A Far Cry Flashcards
(23 cards)
Q1: What historical event inspired A Far Cry from Africa
A: The Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya (1952–1960), where Kikuyu rebels fought against British colonial rule.
Q2: What internal conflict does Walcott explore in the poem?
A: He struggles with his divided identity—his African heritage and his love for the English language, inherited from the colonial power.
Q3: What is the significance of the poem’s title, A Far Cry from Africa?
A: It implies both physical distance and emotional disconnection from Africa, while also suggesting a cry of grief, anger, or protest that echoes from afar.
Q4: How does Walcott describe the African landscape in the opening line?
A: He uses metaphor: “A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt of Africa,” likening the grasslands to an animal’s fur, bringing nature vividly to life.
Q5: What does the “worm, colonel of carrion” symbolize?
A: It personifies death and decay, emphasizing the brutality of the conflict and the desensitization to death.
Q6: How does the poem portray the violence of the Mau Mau rebellion?
A: It shows horror on both sides: the killing of a white child in bed, and the mass slaughter of Kikuyu rebels. Walcott doesn’t justify either—he condemns all violence.
Q7: How does Walcott compare human violence to animal behavior?
A: He argues that animals kill out of necessity, but humans, despite claiming moral superiority, inflict pain for its own sake.
Q8: What is the function of the line “upright man / seeks his divinity by inflicting pain”?
A: It criticizes humanity’s self-image as divine or morally superior, showing instead that humans are often more cruel than animals.
Q9: How does Walcott use allusion in the poem?
A: He alludes to the Holocaust, the Spanish Civil War, British colonialism, biblical ideas of human divinity, and human evolution—broadening the poem’s scope beyond Africa.
Q10: What image does Walcott use to describe colonial power?
A: He personifies it as “the drunken officer of British rule,” suggesting carelessness, arrogance, and brutality.
Q11: What is the central question the speaker asks in the final stanza?
A: “How can I choose / Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?”—a direct expression of his cultural and emotional conflict.
Q12: What is the mood of the poem?
A: Pessimistic, bitter, and mournful; the poem expresses deep disappointment with both colonial violence and rebel atrocities.
Q13: What poetic devices are most prominent in the poem?
A: Vivid imagery, metaphor, personification, rhetorical questions, allusion, anaphora, and alliteration.
Q14: How does Walcott use rhetorical questions?
A: To dramatize his internal conflict and express uncertainty, especially about identity and moral allegiance.
Q15: What is the final emotional state of the speaker?
A: He ends in despair, feeling “divided to the vein”—emotionally and culturally torn with no clear resolution.
Q16: How is enjambment used in the poem?
A: It creates a flowing, natural rhythm that mirrors the speaker’s emotional urgency and confusion.
Q17: Why does Walcott reference the Spanish Civil War?
A: To show that atrocities in war are not unique to Africa, and that both sides in ideological conflicts often commit horrific acts.
Q18: What does the gorilla wrestling with Superman represent?
A: A metaphor for the underpowered Mau Mau fighters battling the might of the British Empire.
Q19: What theme is highlighted in the line “civilization’s dawn”?
A: The poet reflects on human evolution and suggests that humanity has always been marked by violence.
Q20: Why is the poet’s love for English a source of conflict?
A: Because it ties him to colonialism, the very system he condemns—thus intensifying his identity crisis.
Q3: “The violence of beast on beast is read / As natural law, but upright man / Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain.”
A: Walcott critiques human cruelty, arguing that while animals kill for survival, humans kill for ideology, power, and pride—revealing hypocrisy in our self-image as moral beings.
Q4: “What is that to the white child hacked in bed?”
A: This shocking image confronts the reader with the brutality of war and questions whether political justification can ever excuse such horror. It challenges the reader’s moral detachment.
Q9: “I who have cursed / The drunken officer of British rule, how choose / Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
A: The speaker confronts his contradiction: he rejects colonialism but cannot reject the English language, which is central to his art and identity.
