Summary:
Derek Walcott's "Selected Poetry" is a combination of the eloquent, the ironical and the colloquial. His eloquent voice adds a certain flair and originality to his poetry, his ironic voice encourages contemplation over his chosen subject matter, and his colloquial style enables us to understand and connect to his poetry at a more personal level.
The above description of Walcott's poetic voice is quite valid; in fact, the way in which he modulates his tone and incorporates these different styles into his poetry in order to achieve the desired overall effect is very unique and characteristic of Walcott.
The sheer beauty of his poetry has much to do with his usage of an eloquent poetic voice- the artlessness with which he uses appropriate phrases, images and other descriptive devices to convey an aura of sentimentality, as he does in poems such as "Tales of the Islands" and "A Careful Passion" allows the reader to really enjoy his poetry. In "Tales of the Islands: Chapter III", the description of Miss Rossignol's "white skin" and "soft hands" is narrative, yet also contain tactile imagery which adds to our pity of her because of her.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 2,456 words (approx.
8 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.
Read the rest of this Essay with our A Description of Walcott's Poetic Voice Access Pass.
