Student Question
Is Christopher Okigbo’s “Come Thunder” a modernist poem using modernist techniques?
Quick answer:
Christopher Okigbo's "Come Thunder" must be read closely to determine whether or not it is a modernist poem. When reading, keep in mind that modernist poetry often breaks from tradition and experiments with new forms, metaphors, syntax, symbolism, and references. Modernist poetry often focused on the reaction of an individual to a rapidly changing world following Industrialism and World War I.
Christopher Okigbo was a Nigerian poet who drew his inspiration from English modernist poetry, among other traditions. To determine whether or not Okigbo's poem "Come Thunder" is a Modernist poem, it is important to understand exactly what modernist poetry is.
Modernist poetry was only one part of the larger modernist movement in art in the late 19th century and early 20th century. According to the Poetry Foundation, modernist artists questioned "the assumptions and aesthetic value of their predecessors," meaning that Modernist poets were consciously working against traditional forms, syntax , and referential practices. For example, in his poem "Ode to the Medieval Poets," notable modernist poet W. H. Auden laments the fact that he cannot "applaud a thundery / jovial June when the judas-tree is in blossom," as that sort of lofty, "high-spirited" language was seen as the writing of the past and could no longer be accessed by Auden...
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or his peers due to the fact that they lived in an "Age quite so repulsive," powered by "heartless engines." In other words, modernist poets sought to find meaning in the world and art after their understanding of the world was so thoroughly shattered by the Industrial Revolution and World War I. They believed that they could no longer use the same metaphors as the poets who wrote before the time of mass production and global warfare. They were interested in how humans reacted to such sudden changes in the world and explored these possible reactions in their art.
To consider whether or not Christopher Okigbo applies modernist techniques in his poem "Come Thunder," a close reading of the poem is necessary. To perform a close reading, you must read a poem thoroughly, and often more than once, with an eye towards understanding what the poem means. I recommend printing the poem out for this and making comments in the margins using a pencil. On your first reading, comment on what you notice in the poem: Did the poem shock you? Was the metaphor unfamiliar? Is the rhythm maintained or broken? What kind of tone does the writer strike? Is the language formal or informal? Write down everything you notice.
Once you've performed a close reading of the poem, compare your revelations to the typical hallmarks of modernist poetry. Is Okigbo diverging from traditional poetic forms? Are his metaphors and symbols unusual compared to what you might expect? Does his writing provide commentary on the industrial revolution or post-WWI society? Does Okigbo's poetry reveal some absurdity in the world? Does Okigbo use traditional images to communicate new ideas? If you answer yes to most of these questions, it's appropriate to categorize Okigbo's "Come Thunder" as a modernist poem.