Gbemisola Adeoti's 'Ambush' as a Metaphor of Evil

Generally speaking, the word "Ambush" is an act of hiding and waiting for somebody and then making an unexpected attack on him/her. This is not far from the meaning of Gbemisola Adeoti's poem, "Ambush".

Metaphor is the direct comparison of two unequal objects. Unlike simile, it doesn't require the use of 'like' and 'as' in its comparison. For example, "Emeka is a lion on the battlefield." This is a good example of metaphor as it directly compares two unequal objects (Emeka and Lion) without the use of "like" or "as." The simile of it will be, "Emeka is like a lion on the battlefield".

Well spiced with metaphor, the Poem "Ambush" brings to limelight the extent of economic and social devastation which the masses have suffered in the hands of political leaders. Gbemisola in his poem compares the land (which can be referred to our selfish leaders) with evil creatures of the sea (whale), land (tiger) and air (hawk) who launch unexpected attacks on their preys just to satisfy their hunger and selfish interest.

In stanza one, the poet gives a metaphorical description of what our land has become:

The land is a giant whale
that swallows the sinker
with hook, line and bait
aborting dreams of a good catch.

Through a metaphorical description, the poet in this stanza uses the "giant whale" to represent all the perpetrators of evil in the land, especially those in the corridors of power who use their positions to destroy the dreams of the helpless masses. The poet saying that the "giant whale" swallows the sinker with hook, line and bait, showcases the desperation and determination of our politicians in suppressing the masses and siphoning the nation's wealth with their over-riding influence in the society.

The land is also described as a "sabre toothed tiger that cries deep in the glade" in stanza two of the poem. Undoubtedly, a sabre toothed tiger is very deadly, and when hungry, cries deep in the forest (glade), seriously seeking for whom to feed on/devour. The land is expected to provide the masses with shelter, food and safety but it has been overtaken by sabre toothed tigers (selfish political leaders) who destroy others in order to live. The activities of these evil politicians in our land have brought about insecurity and terrorism (lines 11 - 13).

In the third stanza of the poem, the poet compares the land with a giant hawk that causes disaster. A hawk is seen as an evil and dangerous bird because it feeds on other birds in order to survive. The poet compares our political leaders with this evil bird. This describes our politicians as evil and dangerous beings who unleash unceasing disaster on the masses. The unceasing disasters simply tell on the incessant killings that are taking place in our land every day, caused by our heartless political leaders:

The land is a giant hawk
that causes unceasing disaster
as it hovers and hoots in space.

Stating further how evil our political leaders are, the poet concludes his poem by stating that:

The land lies patiently ahead
awaiting in ambush
those who point away from a direction
where nothing happens
towards the shore of possibilities (lines 17 -21).

This is a clear indication that even the survivors of these disasters unleashed by our political leaders are not free as the land (our political leaders) still lays ambush against them.

In sum, one cannot deny the fact that Gbemisola Adeoti's "Ambush" is a metaphor of evil as it uses metaphor to project the evil activities of our political leaders in the society.