UALL 2093 NEW LITERATURES IN ENGLISH

Tutorial 1 and 2

Read the poem and answer the following questions.

Africa by David Diop

(Diasporic writer, French but origin is from Africa)

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 you, this back that is bent This
back that breaks Under
the weight of humiliation This back
trembling with red scars And saying
yes 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.

1. What do you think are the poet’s implications in these lines;

Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers

That is your Africa springing up anew
(2 marks)

- The poet's implications in the lines "Splendidly alone amidst white and
faded flowers, That is your Africa springing up anew" suggest that despite
the challenges and hardships faced by Africa, it has the resilience and de-
termination to rise again.

- The image of the tree standing alone amidst white and faded flowers sym-
bolizes Africa's ability to regenerate and renew itself, even in the face of ad-
versity.
2. Explain the persona's emotion and tone in the following verses. What are the
persona's urges in these verses?
(8 marks)

Africa, tell me Africa

Is this you, this back that is bent
This back that breaks
Under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun

- The persona's emotion (what readers feel after reading) in the

verses "Africa, tell me Africa, Is this you, this back that is bent, This back
that breaks, Under the weight of humiliation, This back trembling with red
scars, And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun" is one of sor-
row, empathy, and concern.

- The tone (persona’s voice) is reflective and questioning. The persona

urges Africa to speak and reveal the truth about the suffering and oppres-
sion endured by its people. The persona wants to understand the reality of
Africa's struggles and hopes for a better future.

- Tone: Disappointment/Anger/Firm/Frustration

3. Discuss TWO poetic devices used by the poet in the poem. What are their
purposes?
(10 marks)

 Imagery: The poet uses vivid and evocative imagery throughout the
poem to create a visual and sensory experience for the reader. For exam-
ple, the image of the back that is bent, breaks, and trembles with red
scars under the weight of humiliation appeals to the reader's senses and
conveys the physical and emotional pain endured by the African people.

 Personification: The poet personifies Africa as a voice that answers the

persona's questions. This literary device gives Africa a sense of agency and
allows it to respond to the persona's inquiries. It also emphasizes the con-
nection and shared identity between the persona and Africa, as Africa's
blood flows in the persona's veins.
The purpose of these poetic devices is to evoke strong emotions, create
vivid imagery, and convey the themes of resilience, struggle, and
hope in the poem. They enhance the reader's understanding and engage-
ment with the poet's message about the history, struggles, and aspirations of
Africa.

- Repetition: “Africa”
 TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BY WOLE SOYINKA

The price seemed reasonable, location

Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. 'Madam' , I warned,
'I hate a wasted journey - I am African.'
Silence. Silenced transmission of pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
'HOW DARK?'...I had not misheard....'ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?' Button B.
Button A. Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar.
It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis-
'ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT' Revelation came
'You mean- like plain or milk chocolate?'
Her accent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted
I chose. 'West African sepia'_ and as afterthought.
'Down in my passport.' Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness changed her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece 'WHAT'S THAT?' conceding 'DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
IS.' 'Like brunette.'
'THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?'
'Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand,
soles of my feet.
Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused-
Foolishly madam- by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black- One moment madam! - sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears- 'Madam,' I pleaded, 'wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?'

1. Wole Soyinka uses TWO main literary devices to drive home the message of
the poem. Identify and explain in detail the literary devices by using examples
from the poem. (10 MARKS)
- Irony: The poet employs irony to highlight the absurdity and racism expe-
rienced by the speaker during a telephone conversation with a potential
landlady. The irony lies in the contrast between the polite and for-
mal conversation expected during a telephone call and the dis-
criminatory questions asked by the landlady. For example, when
 the speaker mentions being African, there is a "silenced transmission of
pressurized good-breeding," indicating the discomfort and prejudice faced
by the speaker.

- Satire: Soyinka employs satire to criticize racial prejudice and stereo-

types. The poem satirizes the landlady's obsession with the
speaker's skin colour and her ignorance about different shades
of blackness. The speaker's sarcastic responses, such as comparing his
skin colour to "plain or milk chocolate," highlight the absurdity of reducing
a person's identity to their skin tone.

- Satire is a way of writing about a flaw or failure in society by inflating it

to absurdity. Satire as a literary genre uses a wide variety of literary
techniques, such as exaggeration, humour, and irony.

- Prejudices and notions are not just from one side.

- Not to have pre-conceived notions of anybody.

2. What is the main theme of the poem? What is the tone used by the poet to
highlight this theme? Discuss. (10 MARKS)
- The main theme of the poem is racial prejudice and discrimination.
The poet explores the theme by depicting a telephone conversation in
which the speaker faces racial profiling and offensive questions based on
his skin colour.

- The tone used by the poet is a combination of sarcasm, frustration,

and irony. The sarcastic responses of the speaker, such as comparing his
skin colour to different shades of chocolate, reveal his frustration with the
landlady's ignorance and insensitivity.

- The poet's use of irony emphasizes the absurdity of judging someone

solely based on their skin colour and exposes the underlying racism preva-
lent in society.

FE: Short story & Novel (No Poetry)