Critical analysis of the Poem ‘A united Nigeria’ by The_Sultanate (Extensive literary interpretation).
An Introduction to The_Sultanate
The_Sultanate is a duo of prolific writers, with Abdulrahman Garba (AKA “Sultan_A.G.”) born 1996 in Lagos and His brother from another mother Khabir Shu’aib (AKA “Poet_Sultan”) born 2000 in Jos Nigeria. Although they grew up apart, their passion for art entwined with altruism bonded their fate through creative writtings and philanthropic goals. Since their publication, The_Sultanate has become recognized as one of the humanitarian voices in African poetry.
Themes of The_Sultanate’s poetry
The_Sultanate lived much of their lives in professional services to family, friends and the global community. Their poetry focuses on the struggles for unity as they always believed the world to be a united global village. In addition, their poems also focus on sharing love and compassion amongst or around the world as a whole.
The poets often feel insecure in their own nation. Futhermore, they often relate the struggles for unity and security to questions of a better living. What role does compassion take in defining self? What situations does nationality create for poeple?
Finally, The_Sultanate often writes on the eminence of words. The strongest voice The poets have is theirs; however, this voice is solemnly only seen in their poetry. Poetry became their language and their way to communicate with the outside world. They also show a strong relationship between nature and their poetry. Often times, nature became a symbol in their writing to explain the complexity of their pursuit.
Writing style
The_Sultanate’s poems are notably lyrics, short poems with a single speaker who expresses thoughts and emotions. Although the poems are frequently written with “I”, it does not mean it represents The_Sultanate, just the speaker of the poem. Many of The_Sultanate’s poems are inclusively written with words like ” We”,”Our”, this represents the pursuit for unity incorporated in most of the poems. Finally, they usually follow rhythmic writting pattern. It is worthwhile while reading their poems to listen to the syllables and rhyming words to find the pattern.
An Introduction to the poem
The_Sultanate’s poem ‘A united Nigeria’ is fathomed to have been published circa 2022. It was published as a debut to their pioneering collection of poems. The_Sultanate uses rhetorical question to spark the spirit of nationalism amongst their country folks, learning from the prime doctrines of thier ancestral heroes, and embracing, respecting the differences in their cultures. For them, a united Nigeria can be achieved when poeple begin to love their neighbors as they love themselves.
The narrator perceives the doctrines of divide and rule as a misleading way of life infested to them by their colonial masters. As per the speaker, Only by unity and application of the clean bill of health and wealth practiced by their progenitors will they be led aright.
Poetic form of ‘A united Nigeria’
As is the case with The_Sultanate’s poems, ‘A united Nigeria’ employs an iambic trimeter which uses a fourth stress at a line’s end ‘Arise O’Heirs of Kings and Queens’ and it also employs an iambic pentameter which uses a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet ‘Give me a Nigeria I never knew’. As their poetic trait, the rhythmic flow is modified and broken using dashes and breaks such as ‘A nation where every single vote counts – and voices of the voiceless heard,
A hearthstone where nations envy for it’s unsurmountable mineral resources -‘. In the case of stanzas, the verses of ‘A united Nigeria’ often uses carryover rhyming words for instance compatriots, masters and aggrandisements rhyme within their respective stanza. As a result, this forms the AAA rhyme scheme.
Poetic structure of ‘A united Nigeria’
Using approximate rhyme, iambic trimeter, tercet and quatrian, The_Sultanate successfully weaves a compelling poem. The ryhming scheme used is AAA with each line rhyming automatically. In case of second stanza, using rhyming scheme ABAA, first, third and fourth rhyme with each other except for the second. In the third stanza, rhyming scheme is ABC. While the fourth stanza rhyming scheme is ABCD. The fifth stanza having the same rhyme as the third ABC. In concluding stanza, rhyming scheme is AAB, as per which, first and second verses rhyme.
Rhythm
Using salient punctuation is a key constituent of their poems. Using many dashes and hyphens in order to break and modify the flow of poetic rhythm is a commonplace here. Its done to give breakes and pauses while reading the poem. The rhythmic flow follows an iambic tercet, accomodating some iambic trimeter as well.
Repetition
The_Sultanate uses ‘You’ and ‘Our’ during the entirety of ‘A united Nigeria’. The_Sultanate has used ‘Our’ six times in the poem, showing the all-embracing nature of humans.
Comparison
The poets used personification and metaphor in this poem. As Nigeria is a well populated state, therefore it is referred to as the giants of Africa. The_Sultanate expresses sorrow over the dismantled nature of the peoples unity further referring the giants of Africa to the puny grabby mice.
Stanza wise analysis of the poem
Stanza One
Arise O’Compatriots –
Arise O’Heirs of Kings and Queens,
Arise Superiors as once was before Your colonial masters –
Before the doctrines of divide and rule clusters,
Way afore trading Your kins offshore for personal aggrandisements –
The_Sultanate are artful employers of metonymy, as they made use of heirs of kings and queens to convey their message, indicating that their fellow compatriots must arise united as leaders of tomorrow leading without indirect rule imposed by their colonial masters, to yearn for a safe haven for their kins and seeing worth in the value of kinship, furthermore expressing sorrow for a disunited nation, yet igniting a sense of nationalism as a cause for unity and progress.
In the case of the first stanza, the narrator compels fellow patriots to rise as successors of their ancestral traditional ruling system deeming it a progressive alternative to the foreign system of rule brought upon them. Just as importantly, The_Sultanate voices that selfishness is a matter that needs to be abolished among country folks.
Stanza two
Don’t You yearn for a place where Your offsprings abide heavenly?
Thereby loving Your neighbors as You loved Yourselfs –
Shall You not learn from the prime ways of Your ancestors respectfully,
A clean bill of health and wealth passed down through generations
Cherished and upheld by all nations held godly –
In case of the second stanza, the poets unriddles rhetorical questions on consequencies such as compassion, leadership, and a chaste way of living adored by world powers.
Stanza three
My eyes are teary,
My heart’s weary,
I shalt worry –
My Peoples unity has been dismantled
How did We go from the giants of Africa to the puny grabby mice
Leaching away every glee of hope from the leaders of morrow –
In the third stanza, The_Sultanate sound off perturbed by a unity knocked down, along with hopes of a better living.
Stanza four
Bring back our nation
That nation that floats above the surface of love,
Where peace showers down like the rain in August,
Embracing and respecting the discrepancies in our cultures
Saying yes We’re different but yes We’re the same;
A bond We share like that of the Atlantic and the Pacific,
Pillars firmly built on trust for one another –
A nation where every single vote counts and voices of the voiceless heard,
A hearthstone where nations envy for it’s unsurmountable mineral resources –
As of the fourth stanza, the poets yearns for a nation thriving over love, peace, unity and justice. A nation whose unsurmountable mineral resources are bounteosly put to use.
Stanza five
Bring back our nation of fine trade and fertile agriculture
Where We go to the farm in peace and back in one piece,
Where our security is priority –
Give us a nation that understands the power of the pen
Where our education is affordable and our classroom condusive,
A state that doesn’t strip me of my rights to literacy –
In case of the fifth stanza, The_Sultanate voices the want for agricultural development, security, and a nation that values education and skill.
Stanza six
Give me back the Nigeria I knew,
Give me a Nigeria I never knew,
Give us “A united Nigeria”.
In the last stanza, the poets concluded their poem by emphasizing the charge for applauding change and commitment to national unity.
Historical context
Being a renowed poetic duet of their time, The_Sultanate during the year of Nigeria’s sixty second(62) independence celebration tended to affairs of the state and addressing Nigerian themes; at a time when ill administration had brought poverty and pain with public varsities on lockout in the process, Nigerians were tempestuous, to say the least.
‘A united Nigeria’ is an alluring metaphorically driven poem. Inspired from a struggle for patriotism and unity.
