The Emigree - Carol Rumens

AO1

pain of forced emigration, difficulty of finding acceptance.

happy memories of the past contrasting with current reality

AO2

• dramatic monologue

• interrupted regularity of stanzas - suggests an attempt (& failure?) to control the chaos

• free verse & enjambment mimic chaos

“there once was a country…”

• sounds like the opening of a fairytale - her memories are childlike

• truncated sentence - so much to say but leaves things out

“filled paperweight”

• occupies her mind

• is like a snowglobe, picture-perfect

“i am branded by an impression of sunlight”

although there are some bad memories of war, she remains biased and only focuses on the positives.

• cherishes memories and homeland

• has a certain memory in her mind forever

• idealised view → “light at the end of the tunnel” symbol for hope or metaphor for heaven

“white streets”, “graceful slopes”, “frontiers”, “tanks”

juxtaposition of semantic field of war and peace

“like a hollow doll”

poet feels empty and has no sense of identity anymore; loss of innocence

• maybe a reference to Russian dolls - still more to be discovered underneath, layers of trauma

Comparative poems for Identity

Island Man

Comparative poems for displacement

My Mother’s Kitchen

Other comparative poems

We Refugees - refugee and feelings moving away from home

I Remember, I Remember - childhood happiness