A WORLD OF POETRY

WEST INDIES, USA

SUMMARY

The persona is travelling in a plane, looking down at San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the plane
descends. He is saying that this island is the wealthiest in the Caribbean because it has won the
jackpot, it has come up lucky. He then points out that he, and others, had travelled to many
Caribbean islands and received a hint of the flavour of each island through it’s calling card, – its
airport – all of which fail when compared to plush San Juan. As they land, they are instructed to
stay on the plane if their destination is not San Juan. The persona takes offence and states that
America does not want blacks in San Juan, implying that they might be a disruptive force. He
notes the efficiency with which things flow, enabling them to take to the skies once more. During
the ascent, the persona notes the contrast between the influences of the Caribbean and America.
He likens San-Juan to a broken TV, it looks good on the outside, but broken on the inside.

LITERARY DEVICES

1. SIMILE

Line 2: Puerto Rico is compared to dice that is tossed on a casino’s baize, it can either come up
with winning numbers, or losing numbers. Puerto Rico comes up with winning numbers in the
game of chance, as reflected in its wealthy exterior, which is supported by America.

Lines 7-8: San Juan’s glitter is compared to a maverick’s gold ring. The word maverick implies
non-conformist, an individualist. This implies that San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean, but
not a part of the Caribbean. It belongs to America.

Lines 10-11: Airports are compared to calling cards. This means that, like a calling card, the
quality of the airport gives you an idea of the island’s economic status. The airport is also
compared to a cultural fingerprint. A fingerprint is an individual thing, therefore the airport gives
the traveler an idea of the island’s cultural landscape.

Line 39: The road is compared to twisted wires. This means that the roads, from above, look
both plentiful and curvy. This does not carry a positive connotation, but implies confusion.

2. ALLUSION

Line 5: Dallas is an oil rich state in America. Therefore, many of its inhabitants are wealthy, and
the state itself, is wealthy. By stating that San Juan is the Dallas of the West Indies, it implies
that it is a wealthy island in the West Indies.

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 Lines 5-7: An allusion is being made to the well known cliche; ‘every cloud has a silver lining’.
It means that behind everything that is seemingly bad, there is good. In the context of this poem,
it means that the good, the silver lining, has a mark, or stamp, that authenticates its good quality;
it is hallmarked. This implies that it will always have its silver lining showing.

3. SARCASM

Line 20: This statement means the exact opposite of what is stated. The persona is disgusted that
Uncle Sam (America) would have such a regulation. This regulation bars anyone from stepping a
toe on Puerto Rican soil, if it is not your intended destination. You just have to remain in the air
craft, no matter the waiting period, until it is time for takeoff. The persona believes that the
Americans are being blatantly discriminatory, and are attempting to camouflage it through the
use of regulations. He does not believe that they have achieved their goal of subtlety.

Line 20: The statement, ‘give me your poor…’ is particularly sarcastic because it is a direct
quote from the New Collossus, which rests on a plaque on the statue of liberty, and signifies that
the disenfranchised of the world are welcome. The persona, as a member of the ‘disenfranchised’
masses, clearly feels unwelcomed.     

Line 26: The persona implies that America is all talk and no action. They really do not want the
poor because they bar them from entering and expediently sends them on their way when they
enter their airport. The statement is sarcastic because it is loaded with an alternate meaning, due
to the contrast in statement and action.

4. PUN

Line 17-18: The pun is placed on ‘land of the free’, it becomes ‘Island of the free’. This pun
emphasizes how isolated Puerto Rico is from the rest of the Caribbean islands. It belongs to the
U.S.A. This state of belonging to, or being owned by the US is asserted through it’s insertion
into the Star Spangled Banner.

IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES

5. ‘plush’

This word implies soft, like a teddy bear. It also implies luxury. So San Juan is all of these
things.

6.’desperate blacks might re-enslave this Island of the free’

These ‘desperate blacks’ to whom the persona is referring are the poor people of the Caribbean.
If they converge on the glistening San Juan, sucking up its resources, then it might become re-
enslaved by poverty.

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 7.’America’s back yard’

A backyard means one of two things for people. It is a haven where you relax, therefore you
decorate it and invest time and money in it. Or, you ignore it and spend all your time indoors, not
investing any time, energy or money in it. America viewed Puerto Rico as the latter, a prize in
which it saw value. Therefore, when the persona uses this phrase, he is implying that while it is
valued, it is still at the back. Slight sarcasm is being used here.

8.’the contrasts tantalise’

When something, or someone, is tantalising, it implies that it is intriguing. The persona, by using
this phrase, is trying to draw the readers attention to to the jarring contrasts by stating that he
finds them intriguing.

9.’fierce efficiency’

The word fierce, used to describe the level of efficiency with which the people worked to get the
plane off the ground, shows the extent to which they were not wanted on the island.

10.’fools-glitter’

This implies that the flashiness of San Juan was not authentic.

11.’It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to some-one else.’

This implies that San Juan is not safe. The cultures are not melding, but jarring against each
other. The reason for this is because it belongs to someone else.

CONTRAST

The contrast in this poem is found in stanza 5. The American cars etc, against the pushcarts. The
American culture versus the Puerto Rican culture.

MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE

The mood of the poem is sarcastic.

TONE

The tone of the poem is slightly bitter, which is fueled by the sarcastic atmosphere.

THEMATIC CATEGORIZATION

 Discrimination,
 oppression,
 places,
 culture.                           

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Poetry Notes: West Indies USA by Stewart Brown

This poem is written in Free Verse and speaks to the presence of the United States in the West
Indies as seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The poem is written from a first-person point of view
and tells of the travelers`experience of different countries in the West Indies through their
airports (stanza two). Nature is a major theme in the poem. Other themes include poverty and
imperialism. Literary devices include similes (line 2), metaphors (line 9) and allusion (line 18).

Line 2: `baize`is the soft velvet like green material used on pool and card tables
Line 3: `pot` short for jackpot, reefrs to the most outstanding amount to be won in a casion game
Line 4-6: `Dallas...maverick`s gold ring` refers to the basketball team in the USA which would
have been and possibly still is one of the most valuable and high earning basketball teams.
Championship rings received by the winning team are made of the highest quality gold and
worth thousands of dollars.
Line 8: `Calling card` literally identifies the bearer and istraditionally presented for introduction
when making a social visit.
Line 10: `Piarco`is Trinidad`s national airport
Line 14: `Drawl`the lengthening and slowing down of speech
Line 17: `Uncle Sam` is a national personification affectionately used to refer to the United
States
Line 18: `Re-enslave...island of the free`is an allusion to the Spanish conquest and colonization
of the island.
Line 20-21:`America`s backyard...give me your poor`. America`s backyard is a direct reference
to countries like Puerto Rico, Guam and the Phillipines who were under US rule in some way.
`Give me your tired and poor` is an allusion to Emma Lazarus`famous poem about the Statue of
Liberty. It also symbolizes a time in the decades after US occupation (1898) where Puerto Ricans
were allowed to seek refuge in New York City after being hit by a series of natural disasters and
the Great Depression.
Line 22: Introduces a series of contrasts visible in Puerto Rico as a result of the US presence. It is
symbolic of the partial nature of the benefits from Puerto Rico`s affiliation with the US.
Line 29: `fools glitter`...Expresses the author`s cynical tone towards the relationship between the
US and Puerto Rico. It is an allusion to the saying `All that glitters is not gold.`

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In this poem, the poet records his impressions of the Islands from a view, thirty thousand feet
above. He sees some of the islands as more prominent than others. Some are more culturally and
economically developed as can be seen in his impression of Puerto Rico, with “silver linings in
the clouds” and the glitter of San Juan. But to him, each country has its own distinctive features
and characteristics, which are highlighted at its terminal.

Against these islands, the poet sees the influence of the United States on Puerto Rico: he sees
Puerto Rico as a representation of the United States - “America’s backyard”. Stringent laws are
enforced at its terminal to prevent passengers from entering without legal documentation. The
fear of foreigners who sneak into the island and tarnish the image of the land is well noted by the
poet. He notes the influence of American culture and lifestyle in Puerto Rico. The glitter of the
cities pulsating with life is well captured in the “polished Cadillac’s” and “Micro chips”.

Answer these Questions

1. What is the theme of the poem?

2. (a) Select the simile in the first two lines of the poem.
(b) Explain why the poet makes the comparison,
(c) Do you find it interesting and original? Why?

3. What is the distinctive feature of each of the following terminals?

4. Why are all passengers other than those embarking at San Juan, required
to stay on the plane?

5. What do you think is “that vaunted sanctuary”?

6. Select three pieces of evidence which show America’s influence on the lifestyle of Puerto
Rico.

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7. What do you think is the mood of the poem?

8. What is the tone of the poet?