Tag Archives: Week 12

Week 12.5 – The Ocean Contains True History

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I was working on my discovery assignment and thinking about yesterday’s in-class discussion when a realization dawned on me.

When talking about The Sea Is History we talked a lot about how the ocean preserves what’s lost in it. We talked about Moby Dick and its last line and how it gives the impression that the ocean is (literally) filled with stories and artifacts of events that we can’t memorialize by building a statue in its place.

To try to illustrate why I think this reality is so significant, consider a battle at sea versus a battle on land for a moment. Both fights share a few characteristics: each will result in a massive expenditure of money, resources, and troops, and each will have a winner and a loser. Beyond that, the two are completely independent. The winner of a land battle is entitled to the territory on which they fought. They get to change the way the area is governed and build monuments and museums filled with art and propaganda sympathetic to their cause. They are free to discard any proof that their acquisition of the land was any more violent or hateful than was necessary in order to remain benevolent to its governed peoples.

At sea, we are more than likely left to take the winner’s word on how their victory is achieved. You can’t claim the water, really – you definitely can’t build memorials to commemorate it. And while, yes, there is no presentable evidence to show malice or the true moral ambiguity of the conflict – the evidence DOES exist. Its under the water, untouched by men – resulting in what I would safely refer to as TRUE history.

It’s history without a consciousness; ultimately, it’s a dead history – having avoided the post-mortem manipulation that events on land face to keep the propaganda alive. But personally, I don’t want history to have a narrative. I do not want there to be good guys and bad guys, and I don’t believe in generational hate. I value the ocean for its ability to be honest with us and hold a mirror to our shitty behavior because the first step to improving at anything is to take accountability for the fact that you need to improve to begin with.

Sorry if I essentially reworded the conclusion we came to in class, I just felt like this was a revelation for me. I definitely dabble in true crime and conspiracy thought a bit too much and I totally could be predisposed to this line of thinking – but I do think that the history books we are all made to read growing up were largely dishonest promotions of “*Insert Country Name* Values and Reasons For Being Superior”, so I enjoy getting the chance to take a more critical look at human history.

Blogpost Week 12 – The Water Will Carry Us Home

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To be quite frank I totally blanked on work coming out of break but more importantly I wanted to still be able to understand what was happening in class tomorrow and I am glad I still decided to watch the video. Although I lack complete understanding of the short story, I thought that it was brilliantly put together and tells one incredibly powerful and dark story of our history. The eye displayed on the hand of the man with the key is a typical sign of wisdom, and the fact that he has a key attached to it (which unlocks the door) resembles the concept of unlocking hidden wisdom. In my personal opinion, I believe that knowledge is power, and the man with the hat possesses much of it. Furthermore, merpeople (and more specifically sirens) have been known to hold the secrets of the world, which tend to lead sailors off course. The idea that Omambala, the water spirit, will still serve as a guide and source of hope along this horrific journey is something to take note of. I am not sure if Omambala represents an afterlife, and an afterlife of wisdom, power, and understanding due to being killed along the journey or if instead, she resembles a choice to subject oneself to that alternative lifestyle, and as other merpeople convince others of the same fate that might have been better than what was waiting on the other side. In a nutshell I really have no idea but I am very fascinated by the entire video all around and am excited to hear other people’s opinions. Something else I found that spoke to me was the quote at 1 minute and 21 seconds, “[t]he water spirit Omambala brought us here. The water spirit Omambala will bring us home” (Tesfaye). I find this to be beautiful because it resembles something huge of hope. It seems to me like a resounding, unquestionable sense of faith and hope, something that I think I personally lack and envy; and the pure fact that it is a water goddess with wisdom and power makes it that much more attractive to me. I think I am probably at a similar level of confusion as the Sirenomelia video, but after having learned so much I have high hopes for the discussions we have about this one. Lastly, I think it was super cool that when the music stopped, the lady (maybe Omambala?), started building an earthy headset, and the second she put it on the music continued. 

The Water Will Carry Us Home

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In the video “The Water Will Carry Us Home” by Gabrielle Tesfaye, we are presented to a story of “stolen Africans being thrown off the slave ship whilst sailing through the Middle Passage” (Tesfaye). This story was heart breaking because it was a lived reality by Africans, and the video beautifully captured the saving of their spirits. A lot of emotions went through me when watching this video, especially because of the music that was being played through such tragic scenes. The music was peaceful and giving a sense of hope, a feeling of “everything will be ok, I’ll take care of you.” And this feeling goes alongside the transformation of those who were thrown overboard into Merpeople. This transformation happens as fish swim around them, nurturing them as they become spirits. Which further allows for the exploration of water and the significance it has. In this video, water served as an avenue for rebirth, where what is assumed to be lost at sea is instead tranformed into an immortal spirit. I saw the ending as a form of reclaiming not only the spirits but the souls of the individuals who suffered because of this. It demonstrates resilience and empowerment.

The Water Will Carry Us Home

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This film looks like it has a lot to unwrap, and I think I missed a lot. What I did pick up on and really liked on my first watch is the personification of elements. The sense that the elements are divine, as well as Omambala. What I couldn’t quite understand was whether each of the elements and the mermaid were separate entities, or if they were all Omambala. I also noticed that the ship itself is personified, looking tired and ill. I like that all the sea creatures and the water seemed to be comforting those who were thrown overboard.

I wonder if it was on purpose when Tesfaye used water-based paint for her story.

This could be a misinterpretation on my part, but one thing that I noticed is that the ship moved from left to right (East to West), opposite from the direction that these ships historically traveled across the Atlantic. I wonder if this was done with intention.

The ending scene had me fascinated, as the bird sounds and the shells reminded me of the East Coast, where my parents are from. I wonder if the character is listening for the souls of those thrown off the ships, or could it be that she is listening for Omambala? As she puts the shells over her ears, the woman (possibly Tesfaye) hears the sounds of singing, but it isn’t obvious to me who it is. It seems like she may be using this film as a way to represent her ancestors, and show that it is important to communicate and understand your history, no matter how dark.

The Sea is History

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This week, I wanted to focus more on the poem, “The Sea is History”, by Dereck Walcott. This is by far one of the most interesting poems I have ever read. It focused mostly on the transportation of the slaves during the slave trade. This poem made me realize how heavy words can be when used properly. This poem almost seems like an act of rebellion to the way history is normally told. History is generally taught through the perspective of Christianity, more specifically in Europe. This poem constantly references the Bible. Stories like Exodus, the Ark of the Covenant, and Genesis are talked about, which are stories about great migrations. I think that talking about these stories with the slave trade amplifies the importance of the already heavy topic in a tasteful way.

The brutality of the wording is absolutely necessary in order to induce empathy in the reader. One of the lines that I found to be extremely interesting was when the narrator comments on the “men with eyes heavy as anchors, who sank without tombs” (Walcott 8). This line implies that suicide is much more preferable than living as a slave, and comparing eyes to anchors is a beautiful yet heartbreaking use of a simile. The idea that there is no tomb, just the ocean, implies that life is not the only thing being taken, but culture is being taken as well. Almost every culture has some type of ritual for death. The slave trade took that away for Africans, just as they stripped them of their entire culture. I thought this was a heavy line but it was extremely interesting to think about.

I also wanted to comment on how interesting it was to consider the ocean the “grey vault” that holds African history. The ocean is almost like an omnipotent being in this poem, the way it has so much power and history. I believe that this is a prime example of why history should be taught more through world literature. The way history is taught is extremely biased, but through world literature we can learn to gather information and truly learn from the past.

Week 12: The Sea is History

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After looking at this weeks readings, I found the poem, “The Sea is History,” to be quite interesting. Even the name of the poem itself proves its importance as it suggests that the sea serves as an archive of history, that contains the memories, struggles, and experiences of the people who have traveled it. Rather than focusing solely on written records or official accounts, Walcott suggests that the sea itself holds valuable insights into the past, offering alternative perspectives and voices that may have been marginalized or silenced. Derek Walcott uses biblical allusions and imagery throughout the poem, drawing parallels between the experiences of the Caribbean people and stories from the Bible. The sea can represent both a source of liberation (in the Exodus) and a site of suffering and oppression (in the Middle Passage). This shows the sea as a symbol of both hope and tragedy within the Caribbean imagination.

The line, “and then each rock broke into its own nation;” really stuck out to me and I think it is because it is bringing up the significance of boundaries once again. In a response to the European colonization of the Caribbean communities, separate nations were formed on each island. The metaphor of rocks breaking into nations creates an image of upheaval and division, reflecting the violent and disruptive impact of colonialism on the region. As Europeans colonized the Caribbean islands, they enforced their own political, social, and economic structures, which led to the displacement and oppression of indigenous peoples and the forced migration of enslaved Africans. But, this line cannot be interpreted as solely negative, as it also appreciates the resilience of these communities and the formation of new ones under the destructive forces of colonization. Also, the two lines toward the end that read, “there was the sound/like a rumour without any echo,” are thought provoking, as the stories of history go deeper than the surface. By Walcott comparing history to a “rumour,” he is implying how history can be manipulated, just as a rumour can. And as the absence of an “echo,” he is suggesting that these stories have not been fully acknowledged or even heard. This reminds me of history being called “his story” because it is just so prevalent and true. There is such power dynamics inherent in historical narratives, as many primary authors and interpretators of history have been people in positions of power, who are often men. This has obviously shaped our understanding of the past and perceiving different groups of people. It makes me question the things I have learned in school and to take in to consideration who is writing these historical narratives.

Week 12: The Water Will Carry Us Home

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This week’s stop motion animation left me curious but also fascinated with the art that was used. There were a couple of details that stood out to me but watching the short video I couldn’t help but focus on the key that was used. When the key is first showed it is to unlock the story of slaves were being moved through the ocean on ship and those who had fallen into the water eventually came to be mermaids, and the key is later then showed again as it is locking up the story again. The key shows a way in which there are beings that are able to hide or make visible stories about the ocean but it’s a “pick and choose” which they believe should be told, this going back to the story that was showed about African American merpeople first coming to be which is unusual in history as it has been portrayed to be only white merpeople. The key is also showing the way in which stories are told from different cultural backgrounds, in this short animation we are viewing the origin of merpeople through Yoruba Orishas who helped cause this phenomenon to happen. Stories like these are ones that aren’t heavily present in any sort of history, so I think it’s interesting that there are even stop motion animation to tell these stories as they are important not only to the history of mermaids but to the history of Ocean. The Ocean is a fluid place with so much history and with that history holds so many different stories for so many cultures that it’s not easy to think one version of a story exist, to think that multiple variations of a story exist as it translated differently throughout cultures.

Week 12: The Sea is History

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After doing this week’s readings, I found the poem to be super interesting. The way that the author uses the first half of the poem to describe biblical events as seen through the perspective of the ocean is fascinating. Going through those events and describing them using the ocean, shows just how long the ocean has been around and how constant the ocean is. The poem states, “but the ocean kept turning blank pages / looking for History” (lines 24-25). These two lines explain that while the sands in the ocean move and the structure of the ocean floor changes, the ocean itself remains a stable entity. The capitalization of History is also interesting because it makes the subject appear to be much more important and is almost used as a name. In a way, history is personified and the ocean becomes a more dynamic living organism that is searching for history. 

I also found the constant reference to history really interesting. Multiple times throughout the poem the author states that an event or something he just described was not history, but who decides what is history? The poem says, “but that was not History, / that was only faith / and then each rock broke into its own nation;” (lines ). This stanza disregards the events explained at the beginning of the poem because it states that history cannot be faith and faith cannot be history. This hints that history starts when the continents separate and nations start to form. I think that’s an interesting idea because faith to me is something that people believe in that helps them to explain their existence while the formation of the continents is a more scientific event. Is the author referencing history as seeing human impact on the ocean or is it something else entirely?

Week 12: The Water Will Carry Us Home

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The film “The Water Will Carry Us Home”, starts off with Gabrielle Tesfaye in her element– writing, burning incense, embracing her cultural attributes etc. The first minute and a half of the film evokes feelings of healing and harmony through depicting Tesfaye’s performance of what seems to be her natural routine. Her cultural preservation offers a sense of comfort to immigrants/refugees who have endured historical or present traumas as a result of Colonialism, Imperialism, war, and/or slavery. Her performance offers hope that indigenous cultural practices are not extinct in the face of colonialism and/or immigration from one continent/country to another. 

In the next segment of the film (after the first 1.30s), Tesfaye exhibits a paper-made short film illustrating the shipment process of captured individuals being shipped off to another country as slaves. In the beginning, the water is presented with fish swimming in the ocean and very calming music is playing in the background. A ship emerges and the music becomes slightly more abrupt. Once the individuals are captured, some have fallen into the sea– including pregnant women. This part of the film shows how destructive humans are not only to the environment but to each other. We have a lifelong history of not only disrupting the environment but also of distructing each other by territorial, cultural, and religious invasion.  Further into the film, we see the women that fell into the ocean become mermaids and birth sea-children. This part was powerful because it illustrates the courage that transcended from a devastating event in time. This part of the film also demonstrates how beyond devastation and attempts of destroying nature, life transcends and continues to flourish. Nature cannot be destroyed because it adapts and evolves. Tesfaye is an embodiment of this lesson. The film ends the same way it started– with Tesfaye interacting with nature, her natural routine, as she listens to the ocean’s sands and the music it plays.