Analysis Of Derek Walcott's Ruins Of A Great House

“Ruins of a Great House” is a symbolic poem written by Derek Walcott that tries to explain the British Imperialism system by referring an abandoned house as a colony under the British Empire. He describes the poor condition of an abandoned house, its surroundings and tries to visualize the effect of British imperialism in the then society. Walcott talks about the effect of British Imperialism to establish colonial slavery, the awful treatment of slaves, and the gradual destruction of the imperialist system. At the very outset of the poem he says, “though our longest sun sets at right declensions and makes but winter arches, it cannot be long before we lie down in darkness, and have our light in ashes… Browne, Urn Burial.” This suggests that …show more content…
‘Farewell, green fields, Farewell, ye happy groves!’” The background of this quote taken from William Blake’s ‘Night’ is opposition of British monarchy. And thereby Walcott means that with the beginning of British imperialism the green fields lost their lives. It’s like the British Empire sucked all the life of common people and made the society sick like a leprosy patient. It’s like the green fields are affected by leprosy. The poet is angry for such heinous attitude of the British towards the slaves of the seventeenth century. And he bids farewell to the good old days with the introduction of the British Imperialism. But this system didn’t last long when the poet mentions, “Deciduous beauty prospered and is gone, But where the lawn breaks in a rash of trees.” As the British Empire got involved in immoral colonial slavery, the system lacked proper authority to ensure effective administration which resulted in its decay and loss. The ‘lime trees” and ‘a wagon wheel under manure’ describes the use of slaves led by the British silt. Walcott uses imagery to make the readers perceive how the society felt like from his perspective. He says, “The world’s green age then was a rotting lime” which potentially refers how the imperialist system paralyzed the peaceful society and brings its death and