Clash of culture In Anvil and the Hammer by Kofi Awoonor
Kofi Awoonor placed the Western culture and the African culture side-by-side with the tool of symbolism where “the anvil” symbolized African culture while “the hammer” symbolized Western culture.
The poet saw himself painfully transform in “the forging house of a new life” into someone with “jargon of new dialectic” while living through “the flimsy glories of paved streets”.
From the poet’s viewpoint, both cultures were conflicting not only because they varied in origin but also in terms of application (what is considered appropriate in one culture is mostly inappropriate in the other culture).
According to lines 11-14:
“Sew the old days for us, our fathers,
That we can wear them under our new garment
After we have washed ourselves in
The whirlpool of the many rivers’ estuary”
From the above, the poet couldn’t forego one culture for the other, so he preferred to embrace and reap the benefits embedded in both cultures.
