“Africville” Poem analysis Essay

In Maxine Tynes poem Africville, the theme addressed is despite how the residential district of Africville was completely destroyed, their pride still prospers and remains in the minds and hearts of all its citizens. Tynes uses repetition, olfaction of voice, symbolisation and imagery to dynamically convey the theme. Throughout the poem, Tynes exhibits a universal tone utilize to evoke pain and anger, as well as a more contrasting tone that demonstrates pride. This contrast of the specific tone used is demonstrated by Tynes in the first stanza of the poem We are the dispossessed down(p) of the land/creeping with shadows/with life/with pride (2-5). We are the dispossessed Black of the land/ creeping with shadows generates a feeling of loss which invokes the event in which the citizens of Africville were dislodged from their making love land. The following part of the phrase, With life/with pride contrasts the first half by emitting a sense of pride which effectively conveys a mor e positive aura.This connotation is used to display how the community of Africville still lives on after they were evicted from their Promised Land. In addition to the tone of voice, the speaker uses repetition and well-founded word choice continually in various fragments of the poem. The speaker tells the readers of the poem that No house is Africville. /No road, no tree, no well. (25-26). The word no is repeated throughout the passage to emphasize and convey the theme that Africville is not simply a location, but a part of the community itself. Thirdly, the theme is intensified by the frequent use of symbolism and imagery. It is recognized that the speaker uses imagery to foreshadow how the Africville community is a strong and hopeful society.The last stanza highlights this in the last few lines We wear Our Africville face and scramble and heart. /For all the world. / For Africville. (33-35). Readers notice that the word Our is capitalized. This addresses how the speaker associ ates the Africville community with the impression of importance and high value to the speaker itself. Furthermore, the symbolism plays a crucial role in the poem This park is green but / Black, so Black with community. (15-16). The colour green is used to represent the peaceful community that Africville used to be. Black is used to contrast the Green by associating itself with the evil of the decision to demolish Africville. In conclusion, Tynes uses a combination of literary and figurative languageto convey the theme although Africville is gone, its community lives on.