Earlyface

*(NUMBER 10)*

*QUESTION*
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Discuss Any three themes portrayed in Chibuike onu's A government Driver on His Retirement

*Answers👇*


(i)The danger of drink-and-drive culture : One of the dominant thematic preoccupations of the poem is the danger inherent in driving when drunk. While many cultures and societies use alcoholic drinks to celebrate periods of achievement, bereavement and festivities, alcohol consumption is also a very dangerous thing that sends people to their early graves, especially when behind wheels. The poet uses the story of the government driver to make the point very clearly. The day the government driver is retiring appears to be one of the happiest moments of his life.
            In stanza three, for instance he beckons on his friends and well-wishers, 'come ends, rejoice with me'. This open invitation suggests an unmitigated show of joy and happiness at his day of freedom has come. He thinks that the only way of celebrating his freedom, or any event for that matter, is through excessive consumption of alcohol. In his unrestrained excitement, he jumps into his new car to drive home after being thoroughly drunk. Unfortunately, this brings about his timely end. Through this poetic reflection, it is obvious that alcohol makes people have poor vision while driving, thus making them have wrong judgment, as the poem states in lines 29-30, 'On his way on wheels,/Booze boozed his vision and clear judgement.' It is obvious that driving requires high concentration, while a wrong sense of judgment while driving can lead to a calamitous end. Therefore Alcohol consumption when driving is very dangerous.


(ii)Reward for meritorious service :  Another important theme in this poem is that there is reward for a meritorious service. Despite the persona's grudges about the drudgery of civil service, he remains disciplined till the day of his retirement, as the persona notes in the second stanza that 'many years has he pummeled his boozy throat/In obedience to duty rules and regulations. The poetic persona restricts himself to the demands of his job. He shuns the temptations of personal pleasure, subjects himself to a thorough self-discipline, thereby focusing strictly on his official duties and working faithfully in service to his fatherland for thirty-five years. As a result of his outstanding performance in his place of work, he is rewarded with a brand new car as an appreciative symbol' (line 19). The poet, therefore, brings to the fore the need for diligence in service, with eloquent evidence that such hard work hardly goes unnoticed, not even if one is a driver.

(iii)The joy of retirement from public service: The poem also underscores the joy and sense of fulfilment that comes with one's retirement from active service. The civil service structure gives the poetic persona a feeling of servitude, hence he sees the day of his retirement as a day of liberation. According the poem, "Today, he'll go home a freeman' . He has endured the highly regulated life in the civil service for a long time and is now ready to celebrate his freedom. He will no longer be subjected to very strict rules and regulations once he retires. He would not need to wake up very early to work, he will have his own time to himself and will manage his time as it suits his convenience. It is as a result of this excitement to celebrate his liberation from the drudgery of civil service that the persona invites friends and well-wishers to come and celebrate with him.