On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria

Messages

Emphasises ideas of isolation when moving to a new country

could highlight the uncomfortable effects of discrimination, even if out of ignorance rather than malice

Could convey a hopeful message - having more open conversations with one another we can learn more from one another and overcome differences

Context

Berry was part of the Windrush generation - he originated from Jamaica under British colonial rule

his father’s big banana field refers to Jamaica

the ‘empty city streets’ may be a reference to the mass immigration in the Windrush generation(there could be another meaning don’t take this too srsly)

methods in the poem(fletcher)

symbol of the journey

contrasts

pronouns

quotes for symbol of the journey

Hello, she said, and startled me.

my father’s big banana field.

So sincere she was beautiful

as people sat down around us.

quotes for contrasts

in silence / to speak a poem loudly

lit dimly

sunny country she said.

Snow falls elsewhere I said.

quotes for pronouns

am a Quaker

Where are you from? she said.

people sat down around us.

structure of the poem

free verse mirrors the natural flow of conversation

enjambment(the woman saying her poem on ‘racial brotherhood‘) conveys her faster speech or flowing thought

lack of speech marks shows that the narrator is caught between the external world on the train and his own internal thoughts

lmagery used in the poem

light

geographical

weather

example of light imagery

“I saw empty city streets lit dimly in a day’s first hours.”

example of geographical imagery

“Where Ireland is near Lapland I said.”

example of weather imagery

“Snow falls elsewhere I said.”

Lines 1-2: “Hello, she said, and startled me. / Nice day. Nice day I agreed.”

contrasts of the woman’s greeting with the speaker’s surprise

foreshadowing of cultural gaps between the two

politeness masks deeper misunderstandings

British small talk often avoids deeper issues

‘startled’ suggests unexpected interaction, reinforcing social barriers

Lines 3-6: “I am a Quaker she said and Sunday / I was moved in silence to speak a poem loudly for racial brotherhood.”

Quaker - alludes to Christian values about brotherhood and equality

they were known for social activism but often lacked lived experience

contrast of the poem of racial equality vs the ignorance of differing cultures in practice

racial brotherhood also symbolises equality

moved - suggests emotion but not implying action

Lines 7-10: “I was thoughtful, then said what poem came on like that? / One the moment inspired she said. / I was again thoughtful.”

contrast between speaker’s thoughtfulness vs woman’s impulsiveness

as well as between deep reflection and fleeting inspiration

Many people also speak about racial equality without understanding real struggles

‘inspired’ suggests spontaneity reinforcing the idea of superficial engagement

The speaker is dubious of the woman as she doesn’t even give a name for the poem

Berry suggests that the woman may not even have recited an actual poem/didn’t know enough to discuss it properly

what a larping chud

Lines 11-15: “Inexplicably I saw/empty city streets lit dimly/in a day’s first hours./Alongside in darkness/was my father’s big banana field.”

The speaker turns introspective, contrasting the urban streets of England which can be seen from the window to the rural banana field of their father

Berry uses this to highlight the cultural differences between the narrator and the woman

‘empty city streets’ could symbolise that the London streets are empty because of a lack of sense of community

day’s first hours foreshadows that it will get ‘brighter’ or more optimistic - it’s dawn on an afternoon train?

empty streets contrast unity which suggests that the speaker is isolated from the UK

Lines 16-19: “Where are you from? she said. / Jamaica I said. / What part of Africa is Jamaica? she said. / Where Ireland is near Lapland I said.”

contrasts between woman’s retardation(ignorance) and the speaker’s sarcasm

the geographical error reflects cultural misunderstandings

Many British people at the time had limited knowledge of the Caribbean

‘near‘ - is ironic cos Jamaica is nowhere near Africa again reinforcing misconceptions

Lines 15-16: “Hard to see why you leave such sunny country she said. / Snow falls elsewhere I said.”

She thinks Jamaica is like paradise but is corrected by the speaker

snow represents harsh realities - life in Jamaica is not all idyllic

‘elsewhere’ subtly rejects stereotypes, reinforcing complexity

Lines 17-18: “So sincere she was beautiful / as people sat down around us.”

contrast between the woman’s ignorance vs her genuine sincerity

beautiful is a symbol for honesty, the narrator appreciates her intent despite her misconceptions

beautiful also suggests inner goodness, reinforcing hope

us creates a sense of unity, ending the poem with not only reflection but with a sense of optimism as it suggests that the speaker may have found a home in the UK with people he can comfortably be around