18 pages • 36 minutes read
Things We Carry on the Sea
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Themes
Western Globalization
Through processes of trade, colonization, and acculturation, the West has exported its culture and ideology to the entire world. For much of recent history, Western powers have connected their global influence to a process of modernization. This global influence positions Western societies as cultural ideals, and Western economies as models of economic success. The influence of globalization manifests through Ping’s “Things We Carry” in two major ways. First, globalization leads to the denigration and exploitation of non-Western societies. Second, globalization leads members of these non-Western societies to aspire to become part of the West.
The exploitation of the collective speaker’s homelands is one of the major factors driving them to immigrate. The speaker talks about their “scars from proxy wars of greed” (Line 4). Proxy wars occur when external state actors instigate a conflict in another country. The Angolan Civil War (1975-2002) originally served as a battleground for the USSR and United States during the Cold War (1947-1991). In proxy wars, the state actors do not fight directly. Instead, they fund armies in the warring country. Proxy wars often lead to large numbers of refugees fleeing either the conflict or the resulting unstable economy. Proxy wars also devastate local populations, leading to the speaker calling themselves “orphans of the wars forced upon us” (Line 13). Similarly, the “carnage of mining, droughts, floods” (Line 5) that the speaker carries suggests the West’s colonial practices. When less powerful countries come under Western influence, Western powers often extract valuable resources from them and destabilize local economies.
The speaker demonstrates this Western influence when they say that their diplomas “mean nothing to the other shore” (Line 9). Immigrants to the West often need to retake their degrees upon immigrating, under the assumption that their education is inferior. Parts of the non-Western world view Western degrees as more valuable for the same reason. This Western bias is one of the reasons the speaker anglicizes some of their “mother tongues” (Line 15) such as “(xi’wang)” (Line 18) and “أمل (’amal)” (Line 18). Despite the troubled relationship between the Western world and the rest of the globe, the speaker still recognizes the dominance of the English language.
Immigration and the American Dream
When Western globalization and Western culture serve as a global default, members of non-Western societies aspire to join the West. This aspiration is encouraged by discourses surrounding the American Dream and America as a land of opportunity. The idea of forging a new life in America, in Ping’s poem, is complicated with a recognition of the United States’ historical treatment of non-white immigrants and migrant workers.
Ping’s speaker embodies the ideal American immigrant. Not only do they hold “diplomas” (Line 9) in many understaffed sectors of the American economy, but they also hold “new dreams in our chests” (Line 11). Despite recognizing that their degrees “mean nothing” (Line 9) to their new prospective homeland, the speaker believes they can secure opportunities through their “hands, feet, bones, hearts, and best mind for a new life” (Line 8). This belief that hard work and an optimistic disposition can guarantee success reflects the idea that the American Dream is attainable through hard work and determination.
These inflated expectations of the speaker’s new life are complicated by their simultaneous recognition of their ancestors’ past exploitation. While the speaker’s chest looks forward with “new dreams” (Line 11), their back holds “old homes along the spine” (Line 11). The speaker tries to move away from the “railroads, plantations” (Line 10), and other structures “built on our ancestors’ back” (Line 10) using exploitative labor practices.
Climate Change’s Effects in Developing Countries
“Things We Carry” draws attention to climate change as a major cause for immigration. The emissions that cause climate change tend to come from wealthier, industrial countries. The results of these emissions, meanwhile, disproportionately affect lower-income and developing countries. The effects of climate change in developing countries is one of the many things that Ping’s speaker carries to their new home.
Ping’s speaker carries the “carnage of mining, droughts, floods” (Line 5) on their small boat. This attention to droughts and floods—two unpredictable weather-related events that become more common as global temperatures rise—signals the speaker’s larger awareness of climate change’s effects. The speaker’s prior mention of “villages, fields, boats” (Line 3) suggests they come from a less industrial society. They present their homelands as both less responsible for climate change and more vulnerable to its effects. The speaker’s attention to “fields” (Line 3) and “boats” (Line 3) reinforces this vulnerable presentation. Droughts and floods are devastating to nations whose income relies on agriculture and fishing.
The speaker also presents their culture and homelands at risk of drowning under a “sea rising from industrial waste” (Line 14). They identify as “refugees” (Line 14) to these rising seas, but they also try to salvage what culture and memories they can. To preserve their culture, the speaker carries their “islands sinking under the sea” (Line 7). This image suggests that they physically raise the islands by carrying them to their new homes, preventing the worst of climate change’s effects.
The rising sea ultimately reduces the amount of land humans can inhabit. Even if the speaker preserves their culture, they are unable to settle on the sea. By increasing the amount of space between the “shore[s]” (Line 19) that the speaker has to traverse, rising sea levels increase the amount of time the speaker has to stay transient, without a home (see: Symbols & Motifs).
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