Omeros Poem Analysis

Another important aspect of the first wave critic’s view of non-oppositional resistance is the idea of colonial ‘hybridity’. Bhabha presents ‘hybridity’ as a reimagining of a term that previously had been used to “imply that different races were different species” and instead argues for a new imagining of ‘hybridity’: a production of ambivalence and the means through which the colonise may defy their subjugation. He proposes that hybridity can therefore be seen as a form of non-oppositional resistance, as it ambivalent nature undermines “the very basis on which imperialist and colonialist discourse raises its claims of superiority” without violent action. For example, looking to Derek Walcott’s Omeros, this first wave concept of hybridity as a form of non-oppositional resistance can be seen in a number of ways throughout the …show more content…
Hybridity is shown as the only viable resistance to colonial control and its legacy, and this is seen through the Walcott’s promotion of a ‘caribbeanization’ of both Western and African cultures. Hybridity is seen even in the title of the novel as “Omeros” is the modern Greek pronunciation of “Homer” but also represents the amalgamation of three Creole words: “o” translating as “the conch shell’s invocation”; “mer” translating as “both mother and sea in our Antillean patois”; and “os” translating as “a grey bone”. This merges together the ancient Greek culture, seen to be the root of Western culture, with that of the Caribbean. Therefore, the resistance that emerges from this hybridity is evident as this ‘merging’ places Ancient Greece on par with the Caribbean, and thus challenging its superiority and erasing the label of ‘Other’ from the Creole culture. A further example of hybridity within Omeros can be seen in the healing process of