ROD US OFF THIS ROAD BY DENK BOL DENK
GENRE: POETRY
TITLE: ROD US OFF THIS ROAD
WRITER: DENK BOL DENK, SOUTH SUDAN
REVIEWER: WAMBUA MUINDI, KENYA
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From oozing of blood, life is being lost, political impropriety, power drunkenness, to social unrest, this is the story that the persona is intimating to the readers. This is punctuated by the personal reflections of the dark reality that is marked by both political and social cruelty. This is the story by the persona in the poem Rod Us off This Road, which from a biographical sense intimates the writer’s country.
This is a poem whose persona is disgruntled with their reality and it is as if they are almost ranting for the soul of a nation; they are hopeful though. The political message of the poem is captivating and is reminiscent of protest poetry of the first generation poets in Africa. Contextually, the poem is written by a national of a young South Sudan who is trying to understand their country, which is relatively young, characterised by social malady, economic plunder, war and political instability. The persona ends by questioning the independence dream and trying to situate themselves with the ideals of the independence visionaries.
Artistically, there is visual imagery that highlights with stark images the pillage of human life through killings. Blood here is used as a symbol of freedom as well as killing drawing contrast between the martyr and the killer in the current temporal reality that the persona is stuck. There is also animal imagery used in the form of the cattle to show a sense of guided direction that is ironic because they seem headed in the wrong way since the line of poetry that precedes its mention indicates the sense of lost direction.
The tone indicates that the writer is tired of the current regime. It contradicts the expectations of a new nation. A nation that we expect to be budding with hope. This tone set up the mood of the poem.
Conclusively, the poem is political in the sense that it’s reflective of the reality and the aspirational nature of the 'freedom fighters' and their idea for their nation. Thus, the poem mourns the independence of South Sudan.