Omeros

Alliteration is a literary device in which a series of words, typically in close proximity within a phrase or sentence, begin with the same sound. This repetition creates a rhythmic or musical quality, enhancing the auditory experience of the text. Alliteration is commonly used to emphasize ideas, create mood, or unify lines and stanzas. Throughout Omeros, Walcott uses alliteration to add flourishes to his consciously poetic work. For example, the alliterative name of Seven Seas, whom Walcott equates with the poet Homer, draws attention to the literary significance of the character. Seven Seas embodies poetry by being named in a poetic fashion.

Alliteration also contributes to tone and atmosphere. Soft consonants create a calming or whispering effect, while harsher sounds evoke urgency, aggression, or excitement. The sea swift, for example, is a spirit guide that represents the flight of the people to and from the island. The bird’s name is alliterative, a comforting presence for Achille in the midst of a disturbing vision of the past. In contrast, aggressive, harsher sounds are reserved for the hostile presence on the island, such as the “American accent” of the tourists who (315)—Achille suspects—are undermining and commodifying the traditions of the local people.

Allusion is a literary device in which a writer references a person, place, event, work of art, literature, mythology, religion, or history external to the work. Rather than describing the subject in detail, the writer assumes the reader’s familiarity with the referenced material. This technique enriches the text by adding deeper meaning and connecting the new work with culturally or historically important precedent. Allusions serve many functions. They provide insight into character, create irony or contrast, or place a work within a broader literary or historical tradition.

In Omeros, allusion plays a central role. The title of the work is an allusion to Homer, the ancient Greek poet traditionally credited with writing The Iliad and The Odyssey. Throughout Omeros, Walcott reimagines Homeric characters and themes within the context of Caribbean history and global colonial past. For instance, the characters Achille and Hector are Caribbean fishermen, but their names allude to the Greek heroes of the Trojan War, “Like Hector. Like Achilles” (47). Walcott’s “historic hallucination” transforms their everyday struggles into epic ones (31), transposing postcolonial Caribbean identity onto ancient Western literary traditions. Walcott also alludes to Greek gods, classical epics, and Western literature, blending them with African and Caribbean culture. These allusions emphasize the hybrid identity of the Caribbean and reflect on the region’s complex colonial history.