How we cite our quotes: line
Quote #4
now she is striding
although she has lain. (25-26)
The end of the poem creates an image that hearkens back to the strongly personified images of the first stanza. Africa isn't just rising – she's a woman who's striding into the future. The parallel between the first and the last lines makes this progression something like a return to the magnificence of the long-ago past as well. Talk about empowerment!