Africa.

Africa- Maya Angelou.

Summary-

In the first stanza of the poem, Africa is portrayed as a complex and pretty ridiculously hot woman – eternal and eternally gorgeous. No, we're not at all jealous. Not at all. Things take a turn for the worse in Stanza 2: Africa is invaded by brigands that steal men and women. There's lots of killing. And some forced religious conversion. It's all pretty awful. In stanza 3 is where Africa starts to grab some power for itself. Now the passive woman who suffered throughout the years is "rising," ready and able to take on the world.

The poem is about a Africa, and the hardships it went through, especially with the pressure and violence of Europeans and the slave trade. In the first stanza, Africa is being described as a beautiful woman with the "mountains her breats" and "deserts her hair", but Africa is also described as a sad woman, with the line "two niles her tears". It also specifically mentions the color of her skin; black and and states that she has been black throughout the years. Interesting to note, considering the colonizaiton of parts Africa by the British, since we know at this time many white people were moving to this area and to this day, South Africa and other parts remain prodominately white. The second stanzas describes the domination of the European over Africa and all the things that were forced upon them; such as religion, the slave trade, the violence, etc. The third stanza changes the tone, and becomes much more strong and full of courage. It describes Africa sticking up for itself and finally screaming out about the injustices.

Comments

Palanquin Bearers.

Palanquin Bearers- Sarojini Naidu. Summary. Palanquin bearers is a melodious poem. The poem describes the scene of a bride being carried on a palanquin. The poem generates images of royal wives being carried on a palanquin to their husbands house. The men who carried the palanquin felt that their job was special and did it with much happiness. The similies in the poem point to the fact that the men did not feel that their job was tiresome. Some examples of the same are, 'Softly, O softly we bear her along', 'She hangs like a star in the dew of our song' and 'Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing'. Palanquin bearers is melodious and one of the most appealing poems of Sarojni Naidu. The poem describes the beauty of the bride while she is being carried in a palanquin. We are reminded of one of the ancient customs of carrying royal brides in India in decorated carriages to their husband’s home. Occasionally, the men of the royal families would trav...

The Dance of the Eunuchs.

The Dance of the Eunuchs - Kamala Das. Summary- Included in the collection Summer in Calcutta(1965), 'Dance of the Eunuchs' is one of the most remarkable poems of Kamala Das. This is another autobiographical poem written in confessional style that symbolically portrays the poetess's personal melancholy in her own life. 'Dance of the Eunuchs' vividly conjures up the atmosphere of a hot, tortured, corrupt, sterile and barren world through vivid symbols and images. The dance of the eunuchs whose joyless life reflects the poet‘s fractured personality is a noticeable piece of autobiographical poetry. Kamala Das has vividly visualized the world of vacant ecstasy and sterility through numerous functional images and symbols in her poetry. In fact Eunuchs try to eke out a livelihood by dancing. Their dancing is mechanical and painful. The conditions and the climate are forbidding. The spectators are merciless. Even God seems to add their woes. The eunuchs...

Bangle sellers

Bangle sellers - Sarojini Naidu Summary A group of bangle sellers is on its way to the temple fair to sell their bangles. One of them is the narrator of this poem. They are an impoverished and marginalized group of people whose income from the sales of their bangles is at the best of times uncertain and very meagre. However the bangles they sell are of religious and symbolic importance: no Indian widow is permitted to wear bangles. Hence the wearing of bangles is considered to be very auspicious and of symbolic value bordering on the religious. What is of great significance in the poem is that the bangle seller does not say a word about his/her poverty, nor does he/she say anything about the profit that he/she intends to make by selling his/her bangles at the temple fair where he/she will certainly do roaring sales. On the contrary he/she only concentrates on the human element of the product Sarojini Naidu has foregrounded...

Hitaxi Dave

Search This Blog