Name: _____________________________________ Section: _________Date: ________________

BSE 114

05 Activity
African Literature

Instructions: Analyze the poem “Africa” by David Diop with the elements of poetry like theme, symbolism and
figurative devices used by the author and relate to the African context. (40 points)

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral Savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying no to the whip under the midday sun?
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires The
bitter taste of liberty.

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BSE 114

Speaker, Situation, & Setting:

Who is the speaker of the poem and what do you know about him or her? Cite words or phrases to support.
- The speaker of the author of the poem David Léon Mandessi Diop. He was a proponent of
Negritude, which was a political philosophy/literary movement whose scholars included
statesman-poet Leopold Sedar Senghor.

What is the situation that the speaker is involved in? Cite words or phrases to support.
-

What is the poem’s setting? Cite words or phrases to support.

-
Examples of Figurative Language (metaphor, simile, personification) or Imagery. Write down 1 example of
figurative language or imagery that appears in the poem. Then explain what they mean or how they contribute to
the theme.

Example:
- “Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields”

Commentary:
- In the poem, the author used imagery where he makes readers perceive things involving their five
senses. He describes Africa as if it was a black blood that irrigates the field. The description makes
us see the things clearly in our minds.

Sound Devices (alliteration, rhyme, puns, onomatopoeia). Write down 1 sound device that appears in the poem.
Then explain what it adds to the poem or how it contributes to the theme.

Example:
- Alliteration: Faded flowers

Commentary:
- The alliteration found in the poem was faded flowers, in which both words have repetition of
consonant sounds in the same line. The part of that line simply means that among darkness and
faded flowers, hope beginning is starting to arise splendidly among everything.

Tone: (the writer’s attitude). What is the writer’s attitude toward the subject and how do you know? Write a tone
word and then explain it.

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BSE 114

Tone word:

Commentary:

Theme (What big ideas is the poem about?) In several complete sentences that give examples from the poem for
support, tell me what this poem is about.

CATEGORY 10 7 5 3
Comprehension Student clearly Student seems to Student Student has
understands the understand most of understands some trouble
poem and accurately the poem and parts of the poem understanding
answers questions accurately answers and accurately most parts of the
related to the story. most questions answers some story or answers
related to the poem. question related to are incomplete.
the poem.
Analysis Insightfully Accurately describes Describes some Has trouble
describes several a couple of dominant dominant elements identifying the
dominant elements elements and poetic and poetic devices dominant
and poetic devices devices used by the used by the poet, elements and
used by the poet and poet and accurately but has difficulty poetic devices
thoughtfully relates relates how these are describing how used in the
how they are used by used by the poet to these relate to the poem.
the poet to reinforce reinforce the theme, meaning or feeling
the theme, meaning, meaning, mood, or of the poem.
mood, or feeling of the feeling of the poem.
poem.
Interpretation Forms a creative Forms a somewhat Student identifies Student finds it
hypothesis about the reasonable the literal meaning difficult to
symbolic or hypothesis about the of the work and/or interpret the
metaphorical symbolic or can relate how the meaning or
meaning of the poem metaphorical work makes mood of the
and is able to support meaning and is able him/her feel work.
this with evidence to support this with personally.
from the text. evidence from the

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BSE 114

work.
Writing Skills Answers are well- Answers are well- Answers are not Answers do not
& Mechanics stated, and supported stated, but rarely clearly stated. make logical
with evidence from supported with Several mechanical sense.
the reading. No evidence from the errors Mechanical
errors in grammar, poem. Minor, grade- inappropriate to errors strongly
sentence structure, or appropriate errors in grade level, but not affect readability
spelling. grammar, sentence strongly affecting
structure or spelling. readability.
\
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Africa my Africa”
literary devices give layers of meaning to a simple poem. The analysis of the literary
devices used in this poem is as follows.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the

sound of /e/ and /o/ “Impetuous child that tree, young and strong” and again the sound of
/e/ in “The bitter taste of liberty.”
2. Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing or idea
of a historical, cultural, political or literary significance. The poem alludes to the problems
faced by Africans such as;

“The blood of your sweat

The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery.”

1. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as

the sound of /f/ in “faded flowers.”
2. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such
as the sound of /r/ in “That is your Africa springing up anew” and the sound of /t/ in
“Impetuous child that tree, young and strong.”
3. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line
break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example:

“That is your Africa springing up anew

springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.”

1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.
David Diop has used imagery in this poem such as “Your beautiful black blood that

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BSE 114

irrigates the fields”, “This back trembling with red scars,” and “That is your Africa
springing up anew.”
2. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between
the objects that are different. The poet has used the extended metaphor of troubles and
miseries just to show how Africans strive for their rights.
3. Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The
poet has personified Africa in the poem such as “Africa, tell me Africa.”
4. Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical Question is a question that is not asked to receive an
answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. David has posed rhetorical questions in
the poem to emphasize his point such as “And saying no to the whip under the midday
sun?”
5. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them
symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows symbols
like pain, disappointment, and sadness to show the dark history of Africa.
6. Synecdoche: It is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole, or
it may use a whole to represent a part. The poet has used this device in the final lines
where the tree refers to the newly emerging Africa such as; “That tree over there.”

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