Okot p'Bitek: Life and Works

About Okot p'Bitek

• Okot p'Bitek was a Ugandan poet, musician, professor, athlete, anthropologist, and sociopolitical critic.
• He inherited his love for literature from his mother.
• His first poem was written while he was a student.
• He is mostly known for "The Song of Lawino" which focuses on African values.
• He was exiled from Uganda because of his political views.
• His first poem "The Lost Spear" was completed when he was still a student at Sir Samuel Baker's School.
• His first and only novel Lak Tar Miyo Kinyero Wi Lobo was published in 1953.
• He is mostly known for "The Song of Lawino," published in 1965.
• He died on July 19, 1982, because of liver disease.

My Husband's Tongue is Bitter

• The poem is about a wife who feels hurt and ashamed by her husband's insults towards her and her family.
• The wife is described as a traditional woman who values her culture.
• The husband is described as arrogant and ashamed of his heritage.
• The wife is willing to share her husband with another wife.
• The poem uses metaphors (bitter tongue, Nile Perch eyes) and similes (wild cat dipped in blood).

Solitude

• The speaker loves the multitude but needs solitude.
• Misanthropes hate people and need them to fuel their hatred.
• Love thrives on memories and hope, hate needs the present.
• The speaker seeks solitude to find a deeper connection with humanity.
• Miguel de Unamuno was born in 1864 in Bilbao.
• He was placed under strict house arrest until his death in 1936 after denouncing the actions of General Francisco Franco.
• Unamuno's greatest achievement in literature includes "Abel Sanchez" in 1917.

Idioms

• A bone to pick: Complaint, dispute, or misunderstanding.
• A pain in the neck/rear: An annoying person, thing, or situation.
• A snap/As easy as pie: Very easy.
• Across the board: Relating to everyone/everything.
• All ears: Eager to listen carefully.
• All in the same boat: In similar situations.
• Back to the drawing board: Return to planning.
• Bad-mouth: Say mean things about someone.

Research Paper Terms

• Construct: A theoretical concept or definition used to describe relations among phenomena.
• Data: Factual information used as a basis for reasoning or discussion.
• Hypothesis: A tentative explanation based on theory to predict a causal relationship between variables.
• Measurement: The process of obtaining a numerical description of characteristics or responses.
• Models: Representations of objects, principles, processes, or ideas often used for imitation or emulation.
• Participant: Individuals whose characteristics and responses are the object of study in a research project.
• Population: The target group under investigation.
• Questionnaire: Structured sets of questions used to gather information, attitudes, or opinions.
• Reliability: The degree to which a measure yields consistent results.
• Sample: A subset of the population researched in a particular study.
• Theory: A general explanation about a specific behaviour or set of events based on known principles.