A Far Cry From Africa Summary and Analysis- Ultimate Guide

Far Cry from Africa is a poem written by the famous African writer and poet, Derek Walcott. The poem is about the complicated relationship between Africans and Europeans during colonial times in Africa.

The poem is structured in three parts. In the first part, Walcott describes the natural beauty of Africa and how it has been destroyed by the violence of war. The second part describes the different tribes in Africa and how they have been forced to fight against each other by the Europeans. The third part is about the speaker’s personal struggle with his identity, as he is of mixed African and European heritage. Read further to have an apt understanding on the topic “A far Cry From Africa summary and analysis.”

 A Far Cry From Africa Line by Line Explanation

Lines 1 to 6

“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!”

In the first six lines of the poem, the poet is describing the state of Africa. It suggests the bloodbath situation of “veldt”, a vast land of Africa that is compared to paradise. The powerful imagery is strengthened with lines like “batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt” where the dead bodies of the natives are battened upon. The last two lines are most striking as it suggests how death and dead bodies are treated like nothing. The term “waste no compassion” indicates an indifferent attitude towards the death caused by warfare and violence. 

Line 7 to 12 | A Far Cry From Africa Summary

“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”

The above lines strongly criticized colonization. The poet hints at how the statistics and scholars justify the colonial policies. He questions the same justification by questioning the reality of violence and death. He compares this violence to that of the massacre of the Jews. This plain and controversial comparison suggests the reality of the colonization of Africa. The final lines also indicate the destruction of nature and wildlife due to the violence. 

Line 13 to 21

“Have wheeled since civilization’s 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.”

The above lines explain how war and violence have been a part of human lives ever since civilization began. The poet here explains how violence among animals is expressed as natural law whereas humans seek “divinity” through these acts of violence. He further hints at how the violence by humans, unlike animals, is executed behind the greed for power and wealth. Finally, he questions the sensibility of this violence and destruction.

Line 22 to 33

“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?”

The final stanza of the poem brings the major and the most striking theme of conflicting personality and feelings. The poet underlines how the brutalities are covered with higher grounds of morality and civilization. He calls it a waste, as these heads use their compassion to justify their corrupt and cruel warfare. The final take of the poet where shows anger towards both the lands, his land of Africa and the land of Europe whose language is loved by him. 

He questions the sense of conflict in the concluding lines where he says “How can I turn from Africa and live?” how can he face the slaughter and violence and turn his face away from his native land. 

A Far Cry From Africa Analysis

A Far Cry from Africa is a powerful and complex exploration of identity, violence, and colonialism. The poem is surrounded by the difficult question of what it is like to be a person of mixed African and European heritage, while also confronting the brutal realities of colonialism and the violence it has inflicted on the continent of Africa.

The poem also expresses the complex relationship between the colonizers and colonized. The way violence between them is compared to fights between animals. How the brutality and complexity of their relationship are falsely backed by scholars and statistics. 

Finally, the poet’s own self-contradiction is reflected in the final stanza of the poem. How his blood is boiled on both sides and how difficult it is for him to choose between his native land and his love for language.  

A Far Cry From Africa As A Postcolonial Poem

A Far Cry From Africa is often read as a postcolonial poem as it explores the complexity of human life after the domination of colonialism. The entire poem is a picture of how colonialism impacted the lives of humans. Be it through violence or brutality, the poet questions the tension that arose in the lives of the native. The poet himself was a victim of the aftermath of colonialism where he is left in this complex situation of who to choose between his motherland or his love for the language that the colonists spoke in “English.” 

Significance of The Title A Far Cry From Africa

The title “A Far Cry From Africa” carries great significance. The poet ends the poem with a conflict in his mind, the imbalanced situation between his love for his country and his love for the language English speaks his true distance from Africa. He seems to be alienated from his own country and hence the title suggests “A Far Cry.” Furthermore, the title also suggests the sadness and longing for his native land which he might have lost but not forgotten. 

A Far Cry From Africa Poem Themes

The poem A Far Cry From Africa has multiple themes like colonialism and its impact, identity, and sense of belonging, love for the language English, and finally, violence and bloodshed. 

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