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"booster-column booster-column-two booster-column-mobile">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-image">&NewLine; <img alt&equals;"" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;secure&period;gravatar&period;com&sol;avatar&sol;b14a71cef6bb9fae6826785715e23466f23c43267f9c0dc6b52b6944367bb3df&quest;s&equals;400&amp&semi;d&equals;mm&amp&semi;r&equals;g" class&equals;"avatar avatar-400 photo avatar-img" height&equals;"400" width&equals;"400" loading&equals;"lazy"> <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"booster-column booster-column-eight booster-column-mobile">&NewLine; <div class&equals;"author-details">&NewLine; <header class&equals;"twp-plugin-title twp-author-title">&NewLine; <h2>About Post Author<&sol;h2>&NewLine; <&sol;header>&NewLine; <h4 class&equals;"be-author-meta be-author-name">&NewLine; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wrr&period;ng&sol;author&sol;yeugene&sol;" class&equals;"booster-url-link">&NewLine; Eugene Yakubu <&sol;a>&NewLine; <&sol;h4>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-meta be-author-description">Eugene Yakubu is a book critic&comma; reviewer and storyteller&period; He loves art and nature&semi; and spends his time reading beautiful novels and writing stories&period; He reviews Nigerian books for Authorpedia&period;<&sol;div>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-meta be-author-email">&NewLine; <a href&equals;"mailto&colon;&percnt;20yeugene78&commat;gmail&period;com" class&equals;"booster-url-link">&NewLine; <span class&equals;"booster-svg-icon booster-svg-envelope"><svg class&equals;"booster-svg" aria-hidden&equals;"true" role&equals;"img" focusable&equals;"false" viewbox&equals;"0 0 24 24" xmlns&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;w3&period;org&sol;2000&sol;svg" width&equals;"24" height&equals;"24"><path fill&equals;"currentColor" d&equals;"M0 3v18h24v-18h-24zm6&period;623 7&period;929l-4&period;623 5&period;712v-9&period;458l4&period;623 3&period;746zm-4&period;141-5&period;929h19&period;035l-9&period;517 7&period;713-9&period;518-7&period;713zm5&period;694 7&period;188l3&period;824 3&period;099 3&period;83-3&period;104 5&period;612 6&period;817h-18&period;779l5&period;513-6&period;812zm9&period;208-1&period;264l4&period;616-3&period;741v9&period;348l-4&period;616-5&period;607z"><&sol;path><&sol;svg><&sol;span>yeugene78&commat;gmail&period;com <&sol;a>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <div class&equals;"be-author-profiles">&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;div>&NewLine; <&sol;body>

Exit mobile version