Theory question 109
African PoetryLiterature 2, Section C: African Poetry
How does Rubadiri present the destructive force of the thunderstorm in “African Thunderstorm”?
Show the model answer
Model answer
David Rubadiri describes a storm sweeping over an African village.
The wind is compared to a madman chasing nothing, moving in every direction.
Clouds come like a plague of locusts, whirling and wild.
Trees bend, and people rush about: children, women, clothes blown, goods carried off.
Images of noise and violence (lightning, thunder, the dancing of the storm) show its power.
Similes, personification, movement in the verse and run-on lines convey the speed and destruction.
The storm may also suggest the destructive force of colonialism.
Explanation
Quote images and explain their effect.