The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

By Mariska Taylor-Darko

We all know that the pen is mightier than the sword,
But some days ago the sword thought it was mightier than the pen
They lie bad!
The pen is mightier than the sword!
Long after the ra ta tat tat of the guns have echoed away,
The ink from the pen will stay,
The words from the mighty oak will never fade away
The pen is mightier than the sword!
Long after we’ve forgotten the names of those who wielded the axe,
Long after their names disappear from memory,
The name Awoonor will stay,
The discharges of ink from his pen will remain etched in everyone’s minds
His death will open a gateway for others to do what they love
What they feel and what they desire – to be storytellers.
The lie the idiots tried to feed us no go hold
The randomness of their sword chose a wrong victim
Because as long as we live, as long as we breathe, as long as we read,
Our storyteller will live on.
The pen is mightier than the sword,
Professor Kofi Awoonor, your last days were spent storytelling and creating
But your last day was not really your last day,
But an ascendancy into another realm of storytellers long gone.
They lie bad!
Truly, the pen is mightier than the sword.
They lie bad!
Long live the pen of Kofi Awoonor.

Summary of The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

Popularity of “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword”: Written by the Ghanaian poet, activist, and writer, Mariska Taylor-Darko, this beautiful poem appeared in her first volume, Rhythms of Poetry in Motion, Vol 1. The collection hit the markets in 2015 and brought a good name to the poet. The beauty of the poem lies in its celebratory mood, with sadness expressed at the departure of the great Ghanian storyteller, Kofi Awoonor. However, the universalization of this theme has made the poem popular across the globe.
“The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword” As a Representative of the Expression of Sorrow: Mariska Taylor-Darko celebrates the poetic talent and storytelling art of the popular Ghanian writer and activist, Kofi Awoonor who used to write under the name of Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor. A great exponent of African decolonization, Kofi crafted masterpieces that she liked. That is why she is of the view that the pen is mightier than the sword to prove that despite the worst coming from the guns and the powerful gun-wielding warlords in Kenya and Ghana, the writers continue writing their poetry and stories to decolonize the African minds.
She goes on to say that although the people wielding guns do not stay in the public consciousness or public memory, the storytellers and writers stay there through their works. That is why she places the name of Professor Kofi in the fifth stanza to state that he has been committed to his art and stayed committed until his last breath. Celebrating his presence and absence simultaneously, Mariska Taylor-Darko has made Professor Kofi a household name through this poem.
Major Themes in “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword”: The power of writing, resistance through storytelling, and decolonization are major themes of the poem. The power of writing is clear from the suggestive title of the poem. The poet is aware that it is common and public knowledge that the pen is stated as mightier than the sword, but the fact goes that guns seep away everything. Besides this, it is also a fact that pens and their product stay forever. Therefore, resistance continues making people aware of their rights through storytelling and poetry writing as the poet herself is telling. She wants to state that resistance continues even if people die. The death of Professor Kofi does not mean that it would stop.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

Mariska Taylor-Darko’s poem shows her art of using literary devices. Some of the major literary she used are as follows.

Allusion: It is a reference to a literary, historical, and social event or incident, or figure to show its importance in the existing context. The poet alluded to Professor Kofi, a well-known writer of Ghana.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Long after the ra ta tat tat of the guns have echoed away” and the sound of /o/ in “Long after we’ve forgotten the names of those who wielded the axe.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /w/ in “who wielded.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /n/ in “The ink from the pen will stay” and the sound of /s/ in “Because as long as we live, as long as we breathe, as long as we read.”
Enjambment: It is a device in which the verse rolls over to the next to clarify meanings without any grammatical pause. For example,

The Lie the idiots tried to feed us no go hold
The randomness of their sword chose a wrong victim
Because as long as we live, as long as we breathe, as long as we read,
Our storyteller will live on.

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Mariska Taylor-Darko used imagery in this poem, such as “The ink from the pen will stay”, “Long after their names disappear from memory” and “His death will open a gateway for others to do what they love.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of pen to show the power of writing.
Personifications: It means to attribute human traits to inanimate objects and ideas. The poem shows the use of personifications, such as the sword that can think like a human being.
Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as power, sword, guns, memory, and storytelling to show the power of resistance.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows the use of formal and poetic but narrative diction.
Free Verse: It means to use verses without any rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. The poem shows the use of free verse.
Refrain: It is the repetition of a verse after a stanza or break. The poem shows the use of “the pen is mightier than the sword” as a refrain.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are six stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.
Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a lugubrious, resisting, and celebratory tone at different places.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote about the power of storytelling.