Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow:

THEY RAN OUT OF MUD

There is a little hut 1
Built across from here;
They’ve mudded two walls
And the rest stand unmade…
For they ran out of mud. 5
There is a deep gully
Running a long the road;
They have filled it halfway
And the rest is still gaping…
For they ran out of mud. 10
There is a pot by the altar
That they began to mould;
They finished the base
But the neck remains undone…
For they ran out of mud. 15
Mud! Mud!
Who can find mud?
May be if it were gold Someone would. 19

1.What is the poem about?(4Mks)

2.What do the following physical objects represent?(6Mks)
a. The hut
b. The deep gully running along the road
c. The pot by the altar

3.Explain irony in the last stanza.(2Mks)

4.Why does the persona refer to ‘they rather than ‘you’?(3Mks)

5.Identify and explain the tone of the poem.(3Mks)

6.Apart from irony, identify any other stylistic devices used in the poem.(2Mks)

ANSWERS

THEY RAN OUT OF MUD

1.The poem is about unfinished tasks/negligence
In stanza1,the persona speaks about a little hut that has only two mudded walls and the rest
remains unmade.
In stanza 2,he speaks about a gully that is halfway filled and the rest is gaping.
In stanza 3,hespeaks about a pot by the altar whose neck remains unmade.
2.The hut represents basic personal needs that have been neglected.
The deep gully running along the road represents neglected social duties in the society.
The pot by the altar represents neglected traditional religion/respect for God/spirits
3.It is ironical that the speaker wonders if anyone can find mud, but feels that someone would
find gold.
4.It is ironical that people find it easy to go for luxuries (represented by gold)rather than the
readily available essentials (represented by mud)
5.Sarcastic/satirical-‘they ran out of mud’
‘who can find mud’
‘may be if it were gold, someone would’
People should not run out of mud, especially in a rural area, but the speaker says they did. Gold
is more difficult to find than mud, but the speaker makes it appear easier to find gold.
6.Repetition-‘for they ran out of mud’
‘Mud! Mud!

Ellipsis-‘but the neck remains undone…’
Rhetorical question-‘who can find mud?’