poetry of place: Louise Bennett's "Jamaica Labrish" and Derek Walcott's "Omeros"

Many Caribbean writers have felt the burden of conformity to European standards of literary expression. The region is without the extended historical tradition of the "Old World," because the privilege to know the roots of its past has been undercut by slavery and colonialism. West Indian literature has been undervalued at best, ignored at worst. Much early literature set in the Caribbean was created by outsiders who omitted the linguistic, cultural, and historical traditions of the populace. Many modern Caribbean writers now recognize that through literature, the tale of the people can be revitalized. The call for a unique regional voice has been embedded in the work of such writers as Louise Bennett and Derek Walcott, who have used the language and setting of the Caribbean to move away from Europeanized literary ideals to the advertisement of the everyday. Such writers give voice to unique Caribbean forms of expression.