Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe
Introduction
Chinua Achebe’s Mother in a Refugee Camp paints the pathetic picture of a mother holding her dying son in her hands for the last time, portraying both the inevitability of death and the pain of those whose loved ones have died yet they live on in a harsh light. In Refugee Mother and Child, Achebe realistically presents a refugee camp infected with starvation, disease and death. The mother and child are nameless so are the location. They can be any mother and child in Africa, driven to a refugee camp because of political instability.
The poem is a simple, but vivid description of the life of people (especially women and children) who are stranded in refugee camps during turbulent times. The poem is poignant due to its artful usage of imagery and simple language. The pitiable state of such people is depicted evocatively; while strongly emphasizing the unconditional love of a mother towards her child, which knows no end.
Summary
The poem starts with the poet comparing the scene of a mother holding her son in a refugee camp with the love and care which is usually depicted in all versions of Mary holding a ding Jesus in her arms. The poet state that none of the reputed depictions of tenderness could even come near the fragility and beauty of this scene of pathos and heartbreak. This foreshadows that the son in her arms is soon going to die, an idea which is confirmed by the third line which says that after laying her son beneath the earth, the mother would have to learn how to live life without him, and move on.
The next four lines describe the aura of disease, illness and death which surrounds the camp; describing the smells of the camp, and the ribs of the children protruding from sickness, painting a truly horrifying picture of sick infants and helpless people. Then Achebe goes on to say how other mothers no longer care, they can no longer cope with the struggle of surviving and now only await death. However, this mother, who was mentioned earlier, does not fall into the same category.
There is a remnant of a smile gracing her lips and she remembers her son in all his glory as she holds him for the last time. Her maternal pride had led her to clean him up before laying him to rest, and now she takes out a comb and with singing eyes, she arranges her son’s hair which is rust, a sign that he suffers from kwashiorkor; a protein deficiency. The relevant way in which she performs this act makes the poet reflect on how in normal day-to-day life, such an act holds no consequence to any mother; they do it before their sons leave for school. But the manner in which this mother does it has such an air of finality to it that it is akin to laying flowers on a tiny grave.
The poet gives us a realistic picture of a mother and her child. Hundreds of poor people are thrown out of their homes due to political disturbances or natural calamities. The refugees are in a miserable condition. There are innumerable mothers and children in the same miserable condition in the refugee camp. Their children are slowly dying of poverty and diseases.
But the poet draws our attention to a particular mother and her child. They are compared with St.Mary holding infant Jesus in her arms. Madonna loves her child because Jesus is the saviour of mankind and the son of God. The world worships her and her child. Juxtaposed with this, the poet introduces a poor ordinary, unknown mother and child. The mother knows her child is slowly dying. It is of no use caring for him.
Other mothers in the camp know this truth about their children, so they are careless about their dying children. They don’t want to waste further their time and energy and love for the dying children. It is futile for them. So they are passive. The air was heavy with odours of diarrhoea of unwashed children.
But this mother is very different. She is the epitome of motherhood. She loves her child. Her love for him is infinite and divine. She does not want anything in return for her love and sacrifice. She combs his dirty hair left on the skull of his head. She carefully parts the hair as if she were preparing him for school in the morning. She is doing a lot of work including kissing his forehead. It was an act of putting flowers in his small coffin- the last love of a mother to her son.
The poet uses the words ‘ghost’ and ‘rust’ as metaphors for death. The mother keeps smiling while combing his hair because she knows that very soon the child will die. While carrying infant Jesus in her arms, St.Mary too knows well that her son will be nailed to the cross for the benefit of humanity. Therefore he would become the Saviour of mankind. But the refugee mother cannot be proud of any such achievement of her poor son. His death is not a matter for the world. Yet her maternal love for her child surpasses even the love of Madonna for her infant Jesus.
The refugee mother cannot expect anything in return for her sacrifice and motherly love for her poor sick child. Still, her love and care continue for him till his last breath. The comparison between Madonna and Infant Jesus serves to heighten the emotional appeal of the poem. Simple and direct, the poem “Refugee Mother and Child” touches our hearts with love and compassion and enhances the dignity of motherhood.
About the Poet
Chinua Achebe (1930 – 2013) is one of Nigeria and Africa’s most recognised and decorated writers. He is more renowned for his novels and essays. He came to the limelight as a poet and was joint-winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1972. Chinua Achebe continues to be an inspiration to several people around the world. Chinua Achebe is a great Nigerian novelist poet and short story writer. He grew up in Africa during colonial rule. His works are heavily inspired by the pitiful situation of the native people during colonial rule. The same can be observed in this poem too; as he touchingly speaks about the hapless state of refugees in a camp during wartime. His first novel “Things Fall Apart” has been translated into 45 languages. His poem “Refugee Mother and Child” is a celebration of motherhood. It is a refugee camp somewhere in Africa.
Analysis of the Poem
Structure
The poem is written in freestyle. It is not structured i.e., not divided into stanzas. It has no particular metre, rhythm or rhyme scheme. The style of writing is similar to prose. The lines of the poem form complete sentences on their own. Only the spacing between the lines gives the "poetic feel" for this piece of work.
Language
The beauty of the poem lies in the sheer simplicity of its language. It is not "too heavy" or grandiloquent. The poem is written in layman's language; which makes it effectively tug at the heartstrings of the readers. The clever usage of daily life words to create powerful allegories is the highlight of the poem.
Mood
The poem has a very melancholic air. The graphic depiction of the wretched living conditions of the people in the refugee camp, coupled with the sentimental narrative of a mother's tender love towards her child; makes the poem quite a tear-jerker.
Speaker
The speaker of the poem is the poet himself. The poet speaks as a third person i.e., one who just observes everything from a distance, without being a part of it. The poem is thus a third person's / onlooker's narrative of the pathetic life of refugees in a camp.
Tone
The tone of the poem is quite dramatic as the poet makes use of a number of powerful allegories to drive home his point. The tone is sad but influential. The poet seems quite passionate and emotional as he narrates the plight of the refugees and the helplessness of the affectionate mother.
Backdrop
The poem takes place in the backdrop of colonized Africa, wherein the natives are subject to untold sufferings due to the frontier rule and freedom struggle. The setting of the poem is a refugee camp, somewhere in Africa. The exact location of the camp is unknown. Or, it can be taken as a generalised description of any and every refugee camp in Africa.
Characters
The central characters are a mother and her son. Although there is a passing reference made to the other refugees in the camp, the spotlight is on one particular mother and her child. The poet specifically speaks about this one particular woman and her son in a refugee camp as this woman is apart from the rest because she is still able to nurture maternal feelings towards her almost-dead son, even in the inhuman atmosphere of the refugee camp.
Theme
The underlying themes of the poem are the hellish living conditions of destitute people in a refugee camp and maternal love which shines forth even in such inhuman conditions. The various nightmarish consequences of destitution are touchingly painted in words. Malnourishment, disease, death, and lack of care and attention are all commonplace in a refugee camp. Death perennially looms overhead in such places. Maternal love and care, which is universally accepted as the purest and unconditional form of love; is also scarred by the hellish life there. The pathetic state of living has hardened the hearts of mothers and they do not care for their children or even cry at their death. The poem speaks of one woman showing maternal affection towards her son and painfully conveys how such a normal act of daily life stands out as something special and unique in the abhorrent ambience of the refugee camp.
Imagery
The poet makes use of highly effective and heart-touching imagery in the poem. The poem is full of such word pictures; which makes the poem powerful and heart-stirring. The most notable feature of the poem is that the imagery used in the poem is raw, realistic and blunt. It is not too exaggerated or highly picturesque. It is real and grounded.
The first image used by the poet in the opening line is that of Mother Mary with Baby Jesus. That image is universally accepted as the ultimate portrait of motherly love. The poet wisely uses that image to highlight the love of a mother towards her child in the poem; as he says that the sight of a mother with her dying son in a refugee camp surpasses even the image of Madonna with the Holy Child.
Next, the poet uses words like "unwashed", "washed out ribs", "dried up bottoms", "laboured steps" "blown empty bellies", etc. to give the readers a clear picture of the helpless state of the children in the refugee camp. These images bring the living conditions of the refugee camp people before the eyes of the readers distinctly.
Further, the poet uses the image of a ghost to speak of the dead hopes, dreams, and happiness of the people in the refugee camp. He says that the mother had a "ghost of a smile". The word ghost is used to imply that the smile is not true or real; it is just a " ghost" of the smile.
Then, the poet speaks of her son and says that he has "rust coloured hair on his skull". This makes it evident that the boy is on the verge of death; his hair seems to be rusting and his skull can be seen.
Finally, the poet compares the act of a mother combing her dying son's hair to that of putting flowers on a grave. It is to show that the simple act of combing hair; which would have been a daily affair in normal life; is a rare occurrence in the refugee camp. The way a mother is combing the hair of her dying son tenderly; it looks like she is paying her last respects to him i.e., putting flowers on his grave. This is the most haunting image used in the poem.
Thus, the poet uses powerful imagery carefully, without any exaggeration, to make the poem as realistic and moving as possible.
Main Summary of Refugee Mother and Child
The poem opens with the image of the Madonna with the Holy Child. The poet says that not even that image could equal the image of a mother's tender love and care towards her child who is obviously dying. She would soon have to forget about the child and move on with her life, but she still cares for the child with tenderness.
Then comes the heart-wrenching description of the refugee camp and its inhabitants. The air in the place is described as being "heavy". It is pungent with the odour of unwashed children affected with diarrhoea. It shows that the children are all I'll with diarrhoea, but they can't be taken care of or even be given a bath in the refugee camp. The children are so malnourished that their ribs are "washed out", their bottoms are "dried up", their bellies are "blown empty" and struggle in "laboured steps". This says that they are all just skin and bones, their ribs stick out from their bodies and even walking is a struggle or hard work for them.
The mothers of these children had stopped caring for the kids a long time ago. Disease, suffering, death - all these had become a matter of normal everyday life in the camp. The living conditions were so horrific that it had forced even mothers to harden their hearts towards their own children.
But, one woman is different from the other mothers. She has not hardened her heart towards her dying son. She still loves and cares for him. She had a "ghost of a smile" between her teeth and a "ghost of motherly pride" in her eyes. This conveys that her smile is so weak and pale that it does not even appear like a real smile. She is trying to put on a smile, but the hurricane of sorrow and suffering behind it makes the smile look haunting. She has motherly love and pride in her eyes like any other mother, but it is also not real, it is merely a shadow of what would have been real motherly pride.
The mother, with a "ghost of a smile" and a "ghost of motherly pride", is combing the rust-coloured hair on the skull of her son. The words "rust-coloured hair" show that the boy is severely ill, as his hair looks rusted; while the use of the word "skull" shows that the boy is nearing his bitter end as his hair seems to grow out of his skull, instead of his head. While she is combing and carefully parting her son's hair, the mother's eyes are so full of emotions that the poet says that she was "singing in her eyes".
Finally, the poet says that a mother combing the hair of her little son is a normal act of daily life. Every mother does it before her son has breakfast and leaves for school. This routine act of normal life looks ominous in the camp; it looks like the mother is putting flowers on the tiny grave of her son. The comparison drawn here is that both acts show a loving mother doing a final act of love and kindness towards her child.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the poem " Refugee Mother and Child" is a very realistic and moving poem, which leaves the reader in tears over the deplorable state of living of the refugee and also over the gut-wrenching scenario of a mother tending carefully to her dying son.
Questions and Answers
Why is the picture of the refugee mother and her child more tender than Madonna and the child?
The refugee mother cares for her child with great affection even in the midst of poverty and miseries. This makes the poet think that their picture is more tender than Madonna and the child.
How does the poet paint the sufferings of the people in the camp?
The air in the refugee camp held nauseating odours of diarrhoea and unwashed children. Their ribs stuck out and they walked laboriously with their distended bellies. Through this picture, the poet brings out the sufferings of the refugee children and the total helplessness of the situation.
“Most mothers had long ceased to care”. Why?
Most mothers in the refugee camp ceased to care for their children, as the poignancy of the situation of the refugees had reached its saturation point. They had lost all hope of survival.
How is the combing of the child's hair similar to putting flowers on a grave?
The mother is watching her child dying. Her loss of survival and her act of love and kindness towards her dying child. So the combing of the child's hair is similar to putting flowers on a grave.
Comment on the structure of the poem.
The success of the poem lies within the structure and the poet’s ability to present the pain of all those mothers who sees the death of their child. Achebe’s own literary language is blended in with images and descriptions that create a sense of compassion for the unfortunate refugees. He skillfully contrasted the imagery of life and death, using irony of singing in the mother’s eyes and cleverly foreshadowing. And adding some literary devices such as alliteration, contracts, imagery, tones and symbols the poet proficiently specifies the ultimate destinies of the protagonists in the poem.
How does the juxtaposition of the two pictures heighten the emotional appeal of the poem?
Juxtaposition means an act or instance of placing an idea or event close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. There are two pictures that heighten the emotional appeal of the poem. The first one is the poet draws our attention to a refugee mother and her child image which reminds us of another statue, that of the Madonna holding her dead son after the crucifixion. There is immense tenderness and passion in both scenes. But the poet says that the refugee mother was more worried than Madonna.
The second picture is about a mother who is combing the hair of her child with great affection and care. Here the refugee mother combed the hair of her dying child, at the same time it would be different if it is a normal day means she would be combing the hair before her child leave for school. The emotional appeal heightens by using a day-to-day activity is really remarkable.
Refugee Mother and Child is a celebration of motherhood. Explain.
The poem starts with the poet comparing the scene of a mother holding her son in a refugee camp with the love and care which is usually depicted in all versions of Mary holding a dying Jesus in her arms. The poet state that none of the reputed depictions of tenderness could even come near the fragility and beauty of this scene of pathos and heartbreak.
The next four lines describe the aura of disease, illness and death which surrounds the camp; describing the smells of the camp, and the ribs of the children protruding from sickness, painting a truly horrifying picture of sick infants and helpless people. Then Achebe goes on to say how other mothers no longer care, they can no longer cope with the struggle of surviving and now only await death. However, this mother, who was mentioned earlier, does not fall into the same category.
There is a remnant of a smile gracing her lips and she remembers her son in all his glory as she holds him for the last time. Her maternal pride had led her to clean him up before laying him to rest, and now she takes out a comb and with singing eyes, she arranges her son’s hair which is rust, a sign that he suffers from protein deficiency. The relevant way in which she performs this act makes the poet reflect on how in normal day-to-day life, such an act holds no consequence to any mother; they do it before their sons leave for school. But the manner in which this mother does it has such an air of finality to it that it is akin to laying flowers on a tiny grave.
The poem is full of pathos and the agony of a mother who has to witness her child’s death in front of her eyes is made clear with the use of the initial comparison to the Holy mother Mary and Jesus. The finality of death is evident in this comparison even as the poet himself says that the tenderness of this scene in reality far outshines any that is depicted in all the versions of ‘Madonna and Child.’ Then the strong imagery which is used to describe the setting, the refugee camp, brings out the desolation surrounding the poem. Achebe evokes the sense of smell, sight and feeling to such an extent that tears spring to the reader’s eyes. The metaphor in the mother’s ‘humming eyes’ makes one sympathize with her plight.
No reason is given as to why the people are in a refugee camp. Perhaps there had been a war or some sort of natural calamity, but Achebe has aptly described how drastically the lives of those change who are forced to leave their home and take shelter, by focusing on one mother who is holding her dying child. The poem could also act as a testament to a mother’s love, who knows that the child is dead, yet continues to hold him with care and caution. She is not yet ready to let go and accept the fact that he is dead.