‘A Far Cry from Africa’ By Derek Walcott: An Overview on the Cultural and Identity Conflict

Exploring the Cultural and Identity Conflict in 'A Far Cry from Africa'

Abstract

The A Far Cry from Africa by Derek Walcott not only reveals in clever words the imbalances between the colonizer and the colonized, but also the agony of a guy standing between two societies. The poem reveals the conflict of identity which he encounters because of his intercourse. Throughout the poem he begins his quest to obtain his own identity, but in the end his attempt remains vain, as he eventually confesses his love for both the English and his heritage. In other terms, it is the clash between culture and identity that pervades the whole poet, through which the poet sees no way out.