AFRICAby Maya Angelou

Theme

• Theme of suffering A continent turns into woman. Angelou

describes the things that Africa suffers as attacks on a female body. Africa, a poor and hot country ,droughts, violence and poverty. This poem talk about the violence of the slave trade. The taking and abusing of people is what cause Africa the most suffering in this poem.

Tone

• Pleasant unpleasant contemplative• Cheerful displeasing reflectiveSuffering tone.• Africa, droughts, violence • and poverty

Literary devices

• RepetitionIn the last stanza , the word “ remember” is repeated

to stress on the resurrection of Africa.• PersonificationAfrica is personified as a woman. This can be seen in

the second stanza and last stanza “ her screams loud and vain” show the continent was devastated when the people were taken from there homeland. Africa also personified as a mother in line 13-14.