West Indian Poetry
West Indian poetry germinated its seed in the eighteenth century. The art form in the beginnings though vibrant, had been nearly impossible to discover. Caribbean poetry was influenced by slavery and the British system having supreme authority over the people of the West Indies. Accustom to the written form, there is also an oral element to West Indian poetry. This can be seen in, traditional folk songs, sankeys, calypsos, hymns, chants, and reggae songs. This analysis deals with the work of two major Caribbean poets, Eric Roach and Martin Carter. Both poets have significantly represented their purposes and mission in and through their work.
Eric Roach poems display his passion for the land and the people, both of which are so clearly West Indian. The poems “The flowering rock” and “Poem”, show Roach’s way of thinking and involves the reader into what he sees. The poem “The flowering rock” was written either between the periods, 1938-1974. The title of the poem signifies that, out of something hard and inanimate, flourishes beautiful life, in the form of a flower.
Roach may have written this poem to recreate a sense of self-worth in the people of the West Indies. Colonialism, however had replaced self-worth with self-contempt, establishing images of West Indians as “dotish” or uneducated. One might suggest that it portrays a struggle between the West Indian African people and the culture of the Europeans. Even though the African people are in a struggle experiencing a state of suppression, they adapt to the changes. These individuals, in addition, do not allow the British influence to break their stride and take away their joy. They envelop a positive mind-set and look forward to the future.
In the poem, “flowering rock”, personification functions as a device of art. The words used, creates an image within the readers head, this therefore, evokes the intensity of feeling in order to clearly understand what concept the poet is trying to exhibit. For Roach,
Eric Roach poems display his passion for the land and the people, both of which are so clearly West Indian. The poems “The flowering rock” and “Poem”, show Roach’s way of thinking and involves the reader into what he sees. The poem “The flowering rock” was written either between the periods, 1938-1974. The title of the poem signifies that, out of something hard and inanimate, flourishes beautiful life, in the form of a flower.
Roach may have written this poem to recreate a sense of self-worth in the people of the West Indies. Colonialism, however had replaced self-worth with self-contempt, establishing images of West Indians as “dotish” or uneducated. One might suggest that it portrays a struggle between the West Indian African people and the culture of the Europeans. Even though the African people are in a struggle experiencing a state of suppression, they adapt to the changes. These individuals, in addition, do not allow the British influence to break their stride and take away their joy. They envelop a positive mind-set and look forward to the future.
In the poem, “flowering rock”, personification functions as a device of art. The words used, creates an image within the readers head, this therefore, evokes the intensity of feeling in order to clearly understand what concept the poet is trying to exhibit. For Roach,