By The Poets Influence The Way We View The Poems From Other Cult Essay, Research Paper
The three poems with the most
diverse techniques which most influence our perception of the poem are Wha Fe
Call I?, Study No. X and Limbo.? ??????????????? Study No. X? has many different techniques, and the first
line is a good example.? ?Chi ama,
crede?, which means ?He who loves, believes?.?
Using these words, which are from a foreign language, right at the
beginning, give the reader an impression that the poem is abnormal.? This is reflected later on in the poem too,
with regard to language, with ?infanta! madonna! guernica! hiroshima!?.? These are seemingly unrelated words to the
poem, but looking more closely, the reader finds that they have a meaning.? Coupey uses this technique with language
throughout, when he uses language that is non-standard English or foreign in a
seemingly unconnected way.? ?Red
wheelbarrows? for example, does not seem to serve any purpose.? However, all the language used serves a
common purpose; to show how conventions can be broken down and how we should
learn to think for ourselves.? ?Red
wheelbarrows? is a book that outlines the curiosity of the origins of our
language. ??????????????? The ideas of the overcoming of
the conventions of society are continued in the form.? The poem has brackets the wrong way around and in odd places and
the lines are set out in an unconventional manner, with words all over the
page.? This technique of Coupey?s is
used to influence the reader too, because again, it is making a statement about
the acceptances that we as a society have made, and he is questioning these. ??????????????? Furthermore, Coupey, uses style
in the poem as an influencing factor.?
Because it is in a different layout to what the reader is used to, and
because the topics do not sometimes naturally flow from one to the next, the
reader questions the value of the poem. ??????????????? At first glance, the average
reader may not be able to make much sense of the poem, primarily because of the
unusual techniques discussed above which make it unfamiliar.? However, it is these same techniques which
also influence the way in which the reader views the poem.? There are many clever references, e.g.
?infanta!…?, which refers to the contrast between good and bad in the world
which give the educated reader a view that the poem is extremely well composed
and there is a message in it, telling us that we should question beliefs and
conventions.??????????????? The second poem, Limbo, also
contains many techniques which influence the way in which the reader views the
poem.? Looking at language, there are
lots of instances of alliteration where certain sounds are repeated, ?stick hit
sound and the dark still steady?.? This
helps the reader to understand what the poem is about, because the example has
hard sounds which represent the stick, and they get a picture of the tortured
slaves on board the ship.? The language
used such as ?down down down…up up up?, can also be used to make images, not
only of the slaves dancing the limbo, but also of their daily routine on the
ship.? The title, ?Limbo? is clever,
because it can be used to mean the slaves? native dance, but also the state in
which they liv
hell).? This language can help the reader
to take the view that the poem is cleverly constructed and that it has more
hidden meanings than the ones literally described on the page. ??????????????? The form of the poem involves a
lot of repetition, ?limbo limbo like me? and this all points to the suggestion
that the poem is in a song form.? This
does not necessarily mean that the poem is to be a song, but the technique
makes the reader understand better the plight of the slaves.? They sung on the ship to keep themselves
amused. ??????????????? The style of the poem is very
rhythmic, and this, while relating to the song mentioned before, can also be
used to help the reader view the poem from another angle.? Because it is rhythmic, it could be danced
to, and coupled with the references to dancing, ?drummer is calling me?, it
implies the dancing of the limbo by the slaves. ??????????????? Consequently, the reader views
the poem not only at face value, but can view the poem as a useful insight into
the lives of the slaves, via the techniques that Brathwaite uses.??????????????? The last poem, Wha Fe Call I?, also
uses various techniques to influence the way in which the reader views the
poem.? Looking at language, there is a
lot of non-standard English used, and some of it at first sight is difficult to
read, ?an mi wan? yuh ansa good?.?
However, on closer inspection, all the language is phonetically correct,
according to the nationality of the person who is supposedly saying the
poem.? Thus, the reader views the poem
as an accurate opinion of the poet?s subject and as a clever piece of phonetic
writing.? Still looking at language, but
also concerned with style, there is an aspect of humour in the poem, ?Missus
yuh mussa mean tea!? and this technique helps the reader to view the poem in a
lighter sense, which is different from the other two, which are serious.? The humour helps the reader to view the poem
in a more understanding light also, because it makes one realise that the
confusion which arises over a supposedly simple matter can be enormous and also
quite funny. ??????????????? The form of the poem is rigid,
with the second and fourth lines of each verse rhyming.? This is possibly recognised by a wider
audience to be a ?conventional? poem, and so the reader cannot be influenced
much by the form.? They could, however,
feel that because the poem was set out in such a way that the subject
(mealtimes) was ordinary, and there should be nothing complicated about it. ??????????????? This poem then, influences the
reader far more with language than with style or form, but these two do play a
part in not only getting a better insight into other tongues but also into the
confusion which can arise over an everyday matter.??????????????? Comparing the three poems, the
first two are more serious than the last one, dealing with society?s
acceptances and slavery.? However, they
all use language to influence what the reader thinks of the poem.? They use form and style to a certain extent
too, and often although it is these techniques which make the poem difficult in
the first instance, they help the educated reader to have a better
understanding of it in the end.