Friday 25 October 2019

POEM "GOD'S GREEN EARTH" REVIEW BY BARR. JAMES HOPE



The poem"God’s Green Earth" by Benjamin Anabaraonye provides its readers with a subtle call to climate change mitigation and adaptation for global sustainability. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report[1] states that education is an essential and vital element of the global response to climate change. In educating people, it helps them to understand the impact of global warming, increases climate literacy amongst people, encourages changes in their attitudes and behaviour, and helps them adapt to drifts in climate change. Thus, through his poetry,Benjamin has in simple terms described the beauty of the environment and why it should be preserved. Poetry is a way of life and it is a basic tool for educating communities and institutions on the impacts of climate change.
Benjamin Anabaraonye's poem "God's Green Earth"provided us with a unique and spiritual dimension to understanding our role and obligation in a society created and controlled by a Creator. The biblical story of creation tells us that God created the heaven and the earth and everything in it and saw that it was good before forming man to enjoy the privileges and opportunities available for his reproduction, multiplication and existence. The author also used this spiritual inclination to make us agents and ambassadors of climate change to help preserve the beautiful creation of God.He personalizes Nature’s demand calling for stabilizing our environment against any form of depletion in his first stanza and gave a utopian reason for climate change mitigation.
The author's prevailing theme focused on the beauty of the environment and a call to maintain such beauty. He showcases to us the beauty we are being surrounded with in our society and how well it will be to keep making such beautiful creations to be clean and habitable.
Poetic Techniques in the work
1.   Theme
The theme of the poem is “The gift of nature and its beauty to be preserved” as the author simply coined "Gods Green Earth."
2.   Tone
The tone of the poem is admiring, adoring, candid, approving and supporting.
3.   Mood
The mood the poem present is peaceful, calm, thoughtful and serious
4.   Imagery
“the smile of the rainbow pie ", “Stop and smell the fragrant flowers” and “The showers of refreshing rain”
5.   Techniques:
Onomathopia- “Hush as the gentle spring showers”
Personification-Nature’s beauty calls for care”
Use of conjunction- “Clean and green”
Repetition- “On God’s clean and green earth”
The use of Hyperbole -“Nature’s voice spurns a rebirth”
Simile-Hush, as the gentle spring showers” the consistent use of “as”
6.   Rhyme
The poem contains seven stanzas of four lines each. The writer maintained a unique end rhyme scheme of AABB. Punctuations used by the writer were coined to give a better understanding of the verse. The writer was expository, yet persuasive in his choice of words.
The poem is simple and can easily be understood by all and sundry. There is no community in the world that is untouched by climate change, and there is need to offer a voice to it by using the instrumentality of poetry as used by the author to convey such a message. Climate change is real, but the original creation of this beautiful environment for mankind was for it to be habitable and natural. We are all stakeholders in ensuring it is clean and safe for today and tomorrow's society and that’s what the author has offered in his poetic work.The author has gladly supported the beauty of nature and desire of creation in his seventh stanza thus;
We live, laugh and love
As we enjoy precious gifts from above
It’s a beautiful world we live in
Our duty is to keep it clean and green

Climate change is real, poetry as showcased by the author is the best approached to ensuring that its mitigation and adaptation are greatly enhanced. The Sustainable Development Goals is an urgent move towards this and the author is a partner in ensuring the society is clean and good.



 





Your beautiful comments, testimonies, and suggestions are welcome.Thanks for stopping by!