Strengthening the Marginalized from Within: Derek Walcott’s Poetic Mission

Abstract

Caribbean poet Derek Walcott , in his commitment to the Caribbean and, of course, with artistic excellence, disappointingly finds his nation still confined to marginalization which is self-imposed, though it was colonially imposed during the colonial period. The issues contributing to this self-imposed marginalization, an otherwise colonial legacy, are the exigent factors Walcott’s relentless poetic efforts address. This paper aims at exploring how Walcott ’s unalloyed poetic dedication of epistemological significance, with a view to strengthening the Antillean from within, concentrates on the marginalized nation’s unconscious, imprudent and self-centre thoughts and measures in the issues of Caribbean self, tourism, urbanization, governance, literary tradition and uniqueness of literature in a post-colonial context of aggressive Euro-American economy and culture.