"In the cold hand of death... His mouth was cotton filled, his man-pike Shrunk to a sub-soil grub His head was hallowed and his brain On scales-was this a t...

Answer Details

The technique employed by Wole Soyinka in the given lines is juxtaposition. Juxtaposition is the act of placing two elements close together, usually for comparison or contrast. Here, Soyinka compares the physical state of the deceased to the metaphorical state of his mind or soul after death. The contrast between the physical body "shrunk to a sub-soil grub" and the metaphysical "fore-knowledge after death" creates a powerful image and highlights the theme of mortality in the poem.