![]() ![]() Phrase like “water surrounding me” and “silence in front of me” describes the horror on the journey of the ship, where for the slaves, there is no escape, physically and mentally. In the second half of the poem, the poet uses words in present continuous tense - ‘hiding, calling, praising, saving, raising ‘ conveying to the readers and makes them realize the simultaneous nature of hitting. The ‘d’ sound in “long dark deck” also creates a hard, unpleasant atmosphere in the ship deck. ![]() The italics are used for word “limbo” and for what happens to be a chorus. The poem is written in a free verse and structured to a drum beat, like a traditional limbo dance as well as representing the drum beat in which the slaves had to work to and beaten to. The poet acutely uses the various meaning of the word “limbo” to portray his opinions on slavery. Limbo is an African dance, giving the poem an authentic introduction of typical Africans. This poem creates a sense of the movement of the limbo dance. The repetitive hits of the whips, evokes the reader of the torture and the drama the slaves confront. The alliteration in the line “stick hit sound” with the ‘s’ sound emphasizing the hitting effect. There is an unknown fear for the slaves, as they don’t know where they are being carried. “In front of me”, this makes the reader sure that the voice is of one of the slaves. The stick is a metaphor where it is literally being compared to silence. The beginning of the poem starts with “and”, adding on to the continuous and foregoing nature of slavery.there is a sibilance which is the repetition of ‘s’, emphasizing on the silent nature of the ship deck. This poem was a huge metaphor itself, where Edward narrates the cursed and ill fated lives of these slaves. The term ‘limbo’ has 3 different meanings: a state of uncertainty, being on the borders of hell, and a traditional West Indies dance. Edward successfully explores the different meaning of the word ‘limbo’ throughout the poem. The poem depicts the miserable condition of the captured African men and women taken to America to be sold as slaves. ‘Limbo’ by Edward Kamau is a poem based upon slave trade. ![]()
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