“XIV” by Derek Walcott Analysis

Memories provoke emotion, childhood memories in particular tend to impart deeper emotion still. In the poem “XIV” published in 1984, the writer Derek Walcott reminisces about a childhood experience set in the Caribbean which carries significance. The use of vivid imagery to convey a picture in the audience’s mind assists in setting the clear impact the memory had on the author. Enjambment promotes this idea further, as the intentional breaking of sentences adds an authentic feel to the storytelling in the poem. Additionally, the poem’s structure being free verse provides the audience with a chaotic atmosphere which facilitates the author’s ever changing and growing emotions. As a result, the writer’s nostalgic and emotive mood emanates throughout the entire poem.

From the beginning of the poem the imagery portrayed in the text is one that creates a near mystical element to the retelling of events. For example, in the lines 1-4 Walcott writes “the speckled road, scored with ruts, smelling of mold, twisted on itself and reentered the forest where the dasheen leaves thicken and folk stories begin.” The content in this part of the poem adds a level of clarity to the setting of the memory, however in describing the island in such a manner the ambience also becomes otherworldly. The author utilizes this aspect of the narrative to generate a wistful mood, after all most impactful childhood memories are tinged with a sense of fantastical wonder. Another instance in which Walcott wields the text in this regard is in lines 18-21. The set of lines detail the image of the elderly woman that told tales to both the author himself and his sibling when they were young. Walcott takes care to paint the woman in a near deity-like nature using words like “magnificent” to intensify her presence in the poem. The woman is a centerpiece in the context of the poem as she is revealed to be the entire point the two narrator and his sibling are traveling through the forest. By describing her in such vivid light it contributes to the audience’s sense of childhood wonder the author is conveying.

Additionally, Walcott uses enjambment to create momentum and add an authentic feel to the text. The breaking of sentences leaves the audience in a perpetual state of anticipation and feels authentic to the fact it’s a retelling of the past. The lines 5-6 exemplify how the split between the lines “Sunset would threaten us as we climbed closer” and “to her house up the asphalt hill road” give a feeling of suspense as the line proceeds from one to another in the same way one pauses in the middle of a story before revealing something exciting. The writer’s wording allows the audience to want to see what the two boys are getting ever close to, and when greeted with the explanation it is a house of “her” someone who is not yet specified, the curiosity increases. Furthermore, the lines 10-11 expand on the idea with “lamplight glowed through the ribs, house after house—” and “there was her own lamp at the black twist of the path.” The scene is intensified as the author uses enjambment to not only give a dramatic tone to the setting but also one of astonishment. Both instances allow the wording to create evocative and genuine atmospheres in the text.

The most important piece that Walcott makes use of is the poem’s structure. The rhyming scheme being free verse is extremely important to understanding the impact the experience had on the writer. It offers a chaotic and frantic impression which exemplifies the sensations Walcott is trying to make the audience feel. “Her leaves were the libraries of the Caribbean. The luck that was ours, those fragrant origins!” which has no rhymes leaves a larger impression than if it were to rhyme because it catches the audience off guard (Lines 6-7). Yet despite the lack of rhymes the text still gives a melodic and poetic presence, which in turn becomes a vehicle for the emotions the narration presents. In a similar way, in the lines 20-21, “She was the lamplight in the stare of two mesmerized boys still joined in one shadow, indivisible twins.” Walcott utilizes the same technique to add a sense of mystique and bittersweetness. The lack of rhymes improves the perception of the memory to the audience as well as the influence it had on the writer.

In conclusion, Derek Walcott’s use of imagery, enjambment, and free verse in the poem “XVI” highlights the emotions and impact the memory elicits from him. Through the use of imagery, the impact of the memory is shown through each description. The enjambment that appears in the text brings a sense of suspense as some sentences are broken apart. Moreover, the structure of the poem facilitates both these functions as well as adding to the chaotic and authentic feel of the poem.