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Xiv By Walcott

489 Words2 Pages

In the poem “XIV” by Derek Walcott, readers are brought along a journey as the speaker revisits a childhood memory. The experience has a great significance to the speaker and is conveyed through Walcott’s layered use of various poetic devices. Figurative language, diction and juxtaposition work together to express the impact of the speaker’s experience. The poem opens with the speaker’s recollection of his journey, as he travels down a “speckled road” that resembles an “old snake shedding its skin”. These descriptions paint a vivid image of the surroundings. The diction, usually reserved for the descriptions of animals, convey the natural wilderness of the setting. Furthermore, it shows the lasting significance of the experience, as the speaker …show more content…

The speaker’s journey is filled with darkness; he travels through the “dark reek of moss” and the “black twist of the path”. The darkness fills his memory as he looks back on the experience. However, his ability to describe these mundane details show the significance of the experience, since he still remembers them in exact detail. As he nears the storyteller, light begins to infiltrate the surrounding darkness. The speaker observes “her own light” illuminating the darkness. This contrast of light and dark is symbolic of the storyteller and the speaker. This symbolism is strengthened in the descriptions of the final lines of the poem. The speaker asserts that the storyteller’s voice made shadows stand up and walk. This personification shows the power of the storyteller and contributes depth and meaning to the symbolism. The storyteller, in all her light, is able to command darkness, erasing it from the depths of the room. This juxtaposition remains strong to the very end, as the speaker states that the storyteller was the lamplight to him and his twin’s shadow. He is able to recognize the stark contrast of light and dark, of the storyteller and

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