A Far Cry from Africa

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1962

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Beasts

Wild animals, particularly those native to Africa, play a large role in setting up the nature versus civilization dichotomy throughout the poem. When describing the calls of ibises that are older than civilization, the speaker talks about the sheer scope of nature, “From the parched river or beast-teeming plain” (Line 14). The speaker specifically uses the term “beasts” to describe animals, which carries a very particular connotation. On the great plains of the African savannah, beasts are the ruling class and nature is the law, however violent or uncivilized. While the term “beast” often calls to mind negative connotations like brutishness, stupidity, ignorance, and savagery, the speaker seems to be presenting the beast as something natural and therefore beyond human ideas of good and evil. At the same time, humans know how to move beyond beastlike savagery yet resort to beastly violence. Both the Kenyans and the British are “Delirious as these worried beasts” (Line 18), suggesting their violence is animal-like and unlawful because it’s inhumane. Animals respond to violence with violence. Humans, however, can and should rationalize and weigh actions. The speaker seems to believe that as long as we treat each other like beasts, we will continue to act like beasts.

The Gorilla and Superman

In the last stanza of the poem, the speaker uses a metaphor about a gorilla and superman wrestling to describe the unfairness of the Mau Mau conflict. After reminding the reader of what happened during the Spanish Civil War, the speaker inserts this metaphor to validate antipathy toward conflicts where odds are greatly stacked against one side over the other. In the case of the Spanish Civil War, the leftist Anti-fascists were wildly disadvantaged against the Nationalists, and like the gorilla battling with superman, there was no way they had a chance. Similarly, the Kenyans had the odds stacked against them in trying to fight possibly the most powerful army in the world (i.e. superman). But the term “gorilla” has numerous connotations. Not only can it be seen as a racist slur toward the native Kenyans on behalf of a white ruling class that is specifically designed to oppress the Kenyans, but its also a reference to guerilla warfare, which is the kind of warfare tactics the Kenyans employed. Guerilla warfare is a special kind of irregular fighting style in which small groups of combatants use military tactics like ambushes, sabotage, and raids to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military. During the Mau Mau conflict, the guerilla soldiers often attacked at night through surprise attacks, and targeted white settlers instead of soldiers.

Blood and Veins

Both blood and veins are common symbols throughout the poem, calling to mind the bloody business of war, but also an intimate connection with cultures and places. In the first stanza, the speaker describes the Kikuyu as being intrinsic to the landscape: “Batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt” (Line 3). But this also points to the brutal and grisly violence that the Kenyans were inflicting while fighting for their cause. In the final stanza, the speaker describes his own blood as being poisoned with the violence of his people on both sides of the conflict. He asks, “Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?” (Line 27). Just as the Kenyans are connected by blood to the land, moving through it like blood moves through the veins in the body, the speaker is connected to both the English and the Africans. To try to choose a side would be like splitting open his veins. One cannot divide one’s own blood; any attempt to do so would just cause that person to bleed. For the speaker, he feels he may not even survive such an action: “How can I turn from Africa and live?” (Line 33).