Derek
Walcott is a painter, poet, and playwright born in Castries, Saint Lucia in
1930. Though his father, an artist, died when Walcott and his twin brother were
very young, the brothers and their older sister were able to stay with their
mother in Saint Lucia (Sture). Walcott’s experience of life in the
formerly-colonized islands, his racially mixed heritage, and the history of
abuse the island and it’s people had taken over the years greatly impacted his
identity and work.
Walcott’s
poems focuses heavily on just the theme of identity, which is why it is worth
addressing here but not in an analysis of home. His poem “Love After Love”, where
he tells -
And say,
sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
It is clear that the message
of “Love After Love” is to take the time to love yourself, by yourself, instead
of forever chasing after the love of others.
Many individuals have
struggled to see themselves, and have instead loved the experiences of the West
and the things that westerners love as a result of assimilation and
post-colonialism. In his poem, Walcott illustrates the prodigal return to the
self, encouraging readers that one day they will eventually ” love again the
stranger who was yourself.”
In “As John to Patmos” he glorifies
the allures and blessings of his dearest island hyperbolically.
“The
island is heaven
For
beauty has surrounded
It’s
black children, and freed them of homeless ditties.”
He says this out of his
inexpressible love for Santa Lucia which likely to have blessed all her
homeless people with accommodation. “As John to Patmos” is a bright example of
his exuberant love for the sea, the hooks, flora and fauna, the sky of his
dearest island and black islanders that are, as it were Celestial blessing to him.
He says in his 'As John to
Patmos' poems-
“This island is heaven-away from the dustblown blood of cities;
See the curve of bay, watch
the straggling flower, pretty is
The wing'd sound of trees,
the sparse-powdered sky, when lit is
The Night”
This
is one of the earliest examples of Walcott's engagement with the natural world
and proof of his love of it. Describing his island as 'heaven' has clear
Biblical connotations, and he juxtaposes this paradise of a place with the
'dustblown blood of cities', referring to the violence that often takes place
in urban areas ('blood') and the pollution of the natural world through human
activity ('dustblown').
The poet again mention his own
identity in his poem 'A Far Cry from Africa' from 'In a Green Night' -
“I who am poisoned with the blood
of both,
Where shall I turn, divided to
the vein?”
This
quote is one of the most famous in all of Derek Walcott's literary oeuvre. He is describing how he has both African and
European blood as he mixed-race and is not sure where he goes from here. He is not only divided in terms of skin
colour or outward appearance but internally as well. The use of the verb
'divided' conjures in the mind of the reader the phrase 'Divide and Rule' which
was used by imperialists to show them how they could expand their empires.
So
for Walcott, the heart that has always loved and known him is the Caribbean,
and he has love for the stranger who was himself. For others, the path to
finding that heart continues, but “Love After Love” promises that true identity
will eventually be revealed and embraced
Therefore,
in the light of above analysis it can be said that Derek Walcott explores in
his writing the processes of identity-making in the colonial and postcolonial
Caribbean and the complex connections between Caribbean identities and the
Caribbean Sea and landscape. His poetic posture shows that he is not
restricted in the boundary of criticizing imperialism rather he shows his
strong desire to celebrate both in their own way. He tries to express of his love for his own
identity his every poem.
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