limbo by Edward Brathwaite

The first 200 words of this essay...

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