Olive Senior, in her effort to produce poetry reflective and indicative of life, nature, humanity and human tendencies may place emphasis on some elements or aspects of the aforementioned, that society may shun or not give significant consideration to; like women and their strengths. This would therefore be her way of bringing light to things blotted out and not necessarily be a subjective attitude to the certain aspects of society which she writes about.
According to Microsoft Student Encarta Dictionaries, feminism is concerned with the promulgation of the rights of women and advocating equality among the sexes and protagonists usually achieve this by discrediting and condemning society's adulation of men. The focus of feminists therefore is on the needs of women to be seen as equal to and possessing the same abilities as men. The question can then be asked is this in fact the focus of Senior's poetry? Condemning society's adulation of men and advocating the rights and freedoms of women? Certainly Senior is making visible the abilities and strengths of a woman and the momentous role women play in society but to denounce, revile or discredit men is not her focus. Be it resolved therefore that Olive Senior is not a feminist; her poetry is not a condemnation of men, however it is safe to assume that her work is indeed a celebration of the strength of women.
Olive Senior is a prolific writer whose poems tend to provoke her readers whether they are male or female. She uses her craft creatively not jus to relay the experiences and indignities of human life (though fictional in some of her poems) but also as a post colonial writer, to question the ideals of society and their veracity, rewrite myths and legends or deconstructing these through poetry.
An examination of Senior's background and heritage will give anyone reading and perusing her anthologies inkling as to why she writes about these issues and subject matters. Born in 1941, in rural Jamaica she witnesses the struggles of women how women contest limitations placed on them by society which deny them visibility in many spheres. It can therefore be said that Senior feels compelled to underscore the many abilities and strengths of women because a great appreciation for women is not expressed by society. Yemoha: Mother of Waters for example, associates all aspects of birth or creation in nature with the role of women as the life givers or child bearers. In the same way Yemoha is perpetually bringing forth life, rejuvenating and replenishing, women are women are doing the same in as nurturers and mothers however their roles are not limited to these. Women are also compelled to assume the role of both father and mother and Senior seeks to demonstrate how women encumbered with this burden, combine their maternal and economic roles to ensure the support of themselves and their dependents for whom they assume ultimate responsibility. In Hurricane Story 1988 the persona relates the experience of her mother, a single parent who combined these two roles and worked assiduously "…travel to Haiti, Panama, Curaçao, Miami wherever there was bargain to catch-even shoes that didn't have match." Senior through this situation, typical of life in Jamaica shows the resilience and determination of women who where denied many opportunities to self advancement. She however shows that women are in fact susceptible to and are amenable to adverse conditions such as the loss of her livelihood as the woman in Hurricane Story 1988 -"she ban her belly and bawl for five flights a day to Miami grounded".
In Tropic Love this resilience and sense of independence and self will is once again emphasized. The persona an observer of two passers by relays what this woman says to her companion; "love me and my family or leave me to sit by the roadside to sell by the river side to take washing…" This woman is determined that the support of her children is more important than the pleasure of a man who is actually a burden. She is resolving and is bereft of any shame to engage in jobs that may be deemed demeaning. So Senior is showing the many facets to a woman's character. She does not do this is an effort to decry men and condemn society's adulation of men. This was in fact typical in Caribbean society and Senior through her poetry seeks to show how women rose above these overbearing constraints.
Another important notification is that Olive Senior's poetry does not only deal with male/female relationships. Senior's poems however have the tendency to reassert the significance of the ordinary and a celebration of the simple life of simple people. Also she traveled extensively and through this has developed a grater appreciation for her culture and her heritage. Poems such as "Meditation on Yellow", Senior speaks to the oppression of the Tainos by the Spaniards and the blacks in enslavement. She highlights the fact that past circumstances such as our history of treacherous slavery has bearing on our current state of mind individually and as a people; "…and just when I thought I could rest pour my own….a new set…arrive". In essence Senior is saying that slavery has not yet ending but is veiled in tourist trade in our minds and in society. The poem "Pineapple", is also indicative of this phenomenon and in this poem Senior speaks about the hidden power of the Tainos "…never suspecting the retribution incarnate in that sweet flesh". Here she illustrates that people of different race relationships can suddenly change from positive to negative. "Hurricane Story 1903" is another poem which proves that Senior poetry in not a condemnation of men. The grandfather here is seen as working in conjunction with the grandmother. There is a concerted effort in preparing for the hurricane and ensuring easy recovery. He is equated with Noah, the great man of God who in obedience to God saved a generation.
In "Hurricane Story 1944" though after the hurricane things went bad, the combined effort of both parents and the fact that the, man was supportive of his family is another instance in which Senior shows that families in Jamaica did comprise of a supportive man. She does not dispute the fact that single mothers had to play the dual role at times. When she does highlight this, it is not to discredit males but jus to highlight this societal problem as she does in most of her poems- "Brief Lives" is another of these.
Another point to note is that as a female writer it is almost an innate tendency to write about and relay the experiences, the hardships, the strength and the eventual triumph of women over their circumstances. She, (as many writers would) feels it necessary to speak on behalf of women expressively relating their thoughts, experiences, feelings and emotions (as in Tropic Love) retelling the legends and mythical stories of women and how relative they are to today's strong self reliant women who work and sacrifice for the good of their children, village and community ("…like those strong Amazon women striding daily across our lands…."-Amazon Women)
Her poems are recounts. She views them as a means of documenting and relaying the experiences of people and she does this in an almost informal way, engaging her readers through the conversational structure of her poems, the creative play she uses, gossip and the use of Creole expressions which appeal to her target audience.
It can thus be concluded that Senior is merely relaying societal problems and the experiences of people particularly of the Caribbean. She seeks to bring to light many issues and matters of significance such as women and what they are worth, topics that are not given much recognition. She thus feels compelled to do this as a woman and as a Caribbean writer not in condemnation of men but in celebration of the unrecognized.
