LIMBO Assonance is the use of repeated vowel sounds to create a sound picture. The sounds may be...

LIMBOLIMBO

Assonance is the use of repeated vowel sounds to create a sound picture. The sounds may be repeated at the start or (rarely) the end of each word, or within the words themselves. Remember, as with alliteration it is the sound that is important, rather than the letter.

Assonance affects the way that a poem flows. It can suggest the object or action that it is describing through the sounds it creates. Assonance can also affect a poem’s tone.

Do be careful when identifying the use of assonance - there are only five vowels, and their repetition is therefore inevitable. Only discuss assonance where the sound adds to the image being created.

What is What is Assonance?Assonance?

Analysing Imagery - Analysing Imagery - AssonanceAssonance

“The plane swooped low over the open ground.”

In this example, the image of the plane’s low flight is enhanced by the assonance of the letter ‘o’. Read the sentence out loud to see the effect more clearly.

“The plane sw ped l w ver the pen gr und.”oo o o o o



When you are discussing the effects that assonance creates within a poem, you should describe how the sounds you hear add to the ‘word picture’ that you see in your mind.

The use of assonance here makes the line ‘swoop’ when read out loud, just as the plane is swooping low over the ground, because of the rhythm created by the use of assonance. We can almost see the plane sweeping down and then up again, just missing the ground as it does so.

“The plane swooped low over the open ground.”



Here are two examples of assonance for you to analyse. Remember, assonance is often found within the words, as well as at the start or end.

“The elephant edged ever closer to the excited men.

“The ants attacked Tania’s arm and afterwards she ached for days.”



Here are some possible ways of analysing these examples of assonance.

The use of assonance here gives a picture of the ants attacking the girl, and also the itching and aching that she felt. Although we hear a variety of different ‘a’ sounds here, they all give a strong, hard noise, which increases the sense of an attack.

“The ants attacked Tania’s arm and afterwards she ached for days.”



Here, the use of assonance slows down the speed at which we read the line. As we read the line out loud, we are forced to slow down our reading, because of the stress of the ‘e’ sounds. This in turn echoes the slow speed of the elephant, moving towards the men.

“The elephant edged ever closer to the excited men.



ObjectiveObjectivess

By the end of today’s lesson you will be By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to:able to:

Understand the skills and Understand the skills and techniques used during techniques used during this poetry modulethis poetry module

Understand key ideas in Understand key ideas in Limbo using these skillsLimbo using these skills

LimboLimbo

Two narratives going on:Two narratives going on:1.1. The actions of the danceThe actions of the dance

2.2. The history of the people re-The history of the people re-enactedenacted

History suggest the dance History suggest the dance was created as exercise on was created as exercise on the cramped slave shipsthe cramped slave ships

Slavery – not knowing where you are going – hell?

The rhythm of a dance – the pride of a culture full of rhythm.

Being caught in “limbo” between

cultures?

CultureCulture

West Indies:West Indies:Colonised by European Colonised by European countries in the 18th centurycountries in the 18th century

Slaves brought from Africa Slaves brought from Africa by these European countries by these European countries to work in the sugar cane to work in the sugar cane fields and other cropsfields and other crops

Surface MeaningSurface Meaning

During a customary During a customary limbo dance the limbo dance the dancer is reminded dancer is reminded of the history of of the history of Afro-Caribbeans as Afro-Caribbeans as slavesslaves

Limbo Edward Kamau Brathwaite

And limbo stick is the silence in front of me

limbo

limbolimbo like melimbolimbo like me

long dark night is the silence in front of me

limbo limbo like me

stick hit soundand the ship like it ready

stick hit soundand the dark still ready

limbo limbo like me

Various interpretations of the title

Many words linked with violence and beating

Chorus provides shape and a refrain, looking like oars of a ship and the Limbo dance itself

Articles (i.e. ‘a’ and ‘the’ ) are omitted to mimic the drummer’s beat

Likens the limbo stick to going in to the hold of the ship which takes them to slavery

Poems has strong beat which suggests the drum

long dark deck and the water surrounding melong dark deck and the silence is over me

limbo limbo like me

stick is the whipand the dark is slavery

limbo limbo like me

drum stick knockand the darkness is over me

Repetition of adjectives and feelings of imprisonment

Alliteration to draw attention, increase feeling of foreboding, echoing drum beat

Many references to heat, dark, water and other ‘hellish’ features

Limbo is a place which is neither heaven or hell, it is a place for people who have never been given the chance to find god, i.e unbaptised

knees spread wide knees spread wide and the water is hiding meand the water is hiding me

limbolimbolimbo like melimbo like me

knees spread wideknees spread wideand the dark ground is under and the dark ground is under

meme

downdowndowndowndowndown

and the drummer is calling and the drummer is calling meme

limbolimbolimbo like melimbo like me

First personSingular used to personalize the experience for the reader

Suggests a very vulnerable submissive position

Use of single-word lines to emphasise movement and rhythm

sun coming upand the drummers are praising me

out of the darkand the dumb gods are raising me

upupup

and the music is saving me

hot slowstep

on the burning ground.

Who are these ‘gods’ and why are they Dumb?

Poem’s pace slows where poet suggests some sort of ‘salvation’

Final full stop is the only punctuation in the poem

The rhythm ends here, completing the narrative

Ideas and AttitudesIdeas and Attitudes Ideas:Ideas:

Although the limbo dance is now Although the limbo dance is now thought of as a spectacle for thought of as a spectacle for tourists, its history comes from the tourists, its history comes from the exercises slaves used to do to keep exercises slaves used to do to keep themselves fit on the slave shipsthemselves fit on the slave ships

Attitudes:Attitudes: If the limbo stick represents the If the limbo stick represents the

shackles of slavery or life, then the shackles of slavery or life, then the dance is an act of liberation and a dance is an act of liberation and a way to be free of these ties way to be free of these ties (figuratively and literally) (“up up (figuratively and literally) (“up up up / and the music is saving me”)up / and the music is saving me”)

FeelingsFeelings OppressionOppression Suffocation and being overwhelmed Suffocation and being overwhelmed

(“the water surrounding me”, “the (“the water surrounding me”, “the silence is over me”)silence is over me”)

There is no real sense of anger at There is no real sense of anger at slavery as you might expect but slavery as you might expect but rather the sense of it, like the limbo rather the sense of it, like the limbo stick, is an obstacle that can be stick, is an obstacle that can be overcomeovercome

Release / Joy (“and the drummers are Release / Joy (“and the drummers are praising me”, “and the dumb gods are praising me”, “and the dumb gods are raising me”, “and the music is saving raising me”, “and the music is saving me”)me”)

ImageryImagery Simile = “limbo like me” – either Simile = “limbo like me” – either join join

me in this danceme in this dance or or I am in limboI am in limbo Metaphor:Metaphor:

““And limbo stick is the silence in front of And limbo stick is the silence in front of me”me”

““long dark deck is the silence in front of long dark deck is the silence in front of me”me”

““stick is the whip / and the dark deck is stick is the whip / and the dark deck is slavery”slavery”

Personification:Personification: ““and the dark still steady”and the dark still steady” ““long dark deck and the silence is over me”long dark deck and the silence is over me” ““and the water is hiding”and the water is hiding” ““and the music is saving me”and the music is saving me”

Sound PatternsSound Patterns Assonance:Assonance:

““stick hit” (harsh “i” sound like stick hit” (harsh “i” sound like something being struck)something being struck)

““stick is the whip” (as above)stick is the whip” (as above) ““stick knock” (“ck” sound again stick knock” (“ck” sound again

like something being struck)like something being struck) Alliteration:Alliteration:

““limbo limbo like me” (musical)limbo limbo like me” (musical) ““dark deck”dark deck”

RepetitionRepetition““Limbo” x 19 Limbo” x 19 (including title)(including title)

““stick” x 6stick” x 6““me” x 18me” x 18““dark” x 8dark” x 8

PunsPuns ““Limbo” =Limbo” =

A dance from the CaribbeanA dance from the Caribbean Place between heaven and hellPlace between heaven and hell The place outside of heaven and hell where The place outside of heaven and hell where

babies who have not been christened go if babies who have not been christened go if they diethey die

““Stick” =Stick” = The limbo beam which the dancer has to go The limbo beam which the dancer has to go

beneath as well as beneath as well as The pole the slaves were chained to as they The pole the slaves were chained to as they

rowed the slave shipsrowed the slave ships The stick that the slaves were beaten withThe stick that the slaves were beaten with

Imagine…Imagine… Imagine I am not the hard working, Imagine I am not the hard working,

dedicated (handsome) teacher I am.dedicated (handsome) teacher I am. Imagine I couldn’t be bothered to Imagine I couldn’t be bothered to

give you notes on this poem.give you notes on this poem. Fill in the analysis grid, making Fill in the analysis grid, making

notes on notes on Surface meaningSurface meaning Language (similes, repetition, Language (similes, repetition,

metaphor, assonance, alliteration, metaphor, assonance, alliteration, personification etc)personification etc)

Ideas, attitudes and feelingsIdeas, attitudes and feelings Structure (rhyme, stanza length, Structure (rhyme, stanza length,

punctuation etc)punctuation etc)

Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathwaite

Surface meaning Language

Ideas, attitudes and feelings Structure

LIMBO Assonance is the use of repeated vowel sounds to create a sound picture. The sounds may be...

Documents

Transcript of LIMBO Assonance is the use of repeated vowel sounds to create a sound picture. The sounds may be...