The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory by Walcott

Although The Mission and Bartolomé De Las Casas' book, The Devastation of the Indies portray events that took place over two centuries apart, similar features and effects of colonization are apparent in each account. Slight differences in viewpoints are evident, such as The Mission's portrayal of the natives in a more humane fashion, but this goes along with the evolution of time and the current trend of being politically correct. In other words, people today have broader views on issues, are more unbiased in their reasoning, and are careful not to offend others. Whether efforts to conquer land happened in

The short story “The New Atlantis” paints a picture of a dystopian United States, where the government has become an overwhelming force. The people living in the States are left in a state of neglect, where harsh administration and forced ideals are the norm. Ursula K. Le Guin’s story follows Belle, a woman who leaves her memoirs to the rising oceans that are swallowing up the continent. Belle’s story records the struggle of a person’s life under the suffocating government, with her husband Simon attempting to gain political strength through his scientific vision. The themes of the story are based on “a damning critique of the direction that humanity along with science and technology have taken under capitalism” (Maxwell 15). With its heavy hand, civilization has consumed itself with conflict and consumption. By the end of the story, the United States has completely collapsed into the ocean, collapsed under the weight of its own government. The story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, also by Ursula K. Le Guin, tells the tale of an idealistic city called Omelas. Shoshana Knapp illustrates the lives of Omelas as a complex moral problem: “The basic situation . . . is the promise of mass bliss in exchange for a unique torment” (par. 5). When children become young adults in Omelas, they are shown a morbid truth about their society – the basis of Omelas’ whole existence relies on the suffering of one lonely child locked in a room. This dilemma introduces many uncomfortable

Mary Hutchinson was by far the most glorious and loving person through-out the novel, caring, passionate, and loved by all that knew her. She was a young seamstress who lived a simple life making an honest living and was very close to her loving family. She had been pursued by her co-worker the young Jack Wilson who fall in love with her (or so she thought), but it was normal for people to be attracted to her beautiful nature. After years of courting they had finally gotten married and had children of their own although the second would not be born until the “father” I say vaguely had left the country. This once highly sought after woman would now be left to care for two young children while her husband moved countries to find work (not to mention flee

The text recounts the events leading up to the the disappearance of Miranda, a young British girl who is struggling to deal with her mother’s sudden killing in Haiti, where she was on a work trip. The narration by the house, her twin brother Eliot, and Ore, a Nigerian girl she meets while at Cambridge leads us to find about Miranda’s pica, a desire to eat non-nutritive substances which lapses into more nefarious, vampiric desires. This is a condition that has plagued her family, particularly the

For this essay I will be talking about the book “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies” by Bartolomé de Las Casas. Whom wrote this to the King of Spain, Prince Philip II, in 1542 to protest what was happening in the New World to the native people. I will be explaining many things during this essay. The first thing I will go over is what the books tells us about the relationship between Christianity and the colonialism. The second thing I will talk about is if it was enough to denounce the atrocities against indigenous people. Next, if it is possible to

The text uses main character, Clare, to demonstrate how an individual's abandonment of their own race in pursuit of better life ultimately leaves them feeling lost in society. Clare represents this pursual of a better life, by passing in order to marry into

Maud Gonne, an Irish nationalist and patriot, was a huge muse to Yeats and his poetry. Her passion for Ireland and its freedom was a large part of the reason why William Yeats was so passionate about the dealings in Ireland himself. Maud was born in England but loved Ireland and believed strongly in its independence from Britain. Although she is most known for her association with William Butler Yeats, she had many accomplishments herself. She created the Daughters of Ireland. The Daughters of Ireland was an organization which provided a home for Irish nationalist women and encouraged the study of: Gaelic, Irish literature, history, music and art. Maud also went on a crusade to improve prison conditions after she suffered a brief imprisonment herself. She even wrote a bestselling book herself called A Servant of the

Mary Hutchinson was by far the most glorious and loving person through-out the novel, and loved by all that knew her, “We all loved one another but somehow every one of us had a special work with Polly. She was so bright and cheery and brave” (Pg.7). She was a young seamstress who lived a simple life, making an honest living and was very close to her loving family. She had been pursued by her co-worker the young Jack Wilson, who fall in love with her (or so she thought), but it was normal for people to be attracted to her beautiful nature. After years of courting they had finally gotten married and had children of their own, although the second would not be born until the “father” I say vaguely had left the country. This once highly sought after woman would now be left to care for two young children while her husband moved countries to find work (not to mention flee embarrassment). This was the moment that would change her life for the worst, only she hadn’t known it yet.

For Ira Berlin, starts off by telling us about a planter receiving his African slaves off the vessel. Once the planter picked the "strong" ones, he decided to strip them off their culture by renaming every single one of them; the planter used names such as Tom, Molly, or even a name of a barnyard animal, Jumper (Berlin, 1996). In further analysis of Berlin's work, we were enlightened about how Atlantic Creoles appeared. Now, Atlantic Creoles are unique because it reveals the early processes by which race was constructed and reconstructed (Berlin, 1996). The product of Atlantic Creoles came about when Europeans meet Africans in the Americas; this is the first appearance of interracial relationships in the reading. An example of this is European

There is a natural connection between Walcott and Saint Lucia, as it was the place in which he was born and raised. Walcott’s unique perspective of Saint Lucia and masterful skill set in poetry allowed him to achieve a fait accompli that many other poets fail to attain. It is quite amazing how Walcott uses Helen. He uses Achilles and Hector’s reciprocal pursuit of Helen to indicate France and British constant struggle for Saint Lucia. Which they ultimately battle 14 times for control of the island state. The first attempts at colonization were made by the British in 1605 and 1638, but they were unsuccessful because of sickness and hostility from the native Caribs ( native people formerly inhabiting the Lesser Antilles). A satisfactory settlement was achieved in 1650 by the French, who made a treaty with the Caribs in 1660. In 1664 the British gained control of the island, but it was restored to France in the Treaty of Breda in 1667. After some battles between France and England, Saint Lucia finally gained independence on February 22, 1979.

The Caribbean is a vastly diverse area representing the effects of colonialism, slavery, and the combination of many cultures.

In John K. Thornton’s book, A Cultural History of the Atlantic World, 1250 – 1820, Thornton describes the exploration of the western world by powerful European nations. Early on in the text Thornton details the ways early European merchants and explorers discovered the routes across the Atlantic to what would eventually become the Americas. He then lays out the formation and expansion of the slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Throughout all of this Thornton very effectively communicates and disproves any common mistakes or false presumptions readers may have. He continues to do this when he switches his focus from the discovery of the Atlantic world to the colonization of it. Thornton explains how the two major European powers in the Atlantic world at that time, England and Spain, “conquered” and colonized the new world. He especially focuses on the relationships between the native peoples and the incoming Europeans. He explores the ways both groups effected each other. He goes on to state that the way in which the social structure of the European colonies was determine in large measure by the social structure of the indigenous people at the time of European arrival. This serves as Thornton’s thesis of the text and he provides evidence to support his claim. He also mentions that most of the time the story of the Atlantic World is told from an exclusively European perspective. And while he does try to include all aspects in the narrative I’m not totally

She “had been made to memorize it, verse after verse, and then had recited the whole poem to an auditorium full of parents, teachers, and [her] fellow pupils” (Page 18), even though she would not see such a flower until becoming almost twenty years old. Lucy sees the daffodils Mariah shows her as reminder of her colonial education. Upon close examination, one notices a parallel between the interactions between Lucy and her mother, and Lucy’s colonized country and its colonizer or “mother country,” England. The presence of her mother haunts Lucy’s mind while she is in America. She cannot seem to escape the traits she has inherited from her mother. Although Lucy’s mother seems to allow some kind of separation by allowing Lucy to travel to America, she has no intention of making it permanent and completely letting go of Lucy. She consistently writes her letters. Similarly the legacy of colonialism is almost impossible to escape from. It has woven itself with the ways of the country and the people of the country and it takes great effort to escape. Lucy struggles to reconcile what she has internalized from her mother with what she discovers about herself:

The French and English had many battles near this island, including the Battle of Cul de Sac and the Battle of the Saintes, which has a significant impact in the pages of the poem. Major Plunkett, in his analyzation of the history of St Lucia, becomes very interested in an Ensign Plunkett, who (only in Omeros) is part of the Battle of the Saintes. Today, St. Lucia is a multicultural democracy which became independent from English rule in 1979.

(Group Tainos) The cacique was the head of the Tainos society. The cacique was a hereditary title which passed down from father to son. Generally speaking, the Tainos practised monogamy. However, the cacique was allowed to practise polygamy (this was to increase his chances of having a heir).