Limbo
In 'Limbo', by Edward Brathwaite, I feel that there are numerous ways
to look at the story. One idea is that the poem is a journey, most
likely on a slave ship. If you were onboard a slave ship, and you
were a slave, you would be placed underneath, on the lowest deck with
no lights or window. This lets in very little light, creating the
dark. Limbo is a dance slaves used to do on slave ships basically to keep themselves fit and in shape. The limbo dance is connected with the cruelty of slavery, Brathwaite explains this “stick is the whip” This metaphor connects the dance with its origins in the slave trade. In limbo I think objects take on many levels of meaning like the limbo stick for example explains to us how far slaves had to bend backwards to win the game. The poet uses
the limbo stick to describe the action of the slaves: the stick is
lowered towards the ground. I feel the slaves are being forced down into the
holds of the ship, becoming more down trodden as their lives are taken
away. The poet also uses the stick as a source of comparison: the whip used
to beat the slaves and the stick used to beat the drum, as the slaves
rowed themselves further towards life imprisonment. The poem is about the tragedy and suffering of the black democracy during the slave trade we know this because Brathwaite says 'dark deck is slavery' here he reminds us of the slave ships going from Africa to the Caribbean. This alliteration Brathwaite uses creates a harsh feeling and effect on the reader. The layout of the poem itself is quiet irregular. “Down, down, down”. The layout sort of follows the pattern of the dance itself yet it can also suggest the slaves going down into lives of slavery.
