Sabbaths, WI

Walcott uses environmental elements as symbols of life in the West Indies. These include a “lizard” (Line 12) that is indigenous to Saint Lucia, the Saint Lucian anole; “frigate birds” (Line 17), also called the magnificent frigatebird, which are native to the West Indies; herons; and crabs. In terms of plants, Walcott includes a variety of trees that are native to the West Indies, such as a “cocoa grove” (Line 8); “sea almonds” (Line 14), which are also called West Indian Almond Trees; and banana trees. Other examples of plant life include ferns and nettles. These specific animals and plants represent island life. Walcott highlights how humans make up only a fraction of the living things in the West Indies. For instance, he looks at where “one dog is sleeping” (Line 2) in the street before looking at the humans on the same street.

Walcott uses colors to represent sound, as well as to convey the characteristics of things. He uses what is called sound-color synesthesia in the phrase: “a bird whose cry sounds green and / yellow” (Lines 8-9). The speaker experiences the sound the bird makes as the colors yellow and green. This is an unusual kind of