GCSE English Paper 2 Revision

Limbo

• What is it about?
• In the 18th century, European countries took African people and traded them as slaves - they were carried in the holds of ships - dark, cramped, dirty and diseased places. 
• While the slaves were on the ships they invented the limbo dance as a way of keeping themselves fit whilst chained to long iron bars.
• Today the dance remains a cultural tradition in the West Indies.
• Limbo can mean a special dance where people pass under a pole by leaning backwards. However, it can also refer to empty space (people say "I'm in limbo" when they don't know what to do.)
• In the poem, the ambiguity of the word is exploited. By going into slavery, the Africans are passing into a world where they mean nothing ('limbo like me'); on the slave ship they enter the limbo dance as a way of maintaining their culture on-board. 
• It explores ideas of hope and despair.
• What do I need to know about the author?
• Kamau Braithwaite is a West Indian writer - he often writes about how powerful countries have taken over smaller countries and exploited them.
• What poetic features are noteworthy?
• The repetition of the word 'limbo' is key to the meaning of the poem.
•  It provides the musical beat of the poem, like…