Ruins of a Great House

"A Far Cry from Africa" by Derek Walcott (1962)

Published ten years after “Great House,” Walcott's poem “A Far Cry from Africa” tackles colonialism and imperialism in the context of Africa. It is set during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, when native Kenyans fought for independence from British colonial rule. The uprising was very violent on both sides of the conflict. The poem is concerned with the speaker's internal dilemma about which side to support, exploring the speaker's own experience with colonization and identity.

"America" by Claude McKay (1921)

Claude McKay's “America” grapples with conflicting identity, in this case from the perspective of a Black American. McKay, a Jamaican American poet, works through his love and resentment towards the United States to resolve his mixed feelings about the nation that enables his oppression. A sonnet written during the Harlem Renaissance, “America” takes a very controversial stance on the might and enduring force of the United States and ultimately predicts its inevitable fall from power with delight.

"Night" by William Blake (1789)

William Blake’s poetry is characteristic of the Romantic literary movement. It focuses on nature and references the natural world's beauty and serenity.