Theory question 109
African PoetryLiterature 2, Section C: African Poetry
Discuss “The executioner's dream”, bringing out its significance.
Show the model answer
Model answer
Kwesi Brew's poem presents an executioner troubled by a dream about his victims.
In the dream his victims confront him; one offers him a weeping eye, a reminder of the suffering he has caused.
The victims' questions accuse him of cruelty and the pain of their last hours.
Imagery of death, pain and blood and the dream form make his guilt vivid.
Significance: the poem shows that killing destroys the killer's own humanity; conscience cannot be silenced.
It condemns cruelty and the misuse of power and invites pity for the victims.
Explanation
Explain what happens in the poem and what it means.