X CHARACTER

X CHARACTER

 

I would love to marry you!

But you would never part my source and hatch a chick, 

You would never love my Dad and give a new name,

And you would never love my pals and bark at them.

"You dare not in my ear your beauty reverberate".

Like a frustrated prostitute,

You need not appear so innocent.

I would love to marry you!

But you would never love your church and join my coven,

You would never hear my story and keep your peace 

And you would never dance my beat and miss your step.

"A brothel is a motel!" 

Only that it camouflages like a hotel.

"A bad character is like a hostel"

So I would in me make you my fair Juliet,

And in reality, be to you no Romeo.

CONTENT ANALYSIS 

The poem X Character is a literary piece that brings to light the negative effects or consequences of exhibiting a bad character as a young lady who’s supposed to have a promising future in all facets of life. The X in the poem’s title, X Character, symbolizes bad. That’s to say, the title of this piece, X Character, means bad character.

In exploring what it really means to have a bad character, one must first understand ethical principles through which one can base his view. Thinkers define these concepts as more than just the absence of generally acceptable behavior. It goes as far as spearheading the very decisions we make. According to Grades Fixer, giving highlights on the moral viewpoint, bad character is seen as a deviation from ethical principles and values. This trait includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty, cruelty, narcissism, etc.

Now, to bring it to the poet’s viewpoint, who sees bad character as a trait that is capable of seizing a beautiful tomorrow from a young girl, it should be noted that while many men will never tell you why they suddenly change their mind and turn their eyes against you, a pretty girl that once gave them sleepless nights, it is that trait in you that is the enemy. It’s planning to sift you like wheat.

If you think physical beauty can keep you in that man’s house, then I think you should think again because physical beauty is a promotional tool. When a man buys a product because the seller knows how to convince, and then he takes it home and later discovers that the functionality of that product is the opposite of what the seller said, he disposes of it. But before that, he takes a close look at the name of that product again so he can tell his friends about it, so as not to patronize the seller or buy the same product.

As Pastor David Ogueri(General Overseer: Dominion City Worldwide)would say, "The beauty of the heart is better than physical beauty". Just be good, and things will fall in place for you.

POETIC ANALYSIS

This poem starts with a conversation between a young man and a beautiful young girl, from their conversation, it reveals that they may have been in a relationship for a long time. And this time, he was able to summon courage and tell the young lady his mind, pointing out those areas she is misbehaving.

The poem: X Character, has three stanzas. The first and the second stanza has seven lines each, while the last stanza has two lines. The first two stanzas have the rhyme scheme A-B-C-D-E-E-E while the last stanza has the rhyme scheme A-B.

In stanza one, the poet’s persona told his lover he would love to marry her, but he would not, for some notable reasons well defined. 

Almost all the lines in this poem have part that opposes what is really meant. Hence, the dominant figure of speech is irony.

BREAKDOWN OF STANZA ONE

I would love to marry you, but you would never part my with source and hatch a chick. That’s to say, you would never regard my origin as anything. You would never love and respect my dad. That’s to say, with the way your life and character are, you would call my dad a wizard. And your word alone would chase or shun my friends away.

Her lover discovered that all she cares about is going here and there, telling people how beautiful she is. That he tired of hearing all the stories of her beauty. And when he warns or cautions her about it, she would look so innocent as if she wil would here and embrace the correction. But she wouldn’t. She would still persist in her unethical behavior.

"If only you’ve seen the appearance of a prostitute who is frustrated, you would know what she really looks like when corrected or cautioned".

BREAKDOWN OF STANZA 2

Again, he said: I would love to marry you! But you would never leave your church and join my coven. That's to say, you would never do away with those evil attitude and live a godly life, you won't stop clubbing, cheating; you would never listen to instruction, advice, without proving or trying to prove a point. You would never drop that pride of yours and be good for once.

In line 5 of stanza 2, the poet directly compares a brother to a motel. Metaphorically, he is trying to say that no matter how beautiful you are, with a bad character, you will always be ugly. That is, "whether brothel: a den of harlots, or motel: an arbor built and designed for travelers who are on a long journey by car. The fact is, both are lodges. So because they look like a hotel doesn’t mean they are. Because you are beautiful doesn’t mean your bad character can’t send you packing or deprive you of what you should have gotten or benefited from.

In line 7, he concluded by saying that a bad character is like a hotel. This means that when you behold a hotel outside, it looks so beautiful, well-designed, polished, but only God knows the nonsense that goes on inside, the atrocities that are committed in there. That’s to say, you may look beautiful, wear the best of makeup, well packaged, in the right apparel. But, will you look that same way if someone should unwrap the label? Would they see that same angel they saw, or a monster?

BREAKDOWN OF STANZA 3

In stanza 3, the poetic persona concluded by saying, I would, in me, make you my fair Juliet, and in reality, be to you no Romeo. This is characterized by a dramatic monologue. The poetic persona concluded within him that he can only be her lover, as she is only good for a relationship, but he will never marry her.

THEME

Expository: This theme is derived from the poetic persona’s openness in telling her lover the truth about her unethical character and how it hurts and will affect their emotional bond.

Bad character: This is the general theme through which the message revolves around.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

Irony: The dominant figure of speech in this work is irony. Irony occurs when words are used to express something other than, and especially the opposite of, the literal meaning.

Metaphor: This is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. In line five, stanza two, a brothel is compared to a motel. "A brothel is a motel".

Simile: This is adopted when comparing two unlike things that are often introduced or characterized by "like" or "as". In line seven, stanza two, "A bad character is like a hotel".

Symbolism. This is a figure of speech where an object, person, or situation represents a larger, often abstract, idea. 

According to study.com, symbolism is defined as a figure of speech in which a person, situation, word, or object is used to represent another thing. Hence, 'X' represents 'bad', that’s "bad character" as found in the title of the poem.

MORAL LESSON/ADVICE 

This poem admonishes us, especially our female gender, to live a cautious life because we don’t know who’s looking at us, what they think about us, or even what they have for us. Work on that character that is likely to devalue you or render you priceless.

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