Ol' Higue by Mark McWatt - Exploring its Meaning and Features


STANZA 1: Ol’ Higue expresses her feelings of resentment for having to perform some very uncomfortable actions because of the appeal of baby’s blood. This stanza gives us details that are associated with the folklore about Ol’Higue. For example, the readers learn that Ol' Higue has to fly around at night without skin. She eventually burns out 'like cane fire'. She also alludes to other aspects of the superstition associated with her as she mentions having to count thousands of rice grains. 

Note: In the folklore surrounding Ol' Higue, if one wants to catch her, one has to throw rice grains around the house. She is obligated to count all the rice grains. This leaves her open to being caught because she will find it difficult to count all the grains before dawn.

STANZA 2: Here it is seen that she finds the smell of baby’s blood irresistible and explains that its appeal is due to the promise of life that it offers to an dying, old woman. Baby's blood is her weakness and she cannot stop hearing its 'soft, soft call'.

STANZA 3: A reason for her existence is given. Ol' Higue is used by mothers as a scapegoat to hide the guilt they feel when they wish harm on their babies. The superstition about her exists because many new mothers prefer to pass on blame to someone else whenever they feel negative emotions towards their babies. Instead of owning their guilt or admitting that they have bad thoughts towards their children or even about motherhood, they hide behind superstitions like Ol' Higue.


LITERARY DEVICES 

Simile: ‘burning myself out like cane fire’

Personification: ‘hearing the soft, soft call of that pure blood…’, 'singing the sweet song of life'

Rhetorical Questions: ‘Then again, if I didn’t fly and come to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night, how would you, mother, name your ancient dread?

Repetition: ‘soft, soft call’

Allusion – The poem refers to the Caribbean folklore connected to Ol’ Higue.

TIPS FOR COMMENTING ON EFFECTIVENESS

CXC often asks students to comment on the effectiveness of literary devices or figures of speech that are used in specific poems. If you are to do a reasonable job at this, you must develop an awareness of how poets use language to convey meaning.  There is a connection between the issues/topics/themes explored in poems and the words that are used. Poets are very strategic about the words they select and how these words are placed in their poems.

For Ol'Higue, pay attention to the devices that are used to present Ol' Higue's attitude to what she has to do, her feelings towards babies' blood and the thoughts/actions of  new mothers.

For example, the personification in the line 'hearing the soft, soft call of that pure blood' is used to show how appealing baby's blood is to Ol'Higue. Of course, this call is not to be taken literally. Rather, it reveals that baby's blood is Ol' Higue's weakness. 

Remember: Figurative language is used to convey meaning. Pay attention to how words are used and be prepared to justify their use or evaluate their impact/effect.


Structure: The poem is a dramatic monologue. This means one person is speaking. It is often used to present intense feelings.

Tone: conversational, humorous, serious, thoughtful

Themes: superstition, motherhood, the supernatural


QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. What complaint does Ol’ Higue make in stanza one? Quote the expressions which support your answer.
  2. What does Stanza 2 reveal about the effects of baby’s blood on Ol’ Higue?
  3. What reason does Ol’ Higue give for her existence in Stanza 3?
  4. How are literary devices used in the poem?
  5. What impression have we formed about the mothers that Ol' Higue refers to?

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