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LIVE AND
LET DIE
Kundi
Faraja
One says
that
My
children are dwarfs
That no
one seems taller
Than the
other.
That they
never take a bath
That they
are soiled.
That they
eat lice
From
their clothes
Let them
eat, brothers,
Until the
system changes,
Until
exploitation ends;
Let them
eat brother,
Because
we are on the way
To build
Ujamaa
But, at
present,
The
system has not changed.
Let them
eat, brother,
Because
the rich nations
Are not
yet ready
To die a
little
So that
the poor nation may live:
Let them
eat, brother,
Because
the rich man
Is not
yet ready
To die a
little
So that
the poor man may live
Let them
drink water,
Let them
eat air,
Let them
digest the sunshine
Because
that is what
I can
afford to buy.
Meanwhile
I wait
For Uhuru to flower,
For Uhuru to come
When the
time is ripe.
Let them
eat brother,
Because
the rich man
Is
convinced that
It’s
because I’m lazy
That they
don’t have food.
That they
don’t have good health.
That they
wear rags.
And that
their house
Is like
an abandoned hut
Let them
eat brother
Because
the rich man
Thinks
that it’s because
I don’t
plan my family
Let them
eat brother.
Because
the rich man
Does not
like to hear
That he
is rich
Because
of me
That I
work hard,
But for
him and
Not for
myself
That it’s
only because
I’m a
slave of a system
That I
lead a poor life.
INTRODUCTION
As usual Kundi Faraja is speaking for the lower
class. The poet disabuses the idea of vicious cycle of poverty which asserts
that ‘the poor are poor because they are
poor’. For him he shows that the poor are so because somebody is behind it.
Most of the time, it is because the rich (men or countries) have exploited the
resources and efforts of the poor that they have remained at the bottom. So the
poet shows that there is a need for the upper class to sacrifice their
interests a little so that the poor people may also have something to push
their lives.
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
The poem has successfully depicted various themes
that justify the condition of common people in our country. The central theme
is poverty and the following themes justify the causes of this poverty. These
include exploitation, classes, awareness, bad leadership and neo-colonialism.
POVERTY
The poem discusses how poverty dehumanises the
dignity of people and makes them slaves for the rest of their lives. The poet
complains because people keep on mocking his/her children that they are dwarfs,
dirty and hungry. However he shows that it is the exploitative system that
keeps him/her at the bottom.
Until the system changes,
Until exploitation ends
He also shows that it is even harder to get food
although he states it in a more exaggerated manner. He does all this however to
show his dissatisfaction towards the system.
Let them drink water,
Let them eat air.
Let them digest the sunshine
Because that is what
I can afford to buy
The excuses of the rich are that, the poor man is
poor because he does not plan his family and is lazy.
EXPLOITATION
The poem shows that one of the reasons we have poor
people is because the rich are feeding on their efforts and resources. In any
society where the bourgeoisie class exploits the proletariats the poor live
miserably. The poet shows that there is exploitation at individual level,
national level and international level.
At
individual level the poet says
That he
is rich
Because
of me
That I
work hard,
But for
him and
Not for
myself
At
national level he shows that the system of the country also
exploits its citizens and there are no changes yet.
Until the
system changes,
Until
exploitation ends
At
international level he shows that the rich nations also exploit the
poor nations.
Because
the rich nations
Are not
yet ready
To die a little
So that the poor nation may live
CLASSES
Another issue discussed is the issue of
stratification on economic basis. The poet shows that there are two contrasting
classes in this society-The rich and the poor. He goes a step ahead by showing
that the poor are so because of the exploitative system that favours the rich
at the expenses of the poor.
He says:
Because the rich man
Is not yet ready
To die a little
So that the poor man may live
There are rich and poor people in the society.
Nevertheless, these rich people have become parasites who feed on the blood of
the poor. So the poor get poorer and poorer while the rich get richer and
richer. The poet uses the figurative language that the rich ought to die a
little that the poor may live. Actually he does not refer to death as we
literally know it, but at least that the rich should be ready to consider the
poor people by helping them to get their basic needs.
NEO-COLONIALISM
The poet shows the cases of neo-colonialism and how
it has put a powerful influence on the poor nations. The poet shows that at
international level there are also rich and poor nations. But the poor nations
are in the state of poverty because the rich nations keep on exploiting them.
The rich nations, like rich people are not read to sacrifice some of their
demands so that the poor nations may rise out of poverty. The poet says
Because the rich nations
Are not yet ready
To die a little
So that the poor nation may live
AWARENESS
The poet is aware that his poverty is caused by
exploitation by the rich people. He is aware that his efforts are wasted
because he is not working for his own welfare but his efforts benefit the rich.
However the sad thing is that he is not ready to do anything to change his
current state. He is patiently and optimistically waiting for the system to
change by chance. That is not a good approach for building the future. People
must be active and take measures to solve the problems facing them.
Let them eat, brothers,
Until the system changes,
Until
exploitation ends
He believes that the time is not yet ready for him
to enjoy the fruits of independence and he says.
Meanwhile I wait
For Uhuru
to flower,
For Uhuru
to come
When the time is ripe.
BAD
LEADERSHIP.
The poet has also discussed about bad leadership.
Rich people especially leaders and rich nations have been exploiting the
resources and efforts of poor nations but they claim that it’s because poor
nations are lazy, have no family planning etc that’s why we are poor. They
don’t remember that they are rich because of exploiting our efforts and
resources. He says
Because the rich man
Does not like to hear
That he is rich
Because of me
That I work hard,
But for him and
Not for myself
IRRESPONSIBILITY
The ruling class is irresponsible as they exploit
the efforts of the poor and claim that the poor are lazy and they don’t plan their
family that is why they are poor, have no food in the house, and have poor
health and so on. Irresponsibility is also seen on the side of the citizens.
While the persona knows that he is poor because of the rich person/nation. He
is not ready to take any measures to change this status. This is
irresponsibility. He believes that the time will come when the system will
change automatically.
Until the system changes,
Until
exploitation ends
MALNUTRITION
The children are suffering from malnutrition as a result
they have impaired growth. They look like dwarfs and that no one looks taller
than the other. This is a result of eating poor diet or lack of proper balanced
diet. The poet uses strong images to
show his dissatisfaction. He says
Let them eat air,
Let them digest the sunshine
Because that is what
I can afford to buy.
The fact that the persona says his children eat
lice, air, and digest the sunshine, is an emotional appeal to show his deep
dissatisfaction about the current situation.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
1) What
is the meaning of the title of the poem; “Live and Let Die”?
The poet uses a paradoxical statement that some people
should die that others may live. It may seem ironical but it does not refer to
the literal death that we know. It implies that the rich should sacrifice some of
their luxury and unnecessary wants so that the poor may get at least the basic
needs.
2) What
is the tone and mood of the poem?
The tone is lamenting, and unhappy toward the rich
people and rich nations. So it creates a sad and sympathetic mood to the readers/
listeners.
3) Who
is the persona? How do you know?
The persona is a citizen from poor class who is a
victim of the system. This is evident as he says;
I’m a slave of a system
That I lead a poor life.
4) Comment
on the rhyming pattern.
The poem has irregular rhyming pattern with exception
of few lines (8-11) that seem to rhyme accidentally.
From their clothes
Let them eat, brothers
Until the system changes,
Until exploitation ends
5) Comment
on the Figures of speech
(a)
Overstatement/exaggeration. The poet exaggerates some facts in this way; that
his children eat lice, air and sunshine.
Let them eat air.
Let them digest the sunshine
(b)
Personification. The rich and poor nations are regarded as people who
can live or die.
Because the rich nations/Are
not yet ready/To die a little/
So that the poor nation
may live
(c)
Parallelism
Let them drink water,
Let them eat air.
Let them digest the sunshine
(d)
Simile
And that their house is like an abandoned hut
(e)
Barbarism (using more than one language)
To build ujamaa (ujamaa is a Swahili word which means
socialism)
For uhuru to flower (uhuru a Swahili word which means
independence)
(f)
Metaphor
I’m a slave of the system
(g)
Anaphora
That they never take a bath
That they are soiled.
That they eat lice
6) Is
the poem relevant to Tanzania?
Ø
Oh
yes it is! In Tanzania we have these two basic classes of poor and rich.
Ø
Poverty
is scattered everywhere. And most of the time it is due to exploitation of the
poor by the rich class.
Ø
There
are people who are aware of the exploitation but take no measures/actions.
Ø
Our
nation is also suffering under the heat of neo-colonialism.
Ø
Bad
leadership and irresponsibility are common in African countries.
7) What
lessons do you get?
Ø
The
rich people should stop exploiting the poor people.
Ø
Classes
are an obstacle to national development.
Ø
Poor
countries should be careful with the tricks used by rich nations to exploit our
resources.
Ø
The
poor should take measures to change the system instead of waiting for the
system to change automatically.
Ø
Bad
leadership and irresponsibility are obstacles to individual and national
development.
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