In What Ways Do The Techniques Used

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 live (limbo refers to the place of nothingness between heaven and

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.