Analysis of A RAIDER OF THE TREASURE TROVE by Lade Wosornu

RAIDER OF THE TREASURE TROVE By Lade Wosornu 

But what can be worthy of your life? 

What dearer than the gems of your dreams: 

The reason you are here? Always strive 

To fly flags of Joy, and sail up streams 

Powered by the breeze of love, your course 

Chartered in the ink of compassion. 

And, fling roses wherever you pause 

Heaven-on-earth your destination 

Of things which would blot out that brief 

Or, breach your sails with arrows unseen: 

No! Rob you of life, Rage is chief. 

Rage drags rags after you. Of charity, 

Laughter, sweetness and light, Rage is thief 

Enemy of equanimity, 

Rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene. 

In essence, Rage spells calamity. 

Its cause is your perception of storms 

Breaking around, not upon, your head. 

There are neither snakes, deviants nor norms: 

As you think, so you feel. Watch your mind. 

Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind? 

I'll fling roses wherever I berth. 

My destination is heaven-on-earth. 

ABOUT THE POET

Ladé Wosornu is a Ghanaian professor, a surgeon, author and a poet. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences He also has fellowship from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in both Edinburg and England.

Wosornu was born in Lolito  village in the Volta region of Ghana. He was married to Juliette Tuakli a medical doctor. He attended Presbyterian Boy's Secondary School and St. Augustine's College. He is also a graduate of the Glasgow University n the United Kingdom.

Ladé Wosornu ha won many prizes including a gold medal as the most distinguished graduate of the year.

Ladé Wosornu worked with the Ghana medical school and also in Glasgow, London. He also worked with some universities in Saudi Arabia and Zambia as a professor in surgery. As a surgeon, he is specialized in chest surgery.

BACKGROUND TO THE POEM

In Raider of Treasure Trove, Lade emphasizes the negative impacts rage can wreak on a man's life. Many have built a lot of goodwill through hard work over a long period of a lifetime, only to destroy all with rage. He expresses that this inherent potential of rage in his poem and presents its overwhelming damage to the Treasure Trove

SETTING OF THE POEM 

The setting of the poem is said to be universal as anger is a trait that resides in every human being. Anger is a reflex action. Even animals exhibit anger and rage. For example, a hungry lion rages and roars in the jungle. 

SUMMARY OF THE POEM 

The word “raider” means a plunderer (robber or a thief). He uses the word Raider to represent human beings. Every human being enters the world with the sole aim of unearthing their destiny. This destiny is the treasure trove. From the poem there are two concepts which will enable every human being achieve or lose this. They are love and rage. He identified Rage a weakness in human beings which have caustic power to limit humans’ journey in life..

Treasure trove means valuables like gold, silver in the form of money, plate or bullion of unknown ownership, found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics. The poet uses the title to depict man’s pursuit for life treasures or value of life. In the poem, the poet equates life and all its benefits (like happiness and fulfilling one's dream) with the ‘treasure trove’. So, he warns the readers against allowing anger and rage to rob them of happiness and living a fulfilled life. 

The poet used the word metaphorically to create the image of problems in life and the challenges (storm of life). In the poem, The Raider of the Treasure Trove the poet creates a magical imagery of sea and sailors on a voyage. He draws a contrast to life and sail. Life is a destination or path with pain and gain.

Stanzas 1 and 2 - The poem opens with the poet persona telling the readers the essence of their existence in the first place. He asserts that the essence of life is to be in joy and happiness, so that one can easily achieve one's dreams. We cannot give anything in exchange for our lives or our happiness. He asks rhetorically in the first line: 

“But what can be worthy of your life?” 

The  poet starts the first stanza with rhetorical questions calling the readers to action. These questions challenge the existence of humans if not to attain the great heights. Lines 3 & 4 The reasons you are here? Always strive/To fly flags of joy, and, sail upstreams’

One of the ways humans achieve success in life is by being happy about where they are. This propels them to strive to achieve more – to aim higher. When people are happy they tend to be more productive. This is represented by ‘To fly flags of joy’, the poet calls on people to keep moving up because time wait for no one. Remember the first line of the poem – ‘But what can be worthy of your life’ which runs into the second line ‘… dearer than the gems or your dreams’.

Rather than being bitter and in rage, he enjoins the readers to show love, compassion, and share roses (beautiful flowers).By so doing, we would be living on earth as if we were in heaven, and thereby fulfilling the purpose of our creation in this brief life we have to live. 

Stanza two presents the effect of joy in the life of every human being. Joy drives us. Joy makes humans spread love to people around them. Love helps humans channel the course of their lives, ‘Powered by the breeze of love, your course’ line 5. In doing this, human beings sprinkle bits of compassion to one another who are also on the voyage of life. ‘… your course/ chattered in the ink of compassion/ And, fling roses where you pause.’

As a result, the poet presents love, joy and compassion as a means of achieving happiness on earth. Heaven is beautiful. It is usually an imaginary place where souls rest. Our debt on this earth is to death which comes when least expected. And it is the desire of every human being to make heaven where there is no strife, greed or all forms of evil.

The poet in this stanza argues that earth can be our heaven if our lives are nurtured and centered around love, joy and compassion for one another. He ends the stanza by reminding human beings of the brevity of life itself which can fade away any moment. Line 9 – Of things which would bolt out that brief.

Stanza 3 - The poem takes sudden turn in stanza three. Here, the poet warns of Rage. He identifies rage as the greatest enemy to humans’ happiness. This does not mean rage is the only enemy to love but it is the chief. ‘Or breach your sails with arrows unseen/ No Rob you of your life, Rage is chief.’ Lines 10 & 11. Rage is violent anger. It is destructive. It can destroy a relationship built for years or monumental structure or edifice in a matter of seconds. Rage can deny one of one’s happiness or even give one a lifetime injury. Rage leaves indelible tracks and marks. ‘Rage drags rags after you, of charity/Laughter, sweetness and light, Rage is thief’ Lines 12 & 13.

In addition, these lines reveal that Rage denies one the opportunity to be happy, satisfied and cheerful. Rage steals your joy or what you have built for years in a twinkle of an eye, just like a thief. Rage takes life which cannot be returned. Hence, the poet warns of horror and harm rage brings to human lives. He summarises the sting and havoc of rage in this stanza as ‘Enemy of equanimity’ Line 14.

  This line talks about the place we give anger and rage in our lives. If we allow rage to thrive within us, then, it becomes a chief. He revolts against this; and admonishes the readers to see rage as rather a thief that comes to steal our laughter, sweetness, light, sanity and calmness. ...Rage is thief/Enemy of equanimity. 

Stanza 4 - Here, the poet further elucidates the demerits of rage. It Spreads toxic fumes; this makes it deadly or lethal. Rage spells calamity. Also in stanza four, the poet continues to decry the dangers posed by rage to human. Rage has a way of spreading to people around us. It intoxicates individuals turning them to mere beasts. ‘Rage spreads toxic fumes on every scene.’ Once an individual gets aggressive at another person or group of people, the ones at the receiving end get agitated as well. They catch the ‘rage flu’ and respond. This quickly spills out of control and result in destruction. ‘In essence, Rage spells calamity.’ Line 16.

Hence, Rage’s main course is to destroy or stop humans’ sail to heaven-on-earth (his/her destination). The last two lines of this stanza expose the weakness of Rage. Rage is caused by our perception to an issue. Instead of allowing rage to control us, we should consider the background from which the rage is coming from or the background of the person possessed by the rage is coming from. If humans understand one another’s perspective to life rage can be defeated.

Stanza 5 - Finally, the last stanza warns that the mind harbours Rage. So, we should be careful about what dwells in our minds. A heart filled with love, compassion and joy overrides rage. An atom of hate can develop to rage which leaves trails behind, ‘Rage sets sail. Can ruin lag far behind.’ when we leave traces of love. ‘fling roses’. We will be surely at peace when we get to our destination.

This stanza tells us that we should guard our thoughts as out of it flows the issues of life. If we allow unfounded thoughts to grip us, we might fall into the temptation of destruction. For example, a man who is enraged without restraint could use knives, botties, guns or other dangerous weapons to harm. Though he begs later for forgiveness when he regains sanity, the ruin would have been done already. “Can ruin lag far behind?” In the analysis of the raider of the treasure trove, rage is the raider who raids and carts away the treasure of our lives.

THEMES 

The human trait called “rage” - Every human has the tendency to ooze rage and anger and cause destruction. Rage is a reflex action. It depends on what triggers the anger. We should exercise restraints when we get angry, and try to avoid the scene. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Some people's uncontrollable rage is hereditary; and sometimes, they only come to their senses when they have caused harm. Their contrition (regret) later on might be late. 

The ultimate purpose of existence - The poem has this as one of the themes. According to the poet, nothing is more important than fulfilling our dreams and living life in joy, happiness and in full potential. He therefore warns that, for us to achieve this, we should jettison our lives of anger, rage and bitterness. 

There is a reason why we are here. And it is left to every individual to work to attain it or to let it go. The poet tells us what should matter most in the life of every individual. These are the goals that the individual aspires to. Dreams are the things that are of paramount importance in one’s life. In other words, each one of us is born for a purpose; to fulfil our destiny. It is the reason we are here.

The opening lines of the poem attest to this.

But what can be worthy of your life?

What dearer than the gems of your dreams,

The reason you are here?

In effect, one comes into this life for one primary purpose. To fulfil one’s destiny.

And the ultimate goal of one’s struggles through life is to achieve happiness when those dreams come to reality.

“Heaven-on-earth your destination”

But, sadly, for many people, it is impossible to realize this. The reason is that they allow anger and other negative emotions to destroy any chances they might have to achieve their goals in life.

Negative impacts of rage - The poem elucidates several drawbacks associated with rage. Rage destroys; it spells calamity; it spreads toxic fumes (deadly); an enemy of sobriety (sanity). Above all, rage steals our joy and happiness. “Rage is thief”. 

To the poet persona, rage or anger is the main cause of man’s troubles on earth. This is why he cautions strongly against the tendency to allow strong negative emotions like rage to rule one’s life.

Rage is a destructive force. It acts like a thief to deprive anyone who entertains it of their happiness.

Further, rage is a toxic emotion which only spreads discord and eats away happiness and joy.

The theme of Love and Joy - The poet persona contrasts the unhelpful emotion of rage with that of love, compassion and joy.

In a didactic tone, the poet persona advocates love. He sees it as the best way for any living person to attain their dream for a better life – the heavenly bliss that we all seek.

While rage only brings disaster, positive emotions such as love, compassion and joy, on the other hand, are the agents of all things positive.

So these are the desirable emotions the individual must cultivate and propagate (spread) wherever he goes.

… Always strive

To fly flags of joy, and, sail up streams

Powered by the breeze of love, your course

Chattered in the ink of compassion

And flling roses wherever you pause.

The power of the mind to influence one’s situation in life - Another salient theme in the poem, Raider of the Treasure Trove is that everyone has the power to bring into existence whatever they want.

The source of this power is the human mind. Just as negative thoughts bring about a lack of progress, so do positive thoughts have the power to produce the most desired results.

“As you think, so you feel. Watch your mind.”

To the poet, the way we think about the things that happen to us determines our feelings and, for that matter, our actions.

To put it differently, the mind is the most powerful mover of our emotions, and by extension, our actions and their results.

Positive thinking brings the right feeling and the right outcomes. Therefore, rage becomes the inevitable outcome of how we see (our perception of) the happenings in our lives.

The poet argues that many people tend to focus on only the negative aspects of life’s events. They fail to see the possibilities even in the darkest moments.

And this is what drives them to the negative emotions that end up destroying their happiness here on earth.

In essence, Rage spells calamity

Its sole cause? Your perception of storms

Breaking around, not upon, your head.

Theme of choice - The poet persona places before the reader the choice between rage and love. But he goes beyond that. In fact, in his concluding couple of lines, he tells us where he personally stands on this matter.

I’ll fling roses wherever I berth

My destination is Heaven-on-earth.

Clearly, he is saying he knows which one is the better choice. We must choose love over rage.

The theme of heaven on earth - Raider of the Treasure Trove appears to kick against the conventional notion that man goes to a place called heaven only after departing from his earthly life.

The poet maintains that we are born to come into this life and live it to the full. Heaven is here on earth to reach out for and experience. And that the bliss or happiness that we seek in the afterlife is realizable while we live.

“Heaven-on-earth your destination”

In essence, there is no other heaven elsewhere to expect after we die. To the poet persona, people, unfortunately, allow uncontrolled negative emotions to rob them of heavenly life right here on earth. By making himself an example, the poet shows the way.

FIGURES OF SPEECH AND POETIC DEVICES 

Language - The diction used by the poet is not too difficult for an average reader to decipher. However, there are few ambiguous lines in the poem, like: 

“Or, breach your sails with arrows unseen:/ There are neither snakes, deviants nor norms:” 

Mood/Tone - The mood of the poet is that of love and compassion. The tone is that of ruin and anger. 

Metaphor - The poet uses metaphorical ideas throughout the poem to convey his message of anger and rage: Rage is thief/ Enemy of equanimity. Rage is directly and explicitly compared with a thief who steals people's joy, sweetness and laughter; a foe of sanity and tranquillity. 

Fly flags of joy

Breeze of love

Ink of compassion

Wherever I berth

Heaven-on-earth

The gems of your dreams

Just like the diction, metaphor in the poem creates pointed images that go to reinforce the various themes. For instance, the examples of metaphor in Raider of the Treasure Trove above paint a positive image of the kind of life that one is bound to experience when one chooses love over rage.

Sarcasm / Irony - “Rage is chief.” 

Personification - The use of personification is predominant in the poem. Rage is thief; rage is chief; Enemy of equanimity; Rage spreads toxic fumes; Rage drags rags..., etc. All these give ‘rage’ human qualities. 

“Rage” is personified throughout the poem. It is possible that the poet does this deliberately to underline this fact: Rage is the “chief” architect of man’s troubles on this earth. And, by extension, negative emotions constitute a powerful force in our lives. This is why they must be avoided at all costs before they destroy us.

Dramatic monologue - The poet reads as if he addressed someone who listens. The poet uses the second person pronoun like ‘you’ and “your”, thereby addressing everybody irrespective of the gender. It is akin to a sermon being preached about the drawbacks of anger and rage. 

Antithesis - No! Rob you of life, Rage is chief/ Rage drags rags after you. Of charity,/Laughter, sweetness and light, Rage is thief. The word “chief contrasts with “thief”. 

Hyperbole - “My destination is heaven-on-earth.” 

The above expression is an overstatement, for the purpose of emphasis. 

Euphemism - “Of things which would blot out that brief”. By this, the poet refers to death. 

“Or, breach your sails with arrows unseen:” By this, the poet refers to how rage can be our hidden hindrance to good life. “,.. Rage is chief.’It is being painted as chief, as if it were something positive. 

All these expressions are presented in a pleasant way, instead of in an unpleasant way. 

Repetition - Words like “Rage”, “...fling roses”all being repeated for the purpose of emphasis. Also, with minor modifications, “My destination is heaven-on-earth” is being repeated. 

Alliteration - This is a poetic device that involves the repetition of an initial consonant sound — 

“they sang in the forlorn fields” (“f” alliterates) 

“To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams” (“f” and “s” alliterate) 

“Of things which would blot out...” (‘w” alliterates) 

“Rage sets sail...” (“s” alliterates)

Assonance

“drags rags after you”

Imagery/Symbolism - The poem is full of imageries and symbolisms. For instance, ‘flags of joy” symbolize human actions that bring joy; “fling roses” symbolize the sharing of love and happiness. Rose is an emblem of love. The repetitive use of “heaven” in the poem symbolizes a perfect bliss. On the negative aspect, “toxic fumes” symbolize deadly emissions. It stands for harm. 

Rhyme

“I’ll fling roses wherever I berth

My destination is heaven on earth

ALTERNATE RHYME

No. Rob you of your life Rage is chief

Rage drags rags after you, of Charity

Laughter, sweetness and light, Rage is thief

Enemy of equanimity

Rhetorical question - But what can be worthy of your life? 

What dearer than the gems of your dreams; 

The reason you are here? ... 

Can ruin lag far behind? 

The above questions are not asked for answers, but to create some effects. By these rhetorical questions, the poet persona places emphasis on the value of life (nothing is more treasured than it); our purpose of existence and how we can avoid ruin if we stay away from rage. 

Biblical Allusions - The poem has many Biblical allusions viz — 

i. But what can be worthy of your life?What can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26. 

Enjambment - It is when an idea in a line of poetry flows into the next 

line or lines before a complete thought is achieved. This also known as run-on-line: 

But what can be worthy of your life? 

What dearer than the gems of your dreams; 

The reason you are here? Always strive 

To fly flags of joy, and sail up streams 

In the stanza above, line 3 flows into 4. 

Blank Verse/ Free Verse - The poem is written without any regular patterns, rhymes or meters. 

Structure - The poem is written in five stanzas of unequal lines. The structure of the poem Raider of the Treasure Trove is built around the literary device known as contrast. For example, there is a contrast between the subject matter of the first stanza and the second stanza.

While stanza one dwells largely on the importance of dreams and how to achieve them with the right positive steps, stanza two moves away from this theme.

The poet persona in the second stanza warns the audience about powerful but destructive negative emotions like rage. Anger, if allowed to fester, can lead to the most devastating consequences.

Secondly, there are aspects of diction (words and expressions) that, in a way, juxtapose the two contrasting emotions and situations presented in the poem.

For example, such expressions as Fly, flags, Sail, Streams, Powered, Breeze, berth and Course constitute travel or navigation imagery that create the desired positive images of progress toward a lofty destination.

On the opposite side are expressions like Blot out, Breach, Arrow, Rob, Toxic fumes, and Calamity. These create an atmosphere of destruction, gloom and doom.

In sum, by carefully presenting the two opposite scenarios to the audience, the poet emphasizes the fact that personal choice plays a vital role in determining our condition in life.

Satire - The poem ridicules the human vice of rage and anger, In order to make amends