English Literature

The poem starts off by describing the simple, relaxed life of an "Indian". It is important to note that the poem is referring to the discovery of America by Christopher Colombus. It is also good to understand that Colombus was trying to get to India when he discovered the new land (America), however both him and his crew thought that they were in India, finally they realized that they had found a new place. This is why the people are called "Indians" when they are actually in America. Therefore the poem is set on a stranded beach in America, which has not yet been discovered and is therefore a quiet, lonely and isolated land.

The poet tells us that the Indian "had known no change" this is an indication to the simple, calm life he lived, one in which he never had to make any decisions. The Indian is "gathering shells" this shows the tranquility of the land before it was invaded. It is also quite a childish thing to do - this further highlights the simplicity of the Indian's life. However, his life is about to change once he hears the noise. "gasped for speech" shows the surprise the Indian felt at what he saw, mostly because he had never seen anything like it.

The poet describes what the Indian saw - Colombus' ships heading towards the land. The Indian calls them "huge canoes" because he has never seen such a ship and therefore can only relate it to what he has seen; canoes. In fact, he uses the word "magic" showing that it was something that he could never have imagined. The crew are preparing to land and invade America.

The last stanza is one of panic and fear because the Indian man's life is about to change forever. The man is described as "naked" showing that the people on the land had been cut off from the rest of the world and did not know any better. The Indian drops the shells, this might show how his peaceful life is about to change, and he will no longer be able to live an easy life. The poem ends with Christopher Colombus and his crew landing ashore America.