Wednesday, April 15, 2009

"Africa's Pain is My Pain"

I recently read a poem by Ayanle Isak about Africa. This poem is called “Africa’s Pain is My Pain”. This is a very emotional poem about the suffering of the people and children living in Africa. It illustrates the conditions of the African people calling Africa the parent of these people. This is a very good poem about the struggles in Africa.

This poem is written about the struggles in Africa. Isak uses the repetition of the phrase “Africa dear Africa” every other line. Isak is using these words to illustrate Africa as the parent of the people. He is saying that the children of Africa are lonely and depressed. They are fighting with each other and killing each other. Africa’s children are starving. Then, he goes to say that Africa’s essence is still pure, but Africa is suffering. Africa, I feel the pain you feel and so I sit here crying for the pain that you feel.

I think that this is a sufficient poem describing the situation in Africa. I think that everyone should read this poem and poems similar to it to shed more light on the situation. Organizations have been started to aid the people in Africa, but there are still the deep struggles between the African people. Like Isak says in his poem “Africa’s Pain is My Pain,” Africa’s people are at war with each other. They are killing people of their own family and the African people are starving. This should not be occurring in this country. No people of the same heritage and from the “same family” should be at war and killing each other.

In his poem, I thought it was very well put that Isak called Africa the parent to these people. It illustrates that these people should be united not fighting. They are from the same country. Or as Isak states it, they are from the same family with their country being the parent. This shows that he believes in unity and nationalism. Africa should be united and working together. However, the distressed country is fighting and starving. Isak is saying that they should love and care about each other like a family would be.

This poem is concluded with the line “so I sit here crying”. This line is showing the African people that they have support behind them. Isak is saying that he is there with them emotionally sharing in their pain and despair. He wants them to know that other nations and people are supporting them and that they are not alone.

I think that this is a pretty good poem about the struggles in Africa. I think that everyone should read this poem and become more aware of the situations in Africa. Everyone must realize that Africa needs help in being united once again. They also need to stop fighting, because they should be one united family and not a feuding group of people that kill each other. Isak did a very good job of portraying his thoughts about the situation in Africa in his poem called “Africa’s Pain is My Pain”.

1 comment:

  1. The struggles in Africa have been going on for many centuries. According to what Megan has written, Isak brings to light the horrors that go on in Africa while we sleep safe and sound in our beds. The raw emotions that well up in the hearts of those who know those horrors should awaken in others as well. I look forward to reading this poem and broadening my emotional horizons to this situation. Thank you so much Megan for telling us about this poem that shows the everyday horrors happening in Africa. I hope everyone realizes these horrors and strives to help in anyway possible.

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