In the book Zong!, Philip uses the language from Gregson vs. Gilbert trial to make the first 26 poems. She deals with the idea of storytelling: "there is no telling this story, it must be told." She also deals with the limitations of language in telling this story, using different languages throughout. Philip also includes fake names of the slaves who were murdered on the ship, and this is probably because she says she is co-authoring this book with the people who's lives were lost. She says that she has "mutilated, murdered, castrated, suffocated, cut, thrown, [and] killed" the language to enact the violence that was done to the slaves on board the ship. The poetry deals with the idea of worth, and the worth of someones life.
