In the poem Island Man the writer does not use much repetition. He does use Alliteration, for example “the sun surfacing defiantly” gives a powerful image of the sun rising. When the writer says “his small emerald island” this also gives the reader a strong impression that it is the Island Mans own Island that’s precious to him and a friendly place “Emerald, Small”. This is only when the Man is dreaming.
As the Island Man is just waking he blurs the boundaries between London and his Island “his crumpled pillow waves” is an example of this.
When the Island Man is awake he really does not want to be there in London “Heaves himself” showing he has to force himself out of bed. “Another London Day” shows the reader that the Island Man really does not want to live in London; he is bored perhaps of the tedious everyday the same lifestyle.
Structure
In Limbo there is three parts to the poem. The first part of the poem replicates the start of the journey, the ship being loaded full of African slaves, into the dark ships hull “long dark night is in front of me”.
This part ends at “the dark still steady”.
The second part of the journey is when the ship is sailing through the water across the Atlantic “The water surrounding me” gives a sense of entrapment for the slave, there is nowhere to escape. This part ends at “the water is hiding”. Part three is when the ship reaches the coast “ground is under me”, “sun coming up”.
The writer also uses the spacing out of the poem to give a rhythm to it.
For example “Hot
Slow
Step” Causes the reader to read it slowly where as if it were written “Hot, Slow, Step” the reader would not get that slow feeling.
In the Island Man there are also three parts to the poem as there was in Limbo. The first part is when the Island Man is asleep dreaming of his island. “The sound of blue surf in his head” this part ends at “his small emerald island”. The second part of the poem is when the Island Man is partly asleep but waking up. “Sands of a grey Metallic soar” he is mixing the sand of the island with the roads of London. Also he mixes London with his Island when he says “his crumpled pillow waves”; this is where the second part ends. The third part is when the Island Man is awake “Heaves himself” and “Another London Day” shows the reader that the Island Man really does not want to leave his dream; he is bored of the London day and prefers his island. The writer of Island Man gives the poem a rhythm to the sound of waves in the way he uses some words. For example “Steady, Breaking and wombing” this reflects the sound of the sea Stea-dy, Break-ing, womb-ing. The writer uses the noun womb to suggest a place of comfort and security.
Ashley Charlton
