About the Author:
Chinua Achebe (16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a
Nigerian novelist. Poet and critic. He is regarded as the dominant figure of
modern African literature. His first novel, as well as magnum opus, Things
Fall Apart (1958) occupies a pivotal place in African literature and
remains the most widely studied, translated and read African novel. Along with Things
Fall Apart, his No Longer at Ease (1960) and Arrow of God
(1964) complete the ‘African trilogy.’ His other novels are A Man of the
People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). He is often
referred to as the “father of African literature.” Generally, he is not
considered for his poetry. Yet poems such as “Refugee Mother and Child” prove
that the incredible talent Achebe possessed with the written world which did
not end with novels alone.
Critical Appreciation of “Refugee Mother and Child” –
Introduction:
In the poem "Refugee
Mother and Child", Chinua Achebe deals with the sadness of death. The author conveys this theme by
creating a tragic atmosphere through the introduction of shocking images and
strong words. The poem can be allegorically read at two levels: one is that the
child is probably Jesus Christ and the mother is Mother Mary as the very first
word of the poem, “Madonna” indicates; and another is that people,
especially women and children who are stranded in refugee camps during
turbulent times. The poem is poignant due to its artful usage of imagery and
simple language.
Analysis:
Using
the imagery such as “Madonna and Child”, “a ghost smile”, “rust-coloured hair left on his skull” and “tiny grave” and phrases and words
like "unwashed", "washed out ribs", "dried up
bottoms", "laboured steps" "blown empty bellies",
Chinua Achebe sets the tone of the poem and at the same time, evokes pity in the readers’
mind.
The poem opens with the image of Madonna with
the Holy Child. The poet says that
mother's tender love and care towards her child which is obviously dying
through the imagery Madonna and the child.
She would soon have to forget about the child and move on with her life,
but she still cares for the child with tenderness.
Then
comes the heart-wrenching description of the refugee camp and its inhabitants.
The air in the place is described as being "heavy". It is pungent
with the odour of unwashed children affected with diarrhea. It shows that the
children are ill with diarrhea, but they are not taken care of or even be
given a bath in the refugee camp. The children are so malnourished that their
ribs are "washed out", their bottoms are "dried up", their
bellies are "blown empty" and struggle in "laboured steps".
In this condition even walking is a struggle or hard work for them.
The mothers of these children have stopped caring of the kids a long time ago.
Disease, suffering, death - all these have become a matter of normal everyday
life in the camp. The living conditions are so horrific that it has forced even
mothers to harden their hearts towards their own children.
But,
one woman is different from the other mothers. She has not hardened her heart
towards her dying son. She still loves and cares for him. She had a "ghost
of a smile" between her teeth and a "ghost of motherly pride" in
her eyes. This conveys that her smile is so weak and pale that it does not even
appear like a real smile. She is trying to put on a smile, but the hurricane of
sorrow and suffering behind it makes the smile look haunting. She has motherly
love and pride in her eyes like any other mother, but it is also not real, it
is merely a shadow of what would have been real motherly pride.
The
mother is combing the rust-coloured hair on the skull of her son. The words
"rust coloured hair" show that the boy is severely ill, as his hair
looks rusted; while the use of the word "skull" shows that the boy is
nearing his bitter end as his hair seems to grow out of his skull, instead of
his head. While she is combing and carefully parting her son's hair, the
mother's eyes are so full of emotions that the poet says that she was
"singing in her eyes".
Finally,
the poet says that a mother combing the hair of her little son is a normal act
of daily life. Every mother does it before her son has breakfast and leaves for
school. This routine act of normal life looks ominous in the camp; it looks
like the mother is putting flowers on the tiny grave of her son. Mother Mary
let her son, Christ die on the cross. Like this, the mother has prepared to put
the flower on the grave as she knows that her son would soon die.
Structure:
The
poem is written in freestyle. It is not divided into stanzas. It has no
particular metre, rhythm or rhyme scheme. The style of writing is similar to
prose. The lines of the poem form complete sentences on their own. Only the
spacing between the lines gives a "poetic feel" for this piece of
work.
Conclusion:
In
conclusion, the poem " Refugee Mother and Child" is a very realistic
and moving poem, which leaves the reader in tears over the deplorable state of
living of the refugee and also over the gut-wrenching scenario of a mother
tending carefully to her dying son.
