The theme of Africanness in Birago Diop’s poetry

The Theme of Africanness permeates Birago Diop’s poetic art. In his poetry. Birago Diop celebrates the dead ancestor, the African cultural traditions, and the African  topographical landscape, as well as the African cultural objectives and artifacts.  Furthermore he draws images and metaphors from the African flora and fauna in order to develop and illuminate his lyrics. It is all of these, and more, that this essay discusses

Rhetoric and Style in Leopold Sedar Senghor’s “New York”

Although the nature, provenance, or function of rhetoric has been a subject of much interest and criticisms for centuries, there is no doubt that Senghor’s life experience has taught him the value of rhetoric in any persuasive discourse. Furthermore, Senghor employs classical1 and modern rhetoric in order to meet his personal and poetic objectives. In this essay, we shall discuss the poem “New York”, not only because it addresses racial issues and other injustices which are pertinent to Negritude, but because the poem illustrates Senghor’s remarkable ability to employ classical and modern rhetoric in his discourse

Rhetoric and style in Leopold Sedar Senghor’s “New York”

Although the nature, provenance, or function of rhetoric has been a subject of much interest and criticisms for centuries, there is no doubt that Senghor’s life experience has taught him the value of rhetoric in any persuasive discourse. Furthermore, Senghor employs classical1 and modern rhetoric in order to meet his personal and poetic objectives. In this essay, we shall discuss the poem “New York”, not only because it addresses racial issues and other injustices which are pertinent to Negritude, but because the poem illustrates Senghor’s remarkable ability to employ classical and modern rhetoric in his discourse

Varieties of English Usage in African Poetry

The richness of African poetry, in its diversity, scope, and dimensions, has not yet received the critical attention it deserves. This situation is rather surprising, especially given the fact that the varieties of English in African poetics are vast and compelling. For example, the varieties which I have selected for discussion and analysis in this essay consist of the following variables, including, that is, oral poetry, pidgin English, European colonialism, the Christian religion, African cultural tradition, and war poetry.Some readers may consider the classification I have listed here as arbitrary or inadequate or overmuch; I do not fault them. The important point, for me at least, is the essence or the need to explore this subject further -- if need be -- so we can fully and faithfully understand and appreciate the corpus and beauty of African poetry in its multifarious dimensions. We shall begin, that is, with oral poetry which, I think, is the foundation of African poetry

Man and Nature

An important area of Senghor's verse, which has not received any serious critical consideration among critics, centers on Man and Nature. The reason for this critical neglect is hard to fathom, especially, considering the fact that everything we have discussed about Senghor's poetics -- including Negritude, womanhood, the dead ancestors, the African topographical landscape, etc -- revolves around man and nature. By Man, I mean human beings; by Nature, I mean every other thing created by God. Senghor's poetic art benefits from each of these sources which we shall discuss here below

The Negritude Continuum

This chapter discusses the various literary themes and images in Senghor's poetic art that recur again and again that would make the Negritude movement a viable area of study for a very long time. It considers the themes of love