How do the poets powerfully present the experiences of Adam and Eve in the poems

Eves fault by Jee Leong Koh and Adams song by Derek Walcott respectively? Shikhar
Singh 11K
In both poems we are distinctively illustrated the progression of Adam and Eves mishap, and
the compelling intricacy of their many lovers. In Eves fault the themes of friendship, love and
jealousy are evident, offering a contemporary, deviated version of their story, where the blame
is not shifted entirely on Eve. The poet abstains to represent Adam and Eve as elevated
beings and presents them as character the reader can resonate with. Through the inclusion of
humor and irony Eves sin demonstrated to be an understandable choice. In Adams song the
themes of betrayal, regret and humanity is substantially embedded within the characters,
expressed through their acute sorrow for their misdeed. Adams song, symbolizes his love
and bravery for Eve, despite Eve committing a sin. The poet cohesively develops the bond
between Adam, Eve and God, throughout the poem and how their misdemeanor disrupted
their paradise. Both poets set forth varied interpretations of the story, while keeping the crux
of their poem the same.
Walcott powerfully renders Eve experience to be tormenting and grievous, through sombre
imagery, as she succumbs to temptation and commits the transgression. Implying Eve to be
an adulteress stoned to death; renders a repugnant and revolting prospect that expresses
an atrocious depiction among the readers. Representing Eve as an adulteress, evokes a
sexual connotation among the readers, reminding them of her treachery that stained that the
course of humanity, in a draconian and grim manner. The portrayal of Eve being stoned to
death, is a reference from history recounting how women were treated for committing
adultery, highlighting the harrowing and appalling penalty Eve transpired. The reader is further
made to feel intimidated, through her death, insinuating the severity of her punishment. Her
sin films her flesh with slime, illustrates how it is eternal and indicates how her misdeed has
entrapped her, tantamount to the Bible. The fricative of films and flesh, sets forth a heinous
and diabolical imperishable presence that now expresses Eve. With the sickening imagery of
slime, the reader is made to conjure how her betrayal has clawed onto her, again denoting
the irreversible blasphemy. The first was Eve that horned God for the serpent, conveys
Eves devilish act by rejecting Gods command. The word horned, arouses the reader to a
villainous character, illustrated to actually having horns and committing a brutal attack.
Walcott is able to bring irony here exemplifying how Eve tried to do something righteous, but
ended up getting the blame. Walcott presents Eves experience powerfully through a vivid
depiction of her sempiternal sin that impaired the innocence of humanity that left her a
desolate and forlorn figure.
Walcott powerfully expresses Adams endearment for Eve, illustrating his experience to be
despairing, as he succumbs to the sentiments of God. The phrase panthers in the peaceable
kingdom creates the atmosphere of unrest, which Adam is confronted by. This is rather ironic
as a kingdom should be peaceful, uninterrupted by danger. The fact that it is put into
jeopardy, suggest how Adam is vulnerable from death, which is crawling upon him. Plosives
of the words panthers and peaceable shift the tone to a hostile, aggressive one, reflecting
that of a panther, again conveying how Adam is at risk. The word panthers, gives a powerful
imagery of demise, through their black colour, hinting Adams death is lurking near him and
can consume him without warning. Mentioning the anaphora of his death coming out of the
trees induces the sense of mortality Adam is confronted with. The underlying message of this
phrase can be interpreted through the word trees, it is the place where it all started, and now
is the place where it all ends, hence his death. The word trees also suggests obscurity and
mystery, as it is a place where things are hidden or concealed. He sings it, frightened of the
jealousy of God and the price of his own death, conveys how Adam is entangled in his
relationship with God and Eve; as his death approaches he isnt able to understand, whom he
desires more, his love for Eve, or his creator. The fact that he sings it, frightened, suggests
his hesitancy and how he is breaking down. As he still sings the song, denotes his continued
love for Eve, nevertheless his state of being frightened, implies his desire for God not to
hear his song and feel more melancholic. The jealousy of God, exemplifies that God is
envious of how Adam chose death and Eve over him, this reiterates Adams love for Eve.
At the price of his own death, emphasizes Adams sacrificial nature, he is willing to sacrifice
his life for Eve committing the mishap, and death is the way he wishes to repay God. Walcott

powerfully manifests Adams suffering experience to the readers, as being overwhelmed by

his actualization of death and perturbation of God
Koh powerfully represents Eves fault through a present-day and feminist approach to the
original story, where Eve is given a prominent stand and a journey is rendered with her many
lovers. Eves fault was only too much love is stated in the epigraph, which immediately
informs the reader, the writers intention not to criticize Eve, yet ironically displays her sin as a
minor event, when compared to the title. At the beginning God won her from a bouquet of
light, illustrates the sheer desirability of Eve. The imagery of light conjures an image of
purity and innocence which represents the love God inflicts towards Eve. Telling her a
prehistoric joke about the Archaeopteryx, here, God is exhibited in a spirited and friendly
manner, unlike the sagacious and eminent God we refer to in the genesis. Dissociated from
biblical references the Archeopteryx inflicts much humor, as it was even part of Noahs ark,
suggests Gods profound endeavour to keep Eve content. God entered her, reveals how his
spirit enters Eve, it reinforces their unimpeachable bond, which seems rather diverging to how
their relationship is depicted originally. Eve is then presented along the snake, who was a
quieter fellow, indicates his obscured intentions, which hint the reader his cunning and
devious attributes. Here quieter further highlights how vulnerable Eve is impaled with
jeopardy, making the reader feel rather dubious about the serpent, who came in the fall
evenings. The pun on the word fall foreshadows the fall of mankind, in addition to coming in
the evening, a time when it is dark and much cant be seen, reveals the snakes villainous
scheme to mislead Eve. Despite conversing with the snake extensively, where the talked
about the beauty of the light striking the birch symbolising something ominous, Eve needed
Adams need, personifies their Eves immense love for Adam and their bond of trust, and the
point where she comprehends her significance and morale. Koh delivers Eves story in three
similar length stanzas, this equal structure conveys Eves protracted experiences in three
separate relationships, which powerfully illustrates Eves diverse voyage through the Garden
of Eden.
Koh exhibits Adam in a comical manner, as his experiences are abundantly conflicted from an
impeccable and flawless masculinist, to a half-witted, shabby being. The reader is abruptly
made to alter their perception of Adam, when he is called upon as inarticulate, making them
evoke a disorientated individual with his inability to apprehend. Referred to as a terrible
speller, Koh adds yet another imperfection to his character, as well as, an absolute contrast
to Eve, who is discussing poetry with God; characterised as a smart, intellectual and shrewd
being. This suggests the apparent inversion of Adam and Eve, where Adam is depicted to be
hardly superior. Koh elevates the humour mentioning his body being precariously balanced
on his feet, it paints a portrait contrasting to the conventional Adam, here, he is depicted to
be atypical and uncanny. The reader is provided with a physical appearance of Adam, as a
dependant, uncertain, shaky being, reinforced by the word precariously to represent male
anxieties, and denotes that men can possess another person, they are not to be judged to be
robust or exemplary. Here Koh may be trying oppose the genesis story, by presenting Adam
in this manner to set forth his underlying connotation of being sexist. Adam had his mind
made up, outlines his inability to perceive information, rather his limited desire to accept
anything new. It again revitalises the notion of Eves superiority in comparison to Adam who is
clutched onto his narrow beliefs. As a consequence he scratched down and believed the
story of the rib. Koh, narrates how Adam writes down the story of the rib, which he himself
believes, this strongly suggests how Adam accepts his subservient intellect and hinders his
interpretation from Eve. Koh, powerfully presents the experiences of Adam, through a distinct
comparison of him and that of the biblical representation, as well as, enlightens the reader
with a strong sense of sexism, indicating superiority is not only embedded in men.
Both the poets take on different approach to recite their understanding of the story of Adam
and Eve, where Adams song takes a close approach to the bible, full of allusions, Eves fault
takes a contemporary approach. Walcott resorts to using a distinct rhyme scheme and varies
the structure of his poem to represent the emotions and feelings of Adam and Eve and God,
whereas Koh is heavy on imagery and cleverly binds their story into distinct sections. Overall,
it can be seen that both poets attempt to powerfully display the experiences of Adam and Eve,
by exploring and testing the strength of their relationship and discovering who is to blame.