The literal analysis of the poem "Before" by Limón

In the poem ‘Before’ by Ada Limón, she captivates the readers by appealing to their emotions. She tells of how life can take a turn for the worst and how the happiness of individuals can be replaced with guilt and regret. Limón reminds the readers the importance of enjoying life and making the most of it all. As a child, Limón was immensely influenced by visual arts and artists. She was also influenced by her mother. She was awarded by New York University in 2001 for her exemplary work in poetry. The influence of visual arts in her life is seen in the descriptive nature of the words used in the poem. The word divorce has been used in poem and its effects are spread across the poem and how the life of the narrator has been affected by it. Life before and after the divorce has also been well displayed by Limón. A child who has been a victim of divorce is the narrator in this poem 

‘Before’ makes reference to the life of a child who was happy and content when life was beautiful and enjoyable. In poem we are told of how there was a close relationship between the father and the child. However, the happiness is short-lived and the child is subjected to a life of new beginnings and new experiences and still longing for the love experienced before the divorce. The narrator lived a carefree life as seen and enjoyed the presence of her father. The poem is structured in such a manner that allows the reader to pause and feel every emotion displayed in the poem. Readers are also able to place themselves in the life of the narrator and experiences using lines such as 

red helmet, I rode 

on the back of my dad’s 

The lines show the happiness and excitement in the life of the child and Limón allows the readers to experience it as well. Readers are able to mentally picture a close relationship between the child and her father. They are also able to feel the love in the family. 

Limón has used pictorial words to pass her message to her readers. This is a logical way of captivating the attention and the minds of the readers. The readers are able to feel the intensity of the divorce and feel its effects from the lines such as; 

before the new apartment 

before the new marriage. 

The lines listed above show how the divorce had a ripple effect on the life of the child. There is relocation and the formation of a new family. The reader is able to visualize a new apartment and the new marriage. The emptiness of a new apartment can be felt through the words and so can the uncertainty of the new marriage. Readers can feel the comparisons the child is making mentally in relation her biological family and the new family. The anticipation and anxiety of readers is constantly built up by the narrator. Limón used repetition to appeal further to the emotions of the readers. The word ‘before’ has been used nine times in the poem to emphasize the effects of divorce and how the times had changed for the child. She takes the readers to the past and puts stress on how life was before the divorce. Figurative words have also been used to lay emphasis on how the divorce brought pain and sadness to the child. Kirk in her article describes the words such as ‘chain’ and ‘garbage’ as depicting a lonely and dark life that the child has been subjected to after the divorce. Chains show some form of bondage while garbage illustrates loss of value or worth. This shows how the poem has numerous forms of symbolism that the readers can relate and identify with. 

Structurally, the poem is not uniformed. There is not rhythmic words used by Limón. This creates suspense in the mind of the reader. The reader is left wanting more and more with each passing line. Limón has however given the readers an opportunity to experience some form of rhythm through repetition. The fifth line to the twelfth line have the word ‘before’ appearing in each of them. This creates a musical feel when reading the poem. The poem is divided into three sections. The first section shows how life was before the divorce took place. The second section takes the readers down memory lane and they are able to see and experience what the child went through after the divorce. The last section of the poem shows how the child is reminiscing and longing for the happiness she once felt. In the last section, the narrator speaks directly to the readers by telling them how one feels when their lives are affected negatively by issues such as divorce. 

Grammatically, Limón has used the first and third person points of view. The personal pronoun ‘I’ has been used to enable the readers to put themselves in the shoes of the child. These lines are; 

I rode 

I was just 

I never knew survival 

They have been used to show the emotions of the child before and after the divorce. The pronoun ‘you’ has been used towards the end of the poem. It has been used by Limón to picture the narrator speaking directly to the reader. The narrator addresses the reader by stating; 

If you live, 

you look back and beg 

bliss before you know 

what you would miss 

This shows a form of caution that the narrator is given to the readers. The narrator is somewhat appealing to the readers to make the most of their happy moments before they lose it. The narrator also shows her regret on how she did not maximize on her blissful moment before the divorce. 

Limón has also used various punctuation marks to guide the readers on how to read the poem and immerse themselves in it. When using repetition, she used full stops to allow the reader to internalize the changes that the child went through during the divorce. Commas are used in various lines of the poem to give additional information on various aspects of the life of the child. An example of this is shown when the narrator states; 

by the crane. Before the road 

between us, there was the road 

beneath us, and I was just 

big enough not to let go. 

There lines listed also shows the division that divorce brought in the family of the child. The narrator mentions how divorce brought a rift between the members of the family which is illustrated by the road that is now between them. Divorces lead to disunity among family members. It also causes pain and sadness in the lives of the affected children. In the poem, the child is pained by the loss of her happiness and regrets having not made the most of it. Children who are affected by divorces also undergo certain changes in their lives. There are times when they have to change locations, schools and even families. This can affect the child emotionally as seen in the poem and psychologically as well. This is shown in the lines that states: 

and I never knew survival 

was like that, If you live, 

The lines show how the child is left to survive on her own in spite of being in a new family. She feels the emptiness and the loneliness brought about by the divorce. The child is finding it hard to adjust to the new family because she longs for the family she was once a part of. 

Divorces are tough and have a lot of negative impact on the child. Limón presents this using the line: 

rough wind, chicken legs 

This shows how the child was in an emotional and psychological storm due to the divorce. The words ‘chicken legs’ have been used to describe the fearful state of the child as she faces life ‘alone’. The child is addressing the readers when she uses the third person pronoun and also speaks of herself. She looks back to the time before the divorce and longs for that moment of happiness. She describes the happiness as ‘the hazardous bliss’ because it is happiness that when lost is lethal as the memories left are painful and cause a heartache. 

Limón has maximized richly on the theme of divorce by using symbols, descriptive and rhythmic words to entice and captivate the readers. Readers are able to identify with the narrator because each individual goes through challenges that leave them sad and pained. ‘Before’ poem has been used to show how lives of individuals are before, during and after divorces. Families should strive to live united and together because the splits affect not only the splitting couple but the children as well, in case of any. However, if circumstances around the divorce are inevitable, parents should strive to make life after divorce just as enjoyable as it was before the divorce for the children. The experiences children go through affect them in their adulthood and divorce is no such exception. 

Cited Works 

Kirk Alyssa. Before. My Poetic Thoughts. Retrieved on February 11, 2016 from https://alyssarosebyanyothername.weebly.com