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This article is sequel to the overview and content analysis of Onu Chibuike’s poem – A Government Driver on His Retirement. Here, is an analysis of the themes and literary devices in the poem.

Literary Devices used in “A Government Driver on His Retirement”

1. Synecdoche / Metonym

Synecdoche is a literary device that presents a part to represent a whole, while metonym replaces the name of a thing with the name of something it is closely related to.

Example:

“Many years on wheels” (Line 1)

Here, “wheels” represents a car, the vehicle the government driver drove on his job.

“On wheels” here represents driving.

2. Irony

The entire poem presents an irony of the government driver’s life. It is ironic that he drove meritoriously for thirty-five years with no stain on his record, only to die in a fatal accident the day he retired. It is also ironic that he died in his own car, which he was driving. This is made even more ironic as he had abandoned the rules that guided his safety throughout his service years, and on just that one occasion, he loses everything.

3. Imagery

Onu used imagery to make the poem more vivid in the minds of the readers.

Example 1:

“Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat” (Line 5/Stanza 2).

This makes the reader think of the difficulties the driver had put himself through to keep his throat, which cannot do without alcohol in check.

Example 2:

“I shall booze and zoom myself home” (Line 10/ Stanza 3).

Reading this immediately brings up the image of someone drinking alcohol and then driving at top speed.

Example 3:

“Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment” (Line 20 / Stanza 6).

Line 30 depicts alcohol as having hands, beating down the driver’s vision and judgment in a contest.

Example 4:

“He boomed his brand new car” (Line 31 / Stanza 6).

Here, the reader can see and hear the car crash as the choice of words suggests.

4. Personification

Inanimate objects were assigned human attributes to make the poem more vivid.

Example 1:

“Today frees and makes me a king” (Line 23 / Stanza 5).

Here, Today is assigned the role of a kingmaker.

Example 2:

“He battles with his bottle of booze” (Line 28 / Stanza 6)

This shows the driver and the bottle in combat. It invokes imagery of the scene and also gives the booze bottle the role of a worthy contestant fighting a full-grown man.

5. Repetition

Different forms of repetition were used in the poem, A Government Diver on His Retirement, to drive the emotional effect of the lines. Here are some examples:

(a) Anadiplosis:

A word used at the end of a line or sentence is used at the beginning of the following line or sentence.

Example:

“And it sent him home

Home to rest in peace.”

(Lines 32-33 / Stanza 6)

(b) Consonance, Assonance, and Alliteration:

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of closely placed words, as well as the repetition of vowel and consonant sounds within the same line, creates a rhythmic effect.

Example 1: Alliteration

“And so, he boozed and boozed’ (Line 25 / Stanza 6).

“Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment” (Line 30 / Stanza 6)

Example 2: Consonance and Assonance

“I shall booze and zoom myself home” (Line 10 / Stanza 3).

Example 3:

“Joy till no more joy to joy” (Line 22 / Stanza 5).

Example 4:

“He battled with his bottle of booze” (Line 28 / Stanza 6).

(c) Other forms of repetition

Here are some words or phrases repeated in the poem for effect.

Lines 6 and 11 – “duty rules”.

Lines 2 and 20 – “fatherland”.

Line 14 and 27 – “faithful service”.

Lines 10, 16, 26, 28, and 30 – “booze”.

6. Onomatopoeia

Onu used some words that suggest their meaning to add effect to the poem. Examples include “boomed”, “boozy”, and “zoom”.

Boomed – suggests a very loud impact or explosion, describing the car accident.

Boozy – suggests the driver’s throat never goes without alcohol.

Zoom – means moving very fast with a humming sound.

7. Inversion (Anastrophe)

This literary device occurs when the normal order of words in a sentence is reversed. The poet uses this to create an effect.

Example 1:

“Today retires he home” (Line 3) instead of “He retires home today”.

Example 2:

“And a celebration he holds” (Line 4) instead of “And he holds a celebration”.

8. Euphemism

Euphemism presents tragic things in ways that make them sound pleasant or less tragic.

The death of the driver is described in a way that makes it easy on the eyes and ears, despite portraying a possible gruesome accident.

Example 1:

“He boomed his brand new car

And it sent him home

Home to rest in peace.”

(Line 31-33 / Stanza 6)

Example 2:

Also, the driver spoke of his sufferings and frustrations on the job and other aspects of life, saying he would drink to forget.

“I’ll booze to sleep away my sufferings” (Line 15 / Stanza 3).

Example 3:

In line 30, the poet expressed the vision impairment in a humorous manner, making the dire situation seem comic.

“Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment” (Line 30 / Stanza 6).

9. Enjambment

This literary device appears in many parts of the poem as many of the lines run into another without punctuation.

10. Foreshadowing

The poet used an expression earlier in the poem that pointed out the long sleep (death) that the driver fell into at the end. In line 15, he says, “I’ll booze to sleep away my sufferings”. And at the end of the poem, he was sent home to rest in peace.

11. Pun

This literary device plays on words, sometimes on similar sound or sense, and sometimes on a different sense. This wordplay exploits multiple meanings of a term, or similar-sounding words, for humorous or rhetorical effect. Examples of puns in the poem include:

• The use of “home” as a dwelling place (Line 3 / Stanza 1) and as death (Line 32 / Stanza 6).
• The word “joy” is repeated three times in line 22, stanza 5, to buttress the excitement and celebration.

“Joy till no more joy to joy” (Line 22).

Read also:

An Analysis of The Song of the Women of My Land

Complete Analysis of The Breasts of the Sea

Themes in “A Government Driver on His Retirement”

1. The Danger of Drunk Driving

The poet weaves the story told in this poem carefully to satirically portray the danger of drunk driving. A government driver who served for thirty-five years with no blemish on his record consumed so much alcohol to celebrate his retirement and drove to his death in his new car due to drunkenness. This shows that alcohol is no respecter of persons and, when consumed in excess, will affect the consumer no matter their status, experience, or skill.

Also, this theme is presented in a manner that dissuades drunk driving, yet presents the consequence in a way that people will accept the message without resistance (Lines 29-30, Stanza 6).

“Booze boozed his vision and clear judgment                

He boomed his brand new car”

2.      Danger of Unchecked Appetite and Pretentious Living

Although the government driver served meritoriously for thirty-five years as a driver, the poem shows that he did not give up drinking, and he would drink and drive when there was no consequence “dire” to him or a superior who would ask questions, or a situation that would affect the image he presents as a driver.

Stanza 2 captures this theme clearly –

In line 5, the speaker describes the driver’s throat as “boozy,” and his way of taming the “boozy throat” was stated as the verb “pummeled”.

Line 6 shows that he beat down his tendency to alcoholism because of duty rules.

Line 7 states that now he is retired, he is a freeman, not just from service to his country, but also to live as he pleases and drink as he chooses.

“Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat          

In obedience to duty rules and regulations

Today, he’ll go home a freeman

Eligible for his country’s services”

(Stanza 2, Lines 5-8)

Over the years, he had viewed the no-drunk-driving rule as confining and limiting his enjoyment of life. So, once he had the “leash” released, he let go and drank to his heart’s content.

3.      Service, Retirement, and Reward for Meritorious Service

This theme is the center of the poem. Starting from the title, the reader sees this theme, and it repeats throughout the poem. The poem explains the concept of retirement and freedom to rest after thirty-five years of service. It also identifies it as a joyous event accompanied by celebration and the presence of friends and well-wishers. Retirement is also presented as something to look forward to, as it also comes with beautiful gifts to enjoy life.

The poem also shows that retirement comes with rewards accorded to the retired employee in acknowledgement of the service they rendered and their achievement over the years. The government driver spoken of in the poem got a brand new car besides other unnamed benefits.

4.      The Joy of Retirement

Although the driver’s job was tedious and laden with rules and regulations he despised, the day of his retirement was not a day to loathe. He was overjoyed. His excitement as he marks the end of his service in the government is evident throughout the poem. Some expressions in the poem that point to this theme include:

–          “Today, he’ll go home a freeman” (Line 3).

–          “Come friends, rejoice with me” (Line 5).

–          “I’ll booze and zoom myself / Away from duty rules” (Lines 6-7).

–          “More joy to send him home” (Line 17).

–          “Come friends and rejoice more, / Joy till no more joy to joy / Today frees me and makes me a king (Lines 21-23).