Piano and Drums Poem Analysis Essay

In Gabriel Okaras poem, Piano and Drums, Okara expresses his feelings and thoughts of a rough club in rail line to a western society. Being an African himself, and having studied in a western society, the poem reflects the confusion in his emotions as well as the loss of self-identity. The act of the poem itself, Piano and Drums displays a mother wit of dissimilarity and contrast as the instruments are so unalike in terms of sophistication. throughout the entire poem, Okara incorporates the instruments to still express, through music, how the vocaliser is feeling.By using well-structured stanzas and poetic devices such as ensurery, symbolism, sensory detail, somebodyification, and diction, Okara is able to immerse the readers into the difficulties of cultural conflict and the confusion of a person in the midst of the two contrasting societies. Some of the just about important poetic devices utilized in this poem by Okara are imagery and symbolism. Throughout the progression of the poem, there is a constant use of images to assist in displaying Okaras conflicting emotions about the two separate worlds.The title of the poem, Piano and Drums intelligibly displays the symbols that are used in the poem. In expressing views of his native culture compared to Western culture, Okara uses the jungle drums (2) to appoint the African culture and does the same with the wailing diffuse (17) to represent Western culture. These symbols are used peculiarly because of the complexity of the instruments. Being such a simply crafted instrument, with just a resonance chamber and animal skin, the jungle drums are a good symbol to signify the African vivification.On the contrary, with the piano being such a complex instrument with many components set up it together to create much variety of strait, it is distinct that it embodies the Western life genius. In consideration of these symbols, the vocaliser unit implements more imagery to further display the contrast in the midst of the two symbols and emphasize the disorientation the speaker is enduring. Therefore, in order to execute his use of imagery successfully, he proceeds further by making a choke contrast between the images of a sophisticated society in contrast to a primitive society.For example, beginning the poem with, when at break of twenty-four hour period at a riverside (1) the speaker is able to communicate to the readers that there is a sense of a beginning of a natural life. It as well as shows that the speaker is trying to convey that there is new civilization, as in the past, rivers have been the starting point of a developing civilization. In the same stanza, the speaker displays natural images of the jungle drums being like bleeding flesh (4). By implementing such primeval pictures, the poet is aiding the readers to make a connection between the drums and the rawness of the instrument and where it originates.Additionally, in the first stanza, there is role to predat or-like animals for example, the panther ready to pounce (6), the leopard snarling about to leap (7), and the hunters crouched with spears poised (8). All these predatory images of wild animals are symbols to portray instinctive, primal deportment which show the aspects of African culture that focus on survival and a natural lifestyle. Furthermore, the poet continues the idea of the drums symbolizing African culture in the second stanza through implementing more imagery. An example in this stanza is of the blood 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 makes readers infer hunting and survival. In the next lines of the stanza, Okara includes an image of the speaker in his mothers lap a suckling (11). This image of a mother feeding her young is extremely naturalistic and shows the ingenuousness of African life as well as the simplistic focussing of life. However, reader s are particularly able to use this image to surmise that the speakers comfort lies in his mothers lap and his motherland.Despite the primitiveness and rawness, the speaker reminisces on his childhood and the pledge of being with his mother. This idea of missing his homeland is further sustained in the image of simple/paths with no innovations (12/13). The choice of the expression simple describes the ease the speaker feels in his homeland as there are no complex advancements or difficulties to deal with. Also, the simple paths are concomitant with the Africans primary focus on basic survival as staying alive is their only concern in life.The speaker feels fashioned with the naked/warmth (14/15) which is another example of the unsophisticated, primordial style of African 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 third stanza portrays the piano as a symbol to exemplify Western culture as being sophisticated, complex, and intricate which is also portrayed through additional images.However, despite the usual thinking of sophistication being praised, the speaker, in this case, puts Western culture in a detrimental fair which is presented through the music of the piano. When first introducing the piano, it is described 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 mystic sound of the drums which the speaker views as a simple, but magical instrument.Also, the fact that the piano is playing a solo (18) displays the independence, individuality, and the selfishness of the good deal 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 close to his root 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 kind of culture where there are constant innovations and discoveries being made.This isolation is also expressed through the image of the speaker being lost in the internal ear (23). Once 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 fit 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 word 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 Af ricans kill animals to stay alive, but Western people use violence against other human 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.Another important poetic device that Okara integrates into his poem, Piano and Drums is sensory detail, and in particular, sound. The use of sound helps to develop the images, but to also express musically, the emotions he feels in regard to then two contrasting cultures. For instance, in the first stanza, the speaker hears the sound 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 rawn ess 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 diminuendo, counterpoint,/ increase. (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 melody interferes and becomes more confusing to the ears.Just when the confusion intensifies, the crescendo makes the piano get meretriciouser and harsher to bear. All of the sounds combined and the melodies playing at different times 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 t he speaker to handle and, thus, with everything that is happening at once, the speaker cannot handle it. As a result, the Western culture is not viewed in laid-back 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 laid 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 evident that the speaker wants to distinguish the difference 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 a ttitude and feelings towards the African culture and the Western culture. The first example of personification is groping hearts/in green leaves (15/16) which is soon followed by wild flowers nervous impulse (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 after 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 fall in in the lives of the Africans which demonstrates the great significance and preciousness 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 over the characteristic of being crumpled in tears. It is compared to a hu man face that is crying and leaving 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 unhappy 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 deprived 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 accent and contrasted throughout the poem to show the conflict bet ween 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 confused 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 journey through two cultures that are on opposite 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. battle cry count 2,094