"Men Speak Up" by Akin Olunsanya
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My soul is burdened, seems like I’m in the dark
Trapped,
And my mind, overwhelmed
A man with great pride
Had all, lost all, (5)
Everything in me yelling for help
Remember growing up
as a young male,
the world telling me
Always be strong (10)
Now I’m down on life’s luck
A man going on to thirty four
With no navigation to weather the storm
Lost
Strange, now I’m losing my sleep (15)
No more appetite to eat
My once good health
Failing me
Anxiety.
Depression, bipolar personality disorder,
Schizophrenia … (20)
C’mon fellas,
These are very real
My admonishment therefore is to men:
Let’s all speak up, rise, seek help
Get counselling, embrace therapy (25)
Know that MIND cares
I connect with this last stanza because I believe getting mental help is extremely important. I personally have gotten professional help for my mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health Everyone should not be afraid or embarrassed to receive or seek for mental help. We all need a reminder that having mental heath trouble is completely normal and we shouldn’t bury it inside.
I felt the same connection to this paragraph as well. Understanding your mental health and knowing when you need help is something I cannot stress the importance of enough. I have also received help for my mental health more than once and everything I experienced, from the therapy to being kept at a psychiatric hospital showed me the importance of getting help when you need it.
This poem asks the intended reader, men, to stop putting up the “tough guy” front and to ask for help if they need it, as asking for help can save your mind. This hits home especially in lines 19-22. “Anxiety. Depression, bipolar personality disorder, Schizophrenia… C’mon fellas, These are very real.” This really stands out to tell us guys that it is ok to ask for help, and sometimes help is essential.
Akin uses short lines and long lines to contradict each other throughout the poem. Like in paragraph 3, lines 3-4, “My once good health. Failing me” this transition from long to short shows the change, not only throughout his life as in his younger years his health was well, and now it no longer is, as well as showing that because of the stigma around mental illness, his mental health began to fail him as well.
I agree with you because in the poem it says that he was young and healthy in the mind, but as he has gotten older he now is struggling.
The title “Men Speak Up” is important because it relates to the message and meaning of the poem. It also quickly and clearly identifies the intended audience for the poem, men. In the poem, Akin Olunsanya shares his experience of what it is like being a man with mental illness. He recalls how the world says to “always be strong”, really meaning to show no sign of emotion and not be affected whatsoever by the illness. He tells of how following that advice was not beneficial resulting in him being “lost” and his health “failing” where it was once good. Every example and experience leads to the main message of the poem. He encourages and even commands all men to get whatever help they need. He also presents the idea that it is okay for men to have feelings and not always have to act tough.
In Akin Olunsanya’s poem “Men Speak Up” in line 9-10 he says, “The world always telling me to be strong.” I think in our society especially men are told to not express their emotions and feelings or it is considered a weakness, but bottling them up and not talking about them can only make things worse. I believe that men and women should be treated equally and be able to express themselves in whatever way they feel comfortable. I don’t think it is fair for men to always have to feel like they have to be the strong one, when they should be able to feel different emotions just like women do. No matter if you are a man or woman, mental health can affect you and no one should have to feel like they aren’t allowed to speak up and ask for help.
In the poem “Men Speak Up”, mental health is brought to the attention of the audience. Although it is sometimes overlooked, mental health can be just as important as physical health. Lines 9 and 10 say “the world telling me. Always be strong.” I feel like these lines stand out because sometimes emotions or feelings can get out of hand, but to always be strong is encouraging.
I feel as if I relate to this poem. I am not a man, but I know men who have struggled and even taken their life because of their mental state. In the poem on line 9-14, the poet states, " The world always telling me to be strong, Now i’m down on life’s luck, a man going on to thirty four with no navigation to weather the storm" This aches my heart because the thought that a man, just because he is older, cannot get help because or pride or feeling as they are too old or not important, is devastating. Just because one is older, does not mean one has to force themselves to be alright. The stigma that men cannot have mental disorders is ignorant. Men, Women, animals, anyone can have a mental disorder.
This part here resonates with me because I’ve struggled with a sort of insomnia on and off for a while now. Losing sleep is such a draining thing. It literally pulls you down and keeps you from doing the things you love, but you sometimes can’t understand why you’re so tired all the time. Sometimes you can’t understand why you’re losing so much sleep in the first place, either. It’s a harrowing thing. Feeling like crap is bad enough on it’s own, but adding exhaustion to the mix makes it even worse.
I think this poem is meant for everyone but especially for people going through a hard time in their life and they are not all mentally there. The author says “always be strong” which is something everyone who reads the poem can take away because if a hard time comes up it is important to stay strong.
The target audience for the poem is everyone going through a hard time. Everyone experiences mental problems or a tough time every once in a while. The Author tells the audience to “stay strong” which is good advice for anyone going through a tough time.
Men speak up is a poem about mental illness. This poem was about stop making men trap there feelings inside thereself, to feel more “masculin”. The text states,’ My soul is burdened, seems like I’m in the dark. Trapped, And my mind, overwhelmed. A man with great pride.” To me this is saying that he is trapped inside his own head because his pride won’t let him share his feelings with others. In the poem it speaks about how men being trapped in their own head can cause anxiety and depression, concluding the poem Akin says,”Let’s all speak up, rise, seek help.
Get counselling, embrace therapy. Know that MIND cares. This is a great way to end the poem to encourage others to get help.
Within these two lines Akin states, “Strange, now I’m losing my sleep. No more appetite to eat.” which I believe is him showing the important connection between mental and physical health. Many individuals want to suppress eternal struggles, such as mental illnesses, but do not realize that it not only effects your state of mind, but simultaneously, your physical state. Akin is using these connections to further encourage his audience, men suppressing their mental illnesses, to speak up and receive the help they deeply need to not only better their minds, but their entire selves.
I connect with lines 13 through 19. Lately I have been struggling to navigate my life and understand what the purpose is. I have extreme insomnia and lose sleep often. I can’t remember the last time I ate 3 well balanced meals in one day. My anxiety got so bad that I had to be medicated. The weather is also getting colder and it makes me very sad. I hope that when winter is over I’ll be able to find my path.
“Seems like I am in the dark” is a simile describing how the speaker in the poem is feeling, working off of the idea of “burdened.”
Because the line is broken here, it isolates the word “trapped” illuminating the feeling presented vs. burying it in a longer line.
This line, “had all, lost all,” reminds me of the phrase “win some, lose some.” Both become memorable because of their construction.
I agree, I had thought of the “win some, lose some” phrase as well, but I also thought it sounded like he was saying he had everything, and then he had nothing. It seems to be a very sad thing to say, as if he is remorseful, an wants what he had back.
In the 5th stanza Akin Olunsanya stated “Had all, lost all,” He repeated himself in this quote. There is significant meaning behind these repeated words in which he said. In the previous lines he describes his mind to be “overwhelmed” and refers that he once was “a man with great pride.” However now as he says “Had all, lost all,” this shows the downfall of his mental health. This is raw. Akin feels as if he had it all and then lost it all. As a person that is one of the worst possible feelings, to feel as though you have everything and then have it be taken from you.
In our society men are supposed to be tough, emotions are not supposed to faze them. It is not fair to call someone weak based on gender if they happen to feel an emotion or have a mental illness that is not considered “manly” or “lady-like.”
I agree. The societal expectations placed on men are difficult and are an impossible standard to maintain. Men have feelings just the same as anyone else but, according to society, they are not supposed to show them. However, this poem places a different perspective on it. The author shares his experiences and emotions with the reader. I think displaying his emotions is an important part of his message which is for men to speak up, get help, and not fear whatever society thinks. Mental illness can affect anyone and it is important to get help.
I agree. Society says men can’t be sad/have feelings and women can’t be angry. We live by rules placed on us by people who experience the same things we do. Everything is so gendered,feelings are considered weak and displaying toxic traits is good. I also agree with Emily’s point about the author sharing his experience and emotion. By sharing his journey with mental health he can inspire readers to do the same.
The world is speaking to the intended audience for this poem. The world is not clearly identified for us here but it is speaking.
Akin Olunsanya writes on line 10 that " Always be strong," I can strongly relate and many more “Men” can as well just because of how we are expected to behave in this society. Throughout history the role of the man was to protect and provide for their family. That being said, we are expected to be strong and show absolutely no emotion and to some that stands to true to this day, but to others its the opposite.
Society expects men to simply hold back all of their feelings, for us to be emotionless. This poem really highlights that it is okay for men to open up about their feelings, instead of holding them in all the time.
I believe that there is a societal standard that is almost unspoken that just expects men to just bottle up there emotions instead of expressing them. I have seen people first hand do this and it is very obvious, the biggest problem I think comes from this is the fact that after bottling all of these emotions up for so long, they will eventually burst. Whether that be in anger or sadness or anything else. I think that it could be dangerous is some peoples case as well because their state of mind is already altered from their emotions, leading to the potential to regrettable decisions.
Tavian, when you mentioned holding things in until they burst, I have some experience with that. There was a point in my life where someone had hurt me very badly to the point where I hated them. Then I spoke with another person and they explained to me how holding that in hurt them, not me. So I can confirm what you said; that holding emotions in is not something you should do.
I agree I think we must be strong in order to overcome the trials and obstacles that life throws at us. As “men” we need to stay strong and keep a good example for those around us.
The author specifically directs this poem toward men, because of personally experience in the way he was treated. The author mentions that the world was always telling him to always be strong. The author indicates that this line is telling him he cannot show emotion because he would no longer be strong. Society places expectations among all types of people, both men and women, and still they expect us to be content. When one is always expected to be strong, their weakness catches up with them, leading to the ability to no longer stand tall. This leads to different mental illnesses, like mentioned by the author.
I strongly agree with you, as to the authors purpose being to encourage men to ‘speak up’ about their mental illness, as to the alternative, of which is encouraged by society, of building it up within themselves. Many social standards are put upon both men and women within society, one being that men should not speak of their feelings, which is why men are often less likely to be diagnosed with any of the mental illness that are spoken about within this poem. Which is why I believe the author writes about them, to show that he, himself, suffers from these illnesses and instead of conforming to societal norms, he spoke up and received the help he desperately needed.
This is a pretty common kind of metaphor construction that situations luck as a lady or that life is a sort of gamble in which the stakes are high and every opportunity is a chance at great fortune or becoming broke.
By mentioning age her, the speaker seems to feel like they have wasted time by not asking for help when needed, making their 34 years not as good as they could have been.
I agree with Lauren, because the poet is trying to convey that one should get the help they need instead of holding it in and bubbling themselves of. Of course, the author could also be speaking towards oneself, with the intent that they too need help.
“With no navigation to weather the storm” is like a metaphor. Here, “navigation” means guidance and tips to get through life, or “the storm”. Life without help or guidance from others is like being on a voyage at sea with no compass, map, or navigation tools to help you find where you need to go.
This line stood out to me because I sometimes feel this way as well. I don’t know where to go next or how to move on. I think navigation is standing for procedure or process and storm is standing for life. I don’t always know how to proceed onto another chapter of life.
In line 13, the text uses symbolism to help the audience grasp a better understanding of mental illness, especially if they do not have one. From my understanding, I see the navigation, or lack there of, as a call out for help. The storm is the pain, the loneliness, the sadness, the confusion, the overload of emotion.
Here at line 14, we see a return to the kind of break we saw in Line 2. It isolates the word lost. On the page, looking down the margin we see words like “trapped” and “lost” being illuminated by sitting on the line all by themselves.
I see this in the poem more than once and it has a large effect with so few letters. The singling out of the word “lost” adds emphasis on its meaning. You read of him struggling with himself and being told to toughen up and you can feel his despair. It is a good connecting to emotions moment for a reader who has felt this.
When I read a poem and a line only has one word, that word instantly seems more important. In this particular poem each line is one thought. The shorter lines stand out more, but it only works with lines that have the ability to evoke certain feelings just by being said.
Although Akin Olunsanya states “No more appetite to eat”, this is simply not what is meant. We, as humans, always will have an appetite. The author is speaking of his choice to not eat because of the other obstacles in his life. Those other obstacles include "anxiety, depression, bipolar personality disorder, schizophrenia. His health mentally is declining, and that is reflected in Akin’s physical health. He is, in his own way, unaware that he is letting himself go, because his internal turmoil is so intense.
I disagree with you here. I think “No more appetite to eat” is exactly what the author meant. When someone is sick or nauseous, they have no appetite because they feel unwell. When someone is anxious, depressed, etc.. they can not feel the need to eat. Yes, the author could be making the choice not to eat, but who wants to eat when they truly don’t feel hungry and have no appetite? When you’re mentally unwell it physically affects the body.
This is a rhetorical choice that operates on what we call serialization. It presents as items in a series without conjunctions. If we added a conjunction between each item it would be polysyndeton.
The author decides to include this mental disorder on its own line, rather than include it with the others from the previous line, because schizophrenia relates to a person’s perception of what is reality and what is fantasy. It is included on its own line because the main idea of this poem is to entice people to acknowledge mental illness and he is basically saying here that people believe that all these illnesses aren’t real. The next lines support this by acknowledging the reality of mental illness and urges people to speak up and aid those who fall victim to them.
Because the poet addresses men here, it becomes immediately apparent who the audience for this poem is. It was suggested by the title. Affirmed here in this address.
Line 21 where the author states,“C’mon fellas” is the turning point of the poem. In the previous lines, he talks about an experience with mental illness. We do not know if he is talking about himself, but that is what I am going to assume. He talks about how mental illness has not only affected him mentally, but have affected him mentally. How I know that line 21 is the turning point is because now he starts to talk to the audience. He starts using this experience to raise awareness for mental illness.
The poem specifically targets men as the audience. This is because of the toxic stigma around men showing emotion. The “admonishment” (urge/advise) is a push for men to embrace emotions in a healthy and safe manner. Seeking help is hard, expressing emotions in such a vulnerable manner can be a challenging and sometimes slow and tedious process, however it is always worth it to be able to share and release build up. Men often have less of a chance to do this and this poem is making a large push to remind men that they are loved and valid.
I feel the intended audience of this poem is young people who are afraid to speak their minds. Usually members of the youth community are afraid to speak up because they do not want to face the possible consequences. This poem reminds me of the importance to speak up for what I believe in or what I feel needs to be said.
I really agree with you, Jordyn. This poem seems to be targeted at people who are afraid to say how they feel, (in my opinion more-so men than young people, based on the title) and young people are in that category.
I could not have said it better. As time goes on mental health is becoming more and more of a known subject. I feel that this poem was as well intended to young people who are afraid to speak their minds. It is often found that adolescents are afraid to speak how they feel in fear of disapproval.
This poem is directed at young men because societal standards tell men they can’t be sad or feel down. Therapy is a scary thing, letting someone see the deepest parts of you, but the author is pushing the audience to do it. Akin Olusanya writes on line 24 “Let’s all speak up, rise, seek help”, kind of saying if one person does it more will follow. The key to making mental health less taboo is to talk to people about it, let them know it isn’t something to be ashamed of. The first step is starting a converstion.
I totally agree with you, Jackie. I think men’s emotions are so underrated in our society today. I think therapy is a really good and powerful outlet for all genders. It shouldn’t matter what gender you are, we shouldn’t have people feel afraid to speak up and receive help for their mental health. Hearing other peoples stories and sharing yours could possibly help someone struggling with the same issues as you. There is strength in numbers.
This is a great point. Seeing a man show emotion is sometimes still looked down upon within society, and I feel that can cause a lot of problems not only for the guy, but for the relationships he creates as well. Hiding emotion will interfere with proper communication.
Written for Mind as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2018, this poem by Akin Olunsanya asks men to stop ignoring the reality of mental illness and find the courage to speak up.
What this poem teaches us: That mental illness has no bias. It doesn’t care how tough or strong you are, it doesn’t care about your age, race or gender. It can still affect you and it’s OK to reach out for support. Find out how we can all make a change to support men’s mental health.
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This poem seems to present a little more freely than a disciplined poet might write and present.
I think the poet does this to be more relatable to the audience. There aren’t any huge words or crazy deep meanings, it’s just out there. It’s a raw, real take on mental illness that isn’t wrapped in meanings people can’t decipher. Mental illness isn’t presented in one way and I think he wanted to show his experience but make it fit for someone else. This might also be how Olunsanya writes, however I haven’t read any other work to know for sure.
The tone of the article is very sad and gloomy. From lines 1 to 21, the entire text is just depressing. But at the very end when the author wants us to, “speak up, rise, and seek help”, it gets a little more hopeful, but by no means is this poem a very happy reading.
Is what you are describing “the turn” of this particular poem?
Carter, I agree with you that this poem was not in any way happy, but did you, like me, feel reassured that it was ok to open up to people about your problems?
It is hard to “Always be strong” when someone cannot eat or sleep. The mind is part of the body and the body influences the mind. Studies show that when someone is anxious, stressed, worried, depressed, etc.. it has physically, tangible effects on the body. It is never “all in your head.” Just as being sick can cause someone to feel gloomy or be snappish, being sick of mind or heart can lead to this physical aching and restless.
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