A Far Cry From Africa - Derek Walcott
A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt
Of Africa, Kikuyu, quick as flies,
Batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt.
Corpses are scattered through a paradise.
Only the worm, colonel of carrion, cries:
"Waste no compassion on these separate dead!"
Statistics justify and scholars seize
The salients of colonial policy.
What is that to the white child hacked in bed?
To savages, expendable as Jews?
Threshed out by beaters, the long rushes break
In a white dust of ibises whose cries
Have wheeled since civilizations dawn
>From the parched river or beast-teeming plain.
The violence of beast on beast is read
As natural law, but upright man
Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain.
Delirious as these worried beasts, his wars
Dance to the tightened carcass of a drum,
While he calls courage still that native dread
Of the white peace contracted by the dead.
Again brutish necessity wipes its hands
Upon the napkin of a dirty cause, again
A waste of our compassion, as with Spain,
The gorilla wrestles with the superman.
I who am poisoned with the blood of both,
Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?
I who have cursed
The drunken officer of British rule, how choose
Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
Betray them both, or give back what they give?
How can I face such slaughter and be cool?
How can I turn from Africa and live?
Source: https://allpoetry.com/A-Far-Cry-From-Africa
Line-by-Line Analysis of "A Far Cry From Africa" by Derek Walcott
1. A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt
Meaning: Starts with a powerful image of Africa as a living animal, its "tawny pelt" ruffled by the wind. Sets the stage for a poem exploring the impact of colonialism on Africa.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("tawny pelt")
2. Of Africa, Kikuyu, quick as flies,
Meaning: Introduces the "Kikuyu," an African people, swift and active despite the colonial circumstances. Raises questions about agency and resilience.
Literary Device: Simile ("quick as flies")
3. Batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt.
Meaning: Shocking imagery of the Kikuyu being exploited by the colonizers, draining the "bloodstreams of the veldt" (Africa's life force).
Literary Device: Metaphor ("bloodstreams of the veldt")
4. Corpses are scattered through a paradise.
Meaning: Juxtaposes the beauty of Africa with the brutality of colonialism. The scattered corpses highlight the cost of imperialism.
Literary Device: Juxtaposition ("paradise" vs. "corpses")
5. Only the worm, colonel of carrion, cries:
Meaning: Introduces the "worm" as a symbol of death and decay, the only one mourning the dead. Emphasizes the indifference of those in power.
Literary Device: Symbolism ("worm" as death), personification ("colonel")
6. "Waste no compassion on these separate dead!"
Meaning: The worm's cynical cry dismisses potential sympathy for the colonized. Reinforces themes of dehumanization and justification of violence.
Literary Device: Direct speech, imperatives ("Waste no")
7. Statistics justify and scholars seize
Meaning: Criticizes those who use statistics and scholarship to justify colonialism. Exposes hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of imperial ideology.
Literary Device: Personification ("statistics justify")
8. The salients of colonial policy.
Meaning: Compares colonialism to a military campaign through the metaphor of "salients" (strategic points). Highlights the aggressive nature of colonial rule.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("salients of colonial policy")
9. What is that to the white child hacked in bed?
Meaning: Shifts focus to individual victims, contrasting the abstract justifications with the brutal reality of a child murdered in their bed.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question, juxtaposition ("statistics" vs. "white child")
10. To savages, expendable as Jews?
Meaning: Raises a disturbing comparison between colonized Africans and Jews, highlighting potential for genocide and racial prejudice.
Literary Device: Juxtaposition ("savages" vs. "Jews")
11. Threshed out by beaters, the long rushes break
Meaning: Uses a vivid image of rushes being beaten to illustrate the destruction and violence inflicted on the land and people.
Literary Device: Simile ("threshed out by beaters")
12. In a white dust of ibises whose cries
Meaning: Introduces the ibises, sacred birds in African traditions, their cries echoing long-standing suffering and injustice.
Literary Device: Symbolism ("ibises" as suffering)
13. Have wheeled since civilizations dawn
Meaning: Connects the present suffering to a long history of colonialism and violence. Suggests the cycle of violence is deeply rooted and difficult to break.
Literary Device: Historical reference ("civilizations dawn")
14. From the parched river or beast-teeming plain.
Meaning: Acknowledges natural violence in Africa, but contrasts it with human-inflicted violence of colonialism.
Literary Device: Juxtaposition ("beast-teeming plain" vs. "colonial violence")
15. The violence of beast on beast is read
Meaning: Introduces the idea of natural law as justification for violence. The speaker criticizes this justification, suggesting human violence is different and more destructive.
Literary Device: Passive voice ("read")
16. As natural law, but upright man
Meaning: Leaves the sentence unfinished, creating tension and suggesting the paradoxical nature of humans seeking "divinity" through inflicting pain.
17. Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain.
Meaning: Powerful statement condemning human violence as a pursuit of power and control, mistaking it for a sign of superiority.
Literary Device: Paradox ("divinity by inflicting pain")
18. Delirious as these worried beasts, his wars
Meaning: Compares human wars to the frantic and instinctive fights of animals, highlighting their senselessness and barbarity.
Literary Device: Simile ("delirious as these worried beasts")
19. Dance to the tightened carcass of a drum,
Meaning: Uses a powerful metaphor to depict war as a macabre dance of death fueled by the rhythm of war drums.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("dance to the tightened carcass of a drum")
20. While he calls courage still that native dread
Meaning: Criticizes the colonial ideology that portrays the fear and submission of the colonized as "native dread" and misinterprets it as courage.
Literary Device: Juxtaposition ("courage" vs. "native dread")
21. Of the white peace contracted by the dead.
Meaning: Uses a chilling metaphor to describe the forced peace imposed by the colonizers as a kind of death, highlighting its oppressive nature.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("white peace contracted by the dead")
22. Again brutish necessity wipes its hands
Meaning: Personifies the forces of colonialism as "brutish necessity," suggesting a casual disregard for human suffering.
Literary Device: Personification ("brutish necessity")
23. Upon the napkin of a dirty cause,
Meaning: Uses a metaphor to criticize the justifications for colonialism as a "dirty cause," something easily dismissed.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("napkin of a dirty cause")
24. Again a waste of our compassion, as with Spain,
Meaning: Draws a parallel between the suffering in Africa and the Spanish Civil War, lamenting the repetition of violence and lack of compassion.
Literary Device: Historical reference ("as with Spain")
25. The gorilla wrestles with the superman.
Meaning: Powerful closing image symbolizes the struggle between colonized Africans (the "gorilla") and the colonizers (the "superman"). Leaves the outcome unresolved, posing questions about who will prevail.
Literary Device: Symbolism ("gorilla," "superman")
26. I who am poisoned with the blood of both,
Meaning: The speaker reveals their personal connection to both sides of the conflict, feeling poisoned by the violence of both the colonizers and the colonized.
Literary Device: Metaphor ("poisoned with the blood")
27. Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?
Meaning: This rhetorical question reflects the speaker's internal conflict and struggle for identity, torn between their African heritage and the English language they love.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question, metaphor ("divided to the vein")
28. I who have cursed
Meaning: The speaker expresses their anger and condemnation of the injustices witnessed, specifically the drunken officer who embodies colonial oppression.
Literary Device: Enjambment
29. The drunken officer of British rule,
Meaning: This line clarifies the target of the speaker's curse, highlighting the individual responsibility of those enacting colonial violence.
30. How choose
Meaning: The speaker grapples with the impossible choice - to betray both Africa and the English language, or to somehow reconcile them within themself.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question
31. Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
Meaning: This line clarifies the central dilemma, the conflict between cultural and linguistic identity imposed by colonialism.
Literary Device: Enjambment
32. Betray them both, or give back what they give?
Meaning: These stark options offer no easy answers, posing a moral and ethical dilemma for the speaker.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question, parallelism
33. How can I face such slaughter and be cool?
Meaning: This line challenges the possibility of remaining indifferent to the horrific violence and suffering surrounding them.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question, juxtaposition ("slaughter" vs. "cool")
34. How can I turn from Africa and live?
Meaning: The final line poses an existential question, highlighting the inextricable link between the speaker's identity and their connection to Africa.
Literary Device: Rhetorical question, anaphora ("how can I")
A Far Cry From Africa: A Detailed Analysis
Structure and Rhythm:
The poem's structure mirrors the speaker's internal conflict and the cyclical nature of violence. It is divided into three uneven stanzas: the first introduces the brutal reality of colonialism, the second contrasts the natural and human forms of violence, and the third grapples with the speaker's identity caught between two worlds. The rhythm is irregular, reflecting the speaker's emotional turmoil and the senselessness of violence. The use of long, enjambed lines and short, punctuated phrases creates a sense of urgency and fragmentation.
Meaning and Imagery:
The poem explores the themes of colonialism, violence, and identity through powerful imagery and metaphors:
Colonialism's brutality: The opening lines depict Africa as a "tawny pelt" being exploited by "Kikuyu" under colonial rule. "Corpses scattered through a paradise" illustrate the devastating impact of colonialism on the land and its people.
Hypocrisy of justification: The speaker criticizes those who justify the violence through "statistics," "scholars," and "colonial policy," highlighting the disconnect between rhetoric and reality.
Contrasting violence: The poem juxtaposes the natural violence of "beast on beast" with the human-inflicted pain of colonialism. The image of the "white child hacked in bed" and the comparison of Africans to "expendable Jews" expose the barbarity of human violence.
Internal conflict: The speaker feels "poisoned" by both sides, torn between his African heritage and his love for the English language. This internal conflict is mirrored in the imagery of "gorilla wrestles with the superman," symbolizing the clash between primal nature and imperial power.
Literary Devices:
Metaphors: "Africa as a tawny pelt," "statistics as napkins," "wars as dances," "peace contracted by the dead."
Symbolism: "Corpses," "blood," "carrion," "drum," "gorilla," and "superman."
Repetition: "Waste of our compassion," "how choose," "how can I."
Rhetorical questions: "What is that to the white child hacked in bed?" "How can I face such slaughter and be cool?"
Enjambment: Creates a sense of breathlessness and urgency.
Juxtaposition: "beast on beast" vs. "upright man," "savages" vs. "Jews," "Africa" vs. "English tongue."
Overall:
"A Far Cry From Africa" is a powerful and complex poem that condemns colonial violence and explores the speaker's internal conflict between his heritage and his adopted language. Walcott's masterful use of imagery, symbolism, and rhetorical devices creates a visceral experience of the poem's themes, leaving the reader with profound questions about identity, violence, and the human condition.
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