“The tree of always reaching up”. Carter therefore is tired and feels a sense of defeat, the repetition of the phrase “Childhood of a voice” shows his petitions and actions falling on deaf ears. No action is taking place. People neglect to consider what children have to say as important. The persona also with frustration is still having hope. “The light oppresses and the darkness frees”. The day time is where people engage with each other at work, school and leisure.
This is also the time to experience the strife, war and ignorance of the British rule. But the darkness is a time of rest and reflection in the comfort of their homes, night eases the mind to face yet another day. Though this period seems like a never-ending depression the persona hopes and pleads for a brighter tomorrow. “But if only the rain fall, and the sky we have not seen so long come blue again”.
The mood of the poem is somewhat depressing, and the tone demonstrates a sigh of defeat. Both Eric Roach and Martin Carter are very observant poets. They both use nature, the landscape of their countries as their tool to successfully bring forth their sage. Flowers, rocks, mountains, trees are all elements of nature that we take for granted each day. Roach and Carter takes these simple things in life, which we can relate to and make profound thought provoking statements.
These poets can be seen as historians, they write to bring awareness to the present and the future of what makes up our identity “West Indians”, their political and philosophical stance. Granted that both poets use the same inspiration they execute quite differently. Roach tends to be a more coded writer where his mission and message is hidden, whereas Carter is a more out right, in your face straight to the point poet, but uses his words tastefully, and also at times codes his work.
