"A World Without Water" by Angela Wybrow

A World Without Water. Digital image. Betterlivingresources.name. N.p., 15 July 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <http://www.betterlivingresources.name/product/DVD106>.

A World Without Water by Angela Wybrow

Can you imagine a world without water? 
It would be a world which is totally altered.
Rivers and streams would no longer flow.
The oceans' tides wouldn't ebb to and fro.

Without the cooling and refreshing rain, 
Living things would struggle to remain.
With no fresh water, we'd have little to drink.
None of us would wash, so then we would stink.

Plants wouldn't grow: we would have no flowers.
There'd be no energy from hydro-electric power.
Radiators wouldn't work: there would be no heat.
We couldn't boil vegetables, eggs, or pasta to eat.

There would no longer be fish left in the sea: 
Many aquatic creatures would just cease to be.
There would be no pools, in which we could swim.
Lakes and reservoirs would be empty to their brim.

There would be no travelling by ship or by boat: 
There would be no water for either to float.
We wouldn't be able to wash the dog, or the car.
Without any water, we wouldn't get too far.

There would be no water to bind mixtures together.
We would soon get bored of constant hot weather.
We wouldn't be able to flush waste down our loo.
There are so many things which we couldn't do.

But in poorer countries, water is a precious blessing; 
The urgent need for water is a matter that is pressing.
In the UK, we can access water each and every day, 
But, what if, our water was suddenly taken away?

Hunter, Angela Wybrow - Poem. "A World Without Water" Poemhunter.com. N.p., 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-world-without-water-3/>.

         

          "A World Without Water" by Angela Wybrow is different from many other poems. Though the subject matter of water is still the same, the approach to the reader is different. This poem appeals to the more logical side of thinks, rather than trying to gain support by evoking emotional appeal. The poem frequently gives the direct effect of a world without water instead of making the reader infer the intended meaning. The theme of the poem is that people take water for granted. "A World Without Water" is unique because the author directly tells the reader the aim of the poem, rather than through interpretations and inferences. It simply states what a world without water is like

          Since the poem lacks the usual hidden meanings involved with symbolism in most poetry, is has to make up for it with many other literary devices. At the beginning, Wybrow uses a rhetorical question to hook the reader. "Can you imagine a world without water?" (Wybrow) A world without water is quite a captivating thought. The whole poem acts as one large "if/then" statement. From the second line onward, Wybrow gives examples of the "then" part, or what a world without water would be like. "Without the cooling and refreshing rain, living things would struggle to remain." (Wybrow) This sort of cause and effect statement puts readers on the spot to either side with or against the author. Wybrow made the choice obvious when she says living things will die without water. 

         Repetition is widely uses in the poem to emphasize the severe effects of a world without water. "There would be no travelling by ship or by boat: There would be no water for either to float." (Wybrow) The poem is written in the first person point of view in order to secure a connection between the author and reader, thus trying to make the reader feel what the author is feeling. Ending on a lighter note, Wybrow took advantage of the subject and included a pun to lighten the mood of the poem a bit. "Lakes and reservoirs would be empty to their brim." (Wybrow)