The Huntsman by Edward Lowbury
The poem, “The Huntsman” is about two
different approaches of Kagwa and that of the king. Kagwa, the brave hunter of
lions is credulous whereas the king is scrupulous. Kagwa lacks to know the art
of talking and understanding the hidden meaning of words. His approach is
superficial and is hunted by his own fate, as fate does not give a
justification for someone’s death. Here, Kagwa’s fate provides him a skull.
Kagwa is killed as he hunted animals
without reason. Kagwa is given an unexpected reward in terms of his own death.
The poem gives the moral lesson to us, first speak less, second, we should
think before we speak, third, we should not be hasty in matters. Kagwa learns a
lesson at the cost of his own life while we should learn the lesson without
loss, the folly of one person may be the wisdom of another person.
Kagwa was a very tactful hunter. He
successfully killed the lions with the help of his sword and spear, while
hiding himself behind thick bushes and trees. One day, while on a hunting trip,
he found a talking skull. When he asked the skull, how she came there. She
replied talking brought her there.
This was a miraculous discovery for
the hunter. So, he hurried to the king’s court and told him about the talking
skull, expecting to win his favour and prize. But, instead, the king expressed
strong doubts about the truth of the tale. He ordered two of his guards to
accompany the hunter and confirm the truth of his discovery. The king also
instructed them to kill him if he failed to prove it.
The guards went to the forest
accompanied by Kagwa. They found the skull after the search of many days, but
the skull did not answer any of Kagwa’s questions. He entreated the skull
earnestly to speak and save him. However, the skull remained silent. The guards
immediately acted upon the instructions of the king and cut off Kagwa’s head by
their sword.
After his death, the skull opened its
mouth and asked the hunter, how did he come there? The hunter replied, ‘Talking
brought me here’. Thus the truth of wisdom proved at the cost of hunter’s life.
A Model Answer on
the poem, “The Huntsman” by Rohana Fernando
“The Huntsman” sets a
fine example for the people who are engaged in unworthy and unnecessary speech.
Comment.
"The Huntsman"
has been composed by the modern English poet, Edward Lowbury. It is based on an
African folklore which explains the uncertainty of human life. The poem is an
evidence of imaginative richness and psychological insight of the poet. In this
poem, Kagwa lost his life due to talking needlessly, thus it shows that one
should be cautious when talking.
Kagwa used to hunt lions
in the forest. One day, when he was wandering in the forest, he came across the
skull of a dead man. Kagwa was surprised to see that skull and asked what had
brought it there. The skull opened its mouth and told that talking had brought it
there. But, he failed to understand the meaning of these words.
Kagwa was a simple fellow
and could not conceal this unusual discovery. Immediately, he went to the king
and told him this unbelievable incident. The king suspected the truth of his
story, but sent two guards with him. He instructed them if his story proved
false, the hunter must be put to death. They explored the forest for many days
and nights. At last, they found the skull. The hunter asked it the same
question again, but the skull remained silent. Kagwa requested the skull again
and again to speak and save his life, yet the skull did not answer. The king's
men promptly killed the hunter there and punished him for his talkative tongue.
At that moment, the skull opened its mouth and asked Kagwa how he had come
there. The dead man answered "Talking brought me here'.
The general atmosphere of
the poem is gloomy and fearful. The presence of a talking skull and the killing
of the hunter terrify us. The poem thus shows that one should be very careful
when talking to others and especially to men of authority.
Source: https://www.litspring.com/2020/09/analysis-of-huntsman-by-edward-lowbury.html
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