WAEC Literature in English 2025 Theory — Question 9

Model answer

The poem centres on the theme of colonialism. The very first lines, 'In the tearful woes of ancient and modern slave,' immediately establish a historical continuity of suffering imposed upon Africa, pointing to the trans-Atlantic slave trade ('ancient slave') and implicitly extending to the forced labour and economic exploitation characteristic of colonial rule ('modern slave'). The degrading imagery of 'impure dance / Of other seas' further emphasizes the forced and unnatural labour exacted by foreign powers, leading to the 'grieved' state of the land. The imagery of the 'Flower / Crushed in the forest / By the wickedness of iron and fire' is a metaphor for the brutal suppression and destruction inflicted upon the African continent by colonial conquest and exploitation of its resources, while the 'dream soon undone in jinglings of jailer's keys' vividly portrays the loss of freedom and self-determination under colonial rule; the jailer's keys are a direct symbol of imprisonment, both literal and metaphorical. Despite these devastating effects, the poem also emphasizes resilience, and the enduring life, continuity of African identity and consciousness, and hope for the future.