Africa

by David Diop

elephone Conversation
by Wole Soyinka
By David Diop
 David Mandessi Diop
(July 9, 1927 August 29, 1960)

He is a revolutionary African poet born in France

but with parents of West African descent. His poems
highlighted problems of Africa brought about by
colonialism and gave a message to Africans to bring
about change and freedom. He was known for his
involvement in the negritude movement in France, a
movement started by Black writers and artists
protesting against French colonialism and its effects
of African culture and values. His views and feelings
were published in "Presence Africaine" and in his
book of poems "Coups de pillon" which was
published in 1956. Diop died at the age of 33 in a
plane crash.
 Africa
by David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river

I have never known you

But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
 Africa
by David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral
savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
 Africa
by David Diop

Africa, tell me Africa

Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight
of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday
sun
 Africa
by David Diop

But a grave voice answers me

Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
Springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
 Africa
by David Diop

I The poem starts by Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors
in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my
grandmother sings
On the banks of the
distant river
reminiscing about Africa, a
land he has not seen but only
heard about from his
grandmother's songs. His
choice of words like "distant"
symbolize how far he is from
his country, a feeling based
on his real life as he lived in
France throughout his
childhood and only visited
Africa in the 1950s.
 Africa
by David Diop

I Despite this, he paints a

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors
in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my
grandmother sings
On the banks of the
distant river
vivid scene of Africa and the
proud warriors who walk on
its "ancestral savannahs"
You can sense how much he
misses his homeland by his
stress on the word Africa,
and he continues to call it
"My Africa" to emphasize it is
his land and his feelings of
patriotism towards it.
 Africa
by David Diop

He continues to say that

II
he has never known Africa,
but despite the distance he
I have never known you
cannot deny how much it is a
But your blood flows in my
part of him. The "beautiful
veins
black blood" which flows in
Your beautiful black blood
his veins describes his
that irrigates the fields
African descent and shows
The blood of your sweat
how much Africa is a part of
The sweat of your work
him and his love for it and its
The work of your slavery
people.
 Africa
by David Diop

The next verses are angry

II
and accusatory as he
stresses that it is the blood
I have never known you
and sweat of his people
But your blood flows in my
which is irrigating the fields
veins
for the benefit of other
Your beautiful black blood
people. By this he is pointing
that irrigates the fields
a finger at the colonialists
The blood of your sweat
who exploited Black people
The sweat of your work
and used them as slaves to
The work of your slavery
profit from their hard labor.
 Africa
by David Diop
III
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under
the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red
scars
And saying yes to the whip under
the midday sun
In these verses he urges
the Black people to stand up
to the pain and the
humiliation that they are
suffering in their own land.
He reminds them of the
strength and pride they have
in them and to say no to the
whip of the colonialist which
makes them work under the
hot midday sun and leaves
scars on their backs.
 Africa
by David Diop

III
Despite this
Africa, tell me Africa suffering he urges
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under them to be strong and
the weight of humiliation remain unbent and not
This back trembling with red
scars let this break them
And saying yes to the whip under despite the weight of
the midday sun
their suffering.
 Africa
by David Diop

In these verses the wise voice

IV of Africa chides him for thinking
But a grave voice answers me
"impetuous" thoughts, and implies
Impetuous child that tree, young and to us that a continent lies in wait
strong for something to happen. It urges
That tree over there the Africans to be patient and not
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded hasty like children as there is
flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
change on the horizon. The tree
Springing up patiently, obstinately "young and strong" represents the
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires young people of Africa who are
The bitter taste of liberty. patiently but "obstinately" waiting
Impetuous - acting or done quickly and without thought or care
until they get the liberty they
want.
 Africa
by David Diop

IV At the moment the tree is

alone, meaning the African
But a grave voice answers me struggle is a lonely battle but they
Impetuous child that tree, young and will achieve the freedom and
strong
That tree over there
liberty they want no matter how
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded bitter the taste in getting it. It is
flowers among the "white and faded"
That is your Africa springing up anew flowers by which he means the
Springing up patiently, obstinately colonialists who will fade in time
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
while the youthful Africans grow in
strength and wait for their
Impetuous - acting or done quickly and without thought or care
moment of freedom.
 Africa
by David Diop

Conclusion

The hope of
emancipation of Africans
and acquiring the bitter
taste of liberty.

The poem revealed all the injustices

done to the Africans. However, because
of the love of the people to their country,
that nevertheless of the humiliation and
sufferings they have come to
experience, they will raise up patiently
and full of hope..
 Africa
by David Diop

References:

Poem 'Africa' by David Diop. In All Poetry. Retrieved

from: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8562839-Africa-by-
David-Diop

Africa by David Diop. In Reference. Retrieved from:

http://www.reference.com/art-literature/poem-africa-
david-diop-3708bc8c72b64e07#
elephone
Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Activist, Playwright (1934)

A Nigerian playwright, poet,

author, teacher and political
activist who received the
Nobel Prize for Literature in
1986.
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

The price seemed reasonable, location

Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madam" , I warned,
"I hate a wasted journey - I am African."
Silence. Silenced transmission of pressurized good-
breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder piped. Caught I was, foully.
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

"HOW DARK?"...I had not misheard...."ARE YOU LIGHT

OR VERY DARK?" Button B. Button A. Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar.
It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis-
"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT"
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?"

"Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest
of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet.
Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused-
Foolishly madam- by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black- One moment madam! - sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears- "Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

Revelation came
"You mean- like plain or milk chocolate?"
Her accent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted
I chose. "West African sepia"_ and as afterthought.
"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness chaged her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding
"DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

Conclusion

"Telephone Conversation," by Wole Soyinka is

about racism; more specifically, it is about the
way people -- both white and black -- fail to
communicate clearly about matters of race.
 SIFT
A Literary
Analysis
Method
 SIFT Method
Symbol: examine the text and title
for symbolism
Images: identify images and sensory
details
Figures of Speech: analyze
figurative language and other
devices
Tone and Theme: discuss how all
Symbols: Signs of Something More
Our everyday lives are heaped with
symbols:

These commonly accepted

symbols are called public
symbols
 Symbols in Literature
Writers create new, personal
symbols in their work.
In literature, a symbol is an object, a
setting, an event, an animal, or even
a person that functions in the story
the way youd expect it to, but also
stands for something more than
itself, usually for something
 Moby Dick
The white whale in Moby Dick is a very
real white whale in the novel, and Captain
Ahab spends the whole book chasing it.
BUT- certain passages let the readers
know that the whale is ASSOCIATED with
the mystery of evil in the world.
Symbols work by ASSOCIATION!
 What it isnt
A sign with just one meaning: the picture of a
cigarette in a circle with a line drawn through it is a
sign meaning precisely and specifically, No
Smoking
The white whale does not mean, precisely and
specifically, the mystery of evil
Associations suggested by the writer, made by the
characters in the story, and ultimately made by the
reader evoke images of evil, suggests aspects of
the darker side of life, and hint at possible ways of
seeing and thinking about events portrayed.
 Is it a symbol?
Guidelines to follow
Symbols are often visual.
When some event or object or setting is used
as a symbol in the story, you will usually find
that the writer has given it a great deal of
emphasis. Often it reappears throughout the
story.
A symbol in literature is a form of figurative
language. Like a metaphor, a symbol is
something that is identified with something
else that is very different from it, but that
shares some quality.
 (SIFT) Images
Identify images and sensory details.
Imagery helps to promote mood and
tone.
What do I see, hear, taste, smell or
feel?
What effect is the author trying to
convey with these images?
 Tone & Mood
Tone: The attitude that an AUTHOR takes
toward the audience, subject, or the character.
Tone is conveyed through the authors word and
details.
angry-challenging-sarcastic-outraged-humorous

Mood: The emotions that the READER feels

while reading; the atmosphere of the story.
Mood is conveyed through character
emotions, setting and other elements.
romantic-gloomy-optimistic-sad-hopeful
 (SIFT) Figures of Speech
Analyze figurative language and
other devices.
Writers form images by using figures
of speech such as simile, metaphors,
hyperbole, and personification.
Other devices can include: irony,
allusion
 Simile
A direct comparison of two things,
usually using the words like or as.
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls. Tennyson
Hell is a city much like London/
A populous and smokey city. Shelley
My heart is like an apple tree whose boughs
are bent with thickest fruit. Christina Raced
 Metaphor
An IMPLIED comparison in which one thing
is spoken in terms of something else.
Metaphors are extremely valuable in
making an abstract idea clearer by
associating the idea with something
concrete that relates to one or more of the
senses.
And merry larks are ploughmans clocks.
Shakespeare
Entangled in the cobweb of the schools.
Cowper
 Hyperbole
The use of exaggeration or
overstatement to make a point. It
may be used for emphasis, for humor,
or for poetic intensity.
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard around the world.
Emerson
It is used freely in sports broadcasting
 Personification
A comparison that treats objects or
things as if they were capable of the
actions and feelings of people.
Sea that bears her bosom to the moon
Wordsworth
The dirty nurse, Experience. Tennyson
Mad Ireland hurt you into poetry. Auden
 Irony
An expression in which the authors
meaning is quite different (often the
opposite) from what is literally said.
Irony, as a matter of tone, occurs most
frequently in prose as a technique for
comedy, tragedy, suspense or horror.
Three types of irony:
Verbal
Situational
 (SIFT) Theme and Tone
Theme: central, underlying, and
controlling idea of a literary work.
Abstract concept represented by a
character, by actions, or by images in
the literary work.
A generalization about human conduct.
Ordinarily expressed in a full sentence
and it may even require a full paragraph.
 Theme= What it is NOT
Cannot be expressed in a single word.
Not the purpose of the work (entertainment
or instruction)
Man versus nature is not a theme, it is a
conflict.
Unlike a moral or fable, the theme is seldom,
if ever, stated.
It is never a clich.
 How Do I Figure Out the Theme?
You must first understand the plot, the
characterization and conflict, the
imagery, and the authors tone.
Identify the subject in one word
Then, explain in one or two sentences
what the author says about the subject.
NOTE: Many stories/novels have
more than one theme and there is
seldom just one right answer!
 For Example
Literature: To Kill A Mockingbird
Subject: Racism
Possible Theme: Justice is often
withheld from economically
deprived racial minorities.
 Tone and Theme
Tone is the authors attitude toward the
subject (the beginnings of theme)
Tone is revealed through the words he or
she chooses. (Diction)
In literature, the reader does not have
the benefit of voice inflection- even a
dog understands the tone of his
masters voice!
So, the reader must understand the
authors word choice, details, imagery
 More on tone
To misinterpret tone is to
misinterpret meaning (THEME)
If you miss irony or sarcasm, for
example, you may misread the
meaning of an entire passage!
 Shift in Tone
Good authors rarely use only one
tone!
A speakers attitude may be
complex
An author might have one
attitude toward the audience and
another attitude toward the
 How to analyze tone:
Diction: the connotation of word choice
Images: Imagery that appeals to the senses
Details: Facts and details that the author has
included (does not appeal to the senses)
Language: Formal? Clich? Jargon? Figurative
Language?
Sentence Structure: Long or short sentences?
 SIFT Telephone Conversation Africa
Symbol

Imagery

Figurative
Language

Tone and
Theme
Three Friends
By: Yoruba
 Yoruba
The Yoruba are one of the largest African ethnic groups south of the Sahara
Desert. They are, in fact, not a single group, but rather a collection of diverse people
bound together by a common language, history, and culture. Within Nigeria, the
Yoruba dominate the western part of the country. Yoruba mythology holds that all
Yoruba people descended from a hero called Odua or Oduduwa. Today there are
over fifty individuals who claim kingship as descendants of Odua.
 Three Friends
By Yoruba

I had three friends,

One asked me to sleep on the mat,
One asked me to sleep on the ground;
One asked me to sleep on his breast
I decided to sleep on his breast
I saw myself carried on a river
I saw the King of the river and the King of the sun,
There in that country I saw palm trees.
So weighed down with fruit.
That the trees bent under the fruit,
and the fruit killed it.
 Three Friends
By Yoruba

I had three friends,

One asked me to sleep on the mat,
One asked me to sleep on the ground;
One asked me to sleep on his breast
I decided to sleep on his breast
I saw myself carried on a river Explanation
I saw the King of the river and the King of the sun,
There in that country I saw palm trees.
So weighed down with fruit.
That the trees bent under the fruit,
and the fruit killed it.
Three Friends
By Yoruba

Conclusion
 Three Friends
By Yoruba

References

Three Friends. In Google Books. Retrieved from:

http://books.google.com.ph/books?
id=ImaY6zkAtjQC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=three+
friends+by+yoruba&source=bl&ots=F9W39j823L&
sig=gicPkRAeesYChMzVVjf9P4DNajA&hl=en&sa=
X&ved=0ahUKEwixxsbF7f7NAhXBOY8KHeQqCbE
Q6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=three%20friends
%20by%20yoruba&f=true
 Telephone Conversation
By: Wole Soyinka

References

Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka. In

Litxpert. Retrieved from:
http://litxpert.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/analysis-
telephone-conversation-by-wole-soyinka/

Telephone Conversation. In All Poetry. Retrieved

from: http://allpoetry.com/poem/10379451-
Telephone-Conversation-by-Wole-Soyinka
Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara
 Gabriel Okara
He was born in Nigeria, in April 1921.
Okara may be described as highly original and uninfluenced
by other poets.
He has been extremely successful in capturing the moods,
sights and sounds of Africa.
His poems show great sensitivity, perceptive judgements and
a tremendous energy.
Okara also shows a concern regarding what happens when
the ancient culture of Africa is faced with modern western
culture, for example in his poem, 'Once Upon a Time'.

Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.
There was a time indeed
they used to shake hands with their hearts:
but thats gone, son.
Now they shake hands without hearts
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.
Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara
Feel at home! Come again:
they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice-
for then I find doors shut on me.
So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart.
I have also learned to say,Goodbye,
when I mean Good-riddance:
to say Glad to meet you,
without being glad; and to say Its been
nice talking to you, after being bored.
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snakes bare fangs!
So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

I
I
Once upon a time, son,
The poem starts with the well-known words Once
they used to laugh with their hearts
upon a time, suggesting that what the speaker is
and laugh with their eyes:
going to say is a fairy tale, something so far-fetched
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
it might not even be believed. This makes us think
while their ice-block-cold eyes
that honesty in expressing emotion is so rare
search behind my shadow.
nowadays that it practically is a fairy tale.
II
II
There was a time indeed
Use of words of used to.., gone in contrast to
they used to shake hands with their hearts:
now shows the gulf of time and the
but thats gone, son.
difference/division between his past and present life.
Now they shake hands without hearts
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

III III
Feel at home! Come again: People in society no longer mean what they say- its
they say, and when I come all about being polite. Can never know when
again and feel someone is actually being sincere as it so rare. Also
at home, once, twice, implies that true friends are very hard to find- cannot
there will be no thrice- trust anyone.
for then I find doors shut on me.

IV
So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
IV
I have learned to wear many faces like dresses -
makes expressions and emotions seem like theyre
disposable, and you can choose how to feel and
when to feel it. Conveys how society is only
obsessed with appearance, not really reflecting
inner feelings.
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

V
And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart. V
I have also learned to say, 'Goodbye, Despite not wanting to be like them the speaker is
when I mean Good-riddance: saying that he has adapted to the society and now
to say Glad to meet you, does things he does not want to and says things he
without being glad; and to say Its been does not mean.
nice talking to you, after being bored.
VI
VI when I was like you: he is looking up to his son, on
But believe me, son. his disassociation with fraudulent behavior and
I want to be what I used to be emphasizes on how he regrets having to repress his
when I was like you. I want individuality to adopt into society.
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snakes bare fangs!
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

VII
So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.
VII
The speaker is guilty of having to be like one of
them and he wants his life to be filled with
innocence and honesty again.
Children are innocent and untouched by the world.
They respond naturally and without prejudice. The
poem ends with a wish to return to this state.
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

Conclusion

The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.

Heraclitus

Change - how people change over the years and

become false and untrustworthy

Influence - the influence of the white western world on

African nations; countries like Nigeria were more honest
before being developed by the west.

Adults can learn from innocent children - role reversal.

Adulthood can change you and how quickly people

adapt to the changes.
 Once Upon A Time
By: Gabriel Okara

References

Once Upon A Time. In The Brothers' Jim Jam Slam.

Retrieved from:
http://thehenrybrothers.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/once-
upon-a-time-gabriel-okara/

Once Upon A Time By Gabriel Okara. In Litxpert.

Retrieved from:
http://litxpert.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/once-upon-a-
time-by-gabriel-okara-2/
Jumong

 Jumong
Founder of Goguryeo Kingdom is man of legend, history. Described
as the son of the heavens, Jumong was the founding king of
Goguryeo, which eventually became the largest dynasty in Korean
history. Also known as the Holy King of the East, mythological tales
of his origins mostly follow the same basic story.
 Jumong

Jumong, according to ancient history, is the half-historical, half-mythological

founder of Goguryeo, one of the three kingdoms that occupied the Korean
peninsula from around 60 BCE all the way into 7th century. (The other two are
Baekje and Silla.)

Since this is such an ancient history, the circumstances of his birth are
completely mythical. His father was Haemosu, the Prince of Heavens; his mother
was Yuhwa, daughter of the river god Habaek. Haemosu basically hit Yuhwa and
left, running back to heaven. Disgraced, Yuhwa had to leave her home, and
eventually became a concubine to King Geumwa of Dongbuyeo (East Buyeo)
kingdom.
 Jumong

Yuwha later gave birth to a giant golden egg. Geumwa tried to destroy the
egg by smashing it, but the egg would not break. Then he left the egg in the wild
hoping that animals would eat it, but the animals instead protected the egg from
harm. The egg was then returned to Yuhwa, who nursed it. From the egg hatched a
baby boy, who was named Jumong, meaning "skilled archer.

Jumongs archery skill was out of this world. His first words at age 1, apparently,
were Mother, give me a bow and arrow. With a tiny bow, he would shoot and kill
the flies that bothered him. He grew up to be an archer and warrior renowned all
over the kingdom, which made other princes of Geumwa jealous.
 Jumong

They plotted to kill Jumong, and Jumong had to flee. As he fled on his
horse, he approached a fast-running river. Jumong pled his life to his father
Haemosu in heaven, and turtles and fish of the river floated over the water, forming
a bridge. After he successfully fled, he was admitted to the royal court of Bukbuyeo
(North Buyeo), and eventually founded Goguryeo by incorporating nearby regions
into Bukbuyeo. He then made his son Yuri succeed to the throne. Jumong died five
months later after the succession.
 Jumong

Conclusion

Jumong represents heroism and majesty of a great culture and race of

Korea. Whether he is actually real or not for them, he is the Koreans
Alexander the great.
 Jumong

References

Jumong. In Ask a Korean. Retrieved from:

http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2007/06/some-inaccurate-ancient-
history.html

Dongmyeong of Goguryeo. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongmyeong_of_Goguryeo
Thank you for
listening!

Prepared by:
Ardiente, Bernard
Correa, Jake
Malabanan, Joyce
Ramos, Ronald
Sumaylo, Chloe