Electricity comes to cocoa bottom by Marcia Douglas - analysis by H.m Necklace and Eric Oduor Opiyo

By Marcia Douglas
ELECTRICITY COMES TO
COCOA BOTTOM

Marcia Douglas was born in the U.K. and grew up in Jamaica. She is the
author of the novels, The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: a Novel in
Bass Riddim (2016), Madam Fate (1999) and Notes from a Writer's Book of
Cures and Spells(2005) as well as a collection of poetry, Electricity Comes to
Cocoa Bottom (1999).
Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies internationally,
including Edexcel Anthology for English Language/London Examinations IGCSE, The
Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse, The Forward Book of Poetry, Sisters of Caliban:
Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean, Cultural Activism: Poetic Voices, Political
Voices, Kingston Noir, Jubilation! Poems Celebrating 50 Years of Jamaican Independence,
Mojo: Conjure Stories, Whispers from Under the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist
Fiction, Caribbean Erotic: Poetry, Prose, Essays, The Art of Friction: Where (Non) Fictions
Come Together, and Home: An Imagined Landscape.
Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and
a U.K. Poetry Book Society Recommendation. In addition to writing, she
performs a one-woman show, Natural Herstory, and teaches at the University of
Colorado, Boulder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom the reader is taken on a journey of
light, from the rural flicker of the firefly, the half-moonlight of the limbo of
exile in the USA, to the sense of connectedness and arrival suggested by the
image of the eight-pointed star. It is also a journey of the voice, traversing
back and forth across the Atlantic and across the continents, pushing its way
through word censors and voice mufflers and ending in tongues of fire.
ABOUT THE BOOK:

Then all the children of Cocoa Bottom
went to see Mr. Samuel’s electric lights.
They camped on the grass bank outside his house,
their lamps filled with oil,
waiting for sunset,
watching the sky turn yellow, orange.
Grannie Patterson across the road
peeped through the crack in her porch door.
The cable was drawn like a pencil line across the sun.
The fireflies waited in the shadows,
their lanterns off.
The kling-klings* swooped in from the hills,
congregating in the orange trees.
A breeze coming home from sea held its breath;
bamboo lining the dirt road stopped its swaying,
and evening came as soft as chiffon curtains:
Closing. Closing.
POEM:

Light! Mr. Samuel smiling on the verandah –
a silhouette against the yellow shimmer behind him –
and there arising such a gasp,
such a fluttering of wings,
tweet-a-whit,
such a swaying, swaying.
Light! Marvellous light!
And then the breeze rose up from above the trees,
swelling and swelling into a wind
such that the long grass bent forward
stretching across the bank like so many bowed heads.
And a voice in the wind whispered:
Is there one among us to record this moment?
But there was none –

no one (except for a few warm rocks
hidden among mongoose ferns) even heard a sound.
Already the children of Cocoa Bottom
had lit their lamps for the dark journey home,
and it was too late – the moment had passed.
Marci Douglas

‘Electricity comes to cocoa
bottom’
The title of the poem ‘electricity comes
to cocoa bottom’, the word ‘come’ – which
is defined as: to enter into being or
existence; to be born – suggests that
electricity wasn’t currently present in the
small village – cocoa bottom. The name
of the village could suggest that it is
located somewhere in Jamaica as they
grow ‘coca’ over there. Likewise, the
poet, Marcia Dougles, is from Jamaica as
well therefore it is much more logical to
assume that the village is somewhere in
Jamaica. Moreover, the readers can
deduce from the title the importance of
electricity which is also further
expounded upon throughout the poem;
and because it is a small village it does
not have the resources to generate it on a
large scale.
ANALYSIS:
Language & Vocabulary:

Then all the children of Cocoa
Bottom
went to see Mr. Samuel’s electric
lights.
The poet begins the poem by the word
‘Then’. The foreboding of time plunges
the reader directly amidst all the
excitement mingling amongst the
‘children’ who have all gathered to see
‘Mr. Samuel’s electric lights’. Through this,
the readers are capable of perceiving
the excitement and enthusiasm felt by
the children induced due to the
thought of ‘electricity’, which alludes
towards the fact that their village
lacked the resources needed to
produce power for electricity. The
readers can also contemplate the
reverence dictated for ‘Mr. Samuel’ as
his name is the only name mentioned
– besides Grannie Patterson – and he
owns the light, too.
The word ‘all’ signifies the importance
of this spectacle. Additionally, the
word children emphasizes the fact that
its mostly the new generation that was
fascinated by this new technological
development that was soon to be a
part and parcel of Cocoa Bottom.
Language & Vocabulary continued:

Grannie Patterson across the
road
peeped through the crack in
her porch door Introduction of 'GRANNIE PATTERSON'
alludes to the poets idea which is that the old
people are reluctant to embrace with open arms
the new world’s ever growing technological
gadgets and tools – maybe because their beliefs
and faith are somehow challenged and
threatened by it; or maybe because they feel like
it is something beyond the reach of their
mental capacity and therefore it seems cunning
and foreboding to them; hence, very difficult to
accept. However, just like ‘Grannie Patterson’
the old people are still curious about the
development of the world, which is why they
'PEEPED... the CRACK' to monitor the
unfolding's from a distance.
It is of particular interest how the
poet uses ‘crack’ to delineate how
Grannie Patterson views the event.
It could – maybe – expound
further upon the perspective of
how the very religious view the
success of modern world and its
technology through a small ‘crack’
in the door. The ‘crack’ maybe
alluding towards their skepticism
or their enclosed perspective of
the modern world, its
technological advances and its
evolving gadgets.
Language & Vocabulary
continued:

Light! Marvellous light!
Then, very simply but effectively, the
writer conveys the enigma and the final
product of this spectacle in a single
word: ‘Light!’ The exclamation mark
suggests the overwhelming feeling felt
by the poet as well as the audiences who
are all observing this spectacle
formulate in front of their eyes.
Through this repetition of
‘light’ the readers can
comprehend how important
electricity is to the people of
the village and how it was
purely a ‘marvellous’ scene for
the ‘children’ to observe,
which is why they had ‘all’
gathered outside ‘Mr.
Samuel’s’ house.
Language & Vocabulary continued:

‘lamps filled with oil’
This is also ironic because of the fact that
the congregation is gathered to witness the
birth of light without the use of oil.
Therefore, by juxtaposing these two
elements together, the poet might be trying
to convey her feelings about the lack of
resources in the village or how the people
living there are not modern enough or
compliant enough with the technology of
the modern world. Hence, juxtaposing the
modern world alongside with the old or the
past. Similarly, the poet may also be trying
to portray the level of illiteracy in the
village.
LITERARY DEVICES:
Juxtaposition & contrast:

‘…the sky turn yellow, orange’
With this, the poet again
denotes towards the prospect
of contrast. This is interesting
because she talks about
materialistic light about to be
produced just when the natural
light is about to fade away. The
adjectives ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’
similarly allude towards the
‘light’ produced naturally.
Juxtaposition & contrast continued:
It is ironic how this, in
an abstract manner,
represents the human
need of creating such
resources on their own
will to benefit
themselves; even though
if it is going against the
course of nature.

• ‘waiting…watching’ The use of alliteration of these
vocabularies brings both the elements of
alliteration and repetition and as such
enhances the readers understanding as to
how the overzealous crowd was eager and
expectant. It also builds up tension and
emphasizes the importance of the issue at
hand.
Alliteration & Repetition:
• ‘such swaying,
swaying’
further expresses the
audiences’ elated and
joyous feelings

‘The fireflies waited in the
shadows, their lanterns off’
Here, the poet
personifies the ‘fireflies’ by
giving them human traits –
such as the capability to ‘wait’.
However, the readers
can notice an element of irony
mentioned here, too – as it is
easy for the fireflies to wait
knowing that they have the
means of producing electricity
whereas it is tough for humans
because they lack resources.
Personification:
The poet again vocalizes the
conflict between humans
and nature, suggesting how
nature prevails upon
humans due to its natural
characteristics and the ways
in which it is created.

‘is there one among us to
record this moment?’
The poet asks through the personified voice
of the wind.
Through the introduction of this question,
the poet introduces a decline to the
happiness and the excitement narrated in the
poem so far.
Furthermore, it may connotate the lack of
technological development for example: the
absence of cameras and even mainstream
media to capture such important events in
the lives of the dwellers of Cocoa Bottom.
Personification continued:
‘A breeze
coming…held its
breathe;’ Creates anticipation and tension as
the finale is almost here.

‘…cable was drawn like a
pencil line across the sun’
The use of this similie explains to the readers the poet’s ability to express
how the cables were like a sketch across the sun. However, this again
points towards the concept of conflict between humans and nature; as
‘pencil’ is something created by humans and a ‘line across the sun’ might
suggest how humans have ‘sketched’ their mark on nature itself by devising
such technologically advanced machines and tools; such as electricity. But,
the definition of ‘sketch’ is: a simple, quickly-made drawing that does not
have many details. Therefore, the use of this particular word might allude
towards the fact that no matter how advanced human beings get, they will
only be able to ‘sketch’ their mark upon nature, not fully be capable of
‘drawing’ upon it, as nature has and always will prevail upon humans and
mankind.
Similie:

• ‘the klings – klings
swooped…hills’
• ‘fluttering of wings, tweet-a-
whit’
• Creates a sense of
anticipation and tension.
• Expresses the audiences
elated and joyous feelings.
Onomatopoeia:

 The poet begins the poem with a tone of excitement, wonder and
apprehension: ‘waiting…watching’, ‘Grannie Patterson…peeped…door’ ,
‘Closing. Closing’.
 However, towards the end, the writer introduces a sad tone: ‘but there
was none’. The tone used to narrate this is sad and brimming with
disappointment. It allows the readers to perceive how the children of
the village might have felt disappointed once the spectacle had ended
and they had to finally return home, which is further stated by the
poet ‘lit their lamps for the dark journey home’ which enhances the readers
understanding of the children’s disappointment and growing sadness.
While again juxtaposing the technological advances of a city against
the lack of resources available in a village.
TONE:

 The structure of the poem is such that it endows within it the entire
summary of the poem along with its message:
 Just like the illuminating of ‘light’, the poem starts of immediately
without explaining what had happened before. The excitement and
anticipation described by the poet in between could suggest the flow
of the electricity towards the light bulb, which is quick and
instantaneous; much like the excitement and feelings of the children.
 Then, once the electricity has raced through the wires and generated
light through the light bulb, it lingers around for a while – just like
the elated and overwhelming feelings of the audiences who witnessed
the spectacle of electricity. In the end, when the light bulb is switched
off everything turns dark – just like how the children of cocoa
bottom felt disappointed and dull when they had to return to their
homes with their lanterns guiding them through the dark roads.
STRUCTURE:

 The gathering of ‘all’ of the ‘children’ at ‘Mr. Samuel’s’ house could suggest
the children’s curiosity, excitement and quest for the attainment of
knowledge imparted to them from their tutor – Mr. Samuel’s.
 The feelings of anticipation – ‘held its breath’, ‘Closing. Closing’ – could denote
the children’s anticipation for obtaining knowledge. The effective and elated
joy felt at the illumination of ‘Light!’ could symbolize the ‘light’ illuminated
within one’s soul due to the acceptance of knowledge and wisdom.
 The saddening tone of ‘but there was none’ could allude towards the scarce
resources in the village due to which the children are incapable of writing
down the knowledge given to them from their tutor. And the depressing
mood created through the statements ‘dark journey home’ and ‘the moment had
passed’ could explain how the children were sad that they had to depart from
their tutor and go back to their houses; maybe because they were incapable
of affording the payment the tutor demanded.
THEMES:
Imparting of Knowledge:

Questions:
 How does the poet refer to the theme of ‘religion’ in her poem?
 In what ways does the poet mention the theme of ‘old and
new technology’ in the poem?
 Comment on the structure of the poem?
 Write a three page essay expressing your own thoughts about
the poet’s perspective of the village and how she mentions an
element of nostalgia in the poem?
TASK:

H.M Necklace & Erick Oduor Opiyo
ANALYZED BY:

Electricity comes to cocoa bottom by Marcia Douglas - analysis by H.m Necklace and Eric Oduor Opiyo

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Electricity comes to cocoa bottom by Marcia Douglas - analysis by H.m Necklace and Eric Oduor Opiyo