Critical Analysis Of Derek Walcott Ambivalence

Alliteration is a procedure which points out how word sounds in connection to one another. Alliteration was used to produce a tuneful action. For example, “The delicious singing of the mother, or the young wife at work, or the girl sewing or washing” Whitman Walt (1819-1892, p 750).The author meant that no matter the task at hand everyone went about it with happiness and satisfaction in fulfilling their daily task. It contributed to the tone of the poem by making it a joyous and happy moment despite the fact that each individual

Poems and songs may have strength in literary terms, but have you ever wondered what makes them powerful? In this essay, there will be analyzed two poems “The Boy Died in my Alley” and “Daddy”, as well as the song “Firework” in which theme, metaphor, and repetition are the literary devices that make them powerful.

The use of imagery in the poem created the feel of a long, twisted path to find the storyteller. This is significant because it allows the reader to infer that going on such a trip was new and mysterious to Walcott. Lines 5-6 (“Sunset would threaten us as we climbed closer to her house up the asphalt hill road”) show that not only was it a long journey, but also dangerous seeing as there was not much light besides the “lamp at the black twist of the past”, which is known to belong the house of the old storyteller.

Language can be a powerful tool which can build individuals up but it can also tear them down. When reading Literature through a post-colonial lens it can give us the needed tools to provide or grasp the information in order to reveal the bigger picture in the story. “Post-colonialism examines the manner in which emerging societies grapple with the challenges of self- determination.” (Aladren, 2013) In one way we can see that approach of colonist being conveyed through the native tongue which tends to be taught to its subjects. Such examples can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act1 & 2) and the The Epic of Gilgamesh which illustrates how a “savage” can be domesticated simply by learning the imperialist language. As the subjects Caliban and Enkidu encounter these dominating issues due to the situation they face once they are introduce to oppressors culture.

The study of any poem often begins with its imagery. Being the centralized idea behind the power of poetry, imagery isn’t always there to just give a mental picture when reading the poem, but has other purposes. Imagery can speak to the five senses using figurative language as well as help create a specific emotion that the author is trying to infuse within the poem. It helps convey a complete human experience a very minimal amount of words. In this group of poems the author uses imagery to show that humanity is characterized as lost, sorrowful and regretful, but nature is untainted by being free of mistakes and flaws and by taking time to take in its attributes it can help humans have a sense of peace, purity, and joy, as well as a sense of

Identity is portrayed similarly in “half caste” and “no problem” because they are both about race and their struggle to be acknowledged as a person. Both poets John Agard and Benjamin Zephaniah use language, for and structure to show the struggle.

Exploration during the postcolonial era was very popular in footings for people to try and reach out to find ways to set up ground for themselves. In Gilgamesh, the Tempest, and Heart of Darkness, it seems oppression and race played an important factor as to how one coexisted from events that took place to express all that existed during this period. From both good to bad, one feeling strong to weak, or even included or excluded, oppression and race were amongst the many postcolonial lenses that could be viewed from these three pieces of literature. These three stories reveal how racial difference is used to justify oppression during the time of the colonial period.

John Foulcher conveys the meaning of his poem For the fire by the use of literal techniques, especially imagery. In the poem for the fire there is a variety of natural imagery, sound imagery and violent vocabulary as this places the setting, time and specific event spoken of in the poem: “outside gathering kindling”. In the first and second stanzas of For The Fire the setting is placed in the forest with a male character isolating himself. This is shown by natural and sound imagery for example in the first stanza sound imagery is placed : “It’s singular, human thud” in this quote John Foulcher also uses onomatopoeia for a heightened sensory imagery effect. In contrast the second stanza uses natural imagery: “Wind through sparse leaves like clockwork” is a great example as it tells the audience about the isolation as a setting whilst using a literary device which is simile.

A word that follows another word with the same consonant sounds is alliteration. Alliteration is used quite often in poetry as it helps create a certain tone or mood for a poem. Words that use alliteration are effective as it uses sound to bring focus to specific parts of a poem that are vital in making an idea or an emotion known. The use of alliteration is very clever as it is a simple trick authors use to grab a reader’s attention and help readers understand what they are trying to say. Edgar Allen Poe uses alliteration quite often in his poem “The Raven” to create a somber and ominous mood. Poe uses phrases like “weak and weary” and “doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before” to emphasize the darkness of the poem. The alliteration used also gives readers a sense that nothing good will come at the end of “The Raven” as the phrases that use alliteration are dreary and unwelcoming.

The authors use of alliteration helps to provide specific tones to the words Oliver chooses to use. These tones then go on to provide more accurate connotations that prove their significance in the poem. For example, when Oliver wrote "the dark burred faintly belching bogs" the repetition of the "B" sounds give an accurate description of what an actual swamp may sound like. Words like "belching" and "bogs" are not words commonly associated with things like beauty and ease. This the helps to signify the readers of the difficulties the speaker is experiencing. Another

In Derek Walcott’s From in a Green Night: A Far Cry from Africa, the author explains and dives into the topic of colonialism and self-reflection through his own experiences of being trapped between his Kenyan and British descent. Similar to Fanon’s concept of complicity, Walcott also understands both sides of the story in an unbiased manner. In his poem, he uses imagery to describe the violent past in which Kenyans and British people have committed to each other, the ‘savage’ nature of humans during colonization, and his own internal speech where he himself is confused of his cultural and social identity. This paper will explore the core concepts of Walcott’s writing and further explain it through Fanon’s lens to amplify the meaning of the poem.

Postcolonial critiques of literary works are often accomplished by reading and interpreting the work with a specific theme in mind or a ‘lens’. By allowing oneself to use a ‘lens’ when reading specific works, it allows the reader to interpret the effects of the themes and the changes throughout the writings. The goal of the critical lens is to seek to understand the behavior of characters or the society ("Post Colonialism," 2016). A few of the most popular themes used to view literary works are identity, oppression and power; applying this ‘lens’ can give the reader a different perspective and experience while reading the writings.

The poet uses a lot of emotive language in this poem to try and make

Starting off his poem with an excerpt from “Urn Burial” by Sir Thomas Browne (a treatise on the funeral rites of ancient nations), Walcott immediately conveys to the reader a sense of death, misery and destruction. The extinguishing of the light in the excerpt acts as a visual metaphor to death. Just like an urn holds the remains of a person, what is left of the “Great House” holds the ruins and atrocities of British colonialism.

Meta-narrative is an important method that postcolonial authors use to show the colonizer’s intolerance in the way they structure their stories. These authors point out these strategic ways that colonizers write so you can more easily see their bias and prejudice when addressing the colonized. Things Fall Apart has many instances of meta-narrative, both big and small.