African Poetry: Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Wosornu

African Poetry: Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Wosornu 

Summary, Setting, Author's Background, Themes, Language and Style / Poetic Device

ABOUT THE POET

Lade Wosornu is a Ghanaian poet born in Lolito. He is a graduate of Glasgow University - with Honours. He won among other prizes, the gold medal as the year's most distinguished graduate. He is a medical practitioner and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburg and England.

He is a retired Professor of surgery, a poet, an essayist and a philanthropist. He is a prominent figure in Ghanaian literary and academic circles. He is generally seen as one of the few Ghanaians who have broken the myth that science and creative arts have no strong relationship.

BACKGROUND

In Raider of Treasure Trove, Lade emphasizes the negative impacts rage can wreak on a man's life. Many have built a lot of goodwill through hard work over a long period of a lifetime, only to destroy all with rage. He expresses that this inherent potential of rage in his poem and presents its overwhelming damage to the Treasure Trove.

SUMMARY

Lade's Raider of Treasure Trove is a didactic poem that presents the Philosophical discourse of man's life. From its title which depicts man's pursuit for life treasures or value of life to its opening line by employing the use of rhetorical question of what value life has: "But what can be worthy of your life?"

The poet uses the word raider to represent human beings. Every human being enters the world with the sole aim of unearthing their destiny. This destiny is the treasure trove. 

From the poem, the poet metaphorically presents two concepts that will enable every human being to achieve or lose this "Treasure Trove". They are love and rage. He specified that" Rage" which was personified in line 11, is a weakness in human beings that certainly has snarky power to limit humans' journey in life. No! Rob you of life, Rage is chief// Rage drags rags after you.....// Rage is thief// Enemy of equanimity "

In stanza four of, The Raider of the Treasure Trove", the poet metaphorically creates the imagery of the sea and a sailor on a voyage. He draws a contrast to life and says that Life is a destination or path with pain and gain.

Finally, the poet gave a stance warning against the mind that harbors Rage, that only a heart filled with love, compassion, and joy overrides rage. 'Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind.‘ I'll fling roses wherever I berth// My Destination is heaven-on-earth." 

The last two lines emphasize that man will surely arrive at his destination with peace when he lives with a heart full of love.

THEMES

The Destructive Impacts of Rage.

The theme of the destructive impacts of rage is a  dominant theme that accentuates the Philosophical discourse of the poem. In the poem, the poet emphasis how "Rage" undermines the goal of a fulfilled life, and this didactic aspect of the poem enables the reader to understand the grave consequences of the subject matter. 

Also, the poet effectively engraves the theme of the destructive impacts of rage through his careful choice of words that help to perfect the pernicious effect of rage.

The Theme of the Essence of Existence.

The poet, through its deployment of a rhetorical question at the opening line of the poem and in line three, was able to express the fact that the ultimate goal of human existence is for every man to bring joy to all and sundry. The poet admonished that man should spread hope, happiness,joy, and make a positive impact on others as he journeys through life.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

Use of Diction

The poet's choice of words is simple and straightforward. The poet carefully selects words that help in creating a mental picture of its subject matter. Generally, the poet's use of diction makes the reading of the poem is a lot easier.

Use of Personification.

This is a poetic device that human attributes are given to the inanimate object/animaI/abstract quality. This device is predominantly used in stanza 2, Line 11,12,13,14 and 15 where Rage is personified as a raider who is capable of stripping a man of his life.

Use of Metaphor.

The use of metaphor is dominant in lines 13 and 14. The poet describes rage as a thief who carts away laughter, sweetness, and joy, and as a foe of tranquil, thereby portraying the injurious nature of rage.

Use of Rhetorical Questions

line 1,2,3 and 21 of the poem, the poet use of the rhetorical question to suggest the philosophical stance of the poem. 

Enjambment

This is a poetic device in which there is a carryover of thoughts from one line to another. That is, an idea runs from one line to another. We see that ideas in the runs from one line to another. line 3 runs to line 4: Always strive/To fly flags of joy line 4 runs to line 5, sail up streams/powered by the breeze of love, etc.

STRUCTURE

The poem consists of twenty-three lines in four irregular stanzas. Two of the stanza comprise  eight lines each. The third stanza consists of five lines with the fourth and last stanza, a couplet. The poet in stanza one established the ultimate goal of man's existence which is to affect lives positively.