Riens Of A Great Hause Flashcards
(17 cards)
Q1: Where is the poem set?
A: In the ruins of an old colonial mansion on a Caribbean lime plantation.
Q2: What does the decaying mansion symbolize?
A: The fall of the British Empire and the legacy of colonial exploitation.
Q3: What historical practice does the poem criticize?
A: Slavery and the violence of colonial rule.
Q4: What does “disjecta membra” mean, and what does it refer to?
A: Latin for “scattered limbs”; it refers to the broken remains of the estate, symbolizing the ruined empire.
Q5: What is the meaning behind the “gate cherubs shriek with stain”?
A: Symbols of innocence and beauty are now defiled, showing how guilt stains colonial legacy.
Q6: How does nature contribute to the imagery of decay?
A: Animals like mice and crows, and elements like mud, worms, and dead trees, show nature reclaiming the space and erasing human pride.
Q7: What emotional shift does the speaker experience by the end of the poem?
A: From anger and condemnation to a complex sense of compassion and understanding.
Q8: How is the British Empire portrayed in the poem?
A: As once grand but morally corrupted, beautiful yet built on brutality.
Q9: Why does Walcott reference writers like John Donne and Rudyard Kipling?
A: To highlight the contradiction of an empire that produced great literature while committing moral atrocities.
Q10: What is the tone of the poem?
A: Reflective, angry, mournful, and ultimately compassionate.
Q11: What role does history play in the poem?
A: History is a haunting presence—both the grandeur and the horror are buried in the land and memory.
Q12: How does the speaker compare England to the Caribbean?
A: He acknowledges that England, too, was once a colony (under Rome), creating a shared sense of vulnerability.
Q1: “Stones only, the disjecta membra of this Great House”
A: This quote uses Latin for “scattered limbs” to describe the broken remains of the mansion. It symbolizes the ruins of empire, suggesting that what once seemed powerful is now fragmented and lifeless.
Q3: “The mouths of those gate cherubs shriek with stain”
A: Once-pure statues are now dirty and defiled, symbolizing lost innocence and how guilt stains even art and beauty in a colonial setting.
Q4: “The lizard’s dragonish claws”
A: A striking image that blends the real (lizard) with the mythic (dragon). It shows nature taking over and gives a sinister edge to the natural world reclaiming the ruins.
Q5: “A smell of dead limes quickens in the nose / The leprosy of empire”
A: One of the most powerful lines—rotting limes (once a colonial cash crop) become a metaphor for decay and disease, with “leprosy” showing the moral and physical corruption of empire.
Q7: “As well as if a manor of thy friend’s…” (from Donne)
A: A closing reflection on compassion—the idea that someone else’s ruin should matter to you, especially if you share the same human condition.
