WAEC & NECO Literature-in-English 2026–2030 | African Poetry
Poetic Devices in Not My Business by Niyi Osundare
Twelve devices explained simply, each with its stanza, line numbers, an example and its effect.
This guide covers the poetic devices in Not My Business, Niyi Osundare’s poem about a man who ignores injustice until it reaches him. For each device, you will find a short definition, an example with stanza and line numbers, and the effect it creates. Those three steps are exactly what examiners want to see.
Line numbers follow the official WAEC text, which has seven stanzas and 26 lines. If you need a reminder of the poem, start with our stanza-by-stanza summary.
Form and language at a glance
Osundare writes in free verse, with no fixed rhyme or metre. His language is plain and direct, much like a news report or a story told aloud. Because the words are simple, the poetic devices in Not My Business stand out clearly.
1. Refrain
A refrain is a line or group of lines repeated at intervals in a poem.
Example: The three lines beginning “What business of mine is it” appear in stanza 2 (lines 5–7), stanza 4 (lines 12–14) and stanza 6 (lines 19–21).
Effect: The refrain stresses the speaker’s stubborn selfishness. Its absence after stanza 7 shows that his excuse no longer works.
2. Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question expects no answer, because the speaker thinks the answer is obvious.
Example: The refrain asks “What business of mine is it” (lines 5, 12 and 19).
Effect: For the speaker, the answer is none. The poet, however, wants readers to see that it is everyone’s business.
3. Simile
A simile compares two things using like or as.
Example: The attackers beat Akanni “soft like clay” (stanza 1, line 2).
Effect: Clay is easy to shape and crush, so the simile shows how brutally they break his body.
4. Metaphor
A metaphor describes one thing as if it were another, without using like or as.
Example: The attackers stuff Akanni “down the belly / Of a waiting jeep” (stanza 1, lines 3–4).
Effect: The jeep becomes a hungry monster swallowing its victims. The image links neatly with the speaker’s own eating.
5. Personification
Personification gives human qualities to things that are not human.
Example: The jeep is “waiting” in stanza 1 (line 4) and again in stanza 7 (lines 25–26).
Effect: A waiting jeep seems patient and deliberate, as if it knows it will return for the next victim.
Get the full Not My Business exam pack
Likely WAEC and NECO essay questions with model answers, plus objective questions with answers for revision and class tests.
6. Transferred epithet
A transferred epithet moves a describing word from the person it belongs to onto something else.
Example: The “bewildered lawn” (stanza 7, line 25) and the “hungry hand” (line 24).
Effect: The lawn cannot feel confused, and a hand cannot feel hunger. These words really describe the shocked, hungry speaker.
7. Euphemism
A euphemism is a mild phrase used in place of a harsh one.
Example: Danladi goes “off to a lengthy absence” (stanza 3, line 11), and Chinwe receives “one neat sack” (stanza 5, line 18).
Effect: The gentle words hide terrible realities: disappearance and unjust dismissal. They also mimic the cold language of those in power.
8. Irony
Irony occurs when words or events turn out the opposite of what we expect.
Example: Chinwe loses her job despite “a stainless record” (line 18). At the end, the speaker who ignored others becomes a victim himself (lines 22–26).
Effect: The irony exposes an unjust system and shows that selfishness offers no protection.
9. Anaphora and repetition
Anaphora repeats a word at the start of phrases; repetition repeats words for emphasis.
Example: “No query, no warning, no probe” (stanza 5, line 17) and “Waiting, waiting” (stanza 7, line 26).
Effect: The first pattern stresses how unfair Chinwe’s dismissal is. The second builds suspense and dread at the end.
10. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words.
Example: “Beat” and “belly” (lines 2–3), and “hungry hand” (line 24).
Effect: The repeated sounds make key lines memorable and add force to moments of violence and shock.
11. Imagery
Imagery is language that appeals to the senses.
Example: The attackers “Booted the whole house awake” (stanza 3, line 9), and “A knock on the door froze my hungry hand” (stanza 7, line 24).
Effect: Readers can almost hear the boots and the knock. The images make the terror feel close and real.
12. Symbolism
A symbol is an object that stands for a bigger idea.
Example: The yam (lines 6, 13, 20 and 23) stands for the speaker’s comfort. The jeep (lines 4 and 25) stands for oppressive power, and the knock (line 24) signals that his turn has come.
Effect: These simple symbols carry the poem’s message without any need for long explanation.
How to answer questions on poetic devices in Not My Business
Examiners usually ask you to identify a set number of devices and comment on them. For each one, follow three steps. First, name the device. Next, give an example with its line number. Then explain its effect on the meaning or mood.
Never list devices without explaining them, because naming alone earns few marks. Linking each device to a theme will lift your answer further, so read our guide to the themes in Not My Business. For exam-style practice, visit Not My Business questions and answers. Everything else is in the complete study guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main poetic devices in Not My Business?
The most important are refrain, rhetorical question, simile, personification, euphemism and irony.
What figure of speech is bewildered lawn?
It is a transferred epithet, since the speaker, not the lawn, feels bewildered. Some guides also call it personification.
What does soft like clay mean?
It is a simile showing how badly the attackers beat Akanni.
Does Not My Business rhyme?
No. Osundare uses free verse, without a regular rhyme scheme or metre.
Teaching this poem?
Get ready-made lesson notes, class tests and exam questions with marking guides for Not My Business and all 12 prescribed poems.
