An African Thunderstorm is a poem written by David Rubadiri which was

published in 2004. Rubadiri is a poet, novelist, playwright, professor and diplomat,

who is ranked as one of Africa's most celebrated poets to emerge after independence.
In this literary piece, Rubadiri describes the imminent arrival of a thunderstorm in an
African village and shows the impact of the weather on the lives of the villagers
despite their preparation. Alternatively, the poem may be interpreted as a description
of the effect of colonial domination and western influence on the poet's native land -
Malawi - and the negative impacts of western influences on the lives of the natives.
However, in composing this literary work, the poet employs the use of various
figures of speech and literary devices which include similes, personification as well
as various forms of imagery among others.
The first literary device to be discussed is the poet’s extensive use of
imagery. Imagery is the use of figurative language to represent objects, actions, and
ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. In the poem, Rubadiri
employs various forms of imagery; namely, visual, auditory, olfactory, and to an
extent, tactile. In Lines 1-4, the poet describes the origination and buildup of the
storm using visual imagery. Additionally, in the third stanza, the poet gives the reader
a visual insight into the village as he describes the reactions and preparations of the
villagers to the approaching storm. He describes the activity in the village using short
phrases such as “Dart about // In and out // Madly;” effectively painting a picture in
the reader’s mind. In Line 30, the poet employs auditory imagery in order to describe
the sounds of thunder and show the impact and severity of the storm as it draws near.
In Line 31, olfactory imagery is utilized in order to give the reader a sense of the how
smoke would have smelled as a result of the lightning.
The second literary device to be analyzed is personification, which is a
literary device involving attributing a human quality to an inanimate object, an idea
or an animal. In Lines 2-4, “Clouds come hurrying with the wind // Turning sharply
// Here and there”, the clouds are assigned the human attribute of hurrying and this
shows that the storm is gaining momentum or traction as the movement of the clouds
are likened to that of someone in a haste, giving the readers a sense of urgency.
Another personification is seen in Line 9 where the clouds are likened to a
“pregnant” woman, with “pregnant” denoting their size and readiness to burst by
comparing these to the size and state of pregnant women.
Another literary device used brilliantly by Rubadiri is the simile. A simile is
a figure of speech used to compare two objects with each other using “like” or “as”.
The first instance of the simile occurs in Line 5 where Rubadiri compares the motion
of the clouds to ‘a plague of locusts.’ Through this smilie, Rubadiri is able to
establish the sheer size of the clouds and portray their movement in a destructive
manner. Another simile is present in Line 8 where the poet likens the storm to a
‘madman chasing nothing’. This is effective as it gives the reader a general sense of
danger and unpredictability of the storm. The use of “Pregnant clouds…Like sinister
dark wings” in the first stanza compares the cloud to a bird of prey waiting for the
opportune moment to strike. Additionally, this lends a general sense of uncertainty to
the poem.
While imagery, personification, and smiles are the the most used literary
devices, the poet utilizes several other literary devices in the poem, albeit to a lesser
extent. One such literary devices is allusion which is used to bring something to mind
without mentioning it explicitly. As stated in the introduction, this poem may be
interpreted as having a deeper meaning with regards to colonization and western
influences. In the first line of the poem, Rubadiri may be alluding to western
influences by showing the origination of the approaching storm as “From the west”.
Repetition is present in the lines “The wind whistles // And trees bend to let it pass.”
is repeated at the end of the first and second stanzas emphasizing the sheer force and
strength of the gale. Through this device, the poet is able to show that the trees
offered no resistance to the mighty wind. Furthermore, this may be a representation
of the lack of resistance displayed by his fellow country men to western ideologies.
Another lesser utilized literary device in The African Thunderstorm is contrast. In
Lines 16-23, the poet contrasts the attitude of the children and adults to the storm.
The children appear to be enthusiastic towards the arrival of the storm while the
adults are in a hurry to prepare for the upcoming storm. This comparison has a deeper
meaning. The “children” in the poem are the individuals in the poet’s homeland who
believed that western influences would be beneficial to Malawi. On the contrary, the
“adults” in the poem refer to those individuals who were hesitant or unsure of the
potential effects of western influences on the African nation.
Although all the literary devices used by the poet have not been discussed,
whichever ones were discussed above, have been utilized effectively and ingeniously.
In conclusion, it can be said that the literary devices in the poem An African
Thunderstorm, accurately recreate a picture of a fierce and tumultuous African
thunderstorm. Alternatively the storm may be used to describe the effects of western
influences on the poet’s homeland, Malawi.