Live Burial - Wole Soyinka
Welcome to my blog, where I will talk about what I think and try to answer the question given in this task. This blog is written as a response to the post given by Megha ma'am.
About poet :
Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian writer, is also a powerful poet known for his deep and politically charged verse. His poetry reflects themes of oppression, resistance, human rights, and African identity, often drawing from Yoruba traditions and mythology. Collections like Poems from Prison (1972) capture his experiences of imprisonment, while Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems (1988) highlights struggles against apartheid and injustice. His poetic style blends rich imagery, symbolism, and sharp social criticism, making him a significant voice in both African and global literature.
About poem :
Sixteen paces
By twenty-three. They hold
Siege against humanity
And Truth
Employing time to drill through to his sanity
Schismatic
Lover of Antigone !
You will? You will unearth
Corpses of yester-
Year? Expose manure of present birth?
Seal him live
In that same necropolis.
May his ghost mistress
Point the classic
Route to Outsiders' Stygian Mysteries.
Bulletin:
He sleeps well, eats
Well. His doctors note
No damage
Our plastic surgeons tend his public image.
Confession
Fiction ? Is truth not essence
Of Art, and fiction Art?
Lest it rust
We kindly borrowed his poetic licence.
Galileo
We hoped he'd prove - age
Or genius may recant - our butchers
Tired of waiting
Ordered; take the scapegoat, drop the sage.
Guara'l The lizard:
Every minute scrapes
A concrete mixer throat.
The cola slime
Flies to blotch the walls in patterned grime
The ghoul:
Flushed from hanging, sniffles
Snuff, to clear his head of
Sins -- the law
Declared -- that morning's gallows load were dead of.
The voyeur:
Times his sly patrol
For the hour upon the throne
I think he thrills
To hear the Muse's constipated groan
Analysis of this Poem :
Wole Soyinka’s poem Live Burial is a deeply personal and politically charged work that reflects the torment he endured during his two-year imprisonment (1967–1969) under Nigeria’s military government. The poem serves as both a testimony of his suffering and a critique of oppressive regimes that seek to silence voices of dissent. Through vivid imagery, symbolism, and historical references, Soyinka captures the psychological and physical agony of incarceration while linking his personal struggle to broader themes of truth, freedom, and resistance.
1. The Psychological and Physical Torture in Imprisonment
The poem suggests the brutal torture that Soyinka endured during his solitary confinement. The military government attempted to break his spirit by isolating him in a small prison cell with only "16 paces" to move within for 23 months. This restriction represents both a physical and mental constraint, symbolizing the suffocating control imposed on him. The walls of the prison become a metaphor for barriers to freedom, truth, and humanity, reinforcing the idea that oppressive systems seek to crush independent thought and dissent.
2. Mental Struggles and Loss of Sanity
Soyinka describes the overwhelming difficulty of enduring months of solitary confinement, which severely tested his mental stability. His isolation was enough to push him to the edge of insanity. The poem expresses the psychological weight of being trapped in an enclosed space with no human interaction, intensifying the sense of hopelessness and despair.
3. Reference to Antigone – A Struggle Against Oppression
Soyinka draws a parallel between his own suffering and the Greek tragedy Antigone. In the myth, Antigone defies her uncle, Creon, by performing burial rites for her brother, an act that was forbidden. Similarly, Soyinka sees himself as someone who defies oppressive authorities in the name of justice and truth. He also alludes to Christian beliefs that forbid the burial of those who commit suicide, perhaps reflecting on how society often punishes those who take a stand against injustice.
4. Stygian Imagery – The Underworld of the Dead
The poem references Greek mythology, particularly the river Styx, which separates the living from the dead in the underworld. This imagery suggests Soyinka’s state of being neither fully alive nor dead, emphasizing the limbo-like suffering of imprisonment. He sees himself as trapped in a realm of darkness, further reinforcing the theme of isolation.
5. The Government’s False Narratives
The poem critiques the official statements made by prison authorities, who falsely claimed that Soyinka was being treated well. Medical reports and official statements painted a misleading picture of the conditions in which he lived. The word plastic symbolizes these lies, showing how authorities manipulate the truth to maintain their image while prisoners endure brutal treatment behind closed doors.
6. Forced Confession and False Accusations
Soyinka refers to the fabricated charges against him. He was accused of supplying arms to one side during the Nigerian Civil War, though in reality, he had only attempted to broker peace. The government created a false narrative to justify his imprisonment, highlighting how authoritarian regimes suppress opposition by distorting facts.
7. Satire on Prison Officials and Censorship
Through irony and satire, Soyinka mocks the prison guards and officials who took away his right to write poetry. He envisions them making absurd statements, exposing the hypocrisy of those in power. The poem criticizes how oppressive governments silence intellectuals and artists to maintain control over public discourse.
8. Comparison to Galileo – The Persecution of Truth-Tellers
Soyinka draws a parallel between his own plight and that of Galileo, the scientist who was persecuted by the Catholic Church for proving that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Like Galileo, Soyinka sees himself as a truth-teller rejected by the authorities. He highlights how regimes throughout history have tried to suppress voices that challenge the status quo.
9. The Cruelty and Sadism of Prison Guards
The poem introduces different prison guards, each representing a different form of cruelty:
The First Guard is depicted as a crude and filthy man who spits tobacco on the walls, symbolizing the degrading environment in which Soyinka was forced to live.
The Second Guard is responsible for executions. He knows the inhumanity of his work but numbs his conscience with drugs and snuff, revealing how individuals within oppressive systems suppress their guilt.
The Third Guard has a sadistic mentality. He takes pleasure in humiliating Soyinka, watching him at his most vulnerable moments, such as when he sits on the toilet. This perverse behavior reflects the dehumanizing nature of authoritarian systems.
10. The Muse and the Power of Poetry
In the final section, Soyinka refers to the Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus who inspire poets. Here, he likens himself to them, asserting that even in prison, his poetic spirit remains unbroken. Despite the government’s attempts to silence him, his creativity and defiance persist, proving that the power of art and truth can endure even under extreme oppression.
Conclusion: A Poem of Resistance and Survival
Live Burial is not just a personal reflection on Soyinka’s imprisonment; it is a universal statement on political oppression, resilience, and the enduring power of truth. Through historical and mythological references, he connects his own suffering to broader struggles against tyranny. The poem serves as both a critique of authoritarian regimes and a testament to the human spirit’s ability to resist and survive in the face of injustice.
Question
What is the significance of the title “Live Burial”?
Significance of the Title “Live Burial”
The title Live Burial is deeply symbolic, representing both the physical imprisonment and psychological suffering of Wole Soyinka. It suggests a terrifying state where a person is alive but trapped, unable to move or express themselves, similar to being buried alive. This metaphor reflects Soyinka’s experience of solitary confinement, where he was cut off from the world, confined to a small cell, and forced to endure extreme isolation for 23 months.
The phrase Live Burial also symbolizes the suppression of truth and freedom. Soyinka was imprisoned under false accusations of supporting rebels during the Biafran War. The Nigerian government used imprisonment as a way to silence his voice, just as burying someone alive prevents them from speaking or acting. The title represents how authoritarian regimes try to "bury" intellectuals and activists who challenge their authority.
Another important meaning of the title relates to the psychological torture of solitary confinement. Without human contact or meaningful activities, the mind begins to break down. Soyinka describes how his imprisonment harmed his sanity, making him feel as if he were trapped in a grave. This connects with his reference to Antigone, a character from Greek tragedy who was sentenced to be buried alive for standing up for justice. Like Antigone, Soyinka saw himself as a victim of injustice, punished for speaking the truth.
The poem also includes references to Greek mythology, particularly the Stygian River, which separates the world of the living from the dead. This connection reinforces the idea that Soyinka’s prison was like an underworld—he was alive, but completely isolated from normal life. The title Live Burial reflects this feeling of being trapped in a place of death while still breathing.
Additionally, the title highlights the irony of the Nigerian government’s false claims about his well-being. Officials stated that Soyinka was being treated well in prison, even receiving medical checkups. However, the reality was very different—he was suffering under harsh conditions. The title Live Burial exposes this hypocrisy, showing how his so-called “life” in prison was actually a slow, painful death of freedom and dignity.
For a poet like Soyinka, imprisonment was not just about physical suffering but also about losing his ability to write and express himself. The authorities took away his right to create, effectively "burying" his voice. He compares himself to Galileo, who was punished for telling the truth. However, just as Galileo’s ideas survived, Soyinka’s words and thoughts could not be truly buried.
In conclusion, the title Live Burial captures the main themes of the poem—oppression, suffering, and the fight for truth. It describes a state of living death, where a person is physically alive but mentally and emotionally trapped. At the same time, the poem itself is an act of resistance, proving that even when a voice is silenced, it can still be heard.
Thank You ...
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