Derek Walcott's poem “The Almond Trees” expresses the overwhelming power of colonial memory and the brutality of the colonial enterprise. Through his central image of the "coppery, twisted sea almond trees", Walcott justifies critic Mark McWatt's view that Walcott is "distanced by vocation, by a habit of perception" by showing the intensity of his personal struggle with the dualities of the environment. his character through the persistent memory of the colonial past. By simply observing a scene on a beach, the physical juxtaposition of the bathers (“the girls toasting their flesh”) with the “sea almond trees” leads Walcott to consider the “unvisible history” of the situation – a consequence of “a habit of perception. »Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayAlmond trees serve as an extended metaphor to represent the brutality of the colonial past. Slavery, violence and torture characterize most of the poem although, in somewhat characteristic Walcott fashion, this becomes more ambiguous and perhaps hopeful in the "metamorphosis" at the end of the poem. Walcott is generally implicit in "The Almond Trees" and uses his vivid imagery and metaphors to create a sense of intense emotion instead of an explicit reference to postcolonial mentality. The one-line verse: “Old trees and oiled branches share a common color!” is an exception to this delicacy, as it has not been appreciated by critics who consider it unnecessarily explicit in reinforcing the metaphorical connection between the bathers and the trees. However, as the line is punctuated with an exclamation point, this suggests that this may not be an example of overly embellished writing but a possible humorous interjection, possibly to reduce weight of the severe tone in the face of the powerful images of slavery in the following stanza. .The opening of the poem develops the postcolonial theme. “There Is Nothing Here” is deeply ironic and reflects the spirit of Walcott because of the poignancy of the poem that follows and the implicit mockery of such an absurd view held by the early colonialists. The absence of buildings, books, and social structures in Africa at the time of the arrival of colonialism led to a "Eurocentric" perception of indigenous African people as primitive and uncivilized. When the poem first appeared in Walcott's collection The Castaway in the 1960s, questions surrounding decolonization and the problems of postcolonialism were contemporary. Likewise, the emergence of the "Black Power" movement around this time may justify the strong postcolonial and anticolonial tone of the poem as well as the strong sense of Afro-Caribbean identity in lines such as "stripped of their name / for Greek labels or Roman. »The constant undertone of violence in the poem may also be a product of the poem's larger social context. The image of 'forked limbs' has immediate connotations of brutality with the morbid feeling of dismembered 'limbs' evoking post-battle thoughts and perhaps a satanic impression of 'forked limbs'. The use of “grill their flesh” develops the morbid image of “forked limbs,” as “flesh” suggests rawness and open sores. The use of "toast" is unusual because of its incongruity. Some interpretations might consider the "roasting" alternative to be too explicit in the development of the raw flesh and animal metaphor. Alternatively, "toast" could be seen as a typically Western metaphor in the sense ofcelebration of “toast” or cooking, which could further accentuate Walcott’s critique of colonialism. The image of flesh as food is developed by a series of images which, through their link with cannibalism, are most horrifying. This is done by combining the image of "forked" with "grill their flesh" and further with "it will seize a pale copper skin" (in which sear has connotations of branding cattle) and "they are healed" which, although ambiguous, can be interpreted in the sense of meat curing. Although Walcott makes no explicit reference to colonialism in these images, the underlying tone of morbidity and brutality they create is almost inevitably linked to the brutal treatment of Africans in the Caribbean (as well as the direct depiction of the impact of the sun on the almond trees). trees). These images of raw "flesh", these connotations of nourishment and putrefaction, are repeated in other poems, such as the references in "Ruins of a Great House" to "the leprosy of the Empire" and the "ulcerative crime" . The subtle connotations of almost every adjective (such as "twisting," "writhing," "scorched," "burning," and "fierce acetylene air") develop the theme of "no visible history." These implicit descriptions and the use of the almond tree metaphor reflect the fact that although the coast retains few symbols of colonialism, the memory remains overwhelming. This relates to the opening stanza in which "the cold, stormy ocean, the Atlantic" is referred to as having "no visible history" but embodying the foundations of colonialism through imperial navies and slave ships. Memory, which is also central to much of Walcott's poetry (as in "Ruins of a Great House" where he states "In memory now, of every ulcerous crime"), becomes fundamental to the conclusion of the poem. “A sunburned body now recognizes / This past and its own metamorphosis” which puts an end to the violence and brutality of the poem. Walcott's use of abstract images and details is a characteristic device. The reference to the "broad dialect of their leaves, a coarse, lasting sound" is an example of the fluid transition between the natural and the human in the poem. It also shows the vivid imagery developed by Walcott which, instead of being discursive, unlike some other postcolonial pieces (such as RS Thomas' poem "Welsh Landscape" where he clearly expresses "To live in Wales is to be conscious / In the twilight of shed blood"), Walcott is descriptive. He develops tone and emotion through powerful descriptions such as "they were whipped/raw by the wind, washed/with salt and dried by the fire." The different layers of these images, such as the biblical connotations of "scourged" and the intense sensory and physical image of being "washed/wiped with salt", emphasize the intensity of personal emotion and internalized feeling of postcolonial context, unlike political or social contexts. commentary in other works. Walcott develops a sense of isolation in the poem as his images and perspective seem distanced and withdrawn. His reflections come from observations of others from a physical distance that provoke memory and reflection, but not self-identification. In the most poignant image of the poem – “Their sorrow / howls to the sea through charred and ravaged holes.” – the poet is particularly distant from the people and the memories on which he reflects with the distinctive use of “their”. Although a biographical interpretation might show that in writing the collection The Castaway (in which "The Almond Trees" was first published) Walcott conveyed a sense of isolation from society,his distance in this poem could also be seen as the distance of memory. and a disjointed story. The poet does not deplore his own isolation and it would be difficult to apply such an interpretation. However, through his distance, he could emphasize his theme that there is “no visible history.” Although the images appear suppressed, the emotion remains intense and violent, which may suggest that Walcott sees his perception and memory, like those of other Afro-Caribbeans, removed from the conventional "Western" mode of physical, visible memory. The chilling image of “Their sorrow/howls to the sea through charred and ravaged holes” is emphasized by the lineation and its separation in a separate stanza. As a separate stanza, the image is given a force and purpose that only makes it more powerful. Additionally, the separation of "Their Sorrow" into a single line makes these words particularly emphatic, as the disjunction of form and rhythm caused by the short line break almost reflects the difficulty of speaking in heightened emotion. The onomatopoeic effect of the "howls" (which resonates with the breadth of the sounds of the word and the ending "s") also has animalistic connotations which develop the natural imagery of the poem by further aligning the symbolic importance with natural phenomena . The use of “charred and ravaged holes” encapsulates all the central images of the poem such as the feeling of fire, heat, suffering, torture and brutality. In concluding the poem, Walcott's final impression on colonial memory could have been heartbreaking. However, the final stanza ends the poem with duality, a device he often employs. Dualities are at the heart of this poem, as in most of Walcott's poetry. In addition to the central duality of the fluid metaphor of trees and colonial memory, Walcott uses a range of images that emphasize the tension between past and present. The contrast between the classic images of "brown daphnes" and the "sacred grove" (which produces an immediate feeling of affinity with the nature of certain indigenous African tribes such as the "evil forest" of the Ibo in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart) shows the poet's sense of divided identity. He sees the brutality of the colonial past but uses the culture of those he condemns to express its torture. Walcott's juxtaposition of the two cultures can be interpreted as showing the intense conflict between these different identities and the horrible personal struggles caused by colonialism. However, Walcott himself emphasized the importance of universality in his poetry (just as he reflects in 'Ruins of a Great House' which 'ends in compassion'). Thus, the dualities between man and nature in the central metaphor and the brutality of colonial memory allow Walcott to develop his universal perspective by showing "the grove cries in silence, like parental love." This final image is ambiguous but the dominant meaning must be positive. The personification of the natural environment (“in the bending arms of this grove”) suggests comfort and divine strength overcoming the brutality that characterizes the majority of the poem. However, the connotations of “grieving in silence” undermine this idea by suggesting that postcolonial memory is persistent. The control and slowing of the rhythm in the final verse which parts "like parental love" could suggest a feeling of lament in which the words could be read as sighs and remorse. Likewise, they could be interpreted as full of pride and hope and slowed down to a powerful exclamatory rhythm. The alliteration and consonance of the “l” sound are soft and the echo of the monosyllabic “like” and “love”,.”