Discuss Any Three Poetic Devices Employed In Gabriel Okara's Piano AndDrums

[QUESTION]
Discuss any 3 poetic devices employed in Gabriel Okara's Piano And Drums (NECO JUNE/JULY 2016 LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH)

[ANSWER]
To answer the above question, we'll choose symbolism, personification and alliteration as our desired three poetic devices from Gabriel Okara's poem "Piano And Drums"

#1) Symbolism which is the representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities, appears in the poem from the title down to the context. "Drums" symbolizes Okara's past uncivilized ways of life while "Piano" symbolizes the poet's present and future existence in a westernized world. His symbolisms are further broadened with related musical dictions.

[You Can As Well Read Poetic Figures And Forms In The Piano And Drums By Gabriel Okara]

#2) There are instances of personifications in the poem where inanimates are given human attributes. In line 15 (groping heart/ in green leaves) actually, line 15 can also be named a synedoche. In line 4-5 "speaking of/ primal
youth and the beginning" which gives human quality to the drums. In line 17-18, the poet also personified the piano "piano/ solo speaking of complex ways"

#3) Alliterations in the poem are “the panther ready to pounce” in line 6, “leopard snarling about to leap” in line 7, “turn torrent” in line 9, “solo speaking” in line 18.

In brief, few other poetic devices are Simile in line 4 “like bleeding flesh” Assonance in line 3 "mystic rhythm" Imageries, etc.

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Discuss The Themes Of Political Revolution And Struggle For Freedom InGbanabom Hallowell's "The Dining Table"

[QUESTION]
Discuss the themes of political revolution and struggle for freedom in Gbanabom Hallowell's "The Dining Table". (NECO JUNE/JULY 2016 LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH)

[ANSWER]
The Dining Table by Gbanabom Hallowell is a political dissention poem; no dispute about that. Such led the content of the poem to germinate the themes of political revolution and struggle for freedom.

To the best of naijapoets.com.ng ability, both themes are discussed as follows:

Political revolution always leads to chaotic atmospheric situations which is not different from Hallowell's sympathetic narration.
The revolutionary picture of the poem revealed brutality, desperate inhumanity to humans, the use of guns and harmful weapons. On top of that, the victims were placed in condition of homelessness. Victims homelessness gathered every age to the so-called “dinner table”; including the sleepless barefooted children with eyes so sharp and alert like switchblades because the effect of the war or sudden attack had taken away their peace and clipped their voices with silence.

On the side of "the struggle for freedom", the gathering as portrayed by the poet motivates the need for freedom. Common to nights of every assaults, abnormal alertness backed by fear was evident in the poem because the people gathered in an insecure place “where guerillas walk the land while crocodiles surf”; their freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom to live are totally reduced. Their highest wish would be to acquire their deprived freedom.

The poem speaker made the readers to realise how strong revenge was in his heart but the fatigue and pains the bullets have caused, made his/her revolutionary intention so impossible:
“Under the spilt
milk of the moon, I promise
to be a revolutionary, but my Nile, even
without tributaries come lazy
upon its own Nile.”

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• Discuss the Absurdity of War in the Dining table

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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