Omeros

Since I haven't had much experience reading epic poems, I found Omeros quite difficult to follow. I kept thinking that every line was a reference to something in Homer's epics that I wasn't understanding because I haven't read them. I felt like I wasn't giving it the poem the justice it deserves. The one thing that I could appreciate about this poem is the words that Walcott uses. Through his words, he transports you to the very place the character is in. For example, on page 142 he writes...

"He walked the ribbed sand under the flat keels of whales,

under the translucent belly of the snaking current,

the tiny shadows of tankers passed over him like snails

as he breathed water, a walking fish in its element."

He mixes the language of the land and the language of the sea to paint a picture of what it would be like for a man to stand on the ocean floor. I suppose the mixing of two worlds is something he is very familiar with.

Family Road Trips

In the beginning of this family's journey, I am reminded of my family and home. First of all, the grandmother's white gloves remind me of my great aunt whose collections of white gloves are in a box in my mom's room. Every now and then, those gloves are pulled out and my mom and grandmother and aunt take turns sharing stories of Aunt Virginia and the ladies of the town getting dressed up for church and other events and travel. I am also reminded of my grandmother when the grandmother in the story mentions speed. I am a bit of a speedster, and sadly my family knows it. Every time I leave home or go on an adventure, my grandmother makes me promise that I won't go over the speed limit. God is going to spend quite a bit of time on those promises when I get up there. The final thing is when the grandmother continually points out scenery and parts of the landscape. Whenever my family would go on a long road trip, my brother and I would play "road trip bingo" which is a piece of cardboard that had small pictures of random things you can see on the road - cow, cat, stop sign, ambulance, etc. There were times the entire family was helping us so we could win. It was so much fun! Although I am not far in this work, I have found humor and memories. I am excited for the rest!

Omeros

I was hard to keep up in Omeros. I thought Philoctete was interesting. He has this never healing wound that he sees as a blessing. He got it from a rusted anchor, but sees it as much more. How odd. He is almost in despair but due to it reminding him of his enslaved ancestors. This wound brings him great suffering and even contemplates cutting it off. Does he still see it as a blessing?

I commented on Ray's.

The Language

"Gunpowder and stores were shipped to St. Eustatius
from these innocent, moonlit harbors, in support
of French aid to the colonies; with slow paces,

the sea-chest, he walked the edge of the port
as the moonlight amazed him, its milk-white brilliance
pouring from dark pewter clouds..."

This is only an excerpt and a small example of what we've all been experiencing in reading this work. The language, while slightly confusing at times, is so poetic yet at the same time continuing the telling of a story.

As I read I feel like the story is happening to me. I don't necessarily feel like I am on the outside looking in and analyzing a narrative, I feel like I am experiencing it with the speaker. The phrasing and changing of voices provides this affect.

P.S. Commented on Ray's.

Omeros

I've actually really enjoyed reading this confusing piece of literature. All of the connections between The Iliad and The Odyssey are fun to connect. The different narrators have made it a little confusing to follow but the further in I got the harder it was to put down. I can't help but think that this is what the Homer classics would have looked like if placed in the 20th century.

Little Gidding

This poem has me really confused.  I did, however, find it interesting when it talked of the death of the elements.  When reading it, I did get lost, but got a sense of the death of life itself perhaps?  My reasoning behind this is that the elements provide us with life, and the death of elements would possibly equate to the end of life itself.

~Commented on Daniel's post

Uh. Yeah.

So I got so thrown off when the random Logos got thrown in. So I immediately starting thinking on the nature of Christ. As members of his, do we connect with that essence of being all and in all? I really connected some things when he discussed it in terms of music. But what I really liked was that this poetry was written as a long conversation. Like. It's people just discussing things. It doesn't necessarily feel like it needs a resolution. Because it's building a relationship between two entities through all the rambling. Answers don't matter. Time doesn't matter. It's a conversation. An ebb and flow of space and fill.

I commented on Francesca's.