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Essay on ‘Africa’ by Maya Angelou
The poem is divided into three stanzas and a total of twenty-five lines. Each stanza has these lively words giving me clear images of Africa in my head, just like watching a movie. Maya Angelou expressed her admiration and respect for her motherland through the poem, giving me a brand new impression of Africa. Besides, by telling the story of Africa, Angelou was also describing herself to the public at the same time. The reason why I chose this poem is because I can sense the power of women and Africa from reading it; both are beautiful and strong, bravely fighting for themselves. Therefore, to give audiences vivid images of Africa, reveal how cruel European intruders were to do atrocities on Africa, and show the reviving of present Africa, Angelou used the imagery to compare the continent, Africa, to a woman.
In stanza one, Angelou introduces the audience to Africa by describing a female figure, showing the beautiful and significant natural landscapes, and also the status of Africa. In the first line, Angelous described a female figure- Thus she had lain , but I was not sure who is that girl or woman at first. As the poem goes down, I find out that the girl or woman is actually from Africa, and she is still young. Sugar canes sweet shows the abundant crops that grow on the land. The following lines describe the physical appearance of this young lady: the deserts represent her hair; the fields with gold are her feet; the mountains indicate her breast; and two Niles her tear shows the womans tears going into two flows just like the two branches of the Nile river. Also, half of the lines in the first stanza are in the same pattern, making the poem more organized, and rhythmic. The last two lines, Thus she has lian and Black through the years , show that Africa has been lying down or even hiding like this for years, and she is gorgeous but also vulnerable. The last two lines not only show the unpeaceful status of Africa but also give the foundation of the content from the second stanza. By using the technique of metaphor, Angelou created a female figure as Africa with love and admiration, introducing the audience to the beautiful and significant landscapes of Africa, and also the condition of it.
Secondly, in the second stanza, Angelou describes the scene in which the vulnerable Africa was ruined by the invaders from overseas countries. At the beginning of the stanza, Angelou gives audiences a brief description of the brigands : they are white , cold , and ungentle . They were cruel and brutal, just like a piece of icicle. The following four lines describe the scenes that how those invaders ruined Africa. Took her young daughters and sold her strong sons means that the brigands from Europe kidnapped millions of Africans back to their countries, trading them as slaves. In the line Churched her with Jesus , church is supposed to be a noun, but Angelou applied it as a verb here. This is because Angelou wanted to keep the same pattern of the lines, and at the same time strongly convey the meaning that Africans were forced to change their religions to those invaders religion. The next line bled her with guns shows the image that Africans were killed by guns from the brigands . This line has the same pattern as churched her with Jesus , which makes churched equal to bled , and Jesus equal to guns . It expresses that for Angelou, the enslavement and the massacre are two of the most brutal things that had happened to Africa, and Angelou viewed them as harmful on the same level. By personifying Africa, Angelous stimulated audiences’ emotions toward Africa. On the other hand, it also reveals the cruelty and inhumanity of the European invaders. If Angelou did not use the imagery, it wouldnt have had the same effect. This is because people usually show their emotions to actual lives, such as a person, rather than to the inanimate objects. Therefore, in the second stanza, Angelou shows audiences the most terrible things that have happened to Africa.
Finally, the last stanza shrifts the past of Africa to the present: Even though all the harshness she has been through, Africa is rising, and will overcome the obstacles and keep rising. Unlike the other two stanzas, this stanza is in the present tense. By repeating remember this word shows three times, Angelou made audiences feel more involved in the poem, attaching importance to all the terrible moments that Africa had suffered. Africa, the continent, cannot make the scream itself, but this poem screams for Africa, showing people that Africa is rising and striding. This is the reason why her scream loud and vain . Also, even though Africa has been through terrible things, it is still beautiful and abundant with their own traditional cultures. Personally, her history slain means that the history of Africa was ruined by the European brigands . However, nowadays, Africa is standing up, and defending herself. The period that she was passive and could not do anything for her people no longer existed. She is bravely stepping forward to a new era now. Angelou believed that Africa had a bright future waiting for her, even though she was lying down in pain before. In short, the last stanza is a shift from the past to the present, stating that Africa is overcoming the obstacles and striding to a bright future.
In conclusion, Angelou applied imagery through the poem that compared the continent of Africa to a young woman, to give audiences vivid images of how beautiful Africa is, how brutal the overseas invaders were, and the rise of Africa. By personifying Africa, Angelou stimulated audiences’ emotions toward Africa. The woman is usually stereotyped as vulnerable. However, Angelou broke this stereotype, showing the world that women can be strong.
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