Makola is one of the biggest market centres in the country(Ghana). As part of Junior High School students’ literature book ‘Cockrow’. This commentary will give students the general overview of the poem, this, from, themes, setting, subject matter and literary devices in Makola.
Makola
Head bent, rags all around the upside down pan
Picking her nose, shuffling her feet, oblivious to the bustle and the calls of the driver’s mates.
This morning she quarrelled with the husband
Why wouldn’t he understand that her work is very tedious and involving?
Why must it all be on his terms, at his convenience?
“Move out of the way, move out, I say” shouts the cart pusher
None cares about his agitation.
The sweat runs down his face, tiny rivulets of disappointment and fear
They snake down and glide effortlessly into his dirty t-shirt
His tongue peeps out and licks the beads of sweat on his lip.
That young girl with the thin arms balances a bowl of sachet water on her head
The runny-nose baby at her back is supported with a faded ATL cloth.
He holds in his hands a battered teddy with an eye missing.
The baby whimpers, she tries to soothe him by patting his leg.
He refuses to be soothed and gives out a loud yell.
“Put him to the breast”, one woman counsels.
“I can’t”, she says, “I have no breast milk.
Writer: Theresa Ennin
Subject Matter
The poem talks about the various groups of people commonly found at Makola and their activities in that market. The head-potter is described as absent-minded amidst the noises in the market. Her pensive mood is a result of her demanding husband.
The cart pusher in the poem in a typical way – shouting. He needs space to move freely in the crowded market. He seems to need freedom in life too. His unrealized dreams leave him disappointed and frustrated.
The young mother who is also a hawker is described as impoverished to the point of malnutrition. Her baby’s future seems gloom. Other people found in the market include school dropouts, children, pregnant women etc.
Read Also: Cockcrow Commentary: The Generous Hunter Detailed Commentary
Makola Commentary
Setting
- Makola
Themes
- Family
- Male dominance in marriage
- Parenting
- Malnutrition
- Poverty
- Unfulfilled potential
- Disappointment
Read Also: 20 Basic & Most Important Literary Devices With Examples
Literary Devices In Makola
Below are some examples of literary devices in Makola
Allusion
- ‘Makola’. The title of the poem is a reference to one of the biggest markets in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
- ‘…with a faded ATL cloth’ (‘ATL’ is a reference to a textiles company in Ghana).
Imagery
- ‘..shuffling her feet…’
- ‘…dirty t-shirt…’
Metaphor
- ‘…beads of sweat…’
- ‘They snake down’
Rhetorical Question
- ‘Why wouldn’t he understand that her work is very tedious and involving?’
Alliteration
- ‘Running recklessly throughout the overcrowded market’
Read Commentary On ‘The Generous Hunter’
