Generation” and “Alphabetical Africa|Legit essays
Posted: February 4th, 2023
Some potential questions to explore in this week’s discussion board:
The “generation” in question in Kwock-Kim’s poem doesn’t seem to be a matter of a historical or biological time-frame–what might the author be referring to here? Why might this piece be broken into numbered sections? What kind of symbolism might numbers like “0” and “1” represent? What other metaphors of birthing does the poet use here?
Walter Abish’s “Alphabetical Africa” gives a brief and obscure account of some of that continent’s colonial history in an odd prose style emphasizing the first letters of its words—the list of questions that accompanies this reading asks us to consider such letters in a more in-depth fashion than we are generally accustomed.
SOLUTION
Generation” in Kwock-Kim’s poem refers to a non-historical and non-biological time frame, possibly representing a concept or state of mind. The poem is divided into numbered sections to create a sense of progression and organization. The numbers “0” and “1” may symbolize binary opposites, such as beginning and end, birth and death, or emptiness and fulfillment. The poem also employs birthing metaphors, such as giving birth to the self, to explore themes of self-discovery and creation.
In “Alphabetical Africa,” Walter Abish explores colonial history of the continent through an unconventional prose style that emphasizes the first letters of words. This technique invites readers to consider the significance of letters and the way they shape meaning.
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