Electricity comes to cocoa bottom by Marcia Douglas - analysis by H.m Necklace and Eric Oduor Opiyo

The power point expounds upon the different aspects of the poem, such as the theme, tone, structure and different literary devices. It also includes my personal insight about the poem and the various perspectives in which I viewed and contemplated it.

1. By Marcia Douglas Electricity comes to cocoa bottom

2. Marcia Douglas was born in the U.K. and grew up in Jamaica. She is the author of the novels,  The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: a Novel in Bass Riddim   (2016),  Madam Fate  (1999) and  Notes from a Writer's Book of Cures and Spells (2005) as well as a collection of poetry,  Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom  (1999). Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies internationally, including  Edexcel Anthology for English Language/London Examinations IGCSE, The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse, The Forward Book of Poetry, Sisters of Caliban : Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean, Cultural Activism: Poetic Voices, Political Voices, Kingston Noir, Jubilation! Poems Celebrating 50 Years of Jamaican Independence, Mojo: Conjure Stories, Whispers from Under the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction, Caribbean Erotic: Poetry, Prose, Essays, The Art of Friction: Where (Non) Fictions Come Together,  and  Home: An Imagined Landscape. Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a U.K. Poetry Book Society Recommendation. In addition to writing, she performs a one-woman show,  Natural Herstory ,  and teaches at the University of Colorado, Boulder. About the author:

3. In   Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom  the reader is taken on a journey of light, from the rural flicker of the firefly, the half-moonlight of the limbo of exile in the USA, to the sense of connectedness and arrival suggested by the image of the eight-pointed star. It is also a journey of the voice, traversing back and forth across the Atlantic and across the continents, pushing its way through word censors and voice mufflers and ending in tongues of fire. About the book:

4. Then all the children of Cocoa Bottom went to see Mr. Samuel’s electric lights. They camped on the grass bank outside his house, their lamps filled with oil, waiting for sunset, watching the sky turn yellow, orange. Grannie Patterson across the road peeped through the crack in her porch door. The cable was drawn like a pencil line across the sun. The fireflies waited in the shadows, their lanterns off. The kling -klings* swooped in from the hills, congregating in the orange trees. A breeze coming home from sea held its breath; bamboo lining the dirt road stopped its swaying, and evening came as soft as chiffon curtains: Closing. Closing. Poem:

5. Light! Mr. Samuel smiling on the verandah – a silhouette against the yellow shimmer behind him – and there arising such a gasp, such a fluttering of wings, tweet-a-whit, such a swaying, swaying. Light! Marvellous light! And then the breeze rose up from above the trees, swelling and swelling into a wind such that the long grass bent forward stretching across the bank like so many bowed heads. And a voice in the wind whispered: Is there one among us to record this moment? But there was none –

6. no one (except for a few warm rocks hidden among mongoose ferns) even heard a sound. Already the children of Cocoa Bottom had lit their lamps for the dark journey home, and it was too late – the moment had passed . Marci Douglas

7. ‘ Electricity comes to cocoa bottom’ The title of the poem ‘electricity comes to cocoa bottom’, the word ‘ come ’ – which is defined as: to enter into being or existence; to be born – suggests that electricity wasn’t currently present in the small village – cocoa bottom. The name of the village could suggest that it is located somewhere in Jamaica as they grow ‘coca ’ over there. Likewise, the poet, Marcia Dougles, is from Jamaica as well therefore it is much more logical to assume that the village is somewhere in Jamaica. Moreover, the readers can deduce from the title the importance of electricity which is also further expounded upon throughout the poem; and because it is a small village it does not have the resources to generate it on a large scale. ANALYSIS : Language & Vocabulary:

8. Then all the children of Cocoa Bottom went to see Mr. Samuel’s electric lights. The poet begins the poem by the word ‘ Then ’. The foreboding of time plunges the reader directly amidst all the excitement mingling amongst the ‘ children ’ who have all gathered to see ‘ Mr. Samuel’s electric lights ’. Through this, the readers are capable of perceiving the excitement and enthusiasm felt by the children induced due to the thought of ‘ electricity ’, which alludes towards the fact that their village lacked the resources needed to produce power for electricity. The readers can also contemplate the reverence dictated for ‘ Mr. Samuel ’ as his name is the only name mentioned – besides Grannie Patterson – and he owns the light, too. The word ‘ all ’ signifies the importance of this spectacle. Additionally, the word children emphasizes the fact that its mostly the new generation that was fascinated by this new technological development that was soon to be a part and parcel of Cocoa Bottom. Language & Vocabulary continued:

9. Grannie Patterson across the road peeped through the crack in her porch door Introduction of 'GRANNIE PATTERSON ' alludes to the poets idea which is that the old people are reluctant to embrace with open arms the new world’s ever growing technological gadgets and tools – maybe because their beliefs and faith are somehow challenged and threatened by it; or maybe because they feel like it is something beyond the reach of their mental capacity and therefore it seems cunning and foreboding to them; hence, very difficult to accept. However, just like ‘Grannie Patterson’ the old people are still curious about the development of the world, which is why they 'PEEPED... the CRACK ' to monitor the unfolding's from a distance.   It is of particular interest how the poet uses ‘ crack ’ to delineate how Grannie Patterson views the event. It could – maybe – expound further upon the perspective of how the very religious view the success of modern world and its technology through a small ‘ crack ’ in the door. The ‘ crack ’ maybe alluding towards their skepticism or their enclosed perspective of the modern world, its technological advances and its evolving gadgets. Language & Vocabulary continued:

10. Light ! Marvellous light! Then, very simply but effectively, the writer conveys the enigma and the final product of this spectacle in a single word: ‘ Light! ’  The exclamation mark suggests the overwhelming feeling felt by the poet as well as the audiences who are all observing this spectacle formulate in front of their eyes.   Through this repetition of ‘ light ’ the readers can comprehend how important electricity is to the people of the village and how it was purely a ‘ marvellous ’ scene for the ‘ children ’ to observe, which is why they had ‘ all ’ gathered outside ‘ Mr. Samuel’s ’ house . Language & Vocabulary continued:

11. ‘lamps filled with oil’ This is also ironic   because of the fact that the congregation is gathered to witness the birth of light without the use of oil. Therefore, by juxtaposing these two elements together, the poet might be trying to convey her feelings about the lack of resources in the village or how the people living there are not modern enough or compliant enough with the technology of the modern world. Hence, juxtaposing the modern world alongside with the old or the past . Similarly, the poet may also be trying to portray the level of illiteracy in the village. LITERARY DEVICES: Juxtaposition & contrast:

12. ‘…the sky turn yellow, orange’ With this, the poet again denotes towards the prospect of contrast. This is interesting because she talks about materialistic light about to be produced just when the natural light is about to fade away. The adjectives ‘ yellow ’ and ‘ orange ’ similarly allude towards the ‘ l ight ’ produced naturally. Juxtaposition & contrast continued: It is ironic  how this, in an abstract manner, represents the human need of creating such resources on their own will to benefit themselves; even though if it is going against the course of nature .  

13. ‘waiting…watching’ The use of alliteration of these vocabularies brings both the elements of alliteration and repetition and as such enhances the readers understanding as to how the overzealous crowd was eager and expectant . It also builds up tension and emphasizes the importance of the issue at hand. Alliteration & Repetition: ‘such swaying, swaying ’ further expresses the audiences’ elated and joyous feelings

14. ‘The fireflies waited in the shadows, their lanterns off’ Here , the poet personifies  the ‘ fireflies ’ by giving them human traits – such as the capability to ‘ wait ’. However , the readers can notice an element of irony mentioned here, too – as it is easy for the fireflies to wait knowing that they have the means of producing electricity whereas it is tough for humans because they lack resources . Personification: The poet again vocalizes the conflict between humans and nature , suggesting how nature prevails upon humans due to its natural characteristics and the ways in which it is created.

15. ‘is there one among us to record this moment ? ’ The poet asks through the personified  voice of the wind. Through the introduction of this question , the poet introduces a decline to the happiness and the excitement narrated in the poem so far. Furthermore, it may connotate the lack of technological development for example: the absence of cameras and even mainstream media to capture such important events in the lives of the dwellers of Cocoa Bottom. Personification continued: ‘A breeze coming…held its breathe ;’ Creates anticipation and tension as the finale is almost here.

16. ‘…cable was drawn like a pencil line across the sun’ The use of this similie   explains to the readers the poet’s ability to express how the cables were like a sketch across the sun. However, this again points towards the concept of conflict between humans and nature; as ‘ pencil ’ is something created by humans and a ‘ line across the sun ’ might suggest how humans have ‘ sketched ’ their mark on nature itself by devising such technologically advanced machines and tools; such as electricity. But, the definition of ‘ sketch ’ is: a simple, quickly-made drawing that does not have many details. Therefore, the use of this particular word might allude towards the fact that no matter how advanced human beings get, they will only be able to ‘ sketch ’ their mark upon nature, not fully be capable of ‘ drawing ’ upon it, as nature has and always will prevail upon humans and mankind . Similie:

17. ‘the klings – klings swooped…hills ’ ‘fluttering of wings, tweet-a-whit’ Creates a sense of anticipation and tension . Expresses the audiences elated and joyous feelings. Onomatopoeia:

18. The poet begins the poem with a tone of excitement, wonder and apprehension : ‘ waiting…watching ’, ‘ Grannie Patterson…peeped…door ’ , ‘ Closing. Closing ’. However, towards the end, the writer introduces a sad tone: ‘ but there was none ’. The tone  used to narrate this is sad and brimming with disappointment. It allows the readers to perceive how the children of the village might have felt disappointed once the spectacle had ended and they had to finally return home, which is further stated by the poet ‘ lit their lamps for the dark journey home ’ which enhances the readers understanding of the children’s disappointment and growing sadness . While again juxtaposing the technological advances of a city against the lack of resources available in a village. Tone:

19. The structure  of the poem is such that it endows within it the entire summary of the poem along with its message: Just like the illuminating of ‘ light ’, the poem starts of immediately without explaining what had happened before. The excitement and anticipation described by the poet in between could suggest the flow of the electricity towards the light bulb , which is quick and instantaneous; much like the excitement and feelings of the children. Then , once the electricity has raced through the wires and generated light through the light bulb, it lingers around for a while – just like the elated and overwhelming feelings of the audiences who witnessed the spectacle of electricity. In the end, when the light bulb is switched off everything turns dark – just like how the children of cocoa bottom felt disappointed and dull when they had to return to their homes with their lanterns guiding them through the dark roads. Structure:

20. The gathering of ‘ all ’ of the ‘ children ’ at ‘ Mr. Samuel’s ’ house could suggest the children’s curiosity, excitement and quest for the attainment of knowledge imparted to them from their tutor – Mr. Samuel’s. The feelings of anticipation – ‘ held its breath ’, ‘ Closing. Closing ’ – could denote the children’s anticipation for obtaining knowledge . The effective and elated joy felt at the illumination of ‘ Light! ’ could symbolize the ‘ light ’ illuminated within one’s soul due to the acceptance of knowledge and wisdom . The saddening tone of ‘ but there was none ’ could allude towards the scarce resources in the village due to which the children are incapable of writing down the knowledge given to them from their tutor. And the depressing mood created through the statements ‘ dark journey home ’ and ‘ the moment had passed ’ could explain how the children were sad that they had to depart from their tutor and go back to their houses; maybe because they were incapable of affording the payment the tutor demanded. Themes: Imparting of Knowledge :

21. Questions: How does the poet refer to the theme of ‘ religion ’ in her poem? In what ways does the poet mention the theme of ‘ old and new technology ’ in the poem? Comment on the structure of the poem? Write a three page essay expressing your own thoughts about the poet’s perspective of the village and how she mentions an element of nostalgia in the poem? Task:

22. H.M Necklace & Erick Oduor Opiyo Analyzed by: