A comparison of Island Man and Limbo with a formal piece of writing as an assessment, if wanted. There then follows a piece about Rodborough. Obviously, this guide is written for a very mixed audience. Please adapt to suit. You are all very different!
Firstly, download a copy of Island Man by Grace Nicholls and Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathwaite. (There are copies below, if required, after all the questions.)
Read Island Man three times. The first time without making any notes. Just get the gist. After the second reading, try to write a two or three sentence summary of the meaning of the poem. After the third reading, make some annotations on your poem or notes on another page, with responses to the prompts below. Or if you feel confident, then just think these questions through or discuss them.
- What happens in lines 1-10?
- What happens in lines 11-19?
- How do the descriptions vary between London and the Caribbean?
- How is the language a bit dreamlike?
- How is the poem irregular in structure? Why do you think this is?
- What emotions and outlooks on life do you find in the poem?
- NOW WRITE DOWN TWO OR THREE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE POEM. Explain why you have chosen these.
- What do you read into the title?
- What is interesting about the first line?
- Can you find a metaphor?
- Which senses feature in the poem?
- What do you read into the last line?
- Find out about the poet, Grace Nichols, with a quick internet search. GCSE Bitesize might still have this poem up in the English (Literature) area.
Now read Limbo three times. The first time without making any notes. Just get the gist. After the second reading, try to write a two or three sentence summary of the meaning of the poem. After the third reading, make some annotations on your poem or notes on another page, with responses to the prompts below. Or if you feel confident, then just think these questions through or discuss them.
- What happens in lines 1-19?
- What happens in lines 20-36?
- What happens in lines 37-51?
- Note how the poem uses extended metaphor interlinking the voyage, the dance, and slavery.
- Note use of rhythm and repetition.
- Is there more than one emotion expressed in the poem?
- NOW WRITE DOWN TWO OR THREE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE POEM. Explain why you have chosen these.
- Is the poem one extended sentence? What do you read into this?
- What is the effect of using the first person and using short syllable words?
- Is there a turning point in the poem?
- Which senses feature in the poem?
- What contrasts do you see?
- Find out about the poet, Edward Kamau Brathwaite with a quick internet search. GCSE Bitesize might still have this poem up in the English (Literature) area.
If you want to develop your skills at writing an essay where you compare two poems, here’s your chance.
How do the two poems, Island Man and Limbo, present differing perspectives on black identity?
You could answer by using the SPIDER technique:
SITUATION: context, where and when and what’s going on etc.
STRUCTURE: stanza, line length, form etc.
PERSON: who is speaking/writing; voice used etc.
IDEAS and IMAGERY
DICTION: type of vocabulary/language etc.
EXPRESSION: figurative language – simile, metaphor etc.
RHTYHM and RHYME and READER RESPONSE
Here is an essay guide that you can use if you wish or ignore as you wish. It gives a guide to paragraph structure, if wanted.
- What is happening in Island Man? What is happening in Limbo? What does each say about black identity? One quote for each.
- How do the poets speak with their voice? One quote for each poem.
- How is imagery used? One quote for each poem.
- Is there a pattern to each poet’s vocabulary? Is the vocabulary simple and straightforward or elaborate? Is there a mix of formal and informal? One quote for each poem.
- Can you find examples of figurative language? One quote for each poem.
An analysis of structure: number of lines; rhyme; rhythm; free verse; blank verse; syllables; punctuation. How does the chosen structure convey the meaning of the poem? - Conclusion: what do the titles indicate about the poems? What does each poem say about black identity? How are they similar and how are they different?
Here are some good words and phrases that you might want to choose from when comparing poems in an essay:
On the one hand/ on the other hand
However/ differs from/similarly
Whereas/share/both/contrast
Have in common/although
Here are some good words to use in your PPE paragraphs to show analysis/evaluation of your chosen quote:
Reveals/shows/conveys/emphasise/stresses/captures/reflects/
echoes/implies /suggests/indicates
Now go to this link:
http://radicalstroud.co.uk/the-last-words-of-thomas-jubiter/
Read Thomas’ story and then study the quotation at the end. Discuss with a partner. Do you agree or disagree (or a bit of both) with the statement about facts and metaphor? Explain your reasoning.
Now look back at the parish register entry for William Jubiter on the link above. We know nothing about his life apart from the terse entry in the parish register.
Perhaps you would like to visit Rodborough churchyard for a walk and remember William. Perhaps you would like to recreate his life with a poem. You will need to use your imagination for the content of the poem via the 5Ws (who, where, when, what, why) and the H (how).
Here is a poetry writing guide for the form of your poem:
POETRY WRITING SKILLS
Use the information sheet for ideas about the CONTENT of your poem and this checklist for poetry writing SKILLS.
- What is your title?
- What is your structure? Stanzas (verses) or one connected piece? If you choose stanzas, will they have the same number of lines?
- Rhyme or not?
- Will your lines have the same number of syllables a line (for example, 10) or not? This can give rhythm.
- Blank verse doesn’t rhyme but has a regular number of syllables per line.
- Free verse doesn’t rhyme and doesn’t have a regular number of syllables per line.
- If you write a haiku, it only counts as a starter.
- If you write an acrostic poem, it only counts as a second starter.
- Will you include ONOMATOPOEIA?
- Will you include SIMILES?
- Will you include METAPHORS?
- Will you include IMAGERY?
- Will you include PERSONIFICATION?
- Will you include ALLITERATION?
- Will you include ENJAMBMENT?
- Will you include CAESURA?
- Will you include A VARIETY OF PUNCTUATION? ANY COLONS OR SEMI COLONS? COMMAS? FULL STOPS? DASHES? ELLIPSIS? PARENTHESES?
HOW WILL YOU SHARE YOUR POEM?
Island Man
Morning
and island man wakes up
to the sound of blue surf
in his head
the steady breaking and wombing
wild seabirds
and fishermen pushing out to sea
the sun surfacing defiantly
from the east
of his small emerald island
he always comes back groggily groggily
Comes back to sands
of a grey metallic soar
to surge of wheels
to dull north circular roar
muffling muffling
his crumpled pillow waves
island man heaves himself
Another London day
Grace Nichols
Limbo
And limbo stick is the silence in front of me
limbo
limbo
limbo like me
limbo
limbo like me
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
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
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
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
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 god are raising me
up
up
up
and the music is saving me
hot
slow
step
on the burning ground.
Edward Kamau Brathwaite