‘Africa’ Poem

Read the poem below and then answer the question that follows.

AFRICA

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral savannah’s
Africa my grandmother sings of
Beside her distant river     
I have never seen you.

But my gaze is full of your blood.
Your black spilt over the field.
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your toil
The toil of slavery
The slavery of your children.
Africa, tell me Africa,
Are you the back that bends.
Lies down under the weight of humbleness?
The trembling back stripped red.

That says yes to the whips on the road of noon?
Solemnly a voice answers me
“Impetuous child, that young and sturdy tree.
That tree that grows.
There splendidly alone among white and faded flowers.
Is Africa, your Africa. It puts forth new shoots.
With patience and stubbornness pouts forth news shoots.
Slowly its fruits grow to have
That bitter taste of freedom.

Questions

1.     Who is the persona 2mks
2.     What is the message of the poem? 3mks
3.     Identify any three stylistic devices used in the poem.  6mks
4.     What is the tone of the poem?    3mks
5.     From the above poem, explain the meaning of the following lines.                
      a)’     But the gaze is full of your blood. Your blood spilled over the field.’  1mk
    b)’    Africa, my Africa
        Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral Savannah’ 1mk
6.     But my gaze is full of your blood.  1mk
    (Add an appropriate question tag)
7.     What is the meaning of the following words?   3mks
    i)     Solemnly                                        
    ii)     Sturdy
    iii)    Toil

Africa ANSWERS

1.     He/she is an African who has never been to Africa, but knows quite a lot about it
        Eg …….. I have never seen you
        NB: 1mk identification
        1mk for illustration
    2.    It is about slavery /of the Africans in their own land where they toil. Sweat in slavery and they do not resist but one seen to be lying down in the weight of humbleness
    3. 1.    i)     Personification e.g. i) Africa is seen as the back that bends, lies down under the weight of humbleness
        ii)     ……………… the blood of your sweat
        …………………toil
        …………slavery
        iii)     Patience with stubbornness.
        2.     Symbolism
            The trembling back stripped red symbolizes torture.
        3.    Repetition
            Africa my Africa
            Africa …………Africa
            Is African ……….your Africa
        iv)     Alliteration eg
            your black blood spilt over the fields
            No marks for illustrations without identification
            1mk for identification, 1mk for illustration
            Alliterated sound must be underlined
        4.     Angry /accusatory
    Angry: he is angry because Africans blood and the sweat of the Africans irrigates the fields without any benefits  to them (Africans)
            Accusatory: he accuses the Africans for not doing anything about their plight eg are you the back…..
            On the roads of noon?
            1mk for identification
            1mk for illustration
            NB: no mark for illustration without identification
    5.     a)     It implies that many Africans lives have been lost through ruthless killings by the whites.
        b)     It shows the attachment and the pride that the persona feels about Africa /he has a strong sense of attachment to
            Africa.
    6.     isn’t it?
        NB:
        i)     Comma after the statement must be fixed. if not, no mark
        ii)      Question mark is mandatory, if missing no mark.
    7.     i)     Seriously – should be an adverb
        ii)     Strong, not easily hurt
iv)    To work very hard /doing something difficult