A Far Cry from Africa

1. Throughout the poem, Walcott explores the dichotomy between nature and civilization, which also allows him to explore the tension between his African heritage and his European influences. For example, the “tawny pelt / of Africa” (Lines 1-2) is juxtaposed with the “statistics” and “scholars” of “colonial policy” (Lines 7-8): What do these comparisons imply? Does Walcott privilege one over the other? If so, to what end? If not, how do they reveal something about the poet-narrator’s quandary? How does his ironic use of “paradise” in Line 4 also inform these tensions? Write a brief essay that explicates these tensions, making an argument as to which, or whether, nature or civilization is privileged in the poet-narrator’s view.

2. “A Far Cry from Africa” belongs to a tradition of post-colonial literature: The fact that Walcott himself speaks English, as well as French Creole, is a testament to the influence that European imperial powers had on foreign territories throughout the Caribbean and Africa (and beyond). What is the legacy of colonialism that the poet-narrator confronts in this poem? Provide at least three examples from the text that demonstrate that legacy, and comment on how that legacy impacts the poet-narrator’s point of view.

3. The poet-narrator faces a dilemma about divided loyalties, agonizing that he is literally “poisoned with the blood of both” European and African (Line 26).