EPILOGUE
central to our understanding of the important cultural Caribbean-British
connection for nearly 3 decades.
to live in the UK in 1977.
her homeland, in particular the oral story-telling tradition with its fantastic
folk tales, the landscape and its rural tasks and the history of enslavement
(particularly relating to women).
 |
| Grace Nichols |
Nichols (Guyana)
crossed an ocean
lost my tongue
root of the old
has sprung
from Guyana (Grace Nichols) who later moved to England. It expresses important
ideas about separation and a new beginning.
QUESTIONS
a) The poet says she has “lost her
tongue” what does that mean?
language. She no longer speaks her native language (tongue).
b) Which ocean has she crossed?
geographical ocean (Pacific) from Guyana – Caribbean all the way to England, “crossing
the ocean” could also imply or symbolise other changes that happen to
people. As she crossed the ocean she never remained the same because even her
language changed.
c) What does she mean when she says “a
new one has sprung from the root of the old
one’?
development of languages. We all know that languages are dynamic (always
changing) and that they borrow words and even grammatical structure from each
other. Languages like creoles come out of the blend of two or more languages.
So the language she speaks originates/emanates from the old one.
d) Comment on the structure of the poem.
stanza with 5 verses.
e) What is the theme of the poem?
move away from their motherland they tend to lose their identity and adopt the
culture of the foreign land including but not limited to language.
– The poem could be about Grace herself who moved from Guyana to England.
– It could also be addressing all the Caribbean who left their homes and
went to England.
– But also all those people who left their own countries to go to the
Caribbean in the last few hundred years, especially all those who were taken from
Africa in slavery;
– All black people all over the world whose roots can be traced back to
Africa over the centuries;
– All people all over the world, as scientists think that human life
originated in Africa thousands of years ago.
