19 pages 38 minutes read

Derek Walcott

The Flock

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1985

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Postcolonialism

When Walcott wrote “The Flock,” his homeland of Saint Lucia was still under British Rule. For centuries the Europeans had prohibited enslaved people from learning to read or write. Therefore there was very little traditionally Caribbean literature or art that expressed the views and experiences of non-Europeans. Instead, the island’s culture, language, politics, and aesthetics were deeply fragmented and dominated by European influence. Natives of Saint Lucia spoke a Creole language called Patois, a combination of English and West-African dialects. However the schools taught all students in English.

Saint Lucia would not achieve full independence until 1972. Still, the power of the British was waning as the island’s inhabitants of African and Caribbean descent were working towards independence and self-governance. This process, called decolonization, was of great importance for Walcott and many other writers who lived in places governed by Europeans. Countries colonized by European powers still feel the influence of colonization. Postcolonialism, first defined by theorist Edward Said in his 1978 book Orientalism, is a lens that interrogates the cultural, political, and economic legacies of colonial rule.

Walcott has an ambiguous relationship with the postcolonial movement. Critics have noted that his work closely follows European traditions and

blurred text

blurred text

Related Titles

By Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

A Careful Passion

Derek Walcott

A Careful Passion

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Adam's Song

Derek Walcott

Adam's Song

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Dream on Monkey Mountain

Derek Walcott

Dream on Monkey Mountain

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Love After Love

Derek Walcott

Love After Love

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Midsummer XXVII

Derek Walcott

Midsummer XXVII

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Ruins of a Great House

Derek Walcott

Ruins of a Great House

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

Sabbaths, WI

Derek Walcott

Sabbaths, WI

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

The Almond Trees

Derek Walcott

The Almond Trees

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

The Schooner Flight

Derek Walcott

The Schooner Flight

Derek Walcott

Study Guide

logo

To Return To The Trees

Derek Walcott

To Return To The Trees

Derek Walcott