The sea is history

After reading” the sea is the history” by Derek Walcott, I wondered why the sea is related to history, and the actual meaning of the poem. The sea is the most mysterious place on earth, it plays a major role in species origins, it gives the possibility for humans to navigate. At the same time, unmentionable histories were stored in the sea.

 Bone soldered by coral to bone,

mosaics

mantled by the benediction of the shark’s shadow,

that was the Ark of the Covenant.

The poet rather than just saying ”mantled by the benediction of the shark’s shadow”, Walcott used symbolism to the contrary that the sharks are referred to the colonizers who were thirsty for power so that they plundered the aboriginal people’s rights. Moreover, slaves died on the way by the inhuman living conditions and treatments. The colonizers ditch them into the ocean, their skeletons were mixed with coral of the sea to make mosaics. according to Derek Walcott ,he brought out a metaphor by comparing the mosaic as the ”Ark of the Covenant”. Ark of Covenant is a chest that was kept in the Temple of Solomon that was lost after the temple was destroyed. The poet is trying to show that there are great significance between these two.