"A Far Cry from Africa"
by Derek Walcott
This poem is from Walcott's 1962 collection, In a Green Night. Click here for the text (scroll down). It can also be found in The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, vol. 2, third ed. (496-97).
Discussion questions:
How does the
comparison of savages and Jews strike Western sensibilities today (as well as in
the 1950s)?
Compare the ideas in the second stanza to Rudyard Kipling's poem "Hyenas."
In what ways do the animals contrast the actions of the humans?
The poem
ends with five questions, each addressing a distinct aspect of the conflict that
the poet faces. What is gained by asking multiple questions?
In what
ways does the poem transcend the historical placement of the Mau Mau uprising
that led to Kenya's independence?
Read Heather M.
Bradley's comments on the poem in "Conflicting
Loyalties in 'A Far Cry from Africa'" and consider
the validity of her claims. Do her claims sufficiently explain the
internal conflict?
Created by Stan Galloway
19 June 2006. Last updated 20 June 2006. Contact me at sgallowa@bridgewater.edu