A stunning poem that draws the attention of the reading public, Omeros is often regarded as the most famous and most successful of Derek Walcott¡¦s works. In one sense, Omeros is the Greek name for Homer, and Walcott chose it for the title of the poem to show his ambition to be a Caribbean Homer, a poet developing an epic from a West Indian perspective. With the epic form and resonant mythic Greek namesakes, Omeros is built upon Walcott¡¦s innate love for St. Lucia. Structurally, the epic form provides the vast framework he needs to describe the multicultural Creole society. However, after a close reading of the text, we can actually find that it does not follow so much the conventions of a classical tradition, since it is not actually a heroic poem. Unlike the superhuman characters in Homeric epics, the male protagonists in Omeros are common people who endure the suffering of individual in exile and try to put down roots in a place where they think they belong. One famous critic, Robert D. Hamner, reads Omeros as an epic of the dispossessed, one in which each of its protagonists is a castaway in one sense or another. In this respect, the male characters are injured (either spiritually or physically). In contrast, the female characters in Omeros, though few in number, play the important roles of heroines to heal the wounds of the male protagonists and to help them trace their roots.
This thesis will, therefore, analyze three female characters in the poem. Chapter 1 will focus on Ma Kilman, a black obeah woman. She embodies the memories of the past as well as the connection between African experience and West Indian culture. Through the practice of obeah, a holistic healing method different from Western diagnosis, she is capable of soothing wounds caused by past sufferings. Chapter 2 will examine Maud Plunkett, a white Irish housewife. She represents the physical link between Ireland and St. Lucia due to their inherent similarities ¡Vboth are being colonized with St. Lucia being divided by race and class, while Ireland is split along religious and class lines. Maud¡¦s existence symbolizes the alienation gap on the island; her death, at the end, bridges the gap and relieves historical traumas. Chapter 3 will deals with Helen, an ebony local woman. Appropriating mythical as well as historical allusions, Walcott gives new voice to this Caribbean Helen. She demonstrates her autonomy to male characters and becomes an unapproachable goddess that they attempt to possess. She reestablishes peace and achieves a new harmony in St. Lucia as a way of cross-cultural healing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NSYSU/oai:NSYSU:etd-0910110-105206 |
| Date | 10 September 2010 |
| Creators | Yeh, Yi-chun |
| Contributors | Luo, Ting-yao, Chiou, Yuan-guey, Chen, Shu-ching, Huang, Hsin-ya |
| Publisher | NSYSU |
| Source Sets | NSYSU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.nsysu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search/view_etd?URN=etd-0910110-105206 |
| Rights | not_available, Copyright information available at source archive |
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