Full Analysis of the Play "Once Upon an Elephant" PDF

**FULL ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT" BY BOSEDE ADEMILUA AFOLAYAN (LITERATURE SS1)** **EZENECHE CHIDIOGO MARY (ENGLISH AND LITERATURE TEACHER)** **EMAIL; , ** **BACKGROUND OF THE PLAY** The play "Once Upon An Elephant" looks at the problems/issues associated with leadership in Nige...

**FULL ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT" BY BOSEDE ADEMILUA AFOLAYAN (LITERATURE SS1)** **EZENECHE CHIDIOGO MARY (ENGLISH AND LITERATURE TEACHER)** **EMAIL; , ** **BACKGROUND OF THE PLAY** The play "Once Upon An Elephant" looks at the problems/issues associated with leadership in Nigeria and the African society at large. Leadership is one of the major problems that has plagued Nigeria for years due to the dictatorship that comes with it. The play shows the tendency for people wanting to take power by all means and for democracy to be restored in a dictatorial nation, it will require the collective will and effort of sane and same minded people. The play dramatizes the evils of dictatorial power and the intrigues, secrecy and by extension the diabolic dimensions often associated with it. Most times all forms of dictatorship ends suddenly and abruptly, as it is depicted in the play. But this only happened because characters like Iya Agba, Desola, Odekunle and Delani, who were tired of being hurt, came together to resist the tyrant elephant Ajanaku on the throne. **SETTING OF THE PLAY** The play "Once Upon an Elephant" is set in an unnamed traditional African village that has a Yoruba origin. The people in the village live simple lives with no indication of any interference of foreign culture. However, the dynamics of the setting places the play in the Nigerian and African political context and also mirrors contemporary political issues. **PLOT** The play is written in fourteen (14) acts and no scenes. The play begins in media res. King Akinjiobi who is the current king is sick and dying and there is a plot on whom should assume the throne after his death. Ajanaku and Serubawon are plotting to make Ajanaku king and Serubawon will become the king maker. Medicine man and priest. Serubawon performs some rites on Ajanaku (one of king Akinjiobi's sons), Odejimi and Ogundele are present (members of the hunter's guild). Serubawon and Ajanaku try to use gifts to bribe these elders to be in support of them. Ajanaku is later crowned king at the village square after the King's death. Ogundele, who was one of the elders advised that the council of elders should find ways to help the new king. Odejimi, one of the elders who was not in support of Ajanaku, was worried about the new king and he also believed that Iya Agba (wife of the late king) was insane. At the palace, Ajanaku settles a land dispute and he decided to take over the land as it was rich in produce, this was one of his displays of tyranny. Ajanaku was never comfortable whenever Iya Agba comes to the palace and he always sent her out. Iya Agba accused him of taking what did not belong to him and she also accused Omoyeni (Ajanaku's wife) of leaving Delani her lover. She also hints that the child Omoyeni was carrying might be a bastard and that Serubawon might be Ajanaku's father. Ajanaku ended up raping Serubawon's daughter Desola in the bush when she was with her lover Odekunle. Serubawon had told Ajanaku to sleep with six virgins in order for the rites/rituals to be completed. The ritual of IJEDODO, a ritual rape that feeds on the blood of the virgins to keep whoever has done it alive, while the virgins die a slow and painful death. It is later revealed that Serubawon was Ajanaku's real father because Serubawon had an affair with Adebisi, the second wife of the late king. It was also Serubawon that caused the sickness of the late king (Serubawon confessed to these). Iya Agba had seen Adebisi and Serubawon having sex, and in other to cover their abomination, they both lied against Iya Agba and she was sent out of the palace. Iyale leads in Demoke, Odekunle carries Desola on his back while the others wait outside. Iyale comes to ask Iya Agba for help, Desola could neither stand nor talk and the IJEDODO ritual was beginning to take effect on her. It was the intervention of Iya Agba that altered the situation. At the JOBELE ceremony where Ajanaku expected to attain immortality, Iya Agba led the victims of Ajanaku to reclaim their lives from him. Desola embraced Ajanaku to take her life back from him and Odekunle wraps a charmed red cloth around his neck which makes him weak and later killed him. Serubawon committed suicide, he was ashamed to face his family after all the atrocities he had committed. Omoyeni's pregnancy belonged to Delani and they were reunited after Ajanaku's death, and Omoyeni went into labor. A new king was to be announced soon, and hopefully through a more democratic process. **MAJOR INCIDENTS IN THE PLAY** 1. Serubawon performs some rites on Ajanaku but some elders were not in support of Ajanaku taking the throne. 2. Serubawon and Ajanaku bribe Odejimi and Ogundele with gifts. 3. Desola and her lover Odekunle meet secretly in the bush. 4. Ajanaku is crowned king at the village square. 5. Iyale, Odejimi's wife advises him to stop worrying about the new king. 6. Odejimi believes that Iya Agba is insane. 7. Iya Agba accuses Ajanaku of taking what doesn't belong to him. 8. Iya Agba accuses Omoyeni of leaving Delani to marry Ajanaku and also that she was carrying a bastard. 9. Iya Agba hints that Serubawon might be Ajanaku's real father. 10. One of the men of Oguno who brought a complaint before stabs himself. 11. Ajanaku rapes Desola. 12. Desola tells her father Serubawon what Ajanaku did to her. 13. Serubawon goes to the palace and almost choked Ajanaku to death. 14. Omoyeni reveals to Iya Agba that Delani is the father of her child and not Ajanaku. 15. Iyale leads Demoke and others ask Iya Agba for help, Desola could neither sit nor talk. 16. Serubawon confessed his crimes and also revealed he was Ajanaku's father. 17. Iya Agba leads Desola and others to the palace where Desola hugs Ajanaku in order to break the IJEDODO ritual and regain her life back. 18. Odekunle places a charm on Ajanaku's neck and he falls to the ground dead. 19. Desola regains herself and Serubawon commits suicide. 20. Omoyeni goes into labor. **CHARACTERS/CHARACTERIZATION** **Ajanaku/Olaniyonu;** He is the protagonist of the play. A tyrant king and Serubawon's real son. He was thirsty for power and plotted with Serubawon to make him king even though he wasn't the first son of king Akinjiobi. He forcefully took people's lands and also married Omoyeni against her will. Ajanaku ended up raping his half-sister Desola in order to complete the IJEDODO ritual. Through the help of Iya Agba, he was killed on the day he was going to complete the ritual and become immortal. **Serubawon;** An elder under the kingship of King Akinjiobi, a seer and medicine man. It was he who caused the death of the king and also helped Ajanaku ascend the throne. He later revealed that he was the real father of Ajanaku, he had an affair with the King's younger wife Adebisi and they both connived to lie against Iya Agba because she had seen them having sex. Ajanaku ended up raping his daughter Desola so Serubawon had no choice but to confess his crimes and due to shame, he committed suicide by hanging himself on an iroko tree. **Iya Agba;** The former, falsely accused and disgraced wife of King Akinjiobi. She was falsely accused by Serubawon and Adebisi because she caught them having sex. It was she who led the victims of Ajanaku to ritually reclaim their rights and lives from him. She was never in support of Ajanaku being crowned king. **Omoyeni;** The wife to Ajanaku. She agreed to marry Ajanaku because he threatened to destroy her family if she didn't accept his proposal. Ajanaku also threatened to kill Delani, her lover. She later revealed to Iya Agba that Delani was that father of her child and not Ajanaku. She went into labor at the end of the play after she and Delani got back together. **Other characters in the play includes;** **Odejimi, Ogundele & Odegbami;** Elders in the village. **Iyale;** Odejimi's wife. **Odekunle;** Odejimi's son and Desola's lover. **Desola;** Serubawon's daughter. **Demoke;** Serubawon's wife. **Delani;** Omoyeni's lover. **Yele, Lere, Dele;** Odekunle's friends. **Yosola;** Desola's friend. **King Akinjiobi;** The late king. **THEMES** **Dictatorship;** This is seen in how Ajanaku takes over the throne. When he became the king, he refused to listen to advice from the elders, he forcefully took over lands and always wanted to have his way in all issues. When the people of Oguno brought a complaint before him, he refused to help simply because they did not increase the tribute, they gave to him. He even ordered one of the men to be stripped naked but the man resisted and stabbed himself instead. Ajanaku's rule was very different from that of his father king Akinjiobi. **Betrayal;** Serubawon, who was the trusted friend of king Akinjiobi slept with one of the king's wives (Adebisi), and he also ruined the king's health which led to his death. He also plotted to have Ajanaku; his bastard son enthroned as king even when the king had other sons. **Poor Leadership/Injustice;** Ajanaku had poor leadership skills. He oppressed the land and the people in it, he caused pain to the people. He used his power and position as king to forcefully take things from people and even threatened them with death. Injustice is seen in how Ajanaku decided on the land case, he decided to take the land because of how rich the land was, hereby leaving the real owners in pain. **Bribery and Corruption;** The process with which Ajanaku came into power is fraught and filled with bribery and corruption. Ajanaku and Serubawon uses gifts to bribe and induce the Guild of Hunters and elders to support him in his quest for the throne. This shows how leadership processes in Nigeria and Africa at large has been monetized. **Internal Colonialism;** When the people of Oguno came to Ajanaku to ask for help because they were being invaded by neighboring tribes, Ajanaku treated them badly. He didn't mind that they have been paying tributes to him, he demanded for more tributes from them not minding their plight and he eventually refused to help them. This highlighted the difference between king Akinjiobi's reign and that of Ajanaku. Other themes in the play includes; - Rape - Triumph of good over evil - Adultery **STYLE AND TECHNIQUE/LITERAY DEVICES** **Diction/language;** The play is written in simple and transparent English. The playwright also made use of indigenous words drawn from the Yoruba language and culture. For example; "Ajanaku" is a Yoruba word for an elephant or a strong person. But in the play, it also serves as a metaphor for and oppressor or a dictator. "Baale" is a Yoruba word/expression which means "my husband or my lord". The expression was used by Iyale to refer to Odejimi her husband. **Foreshadowing;** This is when an event is revealed to the reader earlier in the novel, and the event comes to pass later in the novel. When Ogundele (a hunter) was invited by Serubawon to the secret meeting, he said "....until we know why Serubawon suddenly wants our values twisted, we are clutching at nothing" (pg. 19). These words foreshadow the revelation later in the play by Iya Agba that Ajanaku was Serubawon's son. **The Use of Innuendo;** Innuendo is an indirect and usually a malicious implication. Iya Agba uses innuendo to speak most times throughout the play. An instance was when Ajanaku called her mad and she replied saying that "the lizard may resemble a crocodile, but they are certainly different" (pg. 36). This innuendo referred to Ajanaku and it meant that he was not the biological son of Akinjiobi, and therefore not fit to be king. **Dramatic Irony;** Dramatic irony refers to when a situation or event is known/understood by the audience but not by the character. An instance was when Ajanaku was boasting that he was responsible for Omoyeni's pregnancy but the audience actually knew that the child belonged to Delani. **Situational Irony;** Situational irony refers to when the outcome of a situation or event is different from what is expected. An instance was when Serubawon wickedness turns around to hurt him and his family, which led to the rape of his daughter Desola, and his eventual suicide. Also, the same applied to Ajanaku, because he also lost his life at the end of the play. Others techniques used in the play includes; - Foreshadowing - Allusion - Suspense - Rhetorical questions - Madness as a motif.