The unnamed narrator of the poem is a person of mixed English and African descent who feels deeply torn by the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. He possesses a profound love for the English language and simultaneously holds deep respect for Africa. He faces an internal moral dilemma, unable to align himself with the violent tactics of the native fighters or the oppressive policies of the colonizers.

The native Kenyan people fight for independence from British colonial rule during the Mau Mau uprising. They are culturally endemic to the region but employ brutal guerilla warfare tactics. They view their actions as a courageous defense against the threat of extermination, though their methods cause immense suffering.

The imperial forces and settlers occupy Kenya. They extend their power through military force and diplomacy. They view the African land as a paradise to seize and cultivate. They enforce their occupation with brutal retaliation and mass executions while distant policymakers dictate the terms of the occupation.

A four-year-old child from a white settler family who is murdered in his bed. His death serves as a horrifying example of the extreme violence enacted during the uprising. The murder exposes the human cost ignored by distant statisticians and absentee policymakers.

A British army officer who enforces colonial occupation in Kenya. He acts as a localized figurehead for the careless and ruthless nature of the British Empire ruling over its commonwealth states.

A personified worm that feasts on the casualties of war. The worm holds a military title, reflecting the indifference of nature and warfare toward human suffering and death.