Derek Walcott: "Koenig of the River" (379-82)

reader: Jill Petersen
respondent: Sylvia Krzmarzick
recorder: Kasi Hlavaty
Tuesday, 5 June

The general "plot" of the poem is Koenig, a missionary monk, which is seen by the line about his tonsured head and the information about catching the missionary fever, is traveling alone after a shipwreck kills all his companions. Sort of a missionary or deep forest/jungle version of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Koenig is poling up a river past the remnants of the previous colonizers of the land and bemoaning the loss of his fellow missionaries. There are times when his mind seems to slip and he thinks he sees spirits moving among the trees on the banks of the river, yet at other times, he seems completely lucid in his observation and description of his surroundings; the mule, the mine and the rotting ferry dock for example. The poem also drifts from first person to third person, indicating that there is someone else witnessing Koenig's journey up the river. This leads to the question: Who is the narrator?

Discussion:

Carolyn - maybe royal "we"

maybe going bonkers

Dale - Does the poem have to have a narrator? doesn't have to have one, poetic style instead of representation.

April - thinks there is a narrator

Jennifer - sometimes we refer to ourselves in 3rd person.

Verena - thinks it is a problem of lucidity - doesn't realize time - Where is our queen? - slips, unaware of origin.

April - saw anger, defiant - hearken to glory days, last one of the group alive - fearful of battle, unknown.

What happens to Koenig?

Sylvia - 1st to 3rd is Walcott's way of showing the battle of colonialism, clash between the mechanical and the natural - nature won. reality - couldn't tame nature, lost sight of virtuous reasons for being in other country. economics twisted intentions of the colonizers

Why hast thou forsaken me?

April - uses white imagery p381 - white sky, white water, white muslin

Dale - Walcott speaks to mixed race p379 - thick meadow, sand colored = mixed culture of Caribbean islands. yellowish - color of island people pollution of environment

April - mule = beast of burden, slavery, do dirty work.

Carolyn - what about cows? productive people not being put to use.

p382 - laughed, spat in brown creek

Sylvia - nature versus technology - dull green like drumbeat = life of the forest trying to regenerate? hope?

April - colonial in retreat - "we're free" we can come back (nature)

Sylvia - when you pretend you are a fool