The poem describes Africa as a beautiful woman who has endured great hardship. In the first stanza, Africa is portrayed as an innocent woman with golden feet and tears like the Nile River. However, in the second stanza invaders arrive, enslaving and stealing Africa's sons and daughters. Though Africa was oppressed, the third stanza asserts that she is now rising up and striding forward despite her painful past.

1. By Mary Angelou
Prepared by:
Students PPISMP TESL SK(2) [sem 1],
June 2011 intake
IPG, Kampus Gaya, Kota Kinabalu

2. Summary (Poem)
 In the first lines of the poem, Africa is portrayed as a
complex pretty woman
 Things take turn in stanza 2 where it tells that Africa is
invaded
 In stanza 3, Africa starts to rise

3. Stanza 1 : Summary
 Line 1
Thus she had lain -start off innocently
 Lines 2-6 -this isn’t any old woman
Sugarcane sweet - describe Africa as a woman
Deserts her hair
Golden her feet
Mountain her breast
Two Niles her tears

4.  Lines 7-8
Thus she has lain - repeating the first line (with a
change from ‘had to has’)as she
wraps up the first stanza allows
Angelou to emphasize the
passivity of this image .
Black through the years

5. Stanza 2 : Paraphrase
Poem Paraphrase
 Lines 9-10
white forms a contrast to the
Over the white seas “black” which shows that problems
Rime white and cold are occuring in the horizon
 Lines 11-12
brigands(boat) that arrive on the
Brigands ungentled
African continent to carry slaves to
Icicle bold the New World. Icicle like shows
the cold quality of their arrivals

6.  Lines 13-14
Took her young daughters  Shows the kidnapping and
enslavements of millions of
Sold her strong sons
Africans
 Lines 15-16
Churced her with Jesus  Sense of violent action inflicted
Bled her with guns upon Africa.
 “Jesus” and “guns”- the speaker
sees the two as harmful in the
same way

7.  Line 17
Thus she has lain The speaker could be noting her
frustration at the fact that Africa
seems to keep taking all the hits
that the rest of the world is
throwing its way.

8. Stanza 3 : Paraphrase
Poem Paraphrase
Line 18-23 Tells us about now.
Now she is rising The speaker wants the reader
Remember her pain to remember everything that
Remember the losses Africa has suffered.
Her screams loud and vain This stanza also tells us that
Remember her riches things are changing. In the
Her history slain past, Africa, once sat
passively and did nothing as
generation were captured
and slaughtered. But, that’s
all over now.

9. Stanza 3 : Paraphrase
Poem Paraphrase
Line 24-25 Now, Africa is moving and
Now she is striding doing things despite its
Although she has lain long history of silent
victimhood.
It’s a new era, folks, and its
one that the speaker is
pretty happy about it.

10. thank you for your
attention….^_^