Elephants for want of towns

The chapter "Elephants for want of towns" was one of the chapters discussed in class on Friday. Many symbols are seen throughout the entire chapter, however the most important symbol is elephants. Elephants are mentioned in the title of the chapter and also, in the quote from the poem by Jonathan Swift. The last line of the quote says, “Place elephants for want of towns” (Hill 413). In the maps of Africa, Aminata notices that maps show neither towns nor villages but only half naked African men and women, usually with baboons and elephants nearby. The elephants symbolize the lack of knowledge and care that toubabu have for Africa. The quote by Jonathan Swift is also seen at the beginning of the book and therefore it is clear that the author wanted readers to be thinking about it throughout the entire book. He did this because the quote perfectly describes how the toubabu feel about the Africans. They have very little care for them and have no interest in learning about them. They just use the Africans for their own personal advantage.