In poem, “the Sea is History” by Derek Walcott, I found it very interesting how the poet uses so much Biblical imagery to describe the extensive history and depths of the ocean. He goes through the books chronologically, mentioning “Genesis” then “Exodus” then the “Song of Solomon” then “Lamantations” (all Old Testament books), before mentioning the “New Testament”. To me, this represents how the poet is trying to encapsulate the ocean as historical and ongoing, existing and changing throughout even the most ancient of times and even into more recent times. Putting the books in chronological order also emphasizes the representation of the ocean as on a continuous timeline. Walcott’s other mentions of Biblical imagery like Babylon and the Ark of the Covenant can also depict the ocean as the source and location of significant historical and Biblical events, solidifying the ocean’s significant and important part it played in culturally-defining moments. For example, the lines, “of the tidal wave swallowing Port Royal, / and that was Jonah, / but where is your Renaissance?” references the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, another significant moment in history that happened within the ocean. The mention of the Renaissance also has some religious and artistic references as that was a time of great cultural development in history. The thought of development and evolution can also reference how the ocean changes as well, just as much as the land, as the seafloor is constantly shifting and the ocean shapes themselves changed with the change in orientation of the continents over time. The ocean has also been a symbolic tool used in many Renaissance arts and cultural stories and traditions. The ending line of “History, really beginning,” has a double meaning to me. I think it means that the ocean has been such a significant part of history as it has been here since the beginning, and many people believe that a lot of species and life evolved from the ocean (hence, it being the beginning of creation as well), but it can also define the difference between old and new (similar to old and new testament referenced earlier). History implies old, but beginning implies new. The ocean is both old and new at the same time because of its extensive past, but also its potential for creation (both culturally and in life/organisms).