After reading the poem and watching the video for this weeks work, I found the poem to be quite interesting. Walcotts poem about “The Sea is History” have very intriguing language and imagery. I am currently taking a creative writing class, and we have just moved into our poetry unit to this sparked my interest. Not only is Walcotts poem hinting to the history of the oceans and its cultures, it seems to be discussing the changing the ocean has undergone. From natural changes and human caused changes, and how its affected the oceans history. There is a section that I believe it referring to Oil wells and men in the ocean. The poem is reflecting on the damage and harm humans have inflicted on the ocean, referring to the oil wells as well as the digging and exploration humans have done in the sea. The interactions humans have had with the oceans, are not depicted as harmless ones, but as harmful one. The poem says “Then came the men with eyes heavy as anchors, who sank without tombs,brigands who barbecued cattle, leaving their charred ribs like palm leaves on the shore,then the foaming, rabid maw..” This seems to be referring to not only the harm humans have done to the ocean but what has been dumped into it. This whole poem is about different interactions with the Ocean. Hurricanes and natural changes, oil digging, debris form humans being dumped and leaving thins behind. I believe this poem is not only describes the damage the ocean has undergone but how these changes has affected its history. The religious aspects and vocabulary mentioned gave this poem more of an ominous meaning towards the end. “that was only faith,
and then each rock broke into its own nation..” Is Walcott saying faith guided this history? Or why did faith not stop these things form happening? God? I am not religious myself, but the religious vocabulary in this poem seems as though Walcott believes that religion is important to the history of the ocean. I found this aspect interesting and also confusing, because is he saying the ocean has its own religious value or is human influence why?