Posted: November 3rd, 2020
Song of Lawino- Imagery
Imagery –Song of Lawino By Me Originally set in African ideas, it is clearly challenging for the text to be turned into a foreign language, which in this case, is English. No matter, the words used are comprehensible and nothing much out of our minds’ imagination power. Lawino, the Acoli woman, the wife of an abusive husband and the main voice of this song uses this poem to sing out her thoughts. They involve a lot of imagery of different kinds to various everyday things surrounding us.
She describes her husband, Ocol, the son of the Chief as spiteful and arrogant by comparing him to animals and natural sources. Ocol behaves like a child, his tongue bitter like the roots of lyonno lily, seeming like a hen that eats its own eggs. With the simple imagery given, yet so specifically chosen from the environment of the Acoli tribe, I could even understand what Lawino is saying despite being a non-native speaker of English. By imagery, I actually see how Lawino explains her being treated like rubbish by her own husband that she still desperately loves.
Ocol is completely filled with hatred towards Lawino with the way he insult, laughing at her as if Lawino is a salt-less ash, an ojou insect. Nevertheless, Lawino shows her hopes that the old Ocol will return to her after the sickness in Ocol’s head is thrown away. For her, things are simple and should be done according to how the elders do. Lawino also describes her anger and her loyalty with her Acoli culture while Ocol, her own husband walks around with a desire to turn himself into a complete English man, hating his roots. Both of them are truly complete opposites.
Observant and knowledgeable, Lawino states on how an Acoli is different from an English man or woman. I like the way she sees differently in the English culture as we all should be seeing differently in hers as well. Besides all of those emotions from Lawino, I am very interested in how she describes a human body, her own figure mostly and the naked beauty of it. An Acoli does not need to cover up with silk material or any expensive accessories to look beautiful. Despite Lawino’s hair being thick and curly, she appreciates the way she is as an English lady would love her own straight her.
Everyone is different and Lawino accepts that, unlike Ocol. Though maybe, for me, Ocol is imagined to be as the man who doesn’t feel like he belongs there in the Acoli tribe by the way Lawino sings on his awkwardness in dancing in the arena. So Ocol turns to a different culture that can provide him more comfort. On the other side, Lawino does not quite approve with the shameful dances and the normal odd routines of the English people but she does not do what Ocol does to his Acoli culture. Lawino does not insult and bear any hatred to the foreigners.
She just would rather not be involved in those peculiar activities. Imagery becomes very interesting when Lawino uses unhygienic or ugly comparison to something we would see as clean like the hot water or pretty like the hairstyle of the English women. She is keen on describing every object used by Ocol and his mistress, Clementine like the stove to cook, their thick clothing and even the toilet. I, who live in a modern city in the 21st century, would never even dream of comparing those appliances with flora and fauna.
In short, the use of imagery is the basic of the poem that makes the whole story so vivid, attached with plenty of emotions and nature of sarcasm. Those comparisons and descriptions from Lawino have shown me how Lawino is indeed clever in the way of how unique a human mind can see things. As for me, I can really do use my imagination easily to create the world where the Acoli tribe collides with the English culture, seeing plenty amusing scenes. (666 Words)
