The PSBB Millennium School, Coimbatore

The Black Badge of Africa

Poem (Notes)

I Meanings:
1. wild - in natural conditions
2.dawn - the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise
3. scent – pleasant natural smell
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II. Write the summary of the poem “The Black Badge of Africa”.

In the poem “The Black Badge of Africa” Gift Mudzingwa has expressed
his feelings for his motherland.

The poet was born in a village that was surrounded by mountains which
had abundant natural wealth and beauty. The place was filled with fragrance of
wild flowers and the smell of the fire wood. He says that the first tears from
his eyes flowed down because of the sting of smoke and the pricking of the
thorns in his naked tiny feet. The rustic nature of his life is expressed here.

At his early age, he hated herding for long hours. But he loved the hills
and the rivers that gave him fish. This shows that the poet’s attitude towards
his work changed in the course of time.

The poet says that he started listening to songs of birds and admired
the colours of dawn and dusk. Through the depiction of his life in natural
surrounding and his love for nature the poet has spoken about the essence of
Africa. Just as the birds, sunrise and sunset are a part of nature, the black
skin, which is the identity of Africa, is also given by nature. The poet is proud
of this black badge which gives him the identity as an African. Thus the poem
clearly states the love and pride of the poet that he possesses for his
motherland.
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III. Types of imagery

Imagery is one of the literary devices that engage the human senses; sight,
hearing, taste, smell and touch

1. Visual imagery - appeals to the sense of sight

ex : “The Woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep.......”

2. Auditory imagery – describes specific sounds

ex : “On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps”

3. Olfactory imagery – describes a particular scent

ex : “They silently inhale
the clover-scented gale,”

4. Tactile imagery - appeals to our sense of touch

ex : “The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;”

5. Gustatory imagery – pertains to the sense of taste (not used in the poem)
ex : The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet chocolate and
slightly sweet but salty caramel blended together on her tongue.
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IV. Identify the Kind of imagery used in the following lines.

1. “I learned to listen
To the songs of birds”

2. “My first tears flowed

From the sting of smoke”

3. “I was born with the scent

of wild flowers in the air”

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