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for CSEC® 2nd edition

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Text © Joyce Jonas and Mala Morton-Gittens 2012

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Acknowledgements
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The publisher and authors would like to thank the following for
permission to use photographs and other copyright material:

Cover: Mark Lyndersay, Lyndersay Digital, Trinidad; p3: Pep Roig/

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Alamy Stock Photo; p9: © Eric Barry; p20: © Marc Brenner; p27:
Shutterstock; p33, 35: Photos courtesy Deborah Jean-Baptiste-Samuel’s
“The Oratory Foundation” at the staging of “The Tempest” in Trinidad
2016; p49: Shutterstock; p66: Wilfredo Lee/AP/REX/Shutterstock;
p70: littleny/Shutterstock; p80: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock;
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Illustration: Q2A Media Services, Bridget Dowty (Graham-Cameron

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Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material

reproduced in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in subsequent
printings if notice is given to the publisher.

The two main authors were responsible for coverage of the following
texts:
Joyce Jonas: Twelfth Night, Ti-Jean and his Brothers, Breath, Eyes,
Memory, For the Life of Letitia
Arlene Kasmally-Dwarika: The Tempest, Anansi, To Kill a Mockingbird,
Animal Farm
English B

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for CSEC®
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Joyce Jonas
Arlene Kasmally-Dwarika
Mala Morton-Gittens
Junette Grandison
Contents

Introduction 1 2.15 For the Life of Laetitia –

the author and plot 88
Unit 1 Drama 2.16 The characters 90
1.1 Where did drama come from? 2 2.17 Setting and conflict 92
1.2 How to study drama 4 2.18 Style, narrative devices and language 94
1.3 Plot, characters, conflict and themes 6 2.19 The themes 96
1.4 Ti-Jean and His Brothers – introduction 8 2.20 Animal Farm – political background,
1.5 The Chorus and conflict 10 setting and point of view 98
1.6 The characters 12 2.21 Plot and conflict 100
1.7 Stagecraft 14 2.22 Structure and language 102
1.8 Sound, language and humour 16 2.23 Style of writing 104
1.9 Themes and symbols 18 2.24 The characters 106

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1.10 Twelfth Night – the plot 20 2.25 The themes 108
1.11 The characters and key themes 22 2.26 Short stories – parental love
1.12 Types of comedy 24 and children in need 110
1.13 Clowns, fools and disguises 26 2.27 Parental love and children

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1.14 Dramatic techniques 28 coping with challenge 112
1.15 The Tempest – an introduction 30 2.28 Children and racism 114
1.16 The stages of plot development 32 2.29 Between two cultures 116
1.17 The subplots 34 2.30 Children learning important lessons 118
1.18 Themes and issues 36 2.31 Relationships and internal conflicts 120
1.19 The characters 38 Unit 2 Practice exam questions 122
1.20 Dramatic techniques 1 40
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Unit 3 Poetry
1.21 Dramatic techniques 2 42
1.22 The setting, title, epilogue and play 44 3.1 Understanding poetry 124
3.2
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1.23 Anansi – the background and Introduction to poetry 126
cultural tradition 46 3.3 The structure of the poem 128
1.24 The plot 48 3.4 The sound of poetry 1 130
1.25 Contrasting characters 50 3.5 The sound of poetry 2 132
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1.26 Conflict, themes and issues 52 3.6 Poetry as pictures 1 134

1.27 Literary devices 54 3.7 Poetry as pictures 2 136
1.28 Use of language and features of writing 56 3.8 Additional poetic devices 1 138
Unit 1 Practice exam questions 58 3.9 Additional poetic devices 2 140
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3.10 Analysing poems 142

Unit 2 Prose 3.11 ‘Landscape Painter, Jamaica’ by
2.1 Features of prose 60 Vivian Virtue 144
2.2 Plot 62 3.12 ‘Orchids’ by Hazel
2.3 Appreciating narrative techniques 64 Simmons-McDonald 146
2.4 Breath, Eyes, Memory – the author and plot 66 3.13 ‘A Stone’s Throw’ by Elma Mitchell 148
2.5 Structure, narrative devices and conflict 68 3.14 ‘Ol’ Higue’ by Mark McWatt 150
2.6 Themes 1 70 3.15 ‘This Is the Dark Time, My Love’
2.7 Themes 2 72 by Martin Carter 152
2.8 The characters and symbols 74 3.16 ‘Theme for English B’ by
2.9 To Kill a Mockingbird – Langston Hughes 154
the plot and setting 76 3.17 ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by
2.10 Characterisation 78 Wilfred Owen 156
2.11 Point of view and learning experiences 80 3.18 ‘South’ by Kamau Brathwaite 158
2.12 Themes and issues 82 3.19 ‘West Indies, USA’ by Stewart Brown 160
2.13 Style, atmosphere and language 84 3.20 ‘Mirror’ by Sylvia Plath 162
2.14 Conflict 86

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3.21 ‘The Woman Speaks to the Man
who Has Employed her Son’
by Lorna Goodison 164
3.22 Dealing with death 166
3.23 ‘A Lesson for this Sunday’
by Derek Walcott 168
3.24 Parents and children 170
3.25 Meanings below the surface 172
3.26 Thematic similarities among
your CSEC poems 174
3.27 Two views of nature 176
Unit 3 Practice exam questions 178
Introduction
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This Study Guide has been developed exclusively
with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) to be
used as an additional resource by candidates, both in
and out of school, following the Caribbean Secondary
Education Certificate (CSEC®) programme.
It has been prepared by a team with expertise
in the CSEC® syllabus, teaching and examination.
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The contents are designed to support learning by
providing tools to help you achieve your best in CSEC
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English B, and the features included make it easier
for you to master the key concepts and requirements
of the syllabus. Do remember to refer to your syllabus
for full guidance on the course requirements and
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examination format.
This Study Guide is accompanied by a support
website which includes electronic activities to assist
you in developing good examination techniques:
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• On Your Marks activities provide sample
examination-style short-answer and essay-type
questions, with example candidate answers and
feedback from an examiner to show where answers
could be improved. These activities will build
your understanding, skill level and confidence in
answering examination questions.
• Printable glossary of all the key terms in the book
This unique combination of focused syllabus content
and interactive examination practice will provide you
with invaluable support to help you reach your full
potential in CSEC® English B.
As you work through the different sections, you will
acquire the skills you need in order to appreciate
Contents
Unit 4 Writing
4.1 Writing practice 180
4.2 Structuring a comparative essay 182
4.3 A sample essay comparing
two poems 1 184
4.4 A sample essay comparing
two poems 2 186
4.5 Introducing quotations and
revision tips 188
Index 190
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literature and write fluently about literary texts. One of
the things that makes literature so interesting is that it
is open to interpretations from readers and audiences
who bring their own prior experiences to bear in
interpreting the work. There can be no one ‘correct’
response’, and the opinions in this Study Guide won’t
be the only interpretations that you may discover
about each of the texts we discuss.
At the beginning of each section, the Learning
outcomes are clearly stated. You may find it helpful, as
you come to the end of each section, to go back and
ensure that you have covered and fully understood the
material from that section. The margins and main text
also contain engaging and useful Activities to help you
engage with the different concepts and encourage
you to form your own opinions on the texts you have
chosen to read. You will also find some very useful
Did you know? panels and Exam tips that have been
provided for you in collaboration with CSEC examiners.
All the texts used for analysis or as examples of specific
points are drawn from the list prescribed for the two
syllabuses covering the entire period from 2018 to 2027.
Please note that one of the poetry questions and one
of the short story questions on Paper 2 will invite you
to write about two texts of your choice. Be careful
to choose only texts that are on the syllabus you are
studying. To guide you, we have listed the texts for
each syllabus at the back of this Study Guide.
Access your support website
at www.oxfordsecondary.
com/9780198413950
1
 1 Drama
1.1
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• consider what drama is and
where you can experience it
• think about the origins and
nature of formal and informal
drama
Where did drama
come from?
What is drama?
Is drama only the plays that we study in school and see performed in the
theatre? Or is it something broader than that? Think about it: sometimes
drama can be happening on the street corner or in your neighbour’s
house. When you ‘borrow’ your big sister’s things without asking, you
can be sure it will result in quite a bit of drama when she finds out! Yes,
informal drama is all around us, isn’t it? In this Study Guide, though,
we look at drama in the more formal sense – plays that are written for

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performance on stage.
• look at the relevance of drama
as a community experience and
The birth of drama
a rite of passage.

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Have you ever thought about when, how and why human beings first
began performing to an audience? Consider the following suggestions:

arriving Scenario 2. There has

io 1. Im ag in e a group of hunters been no rain, and it’s
Scenar they have time for planting, so the
rr ying the animal chief calls on the tribe’s
home, proudly ca men and shaman to discuss the
ed to ki ll. T he y want to tell e wo
th problem. That night, as
manag cked, the moon rises, the wh
ey stalked and atta ole tribe gathers and the
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n ho w br av ely th
childre what do shaman leads them in a
ast fought back. So re-enactment of their
how fiercely the be th ey sit around planting and reaping act
t it out! And as ivities. The drums beat
they do? They ac t, th ey faster and faster to sim
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m ea
ll of the roasted ulate the longed-for rai
the fire, bellies fu oi ts, re liv ing pounding down on the n
out their expl dr y ground, and men an
laugh and boast ab at ise ea ch women dance joyfully, d
rill as they dram miming the work they
the fear and the th a ha s be en born. be doing to harvest the wi ll
t of th e hu nt – and dram bumper crop they hope
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mom en to be blessed with if the

gods will only send rain.

ACTIVITY
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Imagine you are putting on a play at school.

• Make a list of all the people you will have to thank at the end of the performance: the playwright, the lighting
crew ... Complete this list.
• What will you need for the production? Think about costumes, props and scenery. Will you need dressmakers?
Painters? Carpenters?
• Who will you inform about the play, and how?
• Will you need a treasurer, tickets and programmes?
Create lists of all the things you will need to organise a performance.

Drama as a community experience

What do you expect from a play? The examples provided here suggest
that we can expect community participation, action, sound, spectacle,
suspense and an emotion-filled storyline that reflects life as it is or life as
we would like it to be.

2
Drama as a rite of passage
DID YOU KNOW?
We all pass through major transitions in our lives. Birth, puberty, marriage,
The Mundan (the first haircut)
parenthood and death are some traditional examples, but you could add
ceremony in the Hindu religion
others: a child’s first day at school, graduation from college, moving from
is typically performed during the
school to the work environment. Societies often have ceremonies to mark
first three years of a child’s life.
these events. Those rituals and ceremonies are what we mean by rites of
This takes place because hair
passage.
from birth is associated with a
past life, so the shaving signifies
a new beginning. It is also said to
stimulate growth.

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In some religions the shaving of the head marks a rite of passage

We can think of a play as a rite of passage for the characters on stage – and
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for the audience too. Just like the dance of the shaman, a play depicts what
life was like before and after a life-changing experience. Before the rains,
the tribe was sad and hungry, but after the rains and the crops sprang up, it
was joyful and thankful. In Ti-Jean and His Brothers by Derek Walcott, we are
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presented with a widow and her three sons, who have to confront the cruelty
and injustice of the plantation society. The woman’s sons are destined to be ACTIVITY
‘eaten’ by the Planter (the Devil). The awakening or life-changing experience
occurs when Ti-Jean outwits the Planter-Devil, asserting his own humanity Think about the rituals performed
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and his right to a future. Twelfth Night by Shakespeare presents four people in your community: when a
for whom happiness seem unreachable. There is the love-sick Orsino, the baby is born, when a couple get
mournful Olivia and the shipwrecked twins Viola and Sebastian. The twins are married, when someone joins a
separated by the storm and believe each other perished. Viola disguises herself church, when someone graduates
as a boy, but then falls in love with her master (Orsino) and cannot express it. from college or when someone
The play moves through various situations of mistaken identity until they have dies.
a double wedding! Their rite of passage took them from pretence to sincerity, • Which of these rituals have you
from loneliness to joyful relationship. In The Tempest, Prospero uses magic to experienced?
bring characters to the island and facilitates the process of justice which brings
• Did the ceremony create a
the perpetrators to mercy. This experience allows Prospero to transcend his
sense of performance?
circumstance and eventually he is liberated and gains his rite of passage to
Milan, with the removal of magic. In Anansi by Alistair Campbell, a female slave • Did the ceremony reflect
is bombarded by very dehumanising circumstances on the slave ship. Her the emotions of the
hope for survival is ignited by another slave woman who tells empowering participants?
tales of Anansi and by the re-awakening of her cultural identity. Despite the • Did the ceremony provide a
squalor and death, she is able to rise above the ordeal with a new perspective spectacle?
that gives her the rite of passage to the New World, even as a slave girl.

3
 1.2 How to study drama

LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• understand that studying a play
involves using your imagination
to visualise it in performance
• discover that you are the
audience
The important thing to remember when you are studying drama is that a
play is designed to be performed, not only to be read. Your job, then, when
reading the script is to recognise that you have a twin role: you are the
director and also a member of the audience. You need to constantly use
your imagination to develop a mental image of what is happening on the
stage – and it is you who will decide how and where the actors move, and
how they speak. You will also discover that you respond emotionally to
the action, just as you do when you are watching a movie. So put on your
director’s cap, sit down in your director’s chair and let’s roll!

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• imagine you are the play’s
director. What are stage directions for?
To help you stage the play, the playwright supplies stage directions. These

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are usually printed in italics. They indicate how the stage should be set
up (scenery) and how the characters should be dressed (costumes). They
describe the stage furniture needed (props) and where the characters are
to come on (enter) and go off (exit/exeunt). Finally, they indicate
what kind of sound effects and lighting effects the play requires –
bright or dim, a spotlight on one particular individual or group,
and so on.
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You will notice that in addition to instructions at the beginning
of the play, there are stage directions throughout the play. Their
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purpose is to tell the actors when and how to move, and how
to say their lines; they also guide the stage crew, the lighting
crew and the sound crew to know when they must move the
scenery or stage furniture, when they must change the lighting
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effects on the stage, and when they must create particular

sound effects. It takes a whole team of people to produce a
play – and the result is a community experience, not a private
Confusion ensues without proper direction one like reading a novel.
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Modern plays usually have very detailed stage directions, but

Shakespeare’s plays have few. Read carefully, though, and you will discover
that Shakespeare often indicated a new action (someone drawing his
sword, the coming of morning, the abating of a storm) by having the
characters describe those events – but these references serve the same
purpose as stage directions.

Scenery
ACTIVITY
Pay attention to the scenery that is used in a play and any changes in the
From a play you are studying, find setting. Ask yourself: are any contrasting experiences suggested? If so,
examples of stage directions that how has that been achieved? As an example, think about the poverty-
guide: stricken hut belonging to the Mother and her sons in Ti-Jean and His
• the director Brothers. Realistically presented, it can suggest the pathos of their situation.
In contrast, the forest, home to talking creatures in bright costumes but
• the actors also to Papa Bois, suggests to us a space of danger and also of magical
• the stage crew. possibility. In Anansi, the harsh scenes of the slave ship are tempered with
the scenes of the fairy tale forest, where the character Anansi is allowed

4
to play witty tricks on other characters, while asserting himself among
DID YOU KNOW?
powerful creatures. With this dramatic strategy, Campbell gives the
audience a relief from the serious issues explored on board the slave ship. Did you know that scenery
What effect do those changes in scene have on the audience? and costumes can be realistic
or symbolic? In Ti-Jean and His
Costumes and props Brothers, which costumes are
Costumes and props both have a great visual impact on the audience, so be realistic, and which are symbolic?
aware of them at all times. Imagine that you are responsible for the props Which of the characters in The
and costumes in a performance, and make a list of what is needed for each Tempest could wear realistic
scene. For example, in Ti-Jean and His Brothers we’ll need two crosses for the costumes, and which would
brothers’ graves, an axe for Gros-Jean to carry, a fishing net and a book for require symbolic ones? What effect
Mi-Jean, suitable costumes for the Frog, the Cricket and the Bird, as well as might this mixing of realism and
for the Bolom and the devils. For Twelfth Night yellow stockings and cross- symbolism have on the audience?
garters will be needed for Malvolio, and a potted tree for the pranksters to
hide behind. For The Tempest we’ll have to get a cloak, books and staff for

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Prospero to highlight his use of magic; and swords for Sebastian, Stephano,
King Alonso and Ferdinand. For Anansi, the scenes on board the slave ship
will need a flag, ship bell, ship mask and various shackles for the slaves. For ACTIVITY
the forest scenes, tall plants, images of animals behind painted shrubs and

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logs. As you study your play, think about how the props and the costumes • Think of two contrasting scenes
communicate a world of information and emotion to the audience. in a play you are studying.
Sketch the stage settings you
Action and dialogue imagine you will need to give to
the cast and crew for direction.
There’s also the action and the dialogue to consider. You know what
action is from action-filled movies. Some scenes in a play will have a great • Think of a production you have
deal of action and others will be less energetic. Notice when the dialogue watched or participated in.
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is full of rapid interchanges between characters, and when it slows down How did the costumes, scenery
and the characters seem to be more reflective. Moments when the devils and props evoke the setting
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appear in Ti-Jean and His Brothers are very dramatic, accompanied by of the play, and how was that
lightning flashes, drum rolls and smoke. Also, the Bolom moves around altered between scenes to
in a lively manner, somersaulting around the brothers and their Mother. create a certain mood or sense
Conversely, some moments in the play have less movement and are of tension?
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reserved for quiet conversation.

• Select one scene from the play
you are studying, and list or
Lighting and sound
sketch the props and costumes
Notice all the stage directions that indicate a change in the lighting or needed. What effect do you
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the need for a particular sound effect. A novel will not give you the same want these to have on the
direct experience that theatre can provide. audience?

Spectacle • From your selected play,

identify two scenes in which
Be aware, then, of how the playwright exploits the resources of the stage: the characters move about
scenery, lighting and sound; costumes and props; action and grouping of quite a bit on the stage, maybe
the characters. All these devices produce what is called the ‘spectacle’ that even coming to blows, and
theatre brings us. identify two scenes in which
they talk quietly.
Costumes Props Action
a Why do you think the
playwright alternates
between action and reflective
Scenery Drama Grouping
thought in this way?
b Would it be better if every
scene were ‘action-packed’?
Dialogue Sound Lighting

5
 1.3
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• see how the key elements in a
play work together
• observe how characters are
contrasted and can be in
conflict with each other
• notice how the conflicts point
us to the themes of the play
• become aware of how tension
and suspense are created to
sustain interest
• notice the use of dramatic irony
• understand that a play presents
ideas or themes for the
audience to consider.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Jewellers sometimes put a thin
layer of polished metal under a
gemstone in order to give it more
brilliance. The metal is called a foil.
A contrasting character shows
up the characteristics of the
protagonist: he is a foil for the
protagonist.
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Plot, characters, conflict
and themes
A unified whole
As you study a play you discover that every character, conflict, twist in the
plot, every feature of the props and setting, all the lighting, costumes and
sound effects – every single aspect of the play contributes to the overall
impact. All the devices point us to the themes and message that add to
the purpose and energy of the play. It is your job to note the techniques
that the playwright uses and to appreciate how, together, they create for
the audience the total dramatic experience.
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Mapping out the storyline
Every play has a storyline – this is the plot. Some plays have more
than one plot, and each subplot is interwoven with the main plot,
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commenting on it in some way. You need to write a summary of the
storyline of each plot. Notice how the main plot and the subplots are
interconnected. You may find it helpful to draw a graph, or to map out
the interrelated storylines.
Characters
There can be no story without characters. These characters will have
different personalities, conflicting opinions, opposing motives, values and
attitudes. Notice what each character does and says, and pay attention to
what other characters have to say about them. Bearing all these points in
mind, and as part of your revision, you should write a short character study
of each of the characters in the play you are studying.
Contrasting characters
Because people are different, there will almost certainly be characters
in your play that stand in contrast to each other. In Twelfth Night,
both Viola and Olivia have ‘lost’ a brother but while Olivia goes into
prolonged mourning, Viola courageously makes the decision to
disguise herself as a boy and seek employment. Olivia resorts to
posturing, while Viola is resourceful and practical. In Ti-Jean and His
Brothers, the three brothers are very different: Gros-Jean depends on
his physical strength and Mi-Jean relies on his learning. In contrast
Ti-Jean humbly draws on the wisdom, faith and spirituality learnt from
his mother to claim victory. In The Tempest, both Ariel and Caliban are
mythical servants of Prospero but they are sharply contrasted. Ariel is
a natural, fairy-like spirit that is obedient and dedicated to his master’s
commands. Contrastingly, Caliban takes the form of a crude monster
that is rude and unwilling to serve Prospero. In Anansi, the Captain
and the boy represent the slave masters, but despite this they have
different perspectives on slaves. The boy is empathic and sensitive,
while the father is dogmatic and detached. We sympathise with the
slaves through the boy’s innocent eyes.
 Different language for different characters
Often, to make the characters more realistic, and to make
the contrasts more striking, the playwright will use a type of
language appropriate to each character. Be aware of the shifts
in language and different types of imagery that contrasting
characters use.

Themes
How do we sense conflict?
The themes of a play are the main issues that are raised – usually the issues
You come home from school
that cause the conflicts within and between the characters.
and you sense that something
The themes of each play are different, but the quickest way to identify is wrong: Mum is annoyed and
them is to focus on the conflicts. What causes friction between characters? your sister is sulking. How do you

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The cause of the friction will be one of the themes. know there is tension? Sometimes
you know there’s a problem from
Conflict the actual words they are using,
but sometimes you sense it in

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In a play (as in real life) you can expect to come across conflicts and their body language, or in their
tensions. These conflicts are sometimes between two characters, tone of voice. Your friend seems
sometimes between a character and society, and sometimes within the particularly quiet and avoids
mind of the character. company, so you sense that he
is struggling with something –
some conflict in his own mind.
ACTIVITY
Expect the characters in a play
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Map the conflicts in two plays you have studied, showing which to be experiencing conflicts,
characters are opposed to each other, and why. but remember that they may
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communicate that conflict to us
• Are the conflicts the same in the two plays? by using a subtle tone of voice or
• Are the themes the same? by body language, as well as by
The points of conflict will tell you the issues or themes that the play open quarrelling or even fighting.
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raises. As in real life, look for signs in the

performance style and language
used by the characters.
Irony
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Often we plan for one thing or anticipate a particular outcome, and the
opposite happens. That is irony. Sometimes we (the audience) know
something that a character on the stage is unaware of, so we are able to KEY POINTS
smile (or maybe wince) at his lack of knowledge: this is an example of
irony. Irony is often used in drama; make a note of the main examples of The issues that cause conflict
dramatic irony in your play. among the characters will lead
you to the themes of the play.

Suspense
The playwright uses many devices to create tension in order to make ACTIVITY
the audience wonder how a situation will ever be resolved. This is called
building suspense, and it’s a technique employed to create a sense of Identify two points of conflict in
excitement and anticipation in the play. Observe and note how the another play you have studied. Say
playwright creates suspense by withholding information or by allowing what themes and issues are raised
things to descend into chaos and presenting us and the characters with a through these conflicts.
solution only at the very last moment.

7
 1.4 Ti-Jean and His Brothers –
introduction

LEARNING OUTCOMES About the dramatist

In this section you will:
• learn about Derek Walcott’s life
and work
• trace the plot of Ti-Jean and His
Brothers.
Derek Walcott was born in 1930 in Castries, St Lucia. His worldview was
largely shaped by his experience of growing up in an island community
that had been colonised alternately by the French and the British. Derek’s
father died when he and his twin brother, Roderick, were very young,
leaving the boys to be raised by their mother, a schoolteacher.
In 1953, after graduating from UWI with a degree in English and a
diploma in Education, Walcott moved to Trinidad where, with his brother,

KEY POINTS
Resistance to colonisation is a
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he formed the Trinidad Theatre Workshop company. He directed the
Workshop for two decades, and wrote several of the plays performed
there. Some 15 of Walcott’s plays have been published, and a similar
number have been performed but not published.

theme in this play, and Ti-Jean,
like the Walcott boys, is raised by a
single parent – Mother.
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DID YOU KNOW?
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Oeuvre is a French word meaning
‘body of work’. It is used to
describe the output of a writer,
composer or artist.
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As well as being a dramatist, Walcott published a dozen volumes of poetry,
winning a number of prestigious awards. In 1992, he was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature “for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained
by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment”. He held
appointments at universities in England and the USA. Walcott died at his
home in St Lucia in March 2017.
The plot
As soon as the curtain goes up on the play Ti-Jean and his Brothers, we
realise that we are in the realm of magical realism: animals talk and the
Devil himself appears on stage with his servants. The plot follows the
pattern of folk tale – in a familiar storyline, three brothers are given a task

to perform, and the youngest and weakest succeeds where his brothers
fail. Walcott uses this folk-tale pattern, though, to reflect on the Caribbean
experience of exploitation under colonial rule.
A poverty-stricken widow lives with her three sons, Gros-Jean, Mi-Jean and
Sa

Ti-Jean, in a hut in the forest. The supernatural invades their life when the
Bolom (an aborted foetus, now the servant of the Devil) comes to their
hut with a challenge. The Bolom says that if one of the boys can cause
the Devil to feel human emotions, then the family will be showered with
gold and never want again, but should he fail and lose control of his own
emotions, he will become supper for the Devil.
One by one the boys accept the challenge. Each in turn is required to
deal with a feisty goat, to collect fireflies, and to count all the leaves in the
sugar cane fields. Gros-Jean depends on his physical strength to match the
Devil (now in the form of a Planter), but eventually is frustrated and loses
his temper. The Devil eats him for supper. Mi-Jean, a half-baked academic,

8
decides that he will win the contest by remaining silent, but when he,
ACTIVITY
too, is frustrated by the impossibility of the tasks, he can remain silent no
longer, loses control of his emotions and in turn becomes supper for the Find Derek Walcott’s Nobel
Devil. Lecture on the web and listen
When Ti-Jean’s turn comes, he relies neither on his physical strength nor to it.
on his intellectual gifts, but draws on his mother’s wisdom and prayers,
and humbly turns to the creatures of the forest to assist him. Where the
arrogance of his brothers led them to failure, Ti-Jean’s humility and respect
for others leads him to triumph. He castrates the goat and makes himself a
curry, and he urges the workers in the cane fields to burn down the canes
so that there is no need to count their leaves. Of course, the Devil (Planter)
is furious and loses the contest, revealing his deeply racist attitudes in the
process: “you little nowhere nigger! … You’re dirt, and that’s where you’ll
be when I’m finished with you.”

xt
However, the Devil is reluctant to honour his agreement. It takes the
intervention of the Bolom to ensure that Ti-Jean is given the shower of
gold. Of course, the Devil never plays fair: he does indeed allow the Bolom
to live and Ti-Jean receives the gold but at a price, as in the hut his beloved

Te
mother lies dead.
The confrontation depicted in this play between the brothers and the
Devil is a parable about slavery and colonisation, revolution and resistance
in the Caribbean.
e
pl
m
Sa

A performance of Ti Jean and His Brothers staged by Monkey Mountain in 2015 at the Little Carib Theatre.

9
 1.5 The Chorus and conflict

LEARNING OUTCOMES The Chorus

In this section you will:
• notice the importance of the
Chorus of forest creatures
• consider the types of conflict in
the play.
In Ti-Jean and His Brothers, Walcott cleverly draws on all traditions that
have shaped Caribbean life. In this play he uses our history of European
conquest and sugar plantations, Afro-Caribbean folklore and the
revolutionary figures who fought for our independence.
One literary tradition that Walcott playfully refers to is that of the Chorus
in Greek tragedy. Walcott’s Chorus is made up of forest creatures. As they
bring us the Prologue, the Frog says, “Greek-croak” (instead of Crick-Crack)

xt
and then sneezes, “Aeschylus me!” (Aeschlyus being a famous Greek
dramatist). This parody of Greek theatre is amusing yet also important.
Greek epics and drama celebrated great mythical heroes like Hercules,
Achilles and Odysseus. By linking his own play with Greek drama, Walcott

Te
implies that the heroes of Caribbean history – those who have fought
against the evil of slavery, colonisation and exploitation – are just as
worthy of recognition on the world stage.

What additional purpose does the Chorus serve?

Consider the following five points:
e
• The Chorus as a frame: The Chorus is a tradition in Greek theatre.
Walcott uses it here as a frame around the folk tale of the three brothers,
pl
suggesting that their struggle has epic dimensions.
• The Chorus as a political statement: By giving a voice to creatures of
the forest, Walcott asserts that Caribbean voices are just as valid as those
honoured in Western traditions.
m

• The Chorus as a narrator: The creatures narrate the folk tale of the
man in the moon, thereby introducing the audience to the Mother and
her three sons.
Sa

• The Chorus as magical realism: The magic of the talking creatures,

their dance movements and their delightful costumes lift the mood of
the play. This contrasts with the tragic realism of the family’s poverty and
suggests that an alternative to that degradation is indeed possible.
• The Chorus as lyrical counterpoint: A variety of language registers
are used in the play. The Chorus speaks in a very lyrical style, suggesting
that there is a dimension of beauty beyond the hardships of life as
experienced by the little family.

10
Conflict
Literally the conflict in the play is between the enslaved and the slave
owner, between the colonised and the coloniser, between the exploited
and the exploiter. The literal conflict traces the history of conquest,
colonisation and neo-colonialism in the Caribbean. The conflict is between
the little family and the Devil/Planter who ‘eats up’ the sons, while not
allowing them to climb out of poverty.
At the metaphysical level we could say that the conflict is between good
and evil. Evil is personified in the Devil/Planter. He personifies greed,
deceit, exploitation, ruthlessness, cruelty, abuse of power, racism and
injustice. In contrast, the Mother and Ti-Jean personify goodness. Their
faith, love, humility, integrity, self-sacrifice, wisdom and courage are the
power that will overcome evil. Due to the righteousness of Ti-Jean’s cause
and the courage and determination with which he resists the Planter/

xt
Devil, the Bolom (the future) is set free, and the Devil is driven away for
a time.
Significantly, the Devil appears in different disguises. The point here is
DID YOU KNOW?
that evil manifests itself in many different forms: infanticide, exploitation

Te
of workers, cruelty, poverty, ignorance, and so forth. These evils (and so ‘La lutte continue’ translates as
many others) must be fought if humanity is to be liberated to reach its full ‘the struggle continues’. It has
potential. The conflict is one that we still face: “la lutte continue”. been used as a slogan by many
political movements throughout
The conflict operates at the psychological level too. In the characters
history.
of the Mother and Ti-Jean, we see humanity striving to be noble and
virtuous. The Devil, though, seeks to strip humanity of all dignity: he jeers
e
at their efforts to rise above their situation. To the Devil, the Mother is a
“poor withered fool who thinks it’s holy to be poor, who scraped her knees
to the knuckle praying to an old beard that’s been deaf since noise began”.
pl
He mockingly asserts that mankind is merely an animal: the “descendant of
the ape … poor shaving monkey”; he calls human life a “hackneyed cough
between two immortalities”.
m

This is psychological warfare, but Ti-Jean has allies to encourage him not
to be discouraged. Even as he grieves the death of his mother, his spiritual
strength and inspiration, the forest creatures urge Ti-Jean to sing. They
are actually urging him to believe in himself: to rise above his situation
Sa

and become nobler in doing so. Here, then, the conflict is between man’s
aspiration to be noble and heroic, and the forces that pull him down,
telling him he is worthless, and urging him to behave at his worst. His song
is his triumph over the evil of despair.

ACTIVITY

Explore how each of the following responds to the conflict he

experiences:
• The Old Man
• Ti-Jean
• Bolom

11
 1.6
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• identify the characters in
the play and consider their
significance.
ACTIVITY
e
Discuss the following: Mi-Jean is
the ‘educated’ son – always with his
pl
book. To what extent does his book
learning help him?
Listen to this TED talk by Sir
m
Ken Robinson – ‘Do Schools Kill
Creativity?’. He makes the point
that colonial education trained
young people to be bureaucrats,
Sa
but what is needed is education
that will bring out their creativity.
Can you relate his argument to
Walcott’s satirical presentation of
Mi-Jean?
12
The characters
The brothers
Although the story of the three brothers takes the form of a simple folk
tale, it has important meaning. Critics have suggested that the three
brothers represent three phases in the development of Caribbean people.
We could look at the three phases in this way:
Gros-Jean: the slave, denied education and exploited for his physical
strength.
Mi-Jean: the colonised subject, educated solely to serve as a pen-pusher
xt
in the coloniser’s system, but no longer resourceful or capable in practical
matters. (Mi-Jean can prattle away in legal jargon, but cannot catch fish to
feed the family.)
Te
Ti-Jean: the decolonised revolutionary. His eyes are wide open to the
evils of the coloniser’s methods. He clings to and respects the indigenous
culture (his mother’s wisdom and prayers, the wisdom and assistance of
the forest creatures). He values the lives of his people, and fights for the
survival of the Bolom. He resists the imposed system of exploitation – even
to the point of using violence. He resists the psychological devaluation of
his person (the way he is ‘named’ by the Planter/Devil).
Walcott presents the downfall of Gros-Jean with compassion, but reserves
his satire for the way the coloniser uses education and the lure of book-
learning and a white-collar job to render Mi-Jean useless to his family. His
respect is for Ti-Jean, the new generation of youths who are ‘conscious’
and who will resist the systematic naming and exploitation that colonised
people have been subjected to.
The Mother
There is love, dignity, wisdom and quiet faith about this woman.
Her wisdom is shown in several ways:
• She tells Gros-Jean that “a grave is the strongest arm of all” – showing
him that physical strength is not to be relied on.
• She advises her sons to be respectful to the creatures of the forest.
• She warns her sons to beware of Papa Bois because “the Devil can hide
in several features”.
• She gives spiritual guidance to her sons, saying:
“You have told me yourself
Our lives are not ours,
That no one’s life is theirs
Husband or wife,
Father or son,
That our life is God’s own.”
Her quiet faith is revealed through several actions:
ACTIVITY
• She blesses Ti-Jean (the only son who kneels and asks for her blessing).
• How does each of the brothers
• It is her prayer that causes the Devil to keep his bargain – even though it
respond to the Bolom? What
results in the Mother’s death.
do their reactions tell us about
Her deep love is seen not only in her care of her boys, but in the their personalities? Are they like
compassion she shows for the Bolom. This is clear when she says: or unlike their mother?
• Compare the ways in which
“Peace to you, unborn, the three brothers treat the
You can find comfort here. creatures of the forest. What
Let a mother touch you, does this tell you about their
For the sake of her kind.” personalities? What lesson can
we learn from Ti-Jean’s attitude
to the forest creatures?
The devils

xt
• Compare the ways in which the
This play takes us beyond the realism of the Mother’s hut, and reveals the three brothers deal with Papa
supernatural forces at work. The Devil and the lesser demons are visible, Bois. What evidence do we have
and the audience is permitted to see the Devil assuming the disguise of that Ti-Jean has seen that the

Te
Papa Bois and the Planter. In this simple way, we are given to understand Old Man is really the Devil in
that the ills in a society, such as the cruelty and injustice of the plantation disguise? Find examples of
system, are energised by spirit forces. Even something as seemingly Ti-Jean refusing to accept the
harmless as the negative, ‘worldly wise’ advice of Papa Bois must also be Old Man’s view of things.
recognised as being inspired by evil, and counter to faith. Indeed, the
Bolom tells us that all the wickedness in the world is instigated by the Devil:
e
“The Devil my master DID YOU KNOW?
Who owns half the world,
The Devil has often been depicted
In the kingdom of night,
in literature. Medieval mystery and
pl
Has done all that is evil
morality plays in Europe included
Butchered thousands in war,
the Devil or the Old Vice as a
Whispered his diseases
character. Christopher Marlowe is
In the ears of great statesmen,
m

famous for his play Dr. Faustus, in

Invented human justice,
which Faustus makes a deal with
Made anger, pride, jealousy,
the Devil. Milton made Satan a
And weakened prayer …”
central figure in his epic poem
Sa

Paradise Lost (and indeed there are

As a character, the Devil shows a variety of emotions. He is resentful at
echoes of that poem in Walcott’s
having lost his position as God’s ‘lieutenant’, scornful of the weaknesses of
play). What is different about
human beings and angry at having been outsmarted by Ti-Jean.
Walcott’s use of the Devil is the way
he links the Devil with West Indian
Papa Bois plantations and slavery. Ti-Jean’s
In Trinidad and St Lucia, Papa Bois, the Old Man of the Woods, is the struggle against the wiles of the
guardian of the forest. One of his feet is a cloven goat-hoof. Anyone Devil is the struggle that Caribbean
meeting him should greet him with great politeness and never try to people have to take back all that
uncover the hairy foot. has been taken from them through
European slavery and colonisation,
In this play, Papa Bois is one persona of the Devil. He represents worldly and even through the unequal
wisdom, but his view of life is pessimistic – full of imagery of worms and playing field of post-colonial
death. Neither Gros-Jean nor Mi-Jean recognises the evil in the Old Man, politics.
even though Mi-Jean is checking his book for definitions that ought to
help him. Ti-Jean, on the other hand, is not deceived by Papa Bois, nor is he
deterred by the old man’s negativity, but he keeps his attitude of hope and
faith throughout their conversation.

13
 1.7
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• think about the effectiveness
of dramatic devices, such as
scenery and costumes
• notice that scenes of energetic
movement and noise alternate
with scenes of stillness and
quiet, affecting the mood and
provoking thought
• consider the importance of
dramatic devices such as props,
sound effects and lighting.
e
pl
m
Sa
14
Stagecraft
Scenery
The audience sees the contrast between the poverty-stricken hut, where
the family lives, and the forest that surrounds it. While the hut is realistic
(recognisably part of the real world), the forest is a place of mystery and
the supernatural. The contrast implies that a spiritual realm lies beyond the
realities of everyday life. That realm is one of magical wonder (suggested
by the talking creatures) and of spiritual danger (suggested by the
presence of the Devil and his servants).
xt
Costumes
The play offers splendid spectacle in the costumes: whimsical outfits for
the talking creatures; frightening costumes for the devils; and peasant
Te
garments for the Mother and her sons. The Planter’s costume remind us of
the historical period of slavery and colonial rule, while the leafy mask and
costume of Papa Bois take us to the world of Caribbean folklore. However,
the Bolom’s costume will suggest his non-human state.
Action and stillness
Drama is a spectacle, and it is also action. Indeed, one of the key aspects
of this play is its rich use of movement on stage. The Bolom somersaults
around the hut, the forest creatures scamper and dance around in their
own style, the devils cavort gleefully, and even the goat leads the brothers
a merry dance until Ti-Jean deals with him.
Movement can be very significant, as, for instance, when Ti-Jean kneels to
interact with the forest creatures, and when Ti-Jean and the Bolom go off,
their arms around each other. Scenes where the devils are on stage are
always very energetic.
Unlike his two brothers, Ti-Jean does not trust the old man he meets in the
forest, and his various movements as he surreptitiously exposes the old
man’s devil’s tail and cloven hoof will produce laughter in the audience.
Pretending to cooperate with Papa Bois, Ti-Jean scatters his faggots
instead of securing the bundle, making the old man cross. The result is
plenty of lively – even comic – movement onstage.
No play consists entirely of lively scenes, though; there must be scenes of
stillness and quiet too. The Mother has quite a lengthy conversation with
Ti-Jean before he leaves home, and the moment when Ti-Jean discovers
his brothers’ graves is also solemn and still. The noisy scene, so full of the
movement of the devils when Gros-Jean and Mi-Jean first fail in their
tasks, is followed by a still moment where the Devil is seated on the log,
peacefully nibbling at a piece of human flesh. These moments of stillness
in the play are very significant, focusing our attention on what is taking
place and requiring a change in our emotional response.

Props
In order to create a solemn effect, there need to be two crosses to mark
the graves of Mi-Jean and Gros-Jean. A cloven foot and tail will be needed
for Papa Bois – and these tell us that he is evil while also providing humour

xt
as Ti-Jean tries to unmask the old devil. The Devil/Planter’s mask is an
important prop, suggesting how evil the plantation system was.

Lighting

Te
Depending on the resources of the company staging the play, there is
scope for creative use of lighting effects. For instance, the stage directions
require a blue light to mark out the Bolom as he rolls around the hut,
while a white light picks out the Mother as she prays fervently for Ti-Jean.
Lightning flashes accompany actions of the devils, and the lurid flames of
Hell are suggested by red lighting behind the two brothers enduring their
e
eternal punishment.

Sound and lighting

pl

The play effectively uses both sound and lighting (along with smoke-filled
explosions). The simple musical accompaniment of flute, cuatro and drum
conveys a variety of moods, from the Mother’s mourning because there is
m

no food to Gros-Jean’s military style as he marches off to accept the Devil’s

challenge. The moments when Gros-Jean and Mi-Jean lose to the Devil
are marked with a loud explosion, lightning flashes and smoke – giving a
powerful suggestion of Hell on earth. The contrast between that noise and
Sa

the brilliance of the scene that follows – the Devil placidly nibbling on a
human limb – is very dramatic indeed.

ACTIVITY

Identify other props that will be required for a performance of this

play. What is the effect that each will have on the audience?

15
 1.8
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• be aware of the effect of sound
and spectacle in the play
• consider the use of different
registers of language
• trace the humour in the play
and think about its importance.
DID YOU KNOW?
In African-American culture, the
music known as the ‘Blues’ is the
product of the suffering and pain
of that community. The music
often captures the sounds made
by trains, reminding us that many
e
African-Americans worked hard
for low wages, or even in chain
gangs, to lay the tracks for the
pl
transcontinental railroads that
made America rich. The songs
that emerged from the slave
m
plantations, too – the so-called
Negro Spirituals – are examples
of a people turning their pain into
song. ‘Singing the Blues’ speaks of
Sa
the triumph of the human spirit
over injustice and oppression
of every kind. In this play, the
creatures of the forest urge Ti-Jean
to join in and sing the ‘Blues’.
16
Sound, language
and humour
Sound and spectacle
The costumes and setting make for a splendid spectacle in the play. The
forest creatures wear whimsical costumes, and the devils, too, are dressed
in eye-catching outfits. Papa Bois wears a mask of leaves and a long skirt
covering his cloven hoof, and the Bolom is suitably dressed to suggest his
unborn state. There needs to be a contrast between the everyday clothes
of the Mother and her sons on the one hand, and the forest creatures and
supernatural agents on the other.
xt
Since the action takes place in the forest, there is scope for spectacular
scenery, and this is made dramatic by the presence of the poverty-stricken
hut and, later, the two crosses marking the graves of the two older brothers.
Lighting and sound effects are used throughout the play – dramatic flashes of
Te
light, smoke and thunder-claps mark the anger of the Devil, creating a mood of
terror. Violence and revolution are hinted at when the lighting makes the sky red
with flames at the moment that Ti-Jean orders the workers to burn the cane.
The musicians assist in establishing the required mood at moments in
the play. Drums, cries and the cane burners’ chorus create a mood of
revolution, while a sad, haunting melody on the solo flute suggests the
sorrow and poverty experienced by the Mother when she has no food to
give her sons. A clash of cymbals accompanies the arrival of the Bolom,
startling the family inside the hut and the audience watching the play.
In addition to all the above, the stage directions also call for the sound of
wind, rain and the shriek of insects to give realism to the forest setting.
Singing is important both to the mood of the play and to its message.
Indeed, Ti-Jean’s courageous song at the end of the play takes on symbolic
significance. Borrowing from Christian tradition, Ti-Jean compares himself
to David setting out to kill Goliath:
“I go bring down, bring down Goliath:
Bring down below …”
To be a man, Ti-Jean knows he must keep going – despite fear, despite injustice,
despite discouragement and even despite the grief he feels at his mother’s
death. Realising that he must rise above his grief, he falteringly attempts to sing,
and as the forest creatures join in, their chorus becomes a chant of triumph.
Language
Walcott explores a broad language spectrum in this play. Much of the play
is written in rhythmic, unrhymed poetic form that sounds like chanting
when performed. Here is an example of that lyrical unrhymed poetry:
“The cricket would stop rattling
And the wandering firefly
That lights the tired woodsman
Home through the raining trees
Could not strike a damp light
To star the wanderer home!”
The lyrical quality is helped by an abundance of alliteration:
ACTIVITY
“Old hands dried up like claws
• The Mother’s speech is lyrical,
Heaping old sticks on sticks,
innocent and reverent. She
Too weak to protect her nest.”
uses Biblical allusion and the
kind of diction you might find
The lyrical speech of the forest creatures contrasts with the everyday
in prayers. The language of the
prosaic language of, for instance, Gros-Jean and Mi-Jean, suggesting a
forest creatures, too, is innocent
spirituality that the animals have and that Gros-Jean has lost:
and clean. In contrast, the
“Get out of my way, you slimy bastard!” Devil and Gros-Jean use vulgar
expressions. Find some examples
Patois and Creole are part of the language continuum of the play: to demonstrate this contrast
between innocent goodness on
Patois: “Faire ça mwen di ous!”. “Bai Daible-là manger un ‘ti mamaille” the one hand, and vulgarity on
Creole: “Listen, I ent mind doing what you proposed”; “Well, one time it the other. How effective is this

xt
had a mother …” contrasting use of language?

Due to the fact that Mi-Jean has studied a lot but learnt only a little, he • Find examples in the play
is given language that is full of clever words that he sometimes uses of superstitious beliefs and

Te
incorrectly: “When you animadvertently imbue mere animals with an practices that are prevalent in
animus or soul …”. However, when Mi-Jean is caught off-guard, he reverts the Caribbean. For example,
to his everyday language: “Oh, shut up, you can’t hear two people talking?” when the Bolom comes to
the hut, Gros-Jean suggests
Similarly, the Devil is capable of speaking like a learned academic, but he
that they “Line the step with
can also descend to vulgarity:
fine sand to keep the evil out”,
“I’ve been watching you, you little nowhere nigger! You little squirt … and he and Mi-Jean hold their
e
You’re dirt!” fingers to make the sign of
the cross to keep the evil spirit
away. Make a list of examples.
Humour
pl
• The Nobel Prize committee
Despite its serious themes, the play is full of humour. Here are some praised Walcott’s work for its
examples: “multicultural commitment”.
m

• Puns: Mi-Jean is: Find examples of this in the

play. For example, you can list
“Always forgetting the bait, examples of African-American
So between de bait and debate” songs, Caribbean folklore,
Sa

aspects of Greek tragedy,

• A mock-heroic tone when the drums and quatro strike up a military air Biblical references, universal
to accompany Mi-Jean’s ‘march’ across the stage. folk tales, allusion to European
• Situational humour in Ti-Jean’s producing the ‘goat seed’ and announces literature, the historical context
that he has enjoyed the goat curry. of sugar plantations in the West
• Mi-Jean’s shift from pompous legal language to an angry outburst when Indies, patois and Standard
he is finally frustrated by the goat’s bleating. He shifts from “Exaggerated English, etc.
hypothesis! Unsubstantiated!” to “Oh, shut you damn mouth, both o’all you!”
• Farce: Gros-Jean and then Mi-Jean chasing the goat.
• Bathos. The Devil recalls his glory days in Heaven:

“When I was the Son of the Morning,

When I was the Prince of Light”

Then he slips from that lofty tone and bursts out:

“Oh, to hell with that! You lose a job, you lose a job.”

17
 1.9
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this section you will:
• compare the beginning and
the end of the play in order to
identify the themes
• consider the symbolic function
of the Bolom.
DID YOU KNOW?
The ‘fourth wall’ in theatre talk is
the imaginary ‘wall’ between the
actors and the audience. In some
plays, the actors conduct their
activities as if the audience simply
e
is not there, and the audience is
not involved in the action on stage.
pl
Modern dramatists often choose to
break down that ‘fourth wall’. They
allow the characters to address the
audience directly, and sometimes
m
actors are situated off stage, in
the audience. This removal of the
‘fourth wall’ makes the audience
feel part of the action, responsible
Sa
for what is happening on the
stage and empowered to change
the situation. An example of
breaking down the ‘fourth wall’
occurs in Ti-Jean and His Brothers
when Gros-Jean addresses the
audience directly. In traditional
soliloquy, characters talk to
themselves, pretending that the
audience is not present; when the
fourth wall is removed, characters
acknowledge the presence of people
in the audience, and address them
directly.
18
Themes and symbols
Comparing the beginning and the end
When you study a play or a novel, it is always helpful to compare the
beginning and the end. This play begins with a state of disorder. We meet
a family living in poverty, targeted by the forces of evil and consumed with
fear. Also, we see an unborn foetus denied life, and condemned to be a
slave of the Devil.
By the end of the play, Ti-Jean (the youngest of the brothers) has
confronted the Devil, challenged his lies, and claimed his freedom. The
xt
Bolom (unborn foetus) has been given life. Ti-Jean and the Bolom, now
brothers, face the future together. However, while there is triumph as
the Devil leaves, there is also sorrow: Gros-Jean and Mi-Jean died when
they failed the Devil’s challenge, and the Mother died even as she prayed
Te
fervently for the safety of her youngest son. Freedom for the Bolom and for
Ti-Jean has come at a price. Therefore, it is with a mixture of joy and sorrow
that the two face the future, and the forest creatures urge Ti-Jean to sing:
he must go on.
What can we learn from these changes? We learn that social evils are
not overcome by physical strength (Gros-Jean), nor by a smidgeon of
education (Mi-Jean); rather, evil has to be overcome by faith, courage,
endurance, humility and unity such as are shown by Ti-Jean. Evil in all
its guises must be steadfastly exposed and resisted – at times even with
violence. The future (symbolised by the Bolom) will be guaranteed only
as we unite to persistently challenge the injustices that would destroy us.
To suffer and grieve and yet still keep faith and sing is what it takes to
be a man.
The evils of slavery and colonisation
Central to the play is the link between the Devil and the plantocracy in
the West Indies. Ti-Jean’s challenge is to triumph over that particular evil.
He struggles against poverty, ignorance, discouragement (from Papa
Bois), and the degradation and dehumanisation caused by the cruel,
unjust system of slavery and colonisation. He draws strength for his
struggle: from his mother and her unwavering faith and love; from the
support of the forest creatures (whom he treats with respect); from the
united action of the cane-workers; and from his own integrity, self-respect
and mother-wit.
Rescuing the future
The Bolom – an aborted foetus, strangled at birth – symbolises the
future of the Caribbean people. Neither the strength of Gros-Jean (put
at the service of the oppressor), nor the little learning of Mi-Jean (who
attempts to reason with the oppressor) liberates the Bolom. Yet Ti-Jean’s
determination, cunning, rebellion and faith succeed where his brothers’
submissive stance failed – despite their strength and learning. Ti-Jean has
learnt an important principle:

“Who with the Devil tries to play fair,

Weaves the net of his own despair.”

Due to Ti-Jean’s revolutionary actions, the Bolom – the region’s future – is

released into life.
DID YOU KNOW?

xt
Some additional symbols In his important study of
• Mi Jean’s book and useless fishing net, symbolising an education that colonialism, The Wretched of
makes him unfit to support his family the Earth, Frantz Fanon writes

Te
• Gros-Jean’s axe, symbolising his physical prowess that is helpless against about the ways in which colonial
the evil system societies have been exploited by
their colonisers. He argues that
• The Devil and fiends, symbolising the evils unleashed by slavery and
colonial people need not only
colonisation
to overthrow the colonisers, but
• The forest creatures, symbolising natural goodness and wisdom that also to dismantle the ideas and
have been driven into hiding by the plantation system structures that supported their
e
• The Devil gnawing on a human bone, symbolising the countless human rule. Newly independent former
beings sacrificed to the plantation economy colonies should preserve their
pl
• The burning cane fields symbolise revolution indigenous institutions and culture;
they should assert their political
• The Devil’s mask and Papa Bois, each symbolising the way Evil disguises
autonomy. Since colonisation itself
its real nature
is violent, violence is inevitable in
m

the process of decolonisation.

Faith, hope and unity in the face of oppression
Ti-Jean is clearly a revolutionary leader: unlike his brothers, he sees clearly
that there can be no ‘playing fair’ with the oppressor. He kills and eats
Sa

the goat, urges the sugar workers to revolt and burn down the cane, and ACTIVITY
demands his own and the Bolom’s freedom. However, it is not only what
You are familiar with Bob Marley’s
Ti-Jean does, but the spirit in which he does things that brings his success.
famous line:
He demonstrates faith and hope, and reaches out to those around him
(the forest creatures and the cane-workers) to join him in the struggle. “Emancipate yourselves from
Even the Bolom (who had been the Devil’s servant), inspired by Ti-Jean, mental slavery”.
positions himself between his ‘brother’ and the Devil, demanding justice. • To what extent do you consider
Ti-Jean to be mentally free?
Without any preaching, the play lets us know that the struggle for
liberation is a spiritual one, and that it takes more than physical strength • How does his thinking contrast
and learning to ‘bring down Goliath’. It may also require violence, such with that of his brothers?
as the burning of the cane and the destruction of the Planter’s house. • Consider young people in your
In addition, the spiritual values embraced by Ti-Jean, together with country. What behaviours do
unflagging, determined resistance, are needed if those who have suffered they display that reflect mental
at the hands of the oppressor are to gain freedom and claim their equal emancipation?
rights in the world.

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