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Difficulty: HardAnalysis of Prescribed African Poems

Read the excerpt below from Gabriel Okara's prescribed African poem *Piano and Drums*:

"Then I hear a wailing piano
solo speaking of complex ways
in tear-furrowed lands of lost rhythm..."

How does the poet's choice of diction and figurative language in this excerpt contribute to the overall tone and thematic tension of the poem?

  1. It employs personification and melancholic diction to highlight the perplexing and emotionally distressing complexity of Western culture.Answer
  2. B
    It uses an explicit simile to celebrate the harmonious fusion achieved between European technology and traditional African art forms.
  3. C
    It creates an oxymoron that demonstrates the complete physical destruction of traditional African musical instruments by foreign colonizers.
  4. D
    It conveys the speaker's personal bereavement and funeral mourning following the death of a close childhood friend.

Answer

The poet uses personification and melancholic diction to highlight the perplexing and emotionally distressing complexity of Western culture.
The correct option accurately identifies the use of personification ('wailing piano', 'speaking of complex ways') and affective diction ('tear-furrowed') to communicate the speaker's sense of alienation and emotional turmoil when facing the intricate nature of Western civilization.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the figurative language in the excerpt
The piano is described as 'wailing' and 'speaking of complex ways', which attributes human actions and feelings to an inanimate instrument (personification).
Identifying the poetic device reveals how the speaker projects emotional quality onto the Western instrument.
2
Examine the word choice (diction) and sensory associations
Descriptors such as 'wailing', 'complex', 'tear-furrowed', and 'lost rhythm' evoke sadness, complication, and disorientation.
Diction shapes the reader's understanding of the speaker's internal state when confronting Western influences.
3
Synthesize the device and diction with the poem's central theme
In Okara's poem, the 'drums' symbolize primal, intuitive African heritage, while the 'piano' represents intricate, alienating Western civilization. The excerpt's tone emphasizes the angst and confusion caused by this cultural clash.
Connecting device analysis to thematic context confirms that the piano represents the troubling intrigue and complexity of foreign culture.

Key Concept

Analysis of Poetic Diction, Imagery, and Cultural Conflict in Prescribed African Poetry
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Analysis of Prescribed African Poems

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