Panic of Growing Older by Peter Lenrie: Analysis

The Panic of Growing Older by Peter Lenrie

 

Introduction

The poem is like a moving van that plies the life span of humans from the days 0f the youth to the time when age comes knocking. It educates the reader on what happens at every stage of human life. From the exuberant youthful expectations to the hopelessness that characterizes old age, especially when there is no successful achievements. Hence, the poem indirectly tells us to beware of these sad facts of growing older. In essence, in as much as we panic about older age every day, we must do our best to avoid a painful older age when the time comes.

THE POEM

The panic

of growing older

spreads fluttering winds

from year to year

At twenty

stilled by hope

of gigantic success

time and exploration

At thirty

a sudden throb of

pain. Laboratory tests

have nothing to show

Legs cribbed

in domesticity allow

no sudden leaps

at the noon now

Copybook bisected

with red ink

and failures-

nothing to show the world

Three children perhaps

the world expects

it of you. No

specialist’s effort there.

But science gives hope

of twice three score

and ten. Hope

is not a grain of sand.

Inner satisfaction

dwindles in sharp

blades of expectation.

From now on the world has you.

 

Analysis

1. Panic: To feel overwhelming fear
2. Fluttering: To flap or wave quickly, but irregularly. In the context of usage here in the poem, it means the quick and irregular waving movement of the wind.
3. Gigantic: Very large, huge
4. Exploration: A physical examination for the purpose of discovering something.
5. Throb: To pound or beat rapidly or violently.
6. Cribbed: Amidst so many definitions, the one that concerns us is, ‘a confined space as with a cage or office-cubicle.
7. Domesticity: Affection for the home and its material comforts
8. Leaps: To jump from one location to another
9. Copybook: A series of instructions or data copied into multiple programs from a shared library
10. Bisected(bisect): To cut or divide into parts
11. Threescore: A score means 20, thus, threescore refers to 60
12. Dwindles: To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size.

The definitions above is to help the reader’s understanding.

 

Given the title of the poem, one begins the reading with the presupposition of the worrisomeness of mankind when the thought of older age creeps into the mind.

Note: Stanzas not analyzed as it appears above

STANZA ONE

In the first stanza, the poetic persona states that from every direction of life, people fear and worry about what their life will look like when older age steps in.

NOTE: the poem says “older” and not “old.”  This means older in the real sense of the word “older.” The oldness of our grannies and great grannies.

STANZA TWO

Here the poetic persona begins a chronological explanation of human life cycle which he continues to the end of the poem. This second stanza talks of youthful exuberance in which one has great dreams and aspirations and with the desire to conquer the world.

“At twenty

Still by hope

Of gigantic success

Time and exploration”

STANZA THREE

Then, in this stanza, one clocks age 30 and all of a sudden a certain sense of disappoint and failure sets in. The “Throb of pain” expresses the psychological situation in which the man at 30 feels depressed and sickly.

“Laboratory tests

Have nothing to show”

The above excerpt points to the fact that the disappointed individual falls sick, sometimes without any diagnosed cause. In Nigeria, according to statistics, people encounter this kind of problem at the age of 40 or at the age of retirement, and psychological theories posits that midlife crisis sets in mainly at the age of 40.

STANZA FOUR

In this stanza, the reader witnesses what really happens at age 30 to 40. The character is assumed to be married (most people at age 30 are already married with kids) with family responsibilities

“Legs cribbed

In domesticity allow

No sudden leaps”

In the above, ‘legs’ symbolize the attempt to succeed more. But these desires and attempts are hindered by family demands placed on the individual who has many mouths to feed; relations who call him uncle and brother and make demands from you. Hence, s/he finds it difficult to move from the current stage to another because s/he is carrying a lot of loads. I guess it was against this backdrop that a philosopher cried out that a bird that wants to fly high must not carry loads.

The poetic persona also considers this age (30-40) as the afternoon (noon). This implies that late teen to late 20s is the morning in which one is expected to plan and execute some success life projects.

The individual looks back to a bunch of goals he has set for himself (copybook bisected) and sees a lot of things he did not achieve which he crossed with red ink (bic/biro/pen).

“At noon now

Copybook bisected

With red ink

And failures”

Now he has nothing to show the world but his children which the poetic persona considers as nothing much of an achievement since it’s natural and requires no special skill.

STANZA FIVE

In this stanza, the poetic persona makes both scientific and biblical allusions to the number of years one is expected to live on earth. But, on a contrarily, he also affirms that this hope of 70 years life span is nothing and will mean less (not a grain of sand) if you have nothing to show. Hence, your sense of satisfaction reduces as you have achieved less and has no strength to achieve any. And sadly from that moment (40 – 70), “… the world has you.”

While in the earlier 20s, one owns the world and hopes to conquer it, but as older age sets in, you will lack the strength and inspiration to take that leap; hence, that which you couldn’t conquer has conquered you and now owns you.

The poem is not generalized to all humans, but to those who has failed to achieve their dreams. But by extension, it is general to all of us as we have learnt what will happen when one fails to fulfil his/her  life goals. Therefore, we are advised to make hay while the sun shines.

 

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