Ol' Higue and 'le loupgarou' questions

Ol’ Higue

Many stories of strange supernatural characters derive from the cultural tradition of the folk. These characters form an important part of the folklore brought by the Africans to the West Indies. Some of these have been preserved in narratives and poems.

The character to which this poem ‘Ol’ Higue’ alludes is the ‘Soucoyant’ whose mission is to draw blood from human beings, especially babies.

Discuss the following questions.

1.       What image of Ol’ Higue does the poet present in stanza one?

2.       What complaint does Ol’ Higue make in stanza one? Quote the expressions which support your answer.

3.        

a.       Why would Ol’ Higue be “Burning like a cane fire”?

b.      Why does she have to count a thousand grains?

4.       Why is the blood of babies attractive to Ol’ Higue?

5.       How and when does she perform her “blood-sucking” task?

6.       Give one reason why Ol’ Higue would love women giving birth.

7.       Do you consider Ol’ Higue a mysterious character?

8.       What feeling does Ol’ Higue evoke in you as you read the poem?

‘le loupgarou’

1.       What is the “curious talk” allude to in line one of the poem?

a.       What does the word “curious” suggest?

2.       Who are greying women?

3.       Why, do you think, Le Brun was “greeted by slowly shutting jalousies”?

4.       Which word describes Le Brun’s dress?

5.       What, do you think, is the bargain Le Brun made with the fiends?

6.       What was responsible for Le Brun’s ruin?

7.       How did people know that Le Brun had changed himself into a dog?

8.       What literary device is used in line one?

“A curious tale that threaded through the town”.

9.       How do you feel as you read the last two lines of the poem?

Comparison

·         Both poems deal with supernatural

·         Soucayant is the counterpart of the Le Loupgarou

·         They both make a pact with the devil to engage in mysterious and fiendish dealings

·         Both are greedy and are ruined through greed

·         Both evoke fear in the people around them

In poems Le Loupgarou and Ol' Higue

1. describe the setting, state the predicament of the speaker

2. describe one feature which helps reader to understand this predicament

3. comment on use of dialect