An Analysis of Once by the Pacific by Robert Frost
Once by the Pacific is a short poem on a raging storm. The setting is on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The poet describes the intensity of the anticipated storm that is likely to destroy both property and life over an unpredictable period.
An outlook of the poem reveals that it is a sonnet, an aspect adapted from Shakespeare’s poetry. The poem consists of three stanza’s composed of four lines each, and the final verse consisting of two lines. The division of the stanzas also marks a shift in ideas, with the first stanza giving an introduction, the other two build on the poem, while the last two sentences provide a conclusion. In the poem, the first sentences offer a description of what is happening as the waves shove at the shore of the ocean, in anticipation of the storm. The other two give details of the current setting, while the final stanza describes the level of havoc that the storm is likely to cause.
Robert Frost uses imagery to describe the setting from the subject’s point of view. The description helps to create a picture in the mind of the reader to see from the poet’s point of view. Reading the first stanza, we can visualize the ocean waves as they swerve towards the show. Imagery in the poem brings the reader to the scene and can share the emotions of the narrator, who is all alone, is overcome by fear.
Also, the poet incorporates the aspect of personalization in the poem. He gives human attributes to the ocean, which can easily relate to. For example, he describes the clouds as hairy (Frost). Moreover, he uses a human attribute of ‘rage’ to the storm, implying that the storm would be intense, and will cause major havoc.
Though the poem is short, the poet puts together his thoughts to create a complete story with a definite beginning and end, an aspect of completeness that is crucial in literary works.
A comparison of Growing My Hair Again by Chika Unigwe and Among Strangers by Jude Dibia
Similar themes often characterize African stories, this is mainly because African culture is shared across the continent, especially on matters of male domination. The male gender is perceived to be superior in the traditional African society where women were to be seen and not heard.
With the stories written from an African setting, similar themes are drawn from Chika Unigwe’s Growing My Hair Again and Jude Dibia’s Among Strangers. To begin with, Male chauvinism is evident in both stories. It is a male-dominated society, and from both accounts, it is evident that the women are oppressed, and domestic violence is prevalent. In Growing My Hair Again, Okpala’s widow describes her husband as having busy hands, saying that the event got busier when he was angry. When she burns his food, Okpala becomes physically violent, leading to the loss of their second baby. Similarly, the narrator tells of the night he saw his father hitting his mother after his grandmother moved in. Traditionally, male dominance and domestic violence was an acceptable way of life.
Secondly, the theme of the relationship between mothers-in-law, and their daughters-in-law is evident, in both stories, the mothers-in-law are against their daughters-in-laws and openly object their marriage to their sons. Okpala’s mother hates the narrator because of her beauty and high level of education, saying that it is the reason she cannot bear many children. On the other hand, the narrator’s grandmother in Among Strangers is discriminated because she is of a different language and culture; she even makes her son marry another wife from his culture.
However, in both cases, the women are liberated when they are separated from their husband, one through death and the other through divorce. Here, they draw the theme of women liberation.