LIMBO

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LIMBO

• Edward Kamau Brathwaite

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Limbo

• And limbo stick is the silence in front of me
• limbo
• limbo
• limbo like me
• limbo
• limbo like me

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Limbo
The silence is like a threat or a danger sign
The dance is used as a metaphor for slavery

• And limbo stick is the silence in front of me
• limbo
• limbo
• limbo like me
• limbo
• limbo like me

Reference to the brutality of slavery
This limbo rhythm is repeated throughout the
poem. this is the refrain of the poem making it
structurally like a song
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• long dark night is the silence in front of me
• limbo
• limbo like me
• Stick hit sound
• and the ship like it ready
• Stick hit sound
• And the dark still steady

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Repeated for added impact

• long dark night is the silence in front of me
• limbo
• limbo like me
• stick hit sound
• and the ship like it ready
• stick hit sound
• And the dark still steady

Start of the voyage
Alliteration and short words suggest the sound
of the slaves or the drum being beaten
The slave ship that took the African slaves to
the Caribbean
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• limbo
• limbo like me
• long dark deck and the water surrounding me
• long dark deck and the silence is over me
• limbo
• limbo like me

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Very similar lines suggest hes completely trapped

• limbo
• limbo like me
• long dark deck and the water surrounding me
• long dark deck and the silence is over me
• limbo
• limbo like me

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• stick is the whip
• and the dark deck is slavery
• stick is the whip
• and the dark deck is slavery
• limbo
• limbo like me
• drum stick knock
• and the darkness is over me

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Double meaning the stick the slaves were
beaten with and the limbo pole

• stick is the whip
• and the dark deck is slavery
• stick is the whip
• and the dark deck is slavery
• limbo
• limbo like me
• drum stick knock
• and the darkness is over me

Darkness shows the hopelessness of life as
a slave
The hard consonant sounds suggest the beatings
and the fear
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• knees spread wide
• and the water is hiding
• limbo
• limbo like me
• knees spread wide
• and the dark ground is under me
• down
• down
• down

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• knees spread wide
• and the water is hiding
• limbo
• limbo like me
• knees spread wide
• and the dark ground is under me
• down
• down
• down

Suggests the low ceilings of the decks of the
ship, and also leaning back for the limbo dance
Repetition emphasises the bad conditions on the
ship
He almost dies on the ship but this is also him
going onto the floor in the dance
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• and the drummer is calling me
• limbo
• limbo like me
• sun coming up
• and the drummers are praising me
• out of the dark
• and the dumb gods are raising me

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• and the drummer is calling me
• limbo
• limbo like me
• sun coming up
• and the drummers are praising me
• out of the dark
• and the dumb gods are raising me

The drum offers hope during the dance
This line is the turning point of the poem
darkness is replaced by light
Religious imagery and also him succeeding in the
dance
New hope hes lifted out of the darkness.
Religious imagery
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• up
• up
• up
• and the music is saving me
• hot
• slow
• step
• On the burning ground.

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• up
• up
• up
• and the music is saving me
• hot
• slow
• step
• On the burning ground.

Survives the voyage. Also him coming back up
from the floor in the dance
Religious imagery. The music of the dance
reminds him of home
The slow three step beat shows hes tired but
still alive
This fiery image could suggest He has reached hell
Only punctuation in the poem represents the and
of the dance, the Voyage, and perhaps life
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LINKS