Lord Byron also known as Lord George Gordon Byron is arguably one of the greatest poets ever. He was born in 1788 and lived for thirty-six years before his death in 1824 (Byron, George Gordon Byron 57). Despite the fact that he lived for a short time, he left a legacy like no other. He wrote many poems and other literary genres before his demise. He was arguably the greatest poet from the United Kingdom by then. His legacy in the world of poetry has found no match to date. One of his most famous poems is ‘the ocean’ the use of various poetic features to pass the message is high and incomparable to any other. His choice of words in the poem not only creates rhythm but also helps in bringing out the meaning of the poem.
The poem ‘ocean’ is one of his greatest works. His choice of words not only creates an aesthetic effect for the poem but also helps to bring out the main theme of the poem. He uses various stylistic devices to help him in passing his message to the people. The main theme of the poem is the conquest between nature and culture (Dept. of English - University of the Incarnate Word 576). He says argues that man has successfully conquered everything on the land. However, he cannot conquer the ocean because he cannot dwell in it. He portrays the ocean, as a place free of man is evil and praises the ocean for its superiority over man. He loves the ocean because man does not interfere with it. Its nature makes it inhabitable for man and thus protects it from being disturbed by human activities. The relationship between man and the environment is one of the central ideas of the poem.
The poet uses imagery as one of his primary stylistic devices in this poem. Imagery is the use vivid descriptions to create the desired image in the reader’s mind. For example, ‘they melt into thy yeast of waves which mar alike the Armada’s pride or spoils of Trafalgar.’ This statement gives vivid explanations and elicits imagination of snowfalls on the people. This stylistic device is necessary for showing the meaning of the poem. Imagery elicits imagination, which help one to understand the poem better. The use of imagery in the poem helps the reader to fit into the poet's shoes and understand the poem better.
He uses many other literary and stylistic devices to communicate his point to the audience. One of the mostly used stylistic devices is repetition. Byron uses repetition for aesthetic purposes and creating emphasis. For example, ‘Roll on thou deep and dark blue ocean- Roll’. The repetition of the word ‘roll’ not only creates emphasis but also creates a rhythm in the poem. Repetition is an important pointer to the main theme of the poem. It acts as a pointer to the main ideas in a poem by showing the points of emphasis.
The poet uses various forms of deviation to create rhythm in the poem. Some of these forms of deviation include ellipsis. Ellipsis is the intentional omission of some syllables in a word to create rhythm. For example, “unknell’d” and “uncoffin’d”. The poet omits the syllable ‘e’ to create rhythm, which is important in the aesthetic function of the poem. Rhythm is an important part of the poem. It not only makes the people appreciate the beauty of language use but also helps in creating emphasis thus revealing the main theme of the poem.
The collection of poems the ‘water and culture reader’ focuses on the environment and man’s relationship with the environment. Another poem that shows this relationship is ‘night rain’ by John Pepper Clark. John Pepper Clark was born in April 6, 1935 in Nigeria. Pepper is amongst the greatest lyrical poets in Nigeria. His poetry celebrates the physical landscape of Africa. He was a journalist school critic and a playwright who conducted research into the traditional myths and legends of the Ijo. He also took part in writing essays on the African poetry. While at school, he and a group of students founded the Horn, a publication in which Clark served as the editor. Here, he began to write poetry. His poems are some of the best to represent African environment and ideologies around the world.
In the poem ‘Night rain’, Clark, portrays the extent of poverty that is present in the African society. In the poem, Clark refers to the sociological experiences of Africans as seen in the hinterland and villages. In the poem, there is a rich use of metaphors, irony, and imagery, which shows the level of creativity of the poet. Metaphors have been used to bring out various themes that are based on the divergence of cultures by the poet.
A metaphor refers to a figure of speech in which two, unlike things are compared without using comparison words. In the poem ‘Night rain’, the poet compares the intensity of the rain to the drumbeats of a drum. The poet says that ‘it is drumming hard here, and I suppose everywhere’. The rain symbolizes the problems that Africans are passing through in their lives. The poet through that sentence portrays that these problems are affecting all the Africans. He supposes that according to him the hard drumming is everywhere. Metaphors like other figures of speech not only improve the aesthetic aspect of the poem but also create clearer images in the readers mind. In this poem, metaphors show the origin of the poem in terms of culture and environment. This is by the things used in his comparisons.
Personification is a literary device in which non-human objects are given human characteristics. Personification is evident in the poem. The water drops from the rain are given human characteristics in the poem. The poet says that the ‘water drops were dribbling’. He uses this line to explain how the raindrops were falling down into the house. The poet gives life to the sea. This is evident in the line that he says, “all under its ample soothing hand joined to that of the sea we will settle to sleep of the innocent and free”. The sea has been given the ability to poses a hand. The possession of a hand by the rainwater is significant in that it causes problems to the people. The water makes people to suffer and lack sleep.
In the poem “Night rain”, the theme of poverty has been emphasized. This is evident as we see the thatched roof that has been made from rafters struggling to survive the surging rain. The rain is too strong for the roof to sustain. This leads to leakage into the house. This situation shows how poor the Africans are, as they cannot afford a roofing material for their houses that will sustain heavy rainfall. A simile refers to a figure of speech in which two things that are fundamentally unlike are explicitly compared in a phrase introduced by like or as. The falling of the raindrops is compared to that of orange and mango fruits that have showered by wind. This is evident in the line that the poet says, “the water drops are dribbling falling like orange and mango fruits”. The scattering of water is compared to that of ants filling out of the wood.
Symbolism is a literary device in which the poet uses one thing to represent another. Symbolism is another important literary feature in the poem. The rivers that take their water to the sea, symbolize a savior. The poet declares that the drumming all over the land under its ample soothing hand, joined to the sea will enable people to settle and sleep comfortably. The water from rain causes havoc to the Africans. The problem has been caused due to the high rate of poverty in the land. Because of the poverty, some people spend sleepless nights because their houses have been invaded by rainfall.
The collection ‘the water and culture reader’ shows how people have used poetry to promote environmental preservation. It comprises of poems from different historical times and parts of the world that promote environmental conservation. The two poems in this essay show a diversity of place and time. The poem ‘Ocean’ is from the 18th century while the poem ‘Night rain’ is from Africa. They show the universal need to conserve the environment.
Works cited
Petersen, Kirsten Holst, and Yolande Cantù. John Pepper Clark, A decade of tongues: selected poems : 1958-1968 : a critical view. London: Collins in association with British Council, 19851981. Print.
Byron, George Gordon Byron. The poetical works of Lord Byron. London: Oxford University Press, 1945-1959. Print.
Dept. of English - University of the Incarnate Word; The water and culture reader. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2011. Print.
