West Indies U.S.A by Steward Brown

West Indies U.S.A[The under dog poem that deserved more tbh]

West Indies, U.S.A.  Stewart Brown  Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the endless green  the islands seem like dice tossed on a casino’s baize,  Some come up lucky, others not. Puerto Rico takes the pot,  the Dallas of the West Indies, silver linings on the clouds  as we descend are hall-marked, San Juan glitters  like a maverick’s gold ring.  All across the Caribbean  we’d collected terminals – airports are like calling cards, cultural fingermarks; the hand-written signs at Port Au- Prince, Piarco’s sleazy tourist art, the lethargic contempt of the baggage boys at ‘Vere Bird’ in St. Johns...  And now for plush San Juan. -But the pilot’s bland,  you’re safe in my hands drawl crackles as we land, ‘US regulations demand all passengers not disembarking  at San Juan stay on the plane, I repeat, stay on the plane.’  Subtle Uncle Sam, afraid too many desperate blacks  might re-enslave this Island of the free, might jump the barbed - electric fence around ‘America’s backyard’ and claim that vaunted sanctuary... ‘Give me your poor...’  Through toughened, tinted glass the contrasts tantalise;  US patrol cars glide across the shimmering tarmac,  containered baggage trucks unload with fierce efficiency.  So soon we’re climbing,  low above the pulsing city streets;  galvanised shanties overseen by condominiums  polished Cadillacs shimmying past Rastas with pushcarts  and as we climb, San Juan’s fool’s glitter calls to mind  the shattered innards of a TV set that’s fallen off the back of a lorry, all painted valves and circuits  the roads like twisted wires, - the bright cars, micro-chips.  It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to someone else.

 

SUMMARY

The persona is travelling in a plane, looking down at San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the plane descends. He is saying that this island is the wealthiest in the Caribbean because it has won the jackpot, it has come up lucky. He then points out that he, and others, had travelled to many Caribbean islands and received a hint of the flavour of each island through it’s calling card, – its airport – all of which fail when compared to plush San Juan. As they land, they are instructed to stay on the plane if their destination is not San Juan. The persona takes offence and states that America does not want blacks in San Juan, implying that they might be a disruptive force. He notes the efficiency with which things flow, enabling them to take to the skies once more. During the ascent, the persona notes the contrast between the influences of the Caribbean and America. He likens San-Juan to a broken TV, it looks good on the outside, but broken on the inside.

 

LITERARY DEVICES

1. SIMILE

Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to dice that is tossed on a casino’s baize, it can either come up with winning numbers, or losing numbers. Puerto Rico comes up with winning numbers in the game of chance, as reflected in its wealthy exterior, which is supported by America.

Lines 7-8: San Juan’s glitter is compared to a maverick’s gold ring. The word maverick implies non-conformist, an individualist. This implies that San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean, but not a part of the Caribbean. It belongs to America.

Lines 10-11: Airports are compared to calling cards. This means that, like a calling card, the quality of the airport gives you an idea of the island’s economic status. The airport is also compared to a cultural fingerprint. A fingerprint is an individual thing, therefore the airport gives the traveler an idea of the island’s cultural landscape.

Line 39: The road is compared to twisted wires. This means that the roads, from above, look both plentiful and curvy. This does not carry a positive connotation, but implies confusion.

 

2. ALLUSION

Line 5: Dallas is an oil rich state in America. Therefore, many of its inhabitants are wealthy, and the state itself is wealthy. By stating that San Juan is the Dallas of the West Indies, it implies that it is a wealthy island in the West Indies.

Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well known cliche; ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. It means that behind everything that is seemingly bad, there is good. In the context of this poem, it means that the good, the silver lining, has a mark, or stamp, that authenticates its good quality; it is hallmarked. This implies that it will always have its silver lining showing.

 

3. SARCASM

Line 20: This statement means the exact opposite of what is stated. The persona is disgusted that Uncle Sam (America) would have such a regulation. This regulation bars anyone from stepping a toe on Puerto Rican soil, if it is not your intended destination. You just have to remain in the aircraft, no matter the waiting period, until it is time for takeoff. The persona believes that the Americans are being blatantly discriminatory, and are attempting to camouflage it through the use of regulations. He does not believe that they have achieved their goal of subtlety.

Line 20: The statement, ‘give me your poor…’ is particularly sarcastic because it is a direct quote from the New Colossus, which rests on a plaque on the statue of liberty, and signifies that the disenfranchised of the world are welcome. The persona, as a member of the ‘disenfranchised’ masses, clearly feels unwelcome.     

Line 26: The persona implies that America is all talk and no action. They really do not want the poor because they bar them from entering and expediently send them on their way when they enter their airport. The statement is sarcastic because it is loaded with an alternate meaning, due to the contrast in statement and action.

  

4. PUN

Line 17-18: The pun is placed on ‘land of the free’, it becomes ‘Island of the free’. This pun emphasizes how isolated Puerto Rico is from the rest of the Caribbean islands. It belongs to the U.S.A. This state of belonging to, or being owned by the US is asserted through its insertion into the Star Spangled Banner.

Line/Phrase Breakdown;

5. ‘plush’

This word implies soft, like a teddy bear. It also implies luxury. So San Juan is all of these things.

6.’desperate blacks might re-enslave this Island of the free’

These ‘desperate blacks’ to whom the persona is referring are the poor people of the Caribbean. If they converge on the glistening San Juan, sucking up its resources, then it might become re-enslaved by poverty.

7.’America’s backyard’

A backyard means one of two things for people. It is a haven where you relax, therefore you decorate it and invest time and money in it. Or, you ignore it and spend all your time indoors, not investing any time, energy or money in it. America viewed Puerto Rico as the latter, a prize in which it saw value. Therefore, when the persona uses this phrase, he is implying that while it is valued, it is still at the back. Slight sarcasm is being used here.

8.’the contrasts tantalise’

When something, or someone, is tantalising, it implies that it is intriguing. The persona, by using this phrase, is trying to draw the reader's attention to the jarring contrasts by stating that he finds them intriguing.

9.’fierce efficiency’

The word fierce, used to describe the level of efficiency with which the people worked to get the plane off the ground, shows the extent to which they were not wanted on the island.

10.’fools-glitter’

This implies that the flashiness of San Juan was not authentic.

11.’It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to some-one else.’

This implies that San Juan is not safe. The cultures are not melding, but jarring against each other. The reason for this is because it belongs to someone else.

CONTRAST

The contrast in this poem is found in stanza 5. The American cars etc, against the pushcarts. The American culture versus Puerto Rican culture.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE

The mood of the poem is sarcastic.

TONE

The tone of the poem is slightly bitter, which is fueled by the sarcastic atmosphere.

 

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION

• Discrimination,

• oppression,

• places,

• culture.                           

Fears that blacks might take over Puerto Rico again. The poet compares the Puerto Rician airport to Haiti and Trinidads due to the countries’ wealth.

Puerto Rico developed due to the relationship with America. 

African Thunderstorm By David Rubadiri

African Thunderstorm [Quiet literally the poem you are going to hate either the most or second most... not because of the content- its a well structured and written poem- but because the teachers are going to reference it almost every single time for an essay or whatever they need a reference for smh]

The Dictation used in free verse is to capture the quick movements as much as possible in a short sentence. One word sentences are used to portray how quickly the storm happens.. THus it has no pattern or rhyme scheme but is very detailed.

Line breakdowns;

Title; → An african thunderstorm← 

• It contrasts two things/ideas that occur differently.

• THe storm is destructive yet fascinating to the readers.

→ Lines; Stanza 1← 

Verse/ Stanza 1 shows the coming together of the storm;

Clouds come hurring with the winds;

• Shows the unpredictable nature of the storm.

Turning, Sharply;

• Emphasises the movement of the approaching storm, suspense hangs in the air like quick nature.

Like a plague of locusts;

• A simile showing the destructive nature of the storm along with its movement.

Tossing up things on its tail;

• Picking up more clouds as it gets larger.

Like a madman chasing nothing;

• Simile used to show the unruly movement of the winds

Pregnant clouds;

• A metaphor used to show the clouds getting bigger and biggers as if it were a pregnant lady with a baby growing in her stomach.

Ride stately on its back;

• Personification example which shows the shaping of the hurricane like a cone shape.

Like dark sinister wings;

• A simile used to show the evil look of the hurricane's appearance. As it is hovering over and threatening.

The winds whistled by, And trees bend to let it pass;

• It appears as if the trees move out of the hurricane's path, as well as show repetition as it has not hit yet yet the winds power is overwhelming.

→ Stanza/Verse 2← 

This stanza takes place in the village and what is happening along with their preparation. It mainly shows the vulnerability of the person and how they are afraid of what is to come.

*Screams of delighted children

• This line shows the innocence of the children as they are not aware of the destruction and dangers the storm brings with it.

 *Toss and turn 

*In the din of the wind;

• These *three lines portray the  delight of the children for the storm that they wish to play in despite the worry of their parents.

Dart about, In and out

• These two lines show the vulnerability of the villagers and emphasises on it to show the power of the storm.

The mad winds whirls by, And trees bend to let it pass;

• The line is repeated to show the storm is still going on and all the persons can do is wish to be safe.

And the pelting march of the storm;

• Rain starts falling then leaves the story in a cliffhanger which leaves suspense to end off the story.

Literary Devices used;

• Simile;

• “Like a plague of locusts, ” the storm is coming with a destructive force

• “Like a madman chasing nothing.” Show the chaotic movement of the storm

• “Like sinister dark wings;” showing the harshness and “evil” of the storm

• Imagery;

• “From the west

• Clouds come hurrying with the wind

• Turning sharply

• “…on their backs Dart about In and out”.

• “Clothes wave-like tattered flags Flying off”

• Onomatopoeia;

• “Rumble, tremble and crack”

• “The wind whistles”

• Personification ;

• ”Pregnant clouds,” not literal pregnant clouds but clouds filled with fain

• The wind whistles

Themes

• Nature

• Man vs nature

• Colonization/Colonialism

Natural Elements used;

•  Clouds

• Wind

• Tree

• Thunder

• Lightening

• Rain

Nature working together to bring about the hurricane or the natural phenomenon as the common link  of nature is the steadfast and persistence of nature.

Emma By Carolyn Cole

Emma [This is undoubtedly one of the best stories you'll read and honestly it was worth it]

→ The story is a representation of the adult world through the eyes of children

→  Emma is the mother of the narrator, Dory.

→ Mrs Robinson is the train station woman or the fathers’ affair.

Themes Used;

• Childhood VS Adulthood;

• We see the perception of the adults around them. The adults try to protect the children from getting hurt but some adults have their own interests at heart.

• Childhood Innocence;

• Dory is the innocent young child who struggles to understand the behaviours of the adults.

• Deception;

• Jack deceives Emma, 

• Mrs. Robinson deceives Emma.

• Betrayal;

• A husband deceives his wife.

• A friend betraying another friend.

• Parent- Child Relationships;

• Emma and Dory

• Dory and Jack

• Maria and Mrs. Robinson

• Appearance VS Reality;

• People pretending to be friends

• Friendship;

-Maria and Dory’s friendship is the only one that lasts.

• Infidelity;

• Jack to Emma
• Mrs. Robinson to Mr Robinson[if he's still in the picture]

• Adolescence;

- Maria

- Dory

• Death/ Grief ;

• Maria and Dory to Emma

B/N; and then that homewrecker of a monster Mrs. Robinson jus gon' send Dory and HER OWN daughter off to a boarding school. And one our teacher... he made us do a short story about what happens after 'Emma' for an exam and I wrote about Dory coming back to see Mrs. Robinson living a livish life that Emma should have had and the pair wanted the children back in their lives and Dory had this whole

revenge plan so she accepted and she pushed Mrs Robinson off the stairs and made it look like and accident cause Jack's cheating on Robinson now and She's a drunk because of it.... serves her right.

Techniques Used;

• Motif; 

• A recurring idea in a story or a poem.

• Games;

• They are a recurring idea as the story ‘Emma” as both adults and children play games.

Games played by;

Adults	Children
Deception Dishonesty Personal feelings Relationships	Cards and make believe games about their surroundings.

• Irony

• Contrast

• Imagery

• Conflict

• Symbolism

To Da-Duh In Memoriam By Paule Marshall

To Da-Duh In Memoriam

→ The story title indicates that it is a tribute to the grandmother who has passed away. The grandmother figure played an important role in the granddaughter’s life.

→ It should be noted that the narrator has a negative opinion of Caribbean life and she does not welcome it as a new experience.

→ In the story the child's family has migrated to North America for reasons like;

• For better opportunities

• Jobs and education

• Security

• Better standards of living

• Better healthcare

→ The locals are amazed by the visitors from New York as North American are more developed than caribbean islands. Many people migrated from Caribbean islands.

→ The granddaughter is expected to form a connection with the grandmother.

→ Barbados is where the mother’s roots have originated as well as traditions.

→ ‘‘To Da-duh, in Memoriam’’ is an autobiographical story told from the point of view of an adult looking back on a childhood memory. The story opens as the nine-year-old narrator, along with her mother and sister, disembarks from a boat that has brought them to Bridgetown, Barbados. It is 1937, and the family has come to visit from their home in Brooklyn, leaving behind the father, who believed it was a waste of money to take the trip. 

 

→ The hard-hitting reality of a life-death cycle is inevitable. Time stands testimony to this fact. Paule Marshall has illustrated this through the depiction of conflicting ideas between her and Da-Duh and she conveys this message at the start when she writes, “both knew, at a level beyond words, that I had come into the world not only to love her and to continue her line but to take her very life in order that I might live.”

SUMMARY;

This short story is about a young girl's vacation to the island of Barbados from New York. The protagonist travels to Dah-Duh with her sister and mother. The visit is fascinating, as Dah-Duh and the protagonist form a caring, yet competitive, friendship.

The protagonist shows her grandmother to the steel and concrete world of New York, while Dah-Duh introduces her to the riches of Barbados (nature) (industrialism). Their interactions have a competitive aspect to them since they are each trying to outdo the other on the merits of their respective homes.

Dah-Duh, on the other hand, suffers a setback when she learns of the Empire State Building, which is many stories taller than the highest point she has ever seen — Bissex Hill. She lost a little of her zeal that day, and she didn't get an opportunity to reclaim it because the protagonist moved for New York not long after.

The plot picks up after Dah-death Duh's during the historic 1937 strike. She had refused to leave her house and was eventually found dead by her window, in a chair.

The protagonist spent a brief period in penance, living as an artist and painting landscapes that were reminiscent of Barbados.

 

SETTING	The story is set in Barbados, in the 1930’s.
CHARACTERS; Dah-Duh:               The protagonist;	Character description; A small and purposeful old woman. Had a painfully erect figure. Over eighty (80) years old. She moved quickly at all times. She had a very unattractive face, which was ‘stark and fleshless as a death mask’ (Marshall, p.178). Her eyes were alive with life. Competitive spirit. Had a special relationship with the protagonist. A thin little girl. Nine (9) years old. A strong personality. Competitive in nature. Had a special relationship with Dah-Duh.

 

 

| Characters | NBS

Da-duh; 

The narrator's grandma, Da-duh, is eighty years old. She has lived on Barbados her life and is confident and proud of her lifestyle, surroundings, and perspectives on life. She is uneasy in Bridgetown because she dislikes the trappings of the modern world, such as any machinery. When Da-duh first meets the narrator, the narrator imagines seeing "something in me that she found troubling for some reason." Da-duh, on the other hand, feels a strong bond with her granddaughter, as evidenced by the way she clasps her hand.

Paule Marshall aptly portrays the cycle of the nature of life and death through her last line “she died and I lived” referring to her grandmother. Death is not physical alone. It is the death of old ideologies, dated traditions and disparate acceptance of modernization.

The interactions that the narrator has with her grandmother remind us of the passage of time between generations. The demise of Da-Duh signifies the change that is inevitable, the transition from the old to the new.

Techniques Used;

 The use of Adjectives and descriptions to show the authors first hand experience

• Symbolism

• Describing the foreboding character of death, the narrator feels that the planes that bring death to the little village are “swooping and screaming…monstrous birds”. The sugarcanes that grow in the village are Da-Duh’s delight and also the reason for the exploitation in the village. The pride of Da-Duh, the sugarcanes appear threatening to the narrator; she feels that the canes are “clashing like swords above my cowering head”. This is a description of the duality of life. Where there is joy, there is pain and when there is life, death is bound to follow.

• The SYMBOL used;  Empire State Building

• This building represents power and progress. It is in the midst of the cold glass and steel of New York city and, therefore, deforms Dah-Duh’s symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident that the knowledge of this building shakes Dah-Duh’s confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of progress, is what shakes the nature loving Dah-Duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State Building – defeat – is a foreshadowing of her death. This is the case because it is metal, in the form of the planes, that ‘rattled her trees and flatten[ed] the young canes in her field.’ (Marshall. p.186). This is a physical echo of her emotional response to the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State building. The fact that she is found dead after this incident is not a surprise to the reader.

• Imagery

• The life-death antithesis is depicted in the closing lines of the book where the narrator paints “seas of sugar-cane and huge swirling Van Gogh suns and palm trees [in] a tropical landscape . . .while the thunderous tread of the machines downstairs jarred the floor beneath my easel.’’ Light is identified by the surrounding darkness and life, by death that eventually follows. The transient nature of life is evidenced by the changes that happen over a period of time.

• Death’s morbidity invades the colorful mind. The narrator imbues the reader’s mind with images that allude to this dark reality. “All these trees….Well, they’d be bare. No leaves, no fruit, nothing. They’d be covered in snow. You see your canes. They’d be buried under tons of snow.”

• Metaphor

• The narrator draws us to the reality of inevitable changes that our lives are subject to. Again, the sugarcanes are metaphorically perceived as the ominous danger that “…would close in on us and run us through with their stiletto blades.” Later, the planes that cause the death of her grandmother are visualized by the narrator as “the hardback beetles which hurled themselves with suicidal force against the walls of the house at night.” She points at our dogmatism in accepting the fact that the world is constantly changing. Those who fail to see this at first, experience it the hard way later.

THEMES USED;

• Race:

• Dah-Duh and the protagonist discuss the fact that she ‘beat up a white girl’ in her class. Dah-Duh is quite shocked at this and exclaims that the world has changed so much that she cannot recognize it. This highlights their contrasting experiences of race. Dah-Duh’s experience of race relations is viewing the white ‘massa’ as superior, as well as viewing all things white as best. This is shown at the beginning of the story when it was revealed that Dah-Duh liked her grandchildren to be white, and in fact had grandchildren from the illegitimate children of white estate managers. Therefore, a white person was some-one to be respected, while for the protagonist, white people were an integral part of her world, and she viewed herself as their equal.

• Love and family relationship:

• This story highlights the strong familial ties that exist among people of the Caribbean, both in the islands and abroad (diaspora). The persona and her family left New York to visit the matriarch of the family, in Barbados, highlighting the ties. The respect accorded to Dah-Duh by the mother also shows her place, or status, in the family. The protagonist states that in the presence of Dah-Duh, her formidable mother became a child again. 

• Gender Issues:

• This is a minor theme in this short story. It is highlighted when it is mentioned that Dah-Duh liked her grandchildren to be boys. This is ironic because the qualities that are stereotypically found in boys – assertive, strong willed, competitive – are found in her granddaughter. An example of this is the manner in which the protagonist / narrator was able to win the staring match when she first met Dah-Duh, this proved her dominance and strength.