Examine the significance of the use of imagery in Piano and Drums.
Imagery is a literary way of using vivid and descriptive language to add meaning and deepen the style of writing. In “Piano and drums”, several imageries are used. The imagery of the jungle typifies ancient or traditional Africa before the advent of modern civilization. A feature of this jungle includes rugged paths with no innovation, full of green leaves and wildflowers. A typical African forest region is re-enacted in the reader’s mind towards the end of the second stanza. The “mystic rhythms of jungle drums” present a clear picture of those ancient days before the drums were subsumed by the “wailing Piano”.
The imagery of “Piano” presents a picture of a modern musical instrument. Also, in the poem, there is the imagery of a suckling child on the mother’s lap. This creates a mental picture of innocence and a total lack of knowledge of the complexities of life. The “riverside” tells of the serenity of nature, however, the speaker is stunned by the clash of mystic rhythms of jungle drums and concerto”. The picture painted above can be visualized in the mind’s eye. Imagine the image of jungle drums, crouching hunters with spears, the suckling child, the rugged paths with hurrying feet, all these create mental pictures. On the other hand,’ the “wailing piano” gives a picture of foreign intrusion in the rustic Life of the African people.