Questions of Travel - Quotes

"There are too many waterfalls here"

opening irritable complaint .

"crowded streams" "hurry too rapidly" "pressure of so many clouds"

She finds faults in everything , self reflective in a way.

"Slides" "soft slow-motion"

The sibilant "s" sounds show the richness of the misty equatorial landscape.

"travelling ,travelling"

Repitition emphisises the restless movement of Bishop and the water , everything moving.

"like hulls of capsized ships"

Imagery of mountain range breaks the tension.

"should we have stayed at home and thought of here?" 1/8

fear or regret , uneasy at the thought of acting as a tourist.

"watching strangers in a play" "childishness"

shares the ark view of tourism greedily consuming sights, unaware its a lifestyle not a performance.

"inexplicable"

repetitive word stresses the difficlty of understanding foreign countries.

"And have we room for one more folded sunset, still quite warm?" 5/8

asking whether the traveler is ever touched by these sights , or was it skimmed over in a rush to pack in as much as possible.

"a pity not to have pondered" "But surely it would have been a pity" "A pity not to have heard"

The repetition stresses Bishops seek to approve of travel, justify her choice.

"Gesturing like noble pantomimists robed in pink"

highlights her imaginative "painterly eye" , suggests mime plays imagery .

"carelessly clacking"

Harsh "c" conveys the easy going carefree society.

"broken gasoline pump" "bamboo churches" "crudest wooden footwear"

Difference in countries is brought to consciousness , experiences that can only be seen and heard physically.

"golden silence"

attempts to clarify her own thinking on the value of travel.

"or could pascal have been not entirely right"

questioning the difference between imagining and physically travelling, pascal is a 17th century philosopher who preferred to stay at home.

"wherever that may be"

deep philosophical question , travelers set out in hopes to return to their home . concludes the travelers position of observing ad not participating