MARIA AJIMA'S SOFT WINDS: A POETRY OF BITTERSWEET IMAGERY

Authors

  • Iorwuese Gogo Department of English and Literary Studies, Federal University of Lafia, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejls.v6i1.594

Keywords:

imagery, poetry, Soft Winds, Maria Ajima, formalism

Abstract

Imagery provides a text with aesthetic depth and impresses the mind with critical judgement and the taste for artistic values. Through imagery, the motifs of a text are logically ascertained. The aim of interpreting Maria Ajima's collection of poetry, Soft Winds, through its web of imagery is to project its literary beauty and the critical message borne by its content and made incisive by its techniques. The paper is built on the formalist theory that believes that form and technique are part of content, and their approach provides objective reading. It applies the descriptive analytical method through which imagery in the poetry is paradoxically conceptualised as bittersweet imagery. In the poetry, the sweet imagery celebrates nature and passions of life while the bitter imagery decry bad leadership, corruption and social anomalies in Africa that are ravaging the continent. They also reveal the lamentation for the catastrophe of death and anger. The sweet imagery triggers feelings of mellowness, excitement and inspiration, while the bitter imagery elicits provocation and soberness and implores human redemption. The imagery overall provides the poetry with aesthetic beauty and impels critical thoughts on the nature of human existence.

 

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Author Biography

  • Iorwuese Gogo, Department of English and Literary Studies, Federal University of Lafia, Nigeria

    Iorwuese Gogo is a doctoral student of African Literature at Federal University of Lafia, Nigeria. He is a co-editor of the book, Ecocriticism: Lenses from African Literature. Gogo has published numerous literary essays in national and international journals and books. He won the Ace Booksquare book review competition for the month of November, 2021. His works can be found on amazon.com, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Academia.edu.

References

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Published

2025-04-14

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Articles

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