Poems: ‘Ol’ Higue’ and ‘Le Loupgarou’

The what - Content:

• Theme – The supernatural, stories used to explain unknown or phenomena. Beliefs held by society custom - culture
• Ol’ Higue – name given to woman who haunts babies – this results in sickness or death.
• Practices govern how this situation is treated – use of salt, rice grain and the sun.
• This belief has held its root and will not go away – because as long as babies get sick  and die – blame will be cast on Ol Higue.

The Form – Layout of poem

• 3 stanzas written in free verse – this facilitates the type of poem – dramatic monologue – persona’s expression of her feelings. This also allows for introspection as well as involvement of the reader/listener to participate in the situation.

The How - Structure

• Dramatic monologue
• Diction – use of colloquial and expression relating to society eg. ‘dry-up woman’
• Movements among and within paragraphs – reader/listener invited to sympathize with her pleading to listeners – then to justification of actions – acceptance of relevance to society and mothers.
• Use of punctuation and lineation – question marks, ellipsis, exclamation – facilitates the dramatic monologue style, supports the changes in emotions and the need for the listener/reader to see from her point of view.
• Use of imagery – ‘few drops of baby blood’ blood running in new veins, ‘fly come’(literal and figurative)
• ‘Believe me-‘short line – to prepare the reader and solidify what is to come – an acceptable truth.
• See Notes on English B pg. 32-33

Comparison to other poem

• ‘Le Loupgarou’ – a sonnet -   hence more structure is evident in terms of lineation, rhyme scheme
• Use of end and eye rhymes, poem divided into an octave and sestet
• Delving in the world of the supernatural – a realistic situation – a man Le Brun – being used and told as something supernatural.
• Story told as a rumour – section about him turning into a werewolf – this is to both facilitate the extent of his actions what happened to him and the women’s dislike of him.
• Use of imagery and literary devices – oxymoron ‘Christian witches’ howled and lugged.
• Both poems Caribbean in nature – custom and tradition – affects practices done and treatment given to and by people.

Ol’Higue’s story facilitates the mothers’ explanation for the unexplained (sick or dead baby) – while the story of Le Brun and what has been added on by the women – facilitates their gossip and what the community holds on to.