American Research Journal of English and Literature

This study attempts an appraisal of Pellets – manuscript of an unpublished anthology of poems1. Selected poems from the anthology are appraised to establish the aesthetic relevance and potency of diction in poetry in particular, and in other literary genres in general. Two theories anchor this study: The Critical Theory and the Lexicalist Theory. In terms of approach and style, poetry differs from other literary genres. It is peculiar for using inflated language, deployed in verse and stanza. Diction is vocabulary stock used by a writer to convey theme(s). Despite the normative properties of language, it has social signification which the literary writer explores, using individualistic linguistic choices that capture the operational forces being addressed. This study concludes that in Pellets – and other creative writings by extension – diction is instrumental in effective, imaginative and creative presentation of themes.