This question is based on selected poems from R. Johnson and D. Ker, et al (ed.): New poetry from Africa; Wole Soyinka (ed.): poems Black Africa; K.E. senanu and T. Vincent (eds.): A Selection of African poetry; M. Umukoro and A Sani, et al (eds.): Exam Focus: Literature – in – English; A.E. Eruvbetine and M. Jibril, et al (eds.): Longman Examination Guides: poetry: E.W. Parker (ed.): A Pageant of Longer poems and D.I. Nwoga (ed.): West African Verse.
‘The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way;
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.’
In the lines above from Gray’s ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’, the imagery is
- of an approaching night in a rustic setting
- about a village under a curfew one night
-
of an approaching death in a village
- of a man abandoned in his homeward journey
The correct answer is: C
Explanation
The imagery in these lines evokes a tranquil rural scene at twilight, where the "curfew tolls" signalling the end of the day, and various elements of the countryside—such as the "lowing herd" and the "plowman homeward"—paint a picture of a peaceful, quiet evening setting. The transition from day to night and the solitude that follows are key components of the imagery. The image of approaching darkness symbolises the advent of death, which is the central theme of the poem.