What literary devices are used in Kofi Awoonor's poem "The Cathedral"?

This poem, an indictment against modern civilization's inclinations to destroy tradition, employs several literary devices to construct a tone of condemnation.

The tree in this poem is symbolic of tradition. It has stood long enough that it towers over the crops stretched out beneath its branches. It sheds incense, alluding to particular cleansing rituals in religious ceremonies, on the "infant corn." The use of "infant" connotes youth and longevity, indicating a positive association between the blessings afforded by the tree and the livelihoods of those depending on crops. The limbs of this tree are personified, as they "stretched across a heaven," giving a particular sense of life to the tree.

That life is ended by modernization, symbolized by the "surveyors" and "builders" who fail to recognize the tree's significance and who cut the tree down. Alliteration is used to describe that these people "planted in its place" a cathedral. The repetition of the p sound in this line is reminiscent of a stuttering, mimicking the disbelief of the people that their beloved tree has fallen to a more modern world.

Ironically, these builders sought to bring religion to the people who lived on this "dirty patch" of land, yet they failed to understand the spiritual influences which already existed in this community. Therefore, their efforts are not well received and are interpreted as "senseless" by the people whom they sought to convert.

What symbols are present in Awoonor's poem "The Cathedral"?

Symbols abound in Kofi Awoonor's poem "The Cathedral." First, the tree that once stood on the patch of ground symbolizes life and vigor, vitality and growth. It shed its "incense on the infant corn," the poet tells us. It blesses the crops, giving them the shade they need and perhaps the drops of water that scatter from its branches. These benefits are symbolized by the incense. The corn, too, is a symbol of growth and potential prosperity.

The boughs of the tree "stretched across a heaven," perhaps symbolizing the people's relationship with God, and the last fires may also represent some religious or traditional practice followed by the tribe. This scene with the tree at the center stands for a time when the people were connected to their heritage and prospered in the world.

But then, things changed. Some unknown people, specified here only as "they," sent builders and surveyors. They sent in the things of the modern world: new techniques, new people, new customs, and new ideas. The builders and surveyors cut down the tree. They severed the traditions and customs of the people. And they planted "A huge senseless cathedral of doom." This may or may not refer to a religious building, but it certainly stands for the structures of the modern world, the urbanization that draws people away from nature and from their past lives and immerses them in something that, according to the poet, will only bring them meaninglessness and harm.