A Far Cry from Africa

1. A. A simile is when two disparate things are compared to one another. Here, Walcott compares “Kikuyu” to “flies.” Similes usually employ the terms “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

2. B. “Necessity” is endowed with human qualities and agency, the hallmarks of personification, by “wip[ing] its hands.”

3. C. Alliteration is the repetition of the first letter of two adjacent or near-adjacent words.

4. D. While A., B., and C. might be partially true, the overall theme demonstrates the poet’s desire not to be forced to choose between two cultural legacies, each of which he equally identifies with.