Analysis of the Poem the Trap Draft - Essay Example

?THE TRAP-DRAFT Myoba stretched out on his bed and rolled over to see if Suhuma was still sleeping on the pillow made by Myobas’s Mother in the corner of the hut. In our last story, Myoba was able to learn some valuable lessons from not honoring the wishes of his father and his mother but he did gain a new friend.King Bomani, Queen Adeola were having a tough time deciding what to do with Suhuma, the leopard cub. They could see Myoba getting attached to the animal. Meanwhile, the young prince Myoba opened his eyes and rolled out of bed, and wrestled around on the floor with Suhuma for a while. he heard the voice of his mother calling for him. Myoba came running to answer the call of his mother’s voice. When Myoba saw his mother, she told him to be on time for his training, your father will be waiting. But first, go and gather coconuts for the morning breakfast… you are not king yet, you are still my son. And take Suhuma with you to help. He promised to get ready right away, and start looking through the forest Myoba went out to do what was asked of him and took Suhuma with him. As they walk through the forest, they gathereed a few coconuts here and there, drinking from as many as they collected them. Myoba’s favorite taste was that of coconut, and it’s hard to resist how delicious it tastes when fresh. After a while they split up to try to get the job done faster. Myoba says, you go this way and I’ll go that way. Myoba points in one direction and tells Suhuma to go that way, then wanders off in the opposite direction. Suhuma, obediently heads off in the direction pointed to him. He wanders a little further looking for fresh coconuts when suddenly his hind legs get caught in something. Immediately something sharped pricked in his neck and he fell unconscious. Meanwhile, Myoba is still looking for the coconuts that he was to get for breakfast. And he thought that he has been gone for too long. He also released that he had not heard Suhuma for a long time, so he called out “Suhuma!, Suhuma! Where are you? Have you found Coconuts?. But there was no answer. Myoba, dashed in the direction Suhuma had headed and to his horror he found steel chains and wooden traps. He also saw tracks of wheels and he silently followed them He walked for about 2 miles when he heard voices. It was a foreign language! Suhuma peered through the leaves and saw his worst nightmare coming true.He had come to the poachers camp. Now, Africa is well known for its beautiful animals and these poachers were frequently targeting the poor jungle beasts.At once Myoba knew that these were the bad men that his father had warned him about. King Bomani had often told myoba to stay away from these men from over the sea who used deadly weapons like guns. However this had never impressed Myoba who had never seen guns up close.But as his eyes searched for his friend, he saw pale men with weapons. This must be the guns that my father told me about! He thought. Myoba saw animals in cages. But, he knew it would not be easy to rescue his friend and the other animals alone. He had no time, so Myoba rushed back to his village as fast as his legs could take him. Back at the village, his father reasoned with Myoba saying that the men were too dangerous and would have to chalk out a plan before doing anything. Myoba was too desperate and there was only one person who would understand and help him, Thembah!. Myoba explains everything that he saw and intended to do to Thembah. They decided to take a chance and seek help from King Oozba, Tembah’s father and ruler of Maganti. But here too Myoba was disappointed. No one wanted to confront the poachers! Valuable time was running out and Myoba feared that the poachers would take of Suhuma and the other animals across the sea! So, he and Thembah decided to take matter into their own hands. The two rushed over to the camp and though of a plan. Now, Thembah was an incredible imitator. She could imitate animal calls and bird calls. She made a roaring sound hoping the poachers would be drawn to wards the sound. Myoba remain hidden on the opposite side hoping the plan would work. The men thought they had trapped a tiger or a liuon and rushed towards the place hwere they had placed the traps leaving the camp u8nattended. This was the chance and Myoba and Thembah grabbed it. They opened all the cages and frred the animals. Now, the poachers realized it was a false alarm and headed back to the camp. They were shocked to see all the cages open and saw Myoba and Thembah running away. They took off after them. Suhuma, Myoba and Thembah were being chased by the bad men. Suddenly they heard a huge BANG!!! The men were firing at them They must save their lives and kept on running with the pale men behind them. Meanwhile, King Bomani and King Oozba had realized that their children were missing and assembeled some warriors. They had entered the jungle calling out “Myoba!!!” “Tembah”. Suddenly they saw the two and Suhuma running breathlessly towards them. “Bad men, behind us!!” shouted Myoba. Myoba and Tembah were relieved to see their fathers and tribal warriors of their villages. Soon the pale men appeared with guns but the men had been outnumbered by the tribals. Not even the guns could bail them out now!. The bad men were captivated and tied up to bamboo poles. The kings of Taganda and Maganti decided to free th men and warned them-“if ever we see you again taking our animal friends, we will feed you to the beasts!”. The bad men were released and sent off on boats. King Bomani was angry on Myoba for not obeying him. But, deep down he was really proud that his son was so valiant, determined and brave, just the qualities that made a wonderful leader. On the other hand, King Oozba was astonished that Tembah behaved so irrationally. But after listening to the wild encounter that they had had to face, King Oozba could not be but proud of his daughter’s presence of mind and courage. DRAFT FOR QUEST: Myoba, was growing up to become a valiant, brave lad. But, being a king’s son was not enough. Myoba had to prove himself, to his father and to his tribe, someday. That day had come, and King Bomani summoned Myoba. “Go into the jungle, to the part where no man goes. You will meet wise old Kimani who will share the secret of life with you. Meet him and come back. Son, it is time you prove to the tribe that you are a worthy successor. Make us proud!”. The king spread word around his kingdom about Myoba’s quest and soon enough the news also reached the Kingdom of Ooganti’s princess, Thembah. Thembah was worried, for she knew of the dangers that lay ahead and she could not let Myoba go alone.”I must go along!” she thought and so the young princess secretly headed towards the dark forests, hoping to see Myoba. Back in Taganda, Myoba was excited because he had long wanted to venture into the thick parts of African jungle, where the trees are so dense that light does not reach the groud. Everything is pitch dark. Myoba had also heard from the elders, that these forests were filled with creatures that no one knew about! So, the next morning, Myoba took his bow and arrows and a knife, “Suhuma lets go!” and bid farewell to his anxious parents and to his people and headed towards the deepest part of the jungle. They walked on and on along trails they had never been before. At places the vines were so thick that Myoba had to chop them off in order to proceed on his journey. “Are you tired already? We have a long way to go Suhuma!” said Myoba seeing Suhuma sitting down under a teak tree. Myoba picked up some coconuts lying down on the groud and shaked them. “Aah! Fresh coconut!” He sat down beside Suhuma sharing the sweet water. Suddenly, there was a strange sound, “KKRSSHSS, KKRSSHSS”, both of them sprang upto their feet and looked towards a moving thiket of vines. “Stay put, Suhuma!” whispered Myoba, all ready with his bow. Suddenly, the vine bush collapsed and out came Thembah! She had chopped off the vines! Myoba was both surprised and happy to see Thembah. So now, all three of them started off together in search of wise old Kimani. It was dusk and the jungle was already dark. It was damp and cold. They heard unknown insect calls and saw snakes slithering by, yet they walked on.They were really thirsty but since they were in the unknown part of the jungle they abstained from eating unknown fruits lest they turn out poisonous. All three were really tired, they needed water! Suddenly the ground seemed to shake and the three huddled close. Something heavy was walking on the ground causing it to shake. Soon enough the there was rustling of leaves and they could hear elephant calls. Eventually the large beasts were visble. Suhuma, was wide eyed and moved closer to Myoba. The leopard cub had never been so close to something so huge. The herd was moving slowly in a line, flapping their ears and swishing their tiny tails. A huge male looked so magnificent with its long ivory tasks while the little ones held on to their mothers tail with their trunks. An idea struck Thembah and she started following them. “Elepahnts drink water at night!”, so Myoba , thembah and Suhuma followed the herd in search of water. Soon nough they arrived at a water hole. The elephants drank to their hearts content. The trio too walked a bit further up the water hole and quenched their thirst. Thembah sat down under a tree when out of the blue Myoba warned her and asked her to stay still. He took his knife and slashed across what Thembah thought was a vine and Suhuma grasped it before tossing it away with his mouth.. It was a green Mamba! A venomous snake! Thembah hugged Myoba for saving her life. The jungles were not safe. Suddenly they noticed a house-like structure on the eastern side of the water hole. Yes, they had found Wise old Kimani. When they arrived they saw an old wrinkled man smiling at them. He had the aura of a learned man and though he was old, his eyes twinkled with knowledge. His hair was white and his body thin. “He won’t hurt” said Myoba when he saw Wise Kimani looking at Suhuma. They talked for a while and Kimani told Myoba how King Bomani, in his youth had also come to Kimani to seek the truth of life. Kimani said “ My boy, there is no truth or secret of life, Be yourself and follow your heart. Your heart will never lead you in the wrong path. Eyes and Ears lie but the heart never lies.” He let them rest for the rest of the night. Next morning, before bidding them goodbye, old Kimani gave a copper relic to Myoba and asked him to give it to King Bomani as a proof that they had met. Myoba thanked Kimani and bid him farewell. The three journeyed back to the land of Taganda. They were welcomed with cheers. Everyone was happy that they had returned back successfully but most importantly, safely. Tembah was shocked to see her parents waiting there too. They scolded her for taking part in such a dangerous journey and risking her life! King Bomani and Queen Adeola could not have been prouder of their only son because today Myoba had proven his worth to the tribe. Myoba presented the relic to his father and hugged him.” I have learnt the secret of life, father!”he said. DRAFT FOR HUNT: Suhuma, was basking in the sun when suddenly his ears moved. He had heard something. Roar!!! Yes, there was it again! Roar!!! Suhuma, got up and went to Myoba. Myoba stroked his head gently asking what bothered Suhuma. At that very instant a villager hastily ran to King Bomani.He was so afraid that he could barely speak. Finally, he told the king that he had gone to collect water from the nearby river but on his way to the river, he saw a tiger sitting and roaring loudly. He added that he was sure he saw blood near the tiger.”It must have killed something!”. King Bomani stood up at once for there was no time to waste at all. If there was a man-eating tiger near the village, something needed to be done at once. The women and children were asked to stay indoors while the men were summoned by the King. A messenger was at once sent to King Oozba, warning him about the tiger and seeking assistance. Soon enough King Oozba along with warriors arrived. Thembah too did not stay behind. King Bomani ordered Myoba to lead a group of warriors to the river and keep an eye on the tiger’s activities while the two kings decide what to do next. Thembah, being a brave princess herself went along with Myoba, Suhuma and the warriors. “Keep your ears open for any noise and lookout for strange movement” said Myoba, the tiger may attack anytime! They all quietly walked towards the river, keeping their senses alert. Even Suhumas ears were straight up in the air trying to hear something. It started raining and they suddenly heard a ROAR!!!. They had come close to the riverside. They stood behind trees without much movement and peered through the thick vines. Yes, they all saw the savage beast. There it was sitting in the rain, licking its paws and roaring so loud that it echoed. It just sat there, blocking the way to the river and something needed to be done, Myoba thought. Back in the village, the two Kings gathered all men and asked them to arm themselves. It was getting dark, the tiger’s hunting time was fast approaching. They all started walking towards the river and join the other warriors. They had decided to circle around the tiger and kill it with arrow shots. They were afraid that if they let the tiger go, it might come back again someday. Meanwhile on the river side, the tiger still sat doing nothing but roaring loudly. The men sitting still behind the trees and vines thought it must be hungry.Perhaps the thing it had killed had not been enough to satisfy its hunger. But, Thembah saw something. She saw the tiger’s eyes. It was not a savage beast! It looked as if it was crying.The eyes were full of pain. She remembered Old Kimani’s word “Follow your heart, it won’t lead you in the wrong path.” so she left her hiding spot and went towards the tiger. She was sure that the tiger would not hurt her or anybody else. It needed some kind of help, perhaps she thought. “Come back, you will be killed” said one of the warriors but none of them stepped forward to pull her back. The tiger looked towards Thembah and ROARED!!!, Myoba quickly held up his bow, but to everyone’s amazement the tiger did not get up! By this time the Kings and the other men had reached the river. “Thembah, my child!” cried King Oozba in horror but Thembah was just a few feet away from the tiger. “Don’t’ worry I will bring her back”, saying this Myoba along with Suhuma, left their spots and followed Thembah. Myoba was armed and alert. He was ready to attack if he saw the tiger moving. but the Tiger did nothing.Suhuma, had never seen such a magnificent and large beast. He kept looking at the beast’s stripes and then his own body as if comparing something. “Blood! It has been eating something Thembah!” Cried Myoba but Thembah quietly sat down beside the tiger. It did nothing to hurt them. Suhuma started sniffing the tiger, whose roar startled the leopard cub. Myoba put down his bow and stroked the tiger. Everyone watching was amazed at this. The beast licked its paw and Thembah saw blood around it. “It has not hunted anything. Its hurt!”. The blood around the tiger was its own. Myoba lifted the tiger’s paw and the tiger roared again. The roaring was that of pain not of a man-eating tiger!. Thembah pointed out to a thick thorn embedded in the paw. So this was the cause, Myoba thought. The tiger must have had come to the river for a drink and hurt itself.It could not move because of the thorn. Slowly, everyone else came out from their hiding and watched Myoba pluck out the thorn from the paw of the hurt tiger. The tiger roared loudly,when he plucked it out. More blood oozed from the flesh and Myoba noticed that the paw was swollen. King Bomani summoned the village medicine man who brought a paste of botanicals to soothe the wound. Thembah applied the paste on the wound ,”You will be alright soon” she said soothingly. The tiger lay there not roaring anymore and the villagers headed back. Back in the village, everyone of was proud of Thembah and Myoba; though Thembah’s father was a bit angry at her hasty move. Yet, in his heart he was really proud of his princess. King Oozba, Thembah and their men returned to their village. King Bomani and Queen Adeola’s eyes shone with love and pride for their son. The villagers stayed awake all night, too excited to go to sleep. But nothing of this bothered Suhuma, who was tired. He chose his spot and dozed off. Read More