Answer:
"Ode to My Mother's Hair" by Kamau Brathwaite exhibits traditional and non-traditional aspects of an ode.
Traditional aspects of the ode in the poem include:
Elevated Tone: The poem employs a high and formal tone, typical of an ode. The speaker uses standard language and structures to honor and praise their mother's hair.
Apostrophe: The speaker directly addresses their mother's hair as if it were a person, a common technique in odes.
Praise: The poem is dedicated to praising the beauty and significance of the subject, which is also typical of an ode.
Repetition: The poem repeats certain words and phrases, such as "black" and "the sun," a common technique in odes.
Non-traditional aspects of the ode in the poem include:
Free Verse: The poem does not follow a strict meter or rhyme scheme, which is unusual for an ode.
Personal Experience: The speaker's experience and emotion are central to the poem, rather than focusing solely on the subject.
Unconventional Imagery: The speaker uses bizarre and surprising imagery to describe their mother's hair, such as comparing it to a "tornado" and a "song."
Step-by-step explanation: