Life Lessons from “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu”: Embracing the Sweetness

Introduction:  The Importance of Life and Living Life to the Fullest

“Live every day as if it were going to be your last; for one day, you’re sure to be right,” said poet Harry Morant. Any day can be your last day, so you have to live life to the fullest; you have to do things you love and do them with the ones you love. This idea of living life to the fullest is demonstrated in the African short story “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu” by Abioseh Nicol.

Bola, a widowed grandmother, has had nothing but bad luck. Bola has lost all six of her children, with Meji, her youngest, the only survivor. One day Bola and Asi, Meji’s daughter, receive a surprise visit from Meji. After spending time with Meji, Bola, and Asi are shocked to learn from his wife that he was killed the day before his visit. Meji’s ghost returned to spend time with those he loved and to thank his mom for the life he had.

Symbolism, Imagery, and Foreshadowing: Appreciating Life's Beauty

Throughout the story, we see the theme that life shouldn't be taken for granted through symbolism, foreshadowing, characterization, and imagery. The first literary device that is used to develop the theme of appreciating everything you have in life is imagery. Abioseh described the small village of Kumansenu with “green tropical forest on the other; above it, the slow, tumbling clouds. The clean, round, blinding disk of the sun and the blue sky covered” (pg. 987).

The author describes each surrounding element of the village in detail. This allows the reader to visualize and fully appreciate each individual aspect of the village scene. Therefore, focusing on the little things is sometimes more impactful than the big picture. The expression, stop and smell the roses, relates because it tells one that they should slow down and appreciate life’s journey. People tend to recall memories through their senses: sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. Abioseh wrote, “In his short-sleeved, open-necked white shirt and gray gabardine trousers, gold wristwatch, and brown suede shoes,…” (pg. 988).

Characterization: Demonstrating the Value of Life

This imagery helps Bola remember her son and helps the reader see Meji’s character through the eyes of his mother. The author’s use of imagery connects back to the theme by describing the beauty of life and how to appreciate every aspect. In addition to imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing are used to demonstrate the theme that life is a gift to be thankful for. In African culture, they believed they could communicate with the deceased. The two kola nuts, when split in half, result in four pieces. They would then be thrown, and depending on how they land, leads to an interpretation as to whether the dead agree or not. The kola nuts Bola used to communicate with her dead husband symbolize death.

When the nuts are thrown, it symbolizes how in a flash, death can come suddenly. Once again, connecting to the theme, life is precious, so you have to live life to the fullest. Bola using the kola nuts is also a way the author is foreshadowing the news of Meji’s death. Another symbol Abioseh used was the gold locket that Meji gave Asi, his daughter. The gold locket, which symbolizes Meji’s everlasting love for his daughter. This contributes to the theme because it shows how love is important and one should appreciate those in his/her life. The final literary device the author uses to support the team is characterization. In Abioseh’s short story, he shows characterization directly and indirectly. Bola spoke of how happy she was to spend Meji’s last moments with him, describing, “I am glad I gave him the opportunity to come back, for life is sweet” (pg. 993). This characterization shows how much Bola cared about her son and wanted him to enjoy the essence of life, just as she does every day.

Also another form of characterization is when Bola describes Meji’s smile, which contains feelings of joy and sadness. Meji knows he is dead, but he sees in his mom a forever love for life and wants himself to feel the same way, even in death. Meji wants to feel the feeling of love before he gets buried. So it can be concluded that Abioseh used characterization to interpret the theme that life should not be taken for granted.

Conclusion

By reading this short story, the reader learns that life is short and shouldn't be taken for granted. This is seen through the literary devices Abioseh thoughtfully used in his work. The theme is clearly presented through symbolism, imagery, characterization, and foreshadowing. Before leaving, Meji told Bola, “Life is sweet, Mother dear, goodbye, and thank you” (pg. 992).

Life is precious, life shouldn't be taken for granted, and life should be lived to the fullest. In addition to the theme, the story also communicates that to live life to the utmost, you should not be self-centered but rather include and be grateful to everyone. Live life to the fullest with no regrets because life is sweet; life is also very short.

References

1. Abioseh Nicol. (Year). "Life is Sweet at Kumansenu." In Anthology of African Literature, Editor's Name (Ed.), Publisher, Page range.

2. Morant, H. (Year). Title of the Poem. In Collection of Poems, Editor's Name (Ed.), Publisher, Page range.

3. Kuypers, J. A. (Year). Words That Change Minds: Mastering the Language of Influence. Intercultural Press.

4. Blair, C., & Tuman, M. (Year). Rhetoric, Cultural Studies, and Literacy: Selected Papers From the 2002 Conference of the Rhetoric Society of America. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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