JAMB - Literature In English (2001 - No. 45)
This question is based on selected poems from Ker, D. et al (eds.): New Poetry from Africa; Soyinka, W. (ed.): Poems of Black African; Senanu, K.E. and Vincent, T.(ds.): A Selection of African Poetry; Umukoro, M. et al (eds.); Exam Focus: Literature-in-English; Eruvbetine, A.E. et al (eds.) Longman Examination Guides and Nwoga, D.I. (ed.):West African Verse
'The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way;
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.'
In the lines above from Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard', the imagery is
of an approaching night in a rustic setting
about a village under a curfew one night
of an approaching death in a village
of a man abandoned in his homeward journey
Explanation
The imagery in these lines evokes a tranquil rural scene at twilight, where the "curfew tolls" signalling the end of the day, and various elements of the countryside—such as the "lowing herd" and the "plowman homeward"—paint a picture of a peaceful, quiet evening setting. The transition from day to night and the solitude that follows are key components of the imagery. The image of approaching darkness symbolises the advent of death, which is the central theme of the poem.
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