The poet used the phrase "went hammer and tongs" most likely to imply that he is speaking the words loudly and with great force.
Explanation:
The meaning of the expression "went hammer and tongs" is that a person does something with great vigor, determination, or vehemence, which matches with the line that says he is speaking loudly and with great force, it seems like a paraphrased sentence with the same context and conveys the same mood and idea.
You can think of a semicolon as a fancy period; all you have to do is see where you could have two independent clauses and put the semicolon in the. middle of them, like you can see in this answer. Hope this helps! :)
It would affect how they communicate as a community and could effect how independent or dependent a colony would be. Like if you would go fishing for ur food, or if you would buy your food instead.