Symbolism In Piano And Drums By Gabriel Okara

Discuss the use of symbolism in Okara's Piano and Drum WAEC MAY/JUNE 2017.

Based on Oxford dictionary, symbolism is to represent a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities

The cultural dilemma poem "Piano and Drums" by Gabriel Okara is a whole load of symbols; from the title to down the context.
As said in one of the posts in naijapoets about "Piano and Drums", the idea of cultural clash is the motivating or central message the poem passes to the readers.

The rural African background of the poem speaker was juxtaposed with the present western lifestyle in form of symbol; by placing the "Piano" and the "Drums" side-by-side. The poem speaker saw the drums simple but the piano very complex in his comparisons which brought about his cultural clash (since culture is defined as the lifestyle of a group of people or just even a person).

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
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Piano And Drums By Gabriel Okara

The Nigerian poet, Gabriel Okara who wrote the popular poem "Piano and Drums" hailed from Bayelsa state. He was born in the 1921. He was once a civil servant among many other career parts.

"Piano and Drums" as poem is symbolism of the poet's dilemma in a position of cultural clash. The idea of cultural clash is the motivating or central message the poem passes to the readers.

The "Piano" which symbolised the poet's westernised present lifestyle was compared with the "Drums" which symbolised the past village background of the poet; the comparison of the poet's past with present way of living is referred to as the class of culture (since culture is defined as the lifestyle of a
group of people or just even a person). Other themes to be found in the poem Childhood reminiscence and its effect, Complexity of the present and future, Dilemma.

Structurally, the poem is a well planned poem divided into stanzas to show where one view ends and where another begins. The last stanza was a perfect conclusion.

And in terms of the literary terms, there are assonances in line 3 (jungle drums), in line 4 (mystic rhythm), etc. Imageries in virtually all the lines of the poem; example “naked/ warmth of hurrying feet and groping hearts/ in green leaves…” then personifications in line 15 (groping heart/ in green leaves) and in line 18 (piano/ solo speaking of complex ways). And many other devices in the poem.

In order to have a detailed understanding of the poem "Piano and Drums", check the following:-

(1) Poetic Figured and Forms of the poem

(2) Structure of the poem

(3) Themes of the poem

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
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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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Structure Of Piano And Drums By Gabriel Okara

In order to understand the themes of the poem check Themes Of Piano And Drums by Gabriel Okara

The structure of the poem shows that, it is a well planned poem. Like a narrative essay, the poem opened with an introduction describing the major concern of the poet and closed with a perfect conclusion. The poem was divided into stanzas to show where one view ends and where another begins. The last stanza was a perfect conclusion.

The poem is a free verse because of the ways the lines and stanzas were structured; void of rhyming pattern.

The first stanza had eight lines (using druming sound and rural activities to show the poet past way of life, the second stanza had eight lines describing what the effects of remembering the past was to the poet, stanza three had nine lines and that was where piano was described in the poem, stanza four had four lines
which showed that poet was in a state of confusion; he didn't know which culture to choose whether his past African life or his present civilized life.

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
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Themes of Piano and Drums by Gabriel Okara

Gabriel Okara, the writer of "Piano and Drum" was born in Bayelsa state, Nigeria in 1921. A novelist and a poet; he was once a civil servant. His poem "Piano and Drums" was well beautified with imagery and symbolism.

The themes of the poem can be divided into three: (1) Childhood reminiscence and its effect (2) Complexity of the present and future (3) Dilemma.

Childhood reminiscence and its effect

Since the poem is about the poet's experience with two different cultures or lifestyles, the poet used the experience of his village background to depict African culture which he grew up with, while comparing it to his present civilized way of living.
The poem speaker was reminded of his/her "primal youth and the beginning" through the quietness of the early to morning river and the echoing forest. While at the riverside, the poem speaker could "hear jungle drums telegraphing/the mystic rhythm..." (Line 2 & 3) and other things like panther, leopard, hunters crouching
with poised spears, etc added to his/her memory.

The poem speaker revealed in stanza 2, the effect such reminiscence brought to his/her memory of sitting "in my mother's lap a suckling", "walking simple paths with no innovations", and groping in green leaves with wild flowers in naked hurrying feet.

Complexity of the present and future

How complex, unstable and confusing the present and the upcoming future look were portrayed in the stanza 3 of the poem "Piano and Drums". As said before, Okara preferred his past life to the present that was why he symbolized his rural life with drum, a musical instrument which very easy to learn and operate while he symbolized his civilized modern lifestyle with piano and describe it as complex.

The poem speaker heard "a wailing piano" which symbolised a painful sound which "solo speaking of complex ways" (the confusing present and the unknown future) and such painful sound brought a silent cry which the poem referred to as "in tear-furrowed concerto". In spite of the pain, the poem speaker got "lost in the labyrinth of it complexities" which symbolised the confusing complexity of the future through rough(coaxing) mild(diminuendo) opposite-change(counterpoint) and tough(crescendo).

Conflit of Culture
This is a very vital theme in Piano and Drums by Gabriel Okara; it shows the speaker in the poem standing between past and present (or preferably between African and Western culture); this theme can also be called a clash of culture or cultural disparity. As mentioned earlier, the voice of the poem described his past rural African background as simple as drums beats while his present and upcoming urbanized Western lifestyle as difficult as the wailing tones of a piano. Since ways lead to ways, this theme leads to another theme known as the theme of dilemma.

Dilemma

The poem speaker concluded that he found himself/herself in dilemma "wandering in the mystic rhythm/of jungle drums and the concerto."(line 28 & 29) because he didn't know which culture to totally embrace. He preferred the simple rural life but it was also impossible to let go of the civilisation he had got unto despite it was complex and confusing.

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
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