Islands Live!
Essays
By Ryan Levihn-Coon
We have read many excerpts from many books about the Bahamas. Overall, our readings have greatly informed us about life and culture in the Bahamas.
The Story of the
Bahamas, by Paul Albury, has helped us to understand much of what takes place on the
islands. It covers everything from island demographics
to island geography and oceanography. From this book, I learned how the islands of the
Bahamas formed, information which applies directly to my day-to-day life here. For
example, we scuba dive off "The Wall”, the vertical drop from about 15 meters to
2,000 meters that surrounds much of the Bahamas. This “wall” is the edge of the
underwater plateau of sediment on which all of the Bahamian islands sit. The Bahamas are
some of the only islands in the world formed by such sediment buildup. That is why the
land is so close to sea level here, and why there are no volcanoes on the islands, like
some of the islands in the southern Caribbean.In another book set in the Bahamas, Omeros, by Derek Walcott, there is a very close relationship between black and white people on the islands. This compares very well to my experience of the islands because I have encountered this everywhere I go. Virtually no distinction is made between a black Bahamian and a white Bahamian. The plot and descriptions within Omeros also bring to life some of the most important activities in Bahamian culture. Conch fishing, for example, is an art, a tradition, and historically a way of life here. One of the main characters in Omeros is a conch fisherman, and through him, the book pinpoints exactly how important fishing is for Bahamians.
Omeros: A Means for Understanding Island Life
By Meg Bunn
While at The Island School, we all read a book called Omeros, by Derek Walcott. The book is set about 50 years ago, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. There are eight main characters, all with different backgrounds. Most of the characters are islanders who make their living off of the land, sea, and tourism, while a few come from other countries, but have moved permanently to St. Lucia. Although their backgrounds are very different, all of the characters have ties to each other; some are friends, while others work for one another.
By reading this book, I have learned what it is like to live in the Caribbean, especially on a small island. By stepping inside the characters’ lives, I have been able to see what hardships some islanders must face. For example, two of the book’s protagonists are fishermen who try to live off of the sea. Neither has much luck, but only one of them stays in the fishing profession. Before reading this book, I never thought that fishing could be a person’s only means of income, but it is for many people in the Caribbean.
Tourism is another major source of income in the Caribbean. Omeros was able to put tourism into perspective for me. I read about one character who had to become a taxi driver, driving tourists to support his family. Another protagonist turned to selling souvenirs and braiding tourists’ hair because she needed a job. Before going to school in the Bahamas or reading about the Caribbean, I never thought about how much money a country could make off of tourists. Reading this book has also helped to show me how deep people’s roots are here. Everyone is proud of his or her heritage. All of the islanders in the book feel that their home—St. Lucia—is a major part of them.
Overall, literature is a great way to learn about a culture and a way of life. Without it, I would have had a harder time understanding what it is like to live your entire life on an island and make your living from it, too.