In the poetry collection Gardening in the Tropics, Olive Senior instructs readers in Caribbean traditions, such as the traditional uses of Annatto and Guinep in her poem "Annatto and Guinep' and immigrant traditions in his poem 'Stowaway', abandoning conventional poetic structures of meter and rhyme in most of his poems. He emphasizes the importance of Caribbean traditions to teach readers and highlight the effect that the lack of tradition poses today about the region.However, in some of his poems where he emphasizes the theme of tradition, there is evidence of these poetic structures, as seen in 'Marassa: Divine Twins' and 'Meditation on Yellow'. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayIn the poem “Annatto and Guinep,” found in the “Nature Studies” section, Olive Senior teaches readers about the traditional uses of plants, without the use of meter and rhyme. Senior begins the poem by saying that in today's society no one appreciates Annatto and Guinep like those before did. He lists the various ways they were used in the past in an attempt to teach readers about customary customs: 'Farmers once used annatto/ to color food […] As for Guinep: it's worse./ Only children confess to love her.' He explains how those who once loved them and, once again, lists the various ways they were used by the Arawaks. He urges readers to "think back" to annatto and Guinep and to remember our ancestors before us as we use them. Ultimately, it refers to the traditional Taino story of the Sun and the Moon. Despite the lack of conventional poetic structures, Senior was still able to convey to readers the importance of these traditions. These traditions highlight the effect that colonialism and neocolonialism have on the Caribbean today; we focus more on items from foreign countries, such as apples instead of guinep, which makes us forget our roots. Likewise, the lack of conventional poetic structures is also visible in his poem “Stowaway,” even though it highlights immigrant traditions. The poem details the journey of a stowaway as he ventures towards a "promised land". A stowaway usually faces dangerous situations as he is on board the ship illegally and is constantly afraid of being caught. In the first line, the immigrant says, “There's so much space between me and/the discovery,” indicating that he is on the verge of being caught by a teammate. This was the traditional way Caribbeans came to the United States. They illegally boarded ships, hid for days without food or water and, if they were not captured during the journey, managed to reach the country. Highlighting this dangerous tradition, Olive Senior highlights the colonial mentality and the effects that neocolonialism has on the Caribbean population; they would rather make dangerous journeys to the United States than stay in their region. He does not use rhyme or meter, as these poetic structures would give the poem too much rhythm and downplay the seriousness of this tradition. However, in some of his other poems, such as "Meditation on Yellow", as he explores Caribbean traditions, meter and rhyme are present. In this poem, the character expresses the frustration and hardship that she and her ancestors have always experienced from foreigners. It is almost a tradition of Caribbean people to serve others and be oppressed by foreigners. In the first part of the poem, he details the slavery and injustice suffered by the indigenous people using the trochee meter, "But it was gold / in your.