Literary Devices in “The Breasts of the Sea” by Cheney-Coker
Syl Cheney-Coker used different literary devices in “The Breasts of the Sea” to pass the poem’s message. Some of the most conspicuous literary devices in the poem include personification, allusion, metaphor, and imagery. Here is an analysis of the literary devices in “The Breasts of the Sea”.
Content Analysis of “The Breasts of the Sea” by Syl Cheney-Coker
An Overview of the Poem, The Breasts of the Sea by Syl Cheney-Coker
Literary Devices in “The Breasts of the Sea” by Cheney-Coker
1. Enjambment
The run-on lines in the poem, The Breasts of the Sea, keep it flowing. Here are some examples.
Example 1:
After our bloody century, the sea will groan
Under the weight, somewhere between breasts and anus.
(Stanza 1, Lines 1-2)
Example 2:
“Anything else is only a fractured chela
we cannot preserve, once the sea’s belly
has washed itself clean of our century’s blight.”
(Stanza 2, lines 10-12)
2. Personification
The sea is given human-like qualities. Here are some examples.
Example 1:
“… the sea will groan
under its weight, …”
(stanza 1, lines 1-2)
This describes the burden that the “bloody century” has placed on the sea in terms of exploration, exploitation, transportation, wars, and the aftermath of war. The sea, therefore, “will groan” as the “weight” increases. The sea is seen as human and alive carrying a heavy weight beyond its capacity.
Example 2:
“But do you, O Sea, long-suffering mistress,
have the balm to heal the wound of her children,”
(Stanza 3, Lines 18-19)
Here, Cheney-Coker likens the sea to a patient mistress, a healer, and a mother of children. He therefore asks if the sea in her patience can provide the needed balm and tend to “the wound of the children”.
Example 3:
“After our bloody century, the sea will groan
under the weight, somewhere between breasts and anus.
Filled with toxins, her belly will not yield new islands
even though the children of East Timor wish it so.”
(Stanza 1, lines 1-4)
The sea is said to have “breasts and anus” and a belly. These are all human qualities used to identify the qualities of the sea – breasts for nurturing, belly to signify where all that is thrust into the sea fall, and anus to complement the location on the body of the sea where the pain of the toxins are felt the most.
3. Imagery
The choice of language and diction in the poem, The Breasts of the Sea, paints vivid pictures for the readers.
Example 1:
“After our bloody century, the sea will groan”
(stanza 1, line 1)
The expression “bloody century” in line 1 describes the time as filled with conflicts and wars both at home and abroad.
The groaning of the sea paints a picture of someone crying due to a deep pain, something they have no control over, a burden they must bear, or a deep loss. The line suggests that when what is going on is all done, the sea will bear a heavy burden that will cause it to cry out.
Example 2:
"Anything else is only a fractured chela"
(Stanza 2, line 10)
A fractured chela here makes the reader think of a crab trying to grab something with its broken chela. This is the image of humans trying to hold on to the fragments of history when they are being broken and washed away.
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4. Metaphor
Example 1:
“Anything else is only a fractured chela”
(Stanza 2, line 10)
A chela is a pincer-like claw of arthropods like the crab. The use of the metaphor, “fractured chela” here shows that after history is made and the memory lost and recaptured over time, the knowledge and effects become broken and useless like the broken chela – the crab can no longer grab anything with a fractured chela.
Example 2:
“we cannot preserve, once the sea’s belly
Has washed itself clean of our century’s blight.”
(Stanza 2, lines 11-12)
“The sea’s belly” is a metaphor for the place in the sea where everything that goes into it is preserved.
Example 3:
“even those shut out of Australia, drifters of a tired moon”
(Stanza 3, line 14)
This refers to the black Aborigines in Australia who the colonial masters assigned unproductive lands and the slums. These places produced low yields in crops and other economic values. The tired lands are captured in the poem as a “tired moon”.
5. Allusion
The poem, “The Breasts of the Sea” is rife with historical allusions, pointing out the violence, death, and bloody losses in the history of mankind. It describes the traumatic experiences by naming key events that created the trauma. Examples of the historical allusions in the poem include “Noah’s monologue”, “the Middle Passage’s cargoes”, and “the remains of the Titanic”.
It extends a note that these historical events may just repeat if human nature is unchecked by pointing out the expansion in scientific knowledge with reference to Darwin and his findings; the theory of natural selection being a common one played out in the experiences of the Sierra Leoneans.
However, just like other knowledge, over time, these pains, sorrows, losses, etc. captured as “our century’s blight”, will fade and may never be remembered again. Even the sea will wash away the history.
“The sea is only capable of so much history:
Noah’s monologue, the Middle Passage’s cargoes,
Darwin’s examination of the turtle’s shit,
the remains of the Titanic, and a diver’s story
about how the coelacanth was recaptured.
Anything else is only a fractured chela
we cannot preserve, once the sea’s belly
has washed itself clean of our century’s blight.”
(Stanza 2, lines 5-12)
6. Simile
Example:
“her hands swimming like horrors of red corals.”
(Stanza 3, line 17)
This expression is used to capture the struggle for survival of Sierra Leoneans amid the horror and trauma they endured during the conflicts and wars in the country.
7. Alliteration
Example 1:
“her hands swimming like horrors of red corals.”
(Stanza 3, line 17)
The sound /h/ is repeated in “her” and “hands”.
Example 2:
“despite her broken back, this shredded garment,”
(Stanza 3, line 16)
The sound /b/ is repeated in “broken” and “back”.
Read also:
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8. Rhetorical Question
Example:
“But do you, O Sea, long-suffering mistress,
have the balm to heal the wounds of her children,
hand to foot the axe, alluvial river flowing into you?”
(Stanza 3, lines 18-20)
The last three lines of the poem ask the sea if it can heal the wounds of the people of Sierra Leone. However, the speaker does not expect a response as the question is a part of his thoughts about what the country has been through as he ponders its future.
9. Symbolism
The sea as presented in Cheney-Coker’s “The Breasts of the Sea” represents life, nature, and the unknown. The sea is said to have breasts which shows that it nurtures life and at the same time protects nature. The other aspect of its protective power is seen in line 13 where the sea’s breasts console the exiles protecting life from damage. Stanzas 2 and 3 also show that the sea heals itself and can heal other aspects of nature.
The sea as a symbol of the unknown points at the hidden knowledge and history within the belly of the sea.
Conclusion
The poem, The Breasts of the Sea, uses vivid descriptions to create a sense of the multiple roles of the sea as related to the situation of Sierra Leone in a certain century. The allusions give a historical touch to the trend of war, violence, scientific advancements, etc. that occurred within the century. These literary devices used in “The Breasts of the Sea” deepen the understanding of the poem.
Did you identify any other literary devices in “The Breasts of the Sea”? Let us know in the comment section.
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