Question

The silence was delicate. Aunty Ifeoma was scraping a burnt pot in the kitchen, and the kroo-kroo-kroo ofthe metal spoon on the pot seemed intrusive. Amaka and Papa-Nnukwu spoke sometimes, their voices low,twining together. They understood each other, using the sparest words. Watching them, I felt a longing forsomething I knew I would never have. I wanted to get up and leave, but my legs did not belong to me, didnot do what I wanted them to.

Required:
a. Imagery is the re-creation of sensory experiences through language. Which of the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) is most important here?
b. The kroo-kroo-kroo of the metal spoon on the pot is described asintrusive. What does this mean? What image is contrasted with the sound of the metal spoon onthe pot? What effect does this have on the passage?

Answer 1

A) hearing is the most important sense shown in the passage. This is because throughout the passage allusions to sounds are made, such as the silence interrupted by the sound of the spoon scraping the pan and the low and intertwined voices of people talking. This shows that the narrator's hearing was the most active sense at the moment.

b) The kroo-kroo-kroo of the metal spoon in the pan is described as intrusive, it means that this sound is breaking the balance of the environment and is exposed uncontrollably. This sound contrasts the image of silence that the narrator exposes right at the beginning of the passage. This shows the effect that the silence was so uncomfortable that it made the narrator to pay attention to anything around him in an anxious and eager way.