REVIEW OF "A BOOK THAT NEVER DIES I"

The first of the three poems of "A BOOK THAT NEVER DIES" also known as "THE MYTH OF THE RAIN-MAKER" is a narrative poem by J.Y.Frimpong]. It was released on 1 November 2013 on online magazines. The poem combines the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel and also the Akan myth of the origin of the rainy season in a very conniving way.
"A BOOK THAT NEVER DIES I" is heavily influenced by "ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHT" which is also known as "ARABIAN NIGHT." This is J.Y.Frimpong's longest poem ever to have been composed; considering the fact that he is very economical with his lines. This poem has 49 lines; 7 stanzas with 7 lines.

Synopsis

"THE MYTH OF THE RAIN-MAKER" follows an unnamed character who tries to explain to his nephew a story about "Why God lives so far from man". At the end of the poem, instead of answering his nephew's question, he evasively tells his nephew about "THE TALE OF THE RAIN-MAKER." The poem actually starts when he begins to recounts tales as told in a certain book called "A BOOK THAT NEVER DIES." In the narrator, it is made known that God once had a wife who died when the tower of Babel was been built. And per the narration, it is the reason why God destroyed the tower as opposed to popular story being told in the Bible.
After the destruction of this temple, God buried his wife in a casket which he kept under his bed for daily remembrance. Whenever God pulled the casket out of his bed and opens it, he begins to cry and this translates to rain on Earth. When he sneezes during his tears, it translates to thunder on Earth. The problem that men began to face with this action of God was that it was becoming over frequent. Man therefore made a "wager" with God that for the sake for man's perpetual survival then they implore God to remember his wife only at a specific period in the year and this gave birth to the creation of two seasons: dry season and the wet season.
However the nephew does not see the relationship between the question which he earlier asked about the reasons why God lives so far away from man. His uncle then replies him that he will continue the story of the rain-maker which will later explain the question he asked. Although his nephew earlier resisted this plea for reasons known to him, a compromise is set that yes his cousin would tell him about the "myth of the clouds" another day.

Analysis

J.Y.Frimpong wrote the poem as a narrative with intentional Biblical allusions and didactism . The main theme of the poem is that of death, love and compromise. The narrator experiences two kinds of prejudices; evasiveness, begging of the question and deceitfulness. The nature of "A BOOK THAT NEVER DIES" can not be substantiated because of its mythical and unavailable nature.
LANGUAGE: The poem is basically made up of simple words, it is not complex in construction. It is a very direct narration without hidden meaning. It can be read and understood by anyone. However the Biblical allusion of The Tower of Babel may give it a complex look especially if the reader isn't already familiar with that topic.

OVERALL RATING: 81.00%. A+

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