The Evocative Power of Literature and Poetry

The Evocative Power of Literature and Poetry

At museums, it is common to find people looking at a work of art and feeling something. This can be a fleeting feeling of pleasure, or an image of something familiar, provoked unconsciously by an aspect of the artwork. Pieces of writing can also be incredibly powerful, and make readers feel and imagine things intensely. These feelings can then be connected to similar feelings evoked by other works, such as pieces of literature, artworks, pieces of music, even current events articles. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story “The Thing Around Your Neck,” is a short story focusing on Akunna, a woman struggling with the reality of moving to America from Nigeria, and finding it to be different from how she imagined it. Akunna experiences the loneliness and isolation that accompanies moving to a strange new place, but also feels isolated by the unreasonable judgement made about her, based solely on her appearance. Adichie’s storytelling ability allows readers to sympathize with her character, and the vivid imagery used intensifies the loneliness and sadness felt. In her poem “Loneliness,” Katherine Mansfield paints vivid pictures of an ominous landscape and the melancholy embrace between two characters. The imagery and diction used in Katherine Mansfield’s poem “Loneliness” leaves one with a sense of unease and sadness similar to the sense one gets when reading “The Thing Around Your Neck.”

One similarity between “The Thing Around Your Neck” and “Loneliness” is the descriptive, eerie imagery. Akunna might feel lonely for a number of reasons. She is away from her family, isolated by the less-than-kind reactions of people around her, and in a relationship with someone who means well, but isn’t fully understanding. This suffocating loneliness is conveyed in one dark, powerful sentence: “At night, something would wrap itself around your neck, something that nearly choked you before you fell asleep” (Adichie 88). Adichie doesn’t further explain this ominous statement, leaving it up to interpretation, but it certainly provides a vivid image. In her poem, “Loneliness,” Mansfield personifies loneliness, creating a similar effect and leaving one feeling uneasy, almost sad. “Now it is Loneliness who comes at night / Instead of Sleep, to sit beside my bed” (Mansfield 1-2). The idea of loneliness as a woman, alighting on one’s bed, is just as lucid as the “noose” that chokes Akunna as she sleeps. It even introduces the idea that loneliness, in the form of a person, could be what is choking her. Both these images, though different in intention, evoke a comparable feeling of sadness and loneliness.

Another connection between these two pieces is the comparison of the dark reality of Akunna’s situation to the image of waves crashing against a shadowy cliff at night in “Loneliness.” These two things, while completely different in nature, are both somber and ominous. As she arrives in America, Akunna realizes quickly that things are not exactly like how she imagined them. She goes to stay with her “uncle” who proceeds to abuse her. Forced to find another place to live, Akunna gets a job as a waitress in Connecticut. There, she has to endure unintentionally –and intentionally– offensive remarks made by customers. Akunna longs to be treated with understanding and without condescension. Reading about the hardships she faces and her resulting feelings, one cannot help but feel sullen, empathizing with Akunna, resentful of her misfortune and the ignorance of those around her. Though the exact feeling evoked is hard to describe, it can also be felt when reading “Loneliness.” The dark, sinister imagery and diction also elicit a lonely, restless feeling. “Through the sad dark the slowly ebbing tide / Breaks on a barren shore, unsatisfied. / A strange wind flows… then silence” (Mansfield 9-10). The diction is used well, as “breaks” is harsh and honest, and the words “slowly” and “flows” blend together to create a bleak, forlorn feeling. The image brought to mind by these words is also dark, in a more literal sense, with the night sky and empty shore easy to call to mind.

In both “Loneliness” and “The Thing Around Your Neck,” the main character seems to be longing to escape their current situation, or at least to find someone to help them through it. Akunna, missing her family, is reaching out for someone who will love her, while treating her like a person instead of some exotic animal. This proves difficult. After she is particularly displeased with her boyfriend’s lack of reaction to a waiter’s offensive comment, she realizes that she still hasn’t found what she really needs. “He asked what was wrong and you said nothing, although you thought a lot was wrong. Later, in the shower, you started to cry. You watched the water dilute your tears and you didn't know why you were crying” (Adichie 92). Until this release of emotion, Akunna has been containing her feelings of confusion and isolation. She left for America believing in a world of extravagance and big cars, of new opportunities and experiences. When she arrived there, her treatment did not match her expectations, and it was difficult to find people she could trust. In “Loneliness,” Mansfield’s main character opens up to and accepts the company of a weary old woman –loneliness– by grasping onto her hand. She doesn’t hesitate, as she longs for someone to hold, even if that someone is only loneliness personified. “To turn to Loneliness, to take her hand, / Cling to her, waiting, till the barren land / Fills with the dreadful monotone of rain” (Mansfield 12-14). Both characters long for something more, and for someone to understand and console them.

The diction and imagery used in these two works, “Loneliness” and “The Thing Around your Neck” create similar moods and evoke strong feelings in their readers. The use of creepy symbolism in Katherine Mansfield’s poem and the dark –but necessary– truth of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story are, for different reasons, unsettling. A few vivid images stick with a person more than others, like the noose of overwhelming emotion Akunna is struggling against, or loneliness as an elderly woman, sitting quietly at the side of a bed. These images, and other aspects of the pieces add to their evocative power. Writing, just like art or music, leaves a greater impression if it makes one feel or think of something. Works that have an influence on people, even without them knowing it, are likely to be shared, while remaining important to the person. Literature and other art forms are incredibly valuable, and as long as they make people feel and remember things, they will continue to be shared and appreciated.