Derek Walcott Analysis

Introduction
The experience and relationship of an individual in his or her social sphere plays a critical role in his or her life. It affects the way one thinks, talks, and views life. A person's experiences can be easily swayed by the people and the environment around them. There exist key features of human development grounded in culture more than in cognitive structures. A person’s culture provides a setting for their social background. As a result, the social environment directly affects all aspects of an individual’s life. Poets, just like any other artists, are not an exception. The way they express their art heavily depends on their upbringing, culture, and experiences in life. Culture significantly influences essential aspects of life
Before becoming a poet and a playwright, he was a painter (Burnett 16). He comes from a family of European and African ancestry, which lived in Saint Lucia, a former British colony. His family loved poetry. While his father was a composer, his mother preferred performing it around the house.
His childhood experiences can be discerned from his poems. His experience of colonialism and his interaction with the English language and poetry at home shaped his life’s work (Fludernik 303). In the poem “Midsummer" he posits, “the gift of poetry had made me one of the chosen…” (Burnett 76). The fact that he belonged to a religious minority is also significant (Burnett 34). His family associated with the Methodists in an island where the main religion was Catholic. The family thus found themselves on the receiving end as the mainstream religion set the standards of behavior that was acceptable. At one point, the young Walcott found himself in trouble for publishing a poem that was deemed blasphemous by
As a result, the end product, a flow of seamless poetry, forms a beautiful pattern that entertains and educates his audience. His exposure to poetry at such a young age has enabled him to have such a good technical control of his art that he is unrivaled at his best (Burnett 55). His use of imagery and language are second to none. He makes his audience feel the experience from the poem while understanding the importance and meaning of the song as elucidated.
Walcott has not only excelled in poetry but is also a renowned playwright. “Dream on Monkey Mountain” is perhaps one of his most celebrated plays (Fludernik 82). In all his plays, he uses folks, fable, morality, and allegory to pass across his message of life during and after colonial rule. His experience and that of his family during colonial oppressions and domination in the Caribbean form a central part of most of his art expressions. Other influences include the socio-economic struggles during the post-colonial epoch, religions, and life in the diaspora.