1 Compare the methods the poets use to create a strong effect on their

readers in Limbo (page 5) and in one other poem from the Poems
from Different Cultures.

Write about:

• the impact of each poem

• the methods each poet uses
• how these methods are similar
• how these methods are different. (27
marks)

INTRODUCTION
Limbo is a poem about a serious subject matter as it is
about the slave trade and how African people had to
face a terrible journey by sea to face a life of slavery.
What Were They Like? (WWTL) is also about a serious
subject – the destruction of a culture – this being a
Vietnamese village destroyed by Americans in the
Vietnam War. Both use a range of methods that have a
strong effect on the reader.
TITLE
“Limbo” suggests stranded or being half-way to a
destination and is a religious word which might suggest
that being aboard a slave ship was a living Hell.
WWTL’s title has a strong effect because it suggests
that it is about a people that are now gone – a culture
that has been destroyed.
A VERY STRONG FEATURE IN THE POEM – REPETITION
IN THESE POEMS
Both poems use repetition to great effect. “Long dark
deck” is repeated to show how long an never-ending
the journey must have been. “Did they “ is repeated in
WWTL. This suggests that there is nobody around from
the village to explain what life was like there. It could
also suggest a form of inquiry as to their way of life.

PERSON AND TENSE

Limbo is written in the first person to make the story
very personal and to get the reader involved in the
slave’s suffering very early on. It is written in the
present tense so that we are there on ship with the
slave, sharing his agony. In contrast, WWTL is written
in the third person because the villagers are no longer
around to tell their story. It is written in the past tense
to show that the culture is gone.
EMOTIVE WORDS – POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
The poems make a strong effect by using emotive
words. In Limbo “slavery”, “whip” “dark” “silence” and
“burning.” These are all negative and are connected
with suffering or pain. WWTL uses “killed”, bitter” and
“burned”.
STRONG IMAGES – GRAPHIC IMAGES, METAPHORS,
PERSONIFICATION AND SIMILES
Strong images are used. The stick is a recurring image
– it is used as a challenge or an obstacle the slave must
overcome “stick is the silence in front of me”. It is
also the drumstick of the dance and also the “whip”. In
WWTL the image of a “burned mouth” is graphic and
will have a strong effect on the reader.
The metaphor “water surrounding me” suggests that
the slave is a baby waiting to be born and also the
personification makes him seem threatened. The
village’s culture is compared to a mirror that is
smashed. This perhaps shows how fragile a culture is
and can never be repaired – it is lost forever. The use of
onomatopoeia “smashed” makes the image more
forceful.
INTERESTING WORDS OR PHRASES
“Burning ground” suggests that the slave’s life will be
painful from now on. Perhaps it hints at his arrival in
Hell – the burning flames of Hell. The lack of
punctuation gives the poem a feeling of free movement
like in a dance but by placing a full stop at the end it is
suggesting that this freedom has ended and from now
on he will be a prisoner.
In WWTL positive emotive words like “peaceful”
contrast with “bombs” to how the culture was
destroyed. “Scream” also contrasts with peaceful to
emphasise the terrible events of the war. “Quiet
laughter” suggests that the people were reserved and
shy and that their laughter has turned to screams. The
simile that their singing resembles “flight of moths in
moonlight” suggests the delicate nature of the people
and how gentle they were. We are shown a picture of a
peaceful and kind people so when we know that they
are all killed especially the children – the “buds” it has
a very strong effect on the reader.
STRUCTURE
While Limbo has a very free-flowing structure with
rhyme and a strong rhythm to hold it together WWTL
has an unusual structure – it is a series of questions
followed by answers. This is like a memorial to the
civilian dead of the war. The word “remember” is
repeated to emphasise the need to remind ourselves
how one culture can sometimes try and dominate and
destroy another. This is also an imperative and
addresses the audience directly. It is a reflection of how
terrible war is and this is done by writing the poem so
that it has a mirror effect – questions in one stanza – all
answers in the second.
STANDARD ENGLISH OR NON-STANDARD ENGLISH
Standard English is used in WWTL because it is about
serious issues. In Limbo non-standard sentences like
“the ship like it steady” is used to show that the slave
cannot speak English well. It uses interesting
structures like writing “down” in a column and “up” in
the same way to emphasise that the slave/dancer is
coming up from the dance and out of the ship’s hold.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion both poems use a range of methods to
have a strong effect on the reader. Some methods are
similar but others are different. However, the impact of
both is extremely powerful.
– I could also have mentioned “sir” to show they
were respectful people
– I would also mention “dream” and “echo” to
suggest that the culture is fading from memory.