Match each poem excerpt in Column A with its corresponding prescribed African poem title, author, and primary thematic focus in Column B.
- "The casualties are not only those who are dead; / They are well who have lost / The power to expand..."J. P. Clark's "The Casualties" — Explores the non-physical, psychological trauma and moral ruin of non-combatants during the Nigerian Civil War.
- "The panic / of growing older / spread / flutter by flutter / like a sheet of newspaper / caught in the wind..."Lenrie Peters' "The Panic of Growing Older" — Examines existential anxiety and disillusionment with aging and unfulfilled ambitions.
- "He was buried without a coffin / without a grave / without a song / without a prayer..."Jared Angira's "No Coffin, No Burial" — Satirizes the unceremonious downfall and ignominious demise of a corrupt political figure.
- "Sirens boot-footed acceleration / Pass through the night / Flash-flashing police cars / Winging their way..."Dennis Brutus' "Sirens, Knuckles, Boots" — Depicts the climate of state-inflicted terror and police brutality under apartheid.
Answer
Excerpt 1 matches J. P. Clark's 'The Casualties'; Excerpt 2 matches Lenrie Peters' 'The Panic of Growing Older'; Excerpt 3 matches Jared Angira's 'No Coffin, No Burial'; Excerpt 4 matches Dennis Brutus' 'Sirens, Knuckles, Boots'.
Each excerpt directly comes from a prescribed African poem in the JAMB UTME syllabus and embodies its signature thematic subject: J. P. Clark on war fallout, Lenrie Peters on aging anxiety, Jared Angira on political corruption, and Dennis Brutus on state repression.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Thematic analysis and textual identification of prescribed African poems