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Description:

In Maya Angelou's poem "Africa," she compares Africa's pain and struggles to a woman being brutalized. Why does she do this? Is it to draw sympathy to Africa? And why doesn't she say outright that Africa is struggling? Why use a metaphor?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

Africa, a la Shmoop. If Maya Angelou's poem weren't titled Africa...

00:06

...we might be pretty lost.

00:08

Like we would be if we wandered too far away from our safari vehicle.

00:13

However, she tells us right up front that she's talking about a continent...

00:18

...and not a person.

00:20

Throughout the poem, Angelou compares Africa and its struggles... to a woman being brutalized.

00:25

But if she has so much to say about this continent that clearly affects her so deeply...

00:30

...why mask it? Why not just tell it like it is, rather than discussing her ancestors'

00:34

homeland via metaphor? Did she think her readers would be able to

00:38

relate more easily this way?

00:40

There's an entire ocean between us and Africa...

00:44

...so it might be tough for an unfamiliar reader to imagine the oppression and tragedy

00:49

it has suffered.

00:50

But comparing it to the plight of a woman who is being ravaged or injured...

00:54

...well, that paints a more vivid picture.

00:57

A picture we see on the news pretty much every evening...

00:59

...and one we may even be able to imagine happening to us.

01:04

By drawing that parallel, Angelou causes us to feel sympathy for Africa.

01:09

But what if this wasn't Angelou's purpose in turning Africa human?

01:14

Maybe instead she wanted to communicate the idea that the land itself was alive...

01:19

...that it wasn't just a mass of dirt and trees, but that it had a heart of its own...

01:24

...pumping life throughout its many regions. Otherwise, she's only musing about an inanimate

01:32

object...

01:33

...and who cares about inanimate objects?

01:35

Except for our car. Man, we love that thing. Or is she saying that Africa is the people?

01:44

While she initially starts by comparing some physical landmarks to human anatomy...

01:48

... the later stanzas seem to refer to the people who live on the land, rather than the

01:52

land itself.

01:58

Her "young daughters" and "strong sons"...

02:00

..."bled her with guns"...

02:01

..."now she is striding"...

02:04

It sure seems like she's more preoccupied with the continent's inhabitants, and not

02:08

so much where they happen to hang their hats... So why the metaphor?

02:13

Was Angelou trying to make her poem more relatable to people, since it would be mostly... people...

02:17

reading it?

02:18

Was she saying that Africa is every bit as alive as its residents?

02:23

Or that its people are Africa?

02:28

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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