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Love Cycle. ‘Love Cycle’ by Chinua Achebe describes sunrise, sunset, and their effects on Earth using the metaphor of a barely happy couple. Known for his deep reflections on African culture, identity, and history, Achebe's poetry often integrates universal themes.
- Summary
- Detailed Analysis
- Structure
- Themes
- Literary Devices
- About Achebe
- Similar Poetry
‘Love Cycle’opens by describing the actions of the sun at dawn. At this time, the poem compares the interaction between the sun and Earth to the aftermath of dispassionate sex between a couple. It goes on to describe the harshness of the sun as dawn gives way to noon. Here, Love Cycle relates the earth’s endurance of the sun’s scorching rays to the...
Stanza One
‘Love Cycle’ opens with the persona describing the attitudeof the sun at dawn. One can imagine the sun’s withdrawal from embrace to mean its light isn’t fixated on anything. This translates to how widespread and scattered the sun’s rays are at this time. Unlike at noon, the rays aren’t locked on any surface; they aren’t harsh as well. Hence, their representation is “long misty arms.” The adjective “long” reveals the far reach of the sun.
Stanza Two
This stanza introduces the object of the sun’s influence: Earth. The persona portrays the interaction between the two entities as a relationship between a couple. As shown in the first three lines of the stanza, however, the nature of their relationship is dispassionate. The aforementioned lines mention the aftereffects of sex between the represented couple: it’s lukewarm. This reveals the ironyin the last line of stanza one. In that line, the persona calls the sun and Earth “happy lovers,” b...
Stanza Three
In this stanza, dawn gives way to noon. Again, the persona portrays the sun as a man with a temper. Like his temper, the speaker predicts the “soft-eyed light”—representing the sun’s rays at dawn—will grow hot with time. The man “ploughing through the vast acres of heaven…” is a metaphorfor the sun’s journey from the east, where it rises, to the west, where it sets. The speaker tells us that within that time, the sun will become harsh.
‘Love Cycle’ comprises five stanzas written in free verse. Each stanza heavily employs enjambment, creating fragmented lines occasionally punctuated to indicate a pause. Stanzas often end with incomplete sentences, which are completed in the next stanza. Love Cycle concludes with a full stop.
The central theme explored in ‘Love Cycle’is nature. The themes of unhealthy relationships, anger, endurance, and power play all emanate from the poet’s exploration of the central theme.
Irony: Considering the state of the represented relationship in ‘Love Cycle,’ the title of the poem is ironic. This irony resurfaces between stanzas 1 and 2. The persona calls the sun and Earth “ha...Synaesthesia: This poetic device associates attributes of the five senses with each other. It is evident in stanza 3, where the sense of sound is associated with sight: “…whispers of soft-eyed ligh...Born on 16 November 1930, Chinua Achebe was a renowned Nigerian novelist, poet, and essayist. He is majorly known for his debut novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the face of modern African literature. A recipient of several national and international awards, Chinua Achebe, published short stories, poetry collections, and essaysduring his li...
You can check out more of Achebe’s poems and other romantic poems if you enjoyed ‘Love Cycle’: 1. ‘Vultures‘– a poem centering on the Belsen concentration camp and a commander working there. 2. ‘Refugee Mother and Child‘ – a sad poem depicting the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War. 3. Ten of the best nature poems
- Female
- January 28, 2003
- Poetry Analyst
Chinua Achebe is Africa's foremost modern novelist. The titular poem is a salutation in honour of Achebe. Several other poems in the volume explore certain of the issues covered in Achebe's best known works.
- Dr. Kemi Atanda Ilori
Jan 18, 2023 · Collected poems. by. Achebe, Chinua. Publication date. 2004. Topics. Nigeria -- Poetry. Publisher. New York : Anchor Books.
Achebe's Poetry reveals the penchant to present experiences at physical, mental and astral levels through graphic picturesque imagery, biblical and mythic allusions, as well as through compact narrative modes to convey shades of moral dilemma.
- Effiok B A S S E Y Uwatt
In Chinua Achebe's "Vultures," a pair of grim birds nuzzling each other after devouring a rotting corpse become a metaphor for the uneasy fact that human beings are equally capable of love and evil.
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Apr 4, 2011 · Summary. A chebe's collection of short fiction and prose pieces covered a period of twenty years, tracing his development and changing preoccupations as a writer. His volume of poetry, on the other hand, spans a much shorter period and is unified by its focus on the civil war and the physical, social and psychological consequences of that war ...
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