A Far Cry from Africa

1. A. The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. They fought against the British colonizers during the Mau Mau rebellion.

2. B. Walcott is both “a far cry” away from Africa in physical and psychological distance and he is “crying out” about, or listening to the cries of, anguish from Africa.

3. D. The poet-narrator acknowledges that the very blood that flows through his veins is both British and African. He cannot choose between his two inheritances.

4. C. While the poet invokes both anger and despair over the degradations of the twentieth century, including colonial rule and the despotism that led to wars in Europe, he cannot divest himself from both of the historical legacies that are his inheritance. He is conflicted between his African ancestral heritage and his English literary one.

5. C. The poet-narrator agonizes over choosing between the English language in which he writes and the loyalty to Africa which he feels he should express.