Okara's reminiscence in the "Piano and Drums" as to how he walks to the farm with no shoes, marching thorns…

Analyze the question

The question is about Gabriel Okara's poem "The Piano and the Drums." It asks what feeling is created when the persona recalls walking to the farm barefoot, treading on thorns and dangerous leaves, and still enjoying it.

Explain the concept

"The Piano and the Drums" explores the conflict between African tradition (the drums) and Western civilization (the piano). The persona is drawn to the "jungle drums" and the "wailing piano," and he is torn between them. The key literary idea here is nostalgia: a sentimental longing for the past, remembering it fondly even when it was physically hard.

Step-by-step solution

1. The persona recalls his childhood and village life: walking to the farm with bare feet, over thorns and dangerous leaves.
2. These experiences were painful or risky, yet he remembers them as enjoyable. That tells us he looks back on them with affection and longing.
3. Look at each option: • A. Nostalgia: a fond longing for the past. This fits the memory exactly. • B. Neglect of African culture for civilized styles: the poem does not show the persona neglecting his culture. He is pulled back toward it. • C. Clash of culture: this is the overall theme of the poem, but this specific memory is not about a clash. It is a pleasant recollection of the past. • D. Confusion: the persona does feel confused at the end of the poem, but the barefoot-farm memory does not create that feeling.
4. The feeling created by the memory itself is a warm longing for the old days.

Answer

nostalgia**.

Exam tip

In JAMB Literature, separate the overall theme of a poem (here, culture clash) from the feeling created by a particular passage (here, nostalgia). Read the question's wording closely. Words like "reminiscence" and "recalls" almost always point to nostalgia.