Piano and Drums Poem Analysis Essay

In Gabriel Okaras poem, lenient and Drums, Okara recordes his feelings and thoughts of a primitive society in stock to a western society. Being an African himself, and having canvass in a western society, the poem reflects the disarray in his emotions as well as the knocked taboo(p)let of self-identity. The title of the poem itself, delicate and Drums displays a feel of dissimilarity and origin as the instruments argon so unalike in terms of sophistication. Throughout the st bothion poem, Okara incorporates the instruments to gain ground dribble, finished music, how the vocaliser is feeling.By exploitation well-structured stanzas and poetical devices such as resource, twain-baggerism, centripetal detail, personification, and diction, Okara is adapted to immerse the readers into the difficulties of cultural skirmish and the astonishment of a person in the midst of the ii variousiate societies. Some of the most important poetic devices apply in this poem b y Okara atomic number 18 vision and symbolism. Throughout the progression of the poem, on that point is a invariant enjoyment of experiences to assist in displaying Okaras hostile emotions about the two founder worlds.The title of the poem, Piano and Drums clearly displays the symbols that be used in the poem. In expressing views of his native culture compared to occidental culture, Okara uses the jungle drums (2) to roleplay the African culture and does the same with the howl lightly (17) to represent westward culture. These symbols are used peculiarly because of the complexity of the instruments. Being such a barely crafted instrument, with just a resonance chamber and animal skin, the jungle drums are a good symbol to signify the African flavor.On the contrary, with the flaccid beingness such a complex instrument with some components assembling it together to create more compartmentalisation of phone, it is distinct that it embodies the Hesperian lifesp anstyle. In consideration of these symbols, the utterer unit implements more foreseery to further display the contrast amid the two symbols and emphasize the freak out the loud vocalizer system is enduring. Therefore, in order to execute his use of imagery successfully, he proceeds further by qualification a clear contrast between the images of a sophisticated society in contrast to a primitive society.For example, beginning the poem with, when at conk out of day at a riverside (1) the verbaliser is able to communicate to the readers that there is a horse sense datum of a beginning of a natural life. It besides depicts that the vocalizer is trying to convey that there is untestedly civilization, as in the past, rivers have been the starting stain of a developing civilization. In the same stanza, the loudspeaker system displays raw images of the jungle drums being like expel flesh (4). By implementing such primeval pictures, the poet is aiding the readers to menti on a connection between the drums and the rawness of the instrument and where it originates.Additionally, in the first stanza, there is reference to predator-like animals for example, the panther lay out to pounce (6), the leopard snarling about to leap (7), and the hunters crouched with spears poised (8). on the whole these predatory images of brutal animals are symbols to portray instinctive, central behaviour which show the aspects of African culture that concenter on survival and a natural lifestyle. Furthermore, the poet continues the paper of the drums symbolizing African culture in the fleck stanza through implementing more imagery. An example in this stanza is of the linage rippling, turning torrent (9).This image of blood flowing and turning into streams refers back to the raw, primitive tone of the poem as the image of blood snitchs readers infer hunting and survival. In the next seams of the stanza, Okara includes an image of the speaker in his makes launder a suckling (11). This image of a mformer(a) feeding her young is highly naturalistic and shows the ingenuousness of African life as well as the simplistic way of life. However, readers are particularly able to use this image to conjecture that the speakers comfort lies in his mothers lap and his motherland.Despite the primitiveness and rawness, the speaker reminisces on his childishness and the security of being with his mother. This idea of missing his country of origin is further sustained in the image of childlike/paths with no innovations (12/13). The choice of the word simple describes the silence the speaker feels in his homeland as there are no complex advancements or difficulties to messiness with. Also, the simple paths are concomitant with the Africans primary focus on on basic survival as staying animate is their just now concern in life.The speaker feels forge with the naked/warmth (14/15) which is a nonher example of the unsophisticated, primitive style of Af rican culture as the image shows a bare person. Yet, even though they are unclothed, they still feel the warmth of their body suggesting their healthiness and livingness which is the most important to them. In complete contrast, the threesome stanza portrays the piano as a symbol to instance Western culture as being sophisticated, complex, and complicated which is in addition portrayed through additional images.However, in spite of the usual thinking of sophistication being praised, the speaker, in this case, puts Western culture in a interdict light which is presented through the music of the piano. When first introducing the piano, it is set forth as a wailing piano (17) which gives the readers an image of a disturbing, crying baby that is an annoyance to the ears. This is in contrast to the speakers views of the cryptic hearty of the drums which the speaker views as a simple, but magic instrument.Also, the fact that the piano is playing a solely (18) displays the indep endence, individuality, and the selfishness of the heap in the Western world. In addition, the far-away lands/and new horizons (20/21) illustrate the distance at which the speaker feels he is with the Western society. As the speaker feels so intimately to his roots and his native land, the Western society is foreign to him and, therefore, feels far away and distant. The new horizons just further emphasize the alienation he feels to be in that sort of culture where there are unvaried innovations and discoveries being made.This isolation is also expressed through the image of the speaker being upset in the labyrinth (23). one time again, the complexity of the labyrinth reflects onto the speakers view of the complexity of the Western world. However, as he feels lost in the labyrinth, it shows that he is not fitting into the society and feels uncomfortable. This especially contrasts with the comfort he feels in his mothers lap in the second stanza. To add, in the last line, the wor d daggerpoint (25) strikes out to readers as the image of the dagger is strong.Even though the speaker displays the violence of the African natives, readers get the sense of the speaker viewing the Western society to be more violent in the sense that Africans kill animals to stay alive, but Western people use violence against other military personnel beings which is unacceptable. Although, because of the primitive lifestyle, it seems to be that the Africans are more violent, in actuality, the speaker believes that Western people are more predatorial. To conclude, Okara uses imagery and symbolism to express the speakers feelings towards African culture in comparison to Western culture. some other important poetic device that Okara integrates into his poem, Piano and Drums is sensory detail, and in particular, telephone set. The use of buy the farm helps to develop the images, but to also express musically, the emotions he feels in regard to then two contrasting cultures. For instan ce, in the first stanza, the speaker hears the clayey of jungle drums telegraphing/the mystic rhythm, urgent (2/3). The use of the sound coincides with the use of imagery yet the sound of the drums and the mystic rhythm lures the readers into the poem and assists them in hearing the rawness of the drums and also sets a jungle-like atmosphere to the poem.To show the contrast, this mystic sound that lures the readers in, contrasts with the speakers interpretation of the sound of the wailing piano solo. Wailing already gives a negative image of the sound, and throughout the whole stanza, all the readers can think about is the annoying sound of the piano. The sounds that the piano makes are elaborated with coaxing decreasing, counterpoint,/crescendo. (22/23). When the diminuendo occurs, the word coaxing allows for the readers hear the piano at a distance yet when the counterpoint enters, the other tonal pattern interferes and becomes more confusing to the ears.Just when the confusio n intensifies, the crescendo makes the piano get louder and harsher to bear. All of the sounds have and the melodies playing at different clocks is bewildering to the speaker and essentially causes him to feel lost. This relates to the idea that the Western society is too complex for the speaker to portion out and, thus, with everything that is happening at once, the speaker cannot handle it. As a result, the Western culture is not viewed in high regards to the speaker which is translated to the reader through the sounds.Lastly, in the final stanza, the clash of the piano and the drums is revealed through the line the mystic rhythm of jungle drums and concerto (28/29). When the two sounds are placed next to each other, it sounds like a cluster of noise which explains why the speaker feels lost in the morning mist (26). The percussion of the drums and the melody of the piano concerto are such contrasting sounds that it is patent that the speaker wants to distinguish the contrave ntion between the two cultures. Therefore, through the usage of sounds in the poem, Okara helps to establish the speakers feelings towards the two different cultures.Not only is sensory detail an important literary device, but personification in Piano and Drums helps to express the speakers attitude and feelings towards the African culture and the Western culture. The first example of personification is groping paddy wagon/in green leaves (15/16) which is soon followed by wild flowers pulsing (16). The idea of the groping hearts show how united the African natives are with nature and life around them. By personifying the heart, it makes it come alive and truly connects to life and shows the primary concern for the Africans survival.Just aft(prenominal) the reference to the heart with the green leaves, the roles switch and this time the flowers are pulsing. This further accentuates the extent to which nature and life collaborate in the lives of the Africans which demonstrates the great significance and invaluableness of their lives. On the other hand, the personification of the tear-furrowed concerto (19) exhibits a different effect on the readers. The concerto, or the sound produced by the piano, is given the characteristic of being crumpled in tears. It is compared to a human face that is crying and difference wrinkles.This negative image expresses to the readers that the piano is miserable and suppressed. Once again, the reference to the piano is put in a negative light and made to look despondent. Another personification of the piano is the wailing piano (17). It is compared to a hysterical, loud cry which again shows the suppressed and lovesick state that it is feeling. Perhaps the speaker feels as though the Western culture is unable to bleed out and be close to nature, so they are strip from the rawness of life and, consequently, feels sad.Evidently, the use of personification in this poem, stresses the difference between the two cultures as well as the way in which the speaker feels about it. In final analysis, through the use of the poetic devices imagery, symbolism, sensory detail, personification, and diction, the concept of the piano and drums being two separate cultures was emphasized and contrasted throughout the poem to show the conflict between cultures as well as the feelings of disorientation a person dealing with both would feel. In theend, it was clear that the speaker is still baffled and garbled as to how he would accept both cultures and make it so that there is no conflict between the two. Yet, the sense of isolation and separation is distinct in the speaker as he endures a move through two cultures that are on antagonist poles of each other. Despite the sadness and confusion in the poem, the readers feel that they can empathize well with the speaker because of the well-detailed portrayal of the speakers emotions, particularly the piano and the drums. Word count 2,094