“Piano and Drums” poem by Gabriel Okara Essay

Commentary Piano and Drums by Gabriel OkaraIn Gabriel Okaras poem, Piano and Drums, Okara expresses his feelings and thoughts of a primitive union in contrast 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 up as the loss of self-identity. The title of the poem itself, Piano and Drums displays a sense of dissimilarity and contrast as the instruments ar so unalike in impairment of sophistication. Throughout the entire poem, Okara incorporates the instruments to further express, through music, how the speaker is feeling. By using well-structured stanzas and poetic devices such as imagery, symbolism, sensory detail, personification, and diction, Okara is able to immerse the readers into the difficulties of cultural scrap and the confusion of a person in the midst of the two contrasting societies.Throughout the progression of the poem, there is a constant use of images to assist in disp laying Okaras conflicting emotions about the two separate worlds. Poetic devicesSome of the most important poetic devices utilized in this poem by Okara are imagery, symbolism, sensory detail, personification, and diction Figures of speechThe themesPiano and Drums is a poem which basically themed and created by two different and opposing agriculture in the poem, the piano culture and drums culture which suggested by the poet whenThe culture of drums is straight forward, and direct, and this just like the world and culture in the ancient years which before civilization. People do not hide their real selves, showing and communicate without pretending as well as showing what they really are in the wordings, raw, primal, and unkept. They call out for danger by beating drums as to warn others, although the world is competitive.