In What Ways Do The Techniques Used

By The Poets Influence The Way We View The Poems From Other Cult Essay, Research Paper The three poems with the most diverse techniques which most influence our perception of the poem are Wha Fe Call I?, Study No. X and Limbo.? ??????????????? Study No. X? has many different techniques, and the first line is a good example.? ?Chi ama, crede?, which means ?He who loves, believes?.? Using these words, which are from a foreign language, right at the beginning, give the reader an impression that the poem is abnormal.? This is reflected later on in the poem too, with regard to language, with ?infanta! madonna! guernica! hiroshima!?.? These are seemingly unrelated words to the poem, but looking more closely, the reader finds that they have a meaning.? Coupey uses this technique with language throughout, when he uses language that is non-standard English or foreign in a seemingly unconnected way.? ?Red wheelbarrows? for example, does not seem to serve any purpose.? However, all the language used serves a common purpose; to show how conventions can be broken down and how we should learn to think for ourselves.? ?Red wheelbarrows? is a book that outlines the curiosity of the origins of our language. ??????????????? The ideas of the overcoming of the conventions of society are continued in the form.? The poem has brackets the wrong way around and in odd places and the lines are set out in an unconventional manner, with words all over the page.? This technique of Coupey?s is used to influence the reader too, because again, it is making a statement about the acceptances that we as a society have made, and he is questioning these. ??????????????? Furthermore, Coupey, uses style in the poem as an influencing factor.? Because it is in a different layout to what the reader is used to, and because the topics do not sometimes naturally flow from one to the next, the reader questions the value of the poem. ??????????????? At first glance, the average reader may not be able to make much sense of the poem, primarily because of the unusual techniques discussed above which make it unfamiliar.? However, it is these same techniques which also influence the way in which the reader views the poem.? There are many clever references, e.g. ?infanta!…?, which refers to the contrast between good and bad in the world which give the educated reader a view that the poem is extremely well composed and there is a message in it, telling us that we should question beliefs and conventions.??????????????? The second poem, Limbo, also contains many techniques which influence the way in which the reader views the poem.? Looking at language, there are lots of instances of alliteration where certain sounds are repeated, ?stick hit sound and the dark still steady?.? This helps the reader to understand what the poem is about, because the example has hard sounds which represent the stick, and they get a picture of the tortured slaves on board the ship.? The language used such as ?down down down…up up up?, can also be used to make images, not only of the slaves dancing the limbo, but also of their daily routine on the ship.? The title, ?Limbo? is clever, because it can be used to mean the slaves? native dance, but also the state in which they live (limbo refers to the place of nothingness between heaven and hell).? This language can help the reader to take the view that the poem is cleverly constructed and that it has more hidden meanings than the ones literally described on the page. ??????????????? The form of the poem involves a lot of repetition, ?limbo limbo like me? and this all points to the suggestion that the poem is in a song form.? This does not necessarily mean that the poem is to be a song, but the technique makes the reader understand better the plight of the slaves.? They sung on the ship to keep themselves amused. ??????????????? The style of the poem is very rhythmic, and this, while relating to the song mentioned before, can also be used to help the reader view the poem from another angle.? Because it is rhythmic, it could be danced to, and coupled with the references to dancing, ?drummer is calling me?, it implies the dancing of the limbo by the slaves. ??????????????? Consequently, the reader views the poem not only at face value, but can view the poem as a useful insight into the lives of the slaves, via the techniques that Brathwaite uses.??????????????? The last poem, Wha Fe Call I?, also uses various techniques to influence the way in which the reader views the poem.? Looking at language, there is a lot of non-standard English used, and some of it at first sight is difficult to read, ?an mi wan? yuh ansa good?.? However, on closer inspection, all the language is phonetically correct, according to the nationality of the person who is supposedly saying the poem.? Thus, the reader views the poem as an accurate opinion of the poet?s subject and as a clever piece of phonetic writing.? Still looking at language, but also concerned with style, there is an aspect of humour in the poem, ?Missus yuh mussa mean tea!? and this technique helps the reader to view the poem in a lighter sense, which is different from the other two, which are serious.? The humour helps the reader to view the poem in a more understanding light also, because it makes one realise that the confusion which arises over a supposedly simple matter can be enormous and also quite funny. ??????????????? The form of the poem is rigid, with the second and fourth lines of each verse rhyming.? This is possibly recognised by a wider audience to be a ?conventional? poem, and so the reader cannot be influenced much by the form.? They could, however, feel that because the poem was set out in such a way that the subject (mealtimes) was ordinary, and there should be nothing complicated about it. ??????????????? This poem then, influences the reader far more with language than with style or form, but these two do play a part in not only getting a better insight into other tongues but also into the confusion which can arise over an everyday matter.??????????????? Comparing the three poems, the first two are more serious than the last one, dealing with society?s acceptances and slavery.? However, they all use language to influence what the reader thinks of the poem.? They use form and style to a certain extent too, and often although it is these techniques which make the poem difficult in the first instance, they help the educated reader to have a better understanding of it in the end.