Poetic Analysis Of Piano And The Drums SS1 Literature-in-English Lesson Note

ANALYSIS:

In line 1-8 the poet stand by the river side in the early hour of the morning. Sound of some jungle drum flow though his ears. The drums bring in deep message to his heart. The deep message rushes in like blood out of the flesh of a suddenly killed animal. The Jungle drums take him down the memory lane recalling to him what happened to him when he was a child at home. As he listens to the messages of the drum it appears as if a leopard has arrived to kill its prey. The leopard bares his teeth and poses for war. The hunters have also gathered in readiness to kill with their spears. The drums invigorate and arouse the people into forceful action. The drums tense the atmosphere.

In line 9-16 His blood gradually returned inside him, the ancient drums carried him to the memory lane when he used to sit at his mother’s lap as a suckling child. The sound of the drums brings to his memory how he walked along the bush path in the olden days. The bush paths were ungraded, untraded and gutter less. The message of the drums forces his mind to return and walk along the narrow paths which people’s feet have made as he hastily, gladly moves through the blooming vegetation and flowers of tropical dark forests.

In lines 17-25 the sound of the piano pierces through the ear of the poet. The piano’s sound appears singing and crying at the same time.

The piano is just a lone voice without supporting drums. It speaks varieties of things and diverse ways of life that make it difficult for people to understand. It uses cry to put its messages across.

It discusses places that are far away and strange experiences and knowledge which proves that it is an alien speaker. The voice fluctuates, rises and softly falls. There are other entertainments that are coming from the same piano, at the same time. The speaker observes that, whichever way the music of the piano takes; whether high or low tunes, It is gradually drawing him closer to like the music of the piano. He is worried that while he has been deeply engulfed in the heaviness of the piano’s melody, it suddenly stops without a final conclusion. Its abrupt stoppage becomes painful and devastating as if a dagger has pierced through his flesh or body.

In line 26-29. The speaker discusses how he has been taken down the memory lane on the river side in the years gone by. In those ancient days indeed, nothing appeared visible and feasible to him as he stood dumbfounded. His mind begins to make an unsteady fluctuation between the magic flow of the jungle drums and the difficult nature of the piano and vice versa; without sitting with anyone. He remains in dilemma

POETIC DEVICES

The poet employs many devices to convey his message.

1. Diction: his choice of language is good. He uses simple language that can be easily understood by a lay reader. Though there are some complex words that a lay reader must resort to the dictionary for proper meaning. Such words as ‘panther’ in line 6, ‘’crouch’’ in line 8, ‘’furrowed concerto’’, coaxing ‘’diminuendo’’, line 22, ‘’crescendo’’ line 23 ‘’labyrinth’’ line 23.
2. Imagery: The speaker makes use of water imagery having come from river rime areas. We can see such words as ‘riverside,’’ ‘’torrents’’ line 8. He makes effective use of symbols. The title of the poem piano and the drums symbolizes cultural clash between the western civilization and African civilization and the consequences of the marriage that exist between the two cultures or civilization.
3. He again makes use of metaphors to convey his message. He uses mist as a metaphor to mean that which is difficult to be remembered. In the last stanza mist is metaphorically employed to show that in the midst of culture clash, the speaker does not know which of the civilizations to follow. ‘’ I lost in the morning mist of an age of a riverside deep.’’ Wondering in the mystic rhythm of jungle drums and the concerto.’’
4. Enjambment: The poem moves from one line to another without a break in sense.

‘’and my blood ripples, turns torrent, topples the years and at once I’m in my mother’s lap suckling’’ this is another clear use of imagery.

5. Alliteration: this is another device employed by the speaker. The poet employs the use of consonant sound. To enhance the music flow of the poem.