33 pages • 1 hour read
Derek WalcottA Far Cry from Africa
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1962A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Reading Comprehension Answers
1. A. The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. They fought against the British colonizers during the Mau Mau rebellion.
2. B. Walcott is both “a far cry” away from Africa in physical and psychological distance and he is “crying out” about, or listening to the cries of, anguish from Africa.
3. D. The poet-narrator acknowledges that the very blood that flows through his veins is both British and African. He cannot choose between his two inheritances.
4. C. While the poet invokes both anger and despair over the degradations of the twentieth century, including colonial rule and the despotism that led to wars in Europe, he cannot divest himself from both of the historical legacies that are his inheritance. He is conflicted between his African ancestral heritage and his English literary one.
5. C. The poet-narrator agonizes over choosing between the English language in which he writes and the loyalty to Africa which he feels he should express.
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