Notes by Sreekumar K

Kofi Awoonor’s poem The Sea Eats the Land at Home, using a string of concrete visual images,  depicts the tragic picture of a people losing themselves and their belongings. It is possible that the poem has an allegorical slant too, since the poet does not say home on land but land at home. However, even without another layer of meaning, the poem is enjoyable for its objectified pathos and detached point of view and narration. The ocean is personified with its insensitive stubborn nature and  destructive perseverance.  The helplessness of the victims whose wails fall on deaf ears of men and gods adds to the tragic element of the poem.

Repetition is one of the techniques that the poet uses, not only to capture the nature of the sea and its waves but also to reiterate and reinforce the tragic element. More than thoughts…