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AN ANALYSIS OF THE POEM "A HOUSE OF BROWN GLASS" FROM THE ANTHOLOGY
BEFORE THE NEXT SONG BY CLEMENT CHIHOTA
May 09, 2019
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM "THE HOUSE OF BROWN GLASS" FROM THE ANTHOLOGY
BEFORE THE NEXT SONG AND OTHER POEMS

BY KOSAM NDLOVU

The subject matter of the poem is alcoholism and its deceitful effects. It is written in four stanzas
with the first one focusing on a metaphorical and literal journey of a group of unnamed people to a
place where they can obtain alcohol. The use of the plural first person pronoun "we" suggests that
the persona is not a single entity. The poem therefore is a comment on the common view held by
the society. The second stanza discusses the arrival of the persona at the place where there is
alcohol and the subsequent expectations, anticipations and the hopes the persona has concerning
consuming alcohol. In the third stanza, the anticipated desirable effects of taking alcohol are
outlined through a series of metaphors. The fourth stanza is characterised by disillusionment as the
persona's hope of peace and tranquil is shuttered and reality settles in. The persona comes to a
sudden and depressing reality that alcohol cannot "delouse" the soul after all.

A visual image of travellers embarking on a journey in search of inner peace is created in the first
stanza. The preposition "to" indicates direction towards a specific point. The meaning here is
multifold. There is a suggestion of literal movement from one place to another place where
alcohol can be found. At the same time, the actual act of picking up a bottle of alcohol and
drinking from it is also conveyed. The "house" therefore refers to the bottle of alcohol. The poet
brings out the idea of protection and safety since a house is built to offer such. The use of alcohol
as some form of escapism is clarified when the persona and his friends are seen "vying for peace"
in an environment which does not offer hope. The simile "empty as a sheath" suggests a sense of
hopelessness.

The use of a continuos sibilant consonant sound created by alliteration on the words "sojourners
seeking solace and suckle" point to a relaxed and calm moment. A "wilderness" which is "dry and
teatless" implies barrenness and want. Teats produce milk so that young ones can get nourishment
in the form of food. The absence of teats insinuate lack of succour and support for the
psychological aspect of life. The harshness of life is summed up by the simile "like a knuckle".
This simile create a tactile image of a hard surface that offers no physical comfort. In this case, the
poet suggests that the hardships of life make life to be a difficult experience. Amidst all the world
sorrows, the persona is elated at the thought of turning to alcohol as a way of forgetting the woes.

Through parallelism, the poet creates a light atmosphere that is free from troubles. The pattern
verb + plural possessive pronoun + noun is observed in the lines "fumigate our souls/... "delouse
our spirits"/... "lubricate our minds". A song like effect is thus created by these lines. The musical
quality of the stanza generates an excited tone that is associated with joy. "To fumigate" gives an
impression of healing since fumigation is used to kill harmful organisms. Alcohol is seen as
having healing and soothing properties. The persona believes that consuming alcohol lightens
spiritual burdens just as when a person with lice is "deloused" and freed from parasites. The belief
that taking alcohol sharpens the faculties is captured when the poet says that alcohol "lubricate our
minds".

It is in the fourth and final stanza that disillusionment is brought out clearly. Reality dawns upon
the persona when he comes to a full realisation that alcohol offers no freedom. He realises that
alcoholism is tantamount to slavery except that in this case it is "by choice". The poet, through a
mocking tone, ridicules those who deceive themselves into thinking that alcohol diminishes
misery. Such, in the persona's view, are hypocrites because they are "charlatans" who are fully awa