Both writers use personification in their poems. The use of personification makes the object seem alive when it isn’t. In “This Room” the writer personifies the room by saying it’s “breaking out” (line 1). This could mean breaking free of things like oppression, death or material belongings. The effect of this is the room is more animate and it gives more meaning to the text as a whole. It also gives a vivid imagery of what is going on, allowing the reader to understand the poem. The writer uses onomatopoeia (“bang” and “clang” in lines 14 and 15). Onomatopoeia is a form of aural imagery. The purpose of using onomatopoeia is to produce the sound of meaning in a poem. This is the meaning conveyed by the way the word is read out. It also adds information to the poem so that the reader can understand meaning of the poem.
In “Not my Business”, the writer uses personification in lines 3-4 in the first stanza: “…stuffed him down the belly of the waiting jeep”. By using this personification, the reader gets a powerful image of the jeep becoming something evil lying in wait for its victims. This conveys the jeep as a sort of beast not an inanimate object. I believe the writer uses this to show that everything plays its part in emanating the evil of oppression.
The use of the dynamic verb “stuffed” creates expresses the action in which “they” put Akanni into the jeep. It suggests a violent action used in this context. The writer uses similes to create an imagery which makes the poem descriptive. For instance, “They… beat him soft like clay” (line 2). This creates a strong image of a man critically injured and weak. Also clay in the reader’s mind can be moulded to different forms. So the writer uses the noun ‘clay’ to show the man’s beliefs being moulded to suit the government.
The structures of both poems are slightly different. “This Room” contains five stanzas. Each stanza is off a different length which makes the poem flow in a fast rhythm. The writer uses an effect known as enjambment. This is where some lines in the poem of each stanza “runs” into the next line. This helps the poem or poet maintain a fast rhythm, creating excitement. The rhythm structure is irregular because each line does not have the same syllable count all the way through. “Not My Business” contains four stanzas. Three of these stanzas are of equal length and structure (first four lines, then 3 indented lines). This creates a slower rhythm, possibly because of the theme of the poem and the urgency of each stanza has to sink in. There is also repetition of three lines in the first three stanzas:
“What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?”
This repetition emphasizes the state of mind the person being written about is in. He will stand back to defend his own but will not defend others because he believes it is “not my business”.
In my opinion, the two poems contrast in the message they want to give out. “Not my Business” is a poem that says it’s reaching out. It’s is oppressed by fear and it is in need for change. “This Room”, after being in death and dark for so long, has finally embraced change and broken free off all things oppressing it.
