Life In Our Village
By Markwei Martie
In our little village
When elders are around,
Boys must not look at girls
And girls must not look at boys
Because the elders say
That is not good.Even when night comes
Boys must play separately,
Girls must play separately.
But humanity is weak
So boys and girls meet.The boys play hide and seek
And the girls play hide and seek.
The boys know where the girls hide
And the girls know where the boys hide_
So in their hide and seek,
Boys seek girls,
And each to each sing
Songs of love.
Summary of Life in Our Village
- Popularity of “Life in Our Village”: The poem ‘Life in Our Village’ was written by Markwei Martie, a renowned Ghanaian writer, and poet, is a rustic poetic piece. In this poem, the author vividly depicts a rural setting that has remained unchanged for centuries, with its inhabitants faithfully adhering to long-standing norms and customs. It highlights people’s ability to fulfill desires despite strict circumstances. Although the poem seems simple in its description, its relevance to the world and the speaker’s realistic description of rural life have made it a treat for literature lovers.
- “Life in Our Village” As a Representative of Cultural Values: This impressive, yet straightforward poem exhibits the beauty and power of cultural values. It begins when the speaker explains some rules followed by the people of his village. He describes how gender segregation follows religious fiats; boys and girls are not supposed to get closer in the presence of elders because they think it is not a good practice. Regardless of the time of day, they are not permitted to engage in any sort of play with each other, even at night. However, while playing hide and seek, they prefer to go against the defined parameters. Although they play separately, they cannot suppress the basic instinct that demands them to enjoy life to its fullest. Therefore, they willingly reject the supremacy of their elders and greet themselves with songs of love.
- Major Themes in “Life in Our Village”: Gender segregation, love, and traditional values are the major themes of this poem. This beautiful poem explains how life is enjoyed in the writer’s village, followed by some rules set by the elderly people. To them, the mingling of boys and girls sounds inappropriate. Therefore, they have drawn separate lines for both genders. Boys are not allowed to look at girls and vice versa. Similarly, they are not allowed to play together, as girls must have their places to hide like the young boys. The speaker sheds light on the nature of mankind when he says humanity is weak, and then states his reasons for that. He wonders how the strict check fails to hinder them; even under strict command, humans find ways to satisfy their basic instinct. In this poem, the boys and girls secretly steal some moments for themselves in which they sing the glory of love together.
Analysis of the Literary Devices Used in Life in Our Village
literary devices are instrumental in bringing depth, clarity, and richness into simple poetic texts. Their appropriate use connects the readers to the writer’s ideas effectively. Markwei Martie also used a few literary devices in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “In our little village” and the sound of /ee/ in “And each to each sing”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “But humanity is weak” and the sound of /r/ in “And the girls know where the boys hide”.
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“Boys must not look at girls
And girls must not look at boys
Because the elders say
That is not good.”
- Euphemism: It is a figure of speech commonly used to replace a word or phrase that is related to a concept that might make others uncomfortable. The writer used this device at the end of the second stanza, where it is stated as;
“But humanity is weak
So boys and girls meet.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Markwei Martie used imagery in this poem such as “Boys must not look at girls”, “And the girls know where the boys hide” and “Girls must play separately.”
- Parallelism: It refers to the repetition of grammatical elements in writing and speaking. The writer has repeated some verses in the poem to put emphasis on his point, such as;
“Boys must not look at girls
And girls must not look at boys.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. “Life in Our Village” symbolizes the set rules and patterns one needs to follow while living in a particular area.
- Understatement: It is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it is. Markwei Martie has used this device in the first stanza of the poem, where it is stated as;
“Because the elders say
That is not good.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Life in Our Village
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having imagery and symbolism.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem having no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
- Sestet: A sestet is a six-lined stanza borrowed from Italian poetry. Here only the first stanza is sestet.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Life in Our Village” are useful to quote while talking about any setting governed by the elders.
“In our little village
When elders are around,
Boys must not look at girls
And girls must not look at boys
Because the elders say
That is not good.”
