A Far Cry from Africa

by Derek Walcott

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A Far Cry from Africa

The title "A Far Cry from Africa" signifies the poet's emotional and physical distance from his African heritage. It reflects the sense of alienation and conflict within the poet, torn between his...

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A Far Cry from Africa

There are several symbols in “A Far Cry from Africa,” like the flies that represent the desperate, violent Kikuyu and the worm that represents the unsympathetic, cruel colonial forces.

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A Far Cry from Africa

The sound devices of meter, rhyme, alliteration and consonance, and assonance are used in Derek Walcott's "A Far Cry From Africa" to accentuate the themes of violence, conflict, and discord.

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A Far Cry from Africa

In “A Far Cry from Africa,” Derek Walcott identifies the difference between Britain and Africa as one primarily of environment. Their similarities lie in the nature of their people, for both Africans...

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A Far Cry from Africa

Using a post-colonial criticism approach to analyze "A Far Cry from Africa," the poem explores the cultural and power dynamics between colonizing and colonized societies. The speaker, of mixed...

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A Far Cry from Africa

In "A Far Cry From Africa," Walcott compares man's inhumanity to the "brutish necessity" found in nature. He portrays both man's primitive and sophisticated instincts as leading to death and...

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A Far Cry from Africa

The figurative language in “A Far Cry from Africa” comprises the words and images that aren’t meant to be taken literally but which help Derek Walcott illustrate the violence that Africa has had to...

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A Far Cry from Africa

Pablo Neruda’s “The Way Spain Was” comments on the divided nature of Spain during, and after, the Spanish Civil War. Derek Walcott’s “A Far Cry from Africa” depicts an uprising in Kenya and the...

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A Far Cry from Africa

The main idea of the excerpt from Derek Walcott's "A Far Cry from Africa" is the poet's internal conflict over his biracial heritage. Walcott grapples with the violent history of both African and...

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A Far Cry from Africa

Walcott's use of rhetorical questions at the end of "A Far Cry from Africa" is highly effective. These questions highlight his internal conflict between his European cultural ties and African...

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A Far Cry from Africa

In Derek Walcott's "A Far Cry from Africa," 'Spain' refers to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The poem draws a parallel between the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya and the Spanish Civil War, criticizing...

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A Far Cry from Africa

"A Far Cry from Africa" depicts the Mau Mau rebellion in ambiguous terms. At various points in the poem, the speaker shows sympathy for the aims of the guerrilla organization while refraining from...

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A Far Cry from Africa

Post-colonialism as a literary approach analyzes literature through the lens of cultural expression differences and power dynamics between colonizers and the colonized. It emphasizes duality and...

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A Far Cry from Africa

Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Walcott's "A Far Cry From Africa" share postcolonial features by criticizing international inaction during African conflicts, such as the Biafran War and the Mau...

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