Question Details

Derek Alton Walcott in the poem ‘The sea is history’ makes a parallel between

Options

A

Evolution of mankind and nature

B

Evolution of human history and religion

C

Evolution of paganism and Christianity

D

Evolution of Christianity and slavery of the blacks

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Correct Answer :

Option D

Evolution of Christianity and slavery of the blacks

Solution :

The correct answer is Evolution of Christianity and slavery of the blacks.


Derek Walcott's monumental poem "The Sea Is History" is a profound postcolonial critique of how history is recorded and defined, specifically within the Caribbean context. In the poem, Walcott addresses the lack of conventional, written historical monuments in the Caribbean by presenting the sea itself as a repository of the region's history, particularly the traumatic journey of the Middle Passage.


To structure this alternative history, Walcott creates a sustained parallel between the historical stages of the transatlantic slave trade and the biblical narrative of the evolution of Christianity (primarily through Old and New Testament phases):

1. Genesis and the Middle Passage: The beginning of the poem equates the dark depths of the sea, where the bones of enslaved people lie, with the biblical "Genesis" or the void before creation.

2. Exodus and the Slave Ships: The forced migration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic is compared to "Exodus", the mass departure and journey through the desert.

3. The Covenant and Trials: Subsequent historical experiences of bondage, survival, and adaptation are mapped onto biblical concepts like the Ark of the Covenant, Babylon, and Jonah's trials in the belly of the whale.

4. The New Testament and Emancipation: The progression moves toward the New Testament themes of crucifixion, resurrection, and eventual salvation, paralleling the struggles for emancipation, political independence, and cultural rebirth in the Caribbean.


By using the language, iconography, and chronological progression of Christian scripture to describe the painful history of Black slavery and its aftermath, Walcott elevates the Caribbean struggle to a mythic, universal scale. This direct juxtaposition explains why the parallel between the evolution of Christianity and the history of Black slavery is the central driving framework of the poem.

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