'He says The medicine gourds are filthy, And the herb Are drunk from unhygienic cups' Okot p Bitek: Song of Lawino The poet in the lines is saying that

Analyze the question

The lines come from Okot p'Bitek's Song of Lawino. Lawino is the speaker, and she is complaining about her husband, Ocol. He has abandoned Acholi tradition and embraced Western ways. "He says" signals that Lawino is reporting Ocol's opinion, not giving her own.

Explain the concept

In the poem, Lawino defends African culture, and Ocol looks down on it. In these lines, Ocol calls traditional medicine gourds "filthy" and says the herbs are "drunk from unhygienic cups." This is a Western, "scientific" criticism of traditional healing. Someone who criticizes herbal medicine on hygiene grounds is someone who has adopted Western medicine and its ideas of cleanliness.

Solution, option by option

• A. The speaker is very hygienic. Wrong. Lawino is not boasting about her own hygiene. She is reporting Ocol's criticism, and she disagrees with it.
• B. The person referred to takes Western medicine. Correct. "He" is Ocol. His disdain for the gourds and cups shows he has turned to Western medicine and rejects traditional remedies.
• C. Herbal medicine is dangerous. Wrong. This is Ocol's view, not the poet's. Lawino values herbal medicine.
• D. The speaker prefers Western medicine. Wrong. Lawino is the defender of African tradition, so she does not prefer Western medicine.

Answer: B

Tip: In Song of Lawino, always ask who is speaking and whose opinion is being stated. When Lawino says "He says...", the view belongs to Ocol, the Westernized husband, and she is usually mocking it. Options that make Lawino the one preferring Western ways are almost always wrong.