Major Themes In Ethiopian Poetry In English From

The aim of this paper is to study major themes in the early works of Ethiopian poetryrnin English. The term early period is used in this paper to refer to the period 1944 to 1967 E.C.rnDuring this period, Ethiopian poetry in English appeared in different publications. Among thernpublications that featured many Ethiopian poems in English the prominent ones were thernuniversity students’ newsletter, News and Views, and the university students’ literaryrnmagazine, something. The other major publications were Ethiopia Observer and ThernEthiopian Herald.rnThe reason for choosing this period is that it is during this period that Ethiopianrnpoetry in English flourished. And the reason for discussing this topic is that this subject hasrnnot been given enough attention in research. So, this study has focused on the study of thernthematic concerns of the poems. Moreover, this was the period when the pioneer Ethiopianrnpoems in English emerged and this period is the time when established poets of later timernappeared.rnDifferent methods have been used to study the major themes of the English poems ofrnthe period. First, poems were collected. Then the poems have been read and classified underrnthe major subject areas. Then the most recurrent themes were identified. After that throughrnthe analysis the most recurrent themes were identified and discussed.rnThe study has revealed that Ethiopian poems in English during the period in focusrndeal with two major themes. The two major themes are the theme of certain aspects of humanrnlife and the theme of praise (appreciation) and criticism. Poems that deal with aspects ofrnhuman life reflect issues like death, laments for the dead, love, hope, and hopelessness. Therernare several poems that depict this theme and they are studied under this section.rnThe other major theme, the theme of praise and criticism, reflects issues like praise ofrnEthiopia and criticism of the educated African. Poems that deal with Ethiopia often praise therncountry as a whole or deal with the unique features of the country. The poems thatrnconcentrate on the theme of criticism, criticize the educated African and focus on the issue ofrnPan Africanism.rnOn the whole, Ethiopian poetry in English written during the period 1944 to 1967 E.Crnwas concerned with certain aspects of life and issues related to the criticism of the educatedrnAfrica and Pan African concerns.

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