where i come from annotations

‘People are made of places.’

• Caesura in the middle of the line creates an emphatic thesis statement

• This instantly draws the reader in, being short and catchy

• Makes the reader wonder what places they are made of, though provoking and sticks in reader’s head

‘They carry with them / hints’

• Enjambment mimics the motion of carrying something to the next line

• ‘hints’ suggests how these places don’t take over someone’s personality, instead they subtly add to it. Connotes subtlety and something that requires a keen eye to recognise

‘A door in the mind blows open,’

• a door is normally smth that leads to a new place

• indefinite article in front of door shows how it is one of many. the image inside: ‘frosty wind from fields of snow’ is only one part of Brewster’s identity

• caesura at the end of the phrase causes the reader to pause and wonder what’s behind the door

• also parallels the start of the poem

continuous olfactory imagery: ‘smell of smog’, ‘almost-not-smell of tulips’, ‘museum smell’, ‘smell of work’, ‘smell of subways’

• Sets up a thread that follows the reader through the first stanza

• Also sets up an uncommon image of a city, one through scent and not sight or sound

• the descriptors are also things we would associate with mundanity e.g ‘work’, ‘smog’, ‘subways’ which could evoke strong feelings (displeasure or even wonder) depending on the reader’s background

‘blueberry patches in the burned-out bush’

• appeals to sense of taste: blueberries

• suggests that nature is actually nourishing since it provides things to eat while city isn’t, only provides smells

• ‘burned out bush’ gives a very vivid image and is juxtaposed something that is live and thriving, shows life’s perseverance

• repeated ‘b’ sound also connects and blends the two things

‘carry woods in their minds, acres of pine woods’

• repetition of ‘woods’ emphasises the importance of woods in her logging community

• ‘acres’ appeals to sense of sight as it instantly makes the reader imagine a vast, sprawling forest

‘nature tidily plotted in little squares’

• juxtaposition of ‘nature’ and ‘tidily plotted’, nature normally connotes the wild and freedom, while ‘tidily plotted’ has connotations of planning and precision. these two concepts are in direct contrast w eachother
• ‘little’ diminishes the space nature takes up in a city and it shows how humans have completely taken over the natural environment
• lack of punctuation here shows the sense of unease at nature not being in the right state, it is contained, which it shouldn’t be
• repeating ‘t’ sound reminiscent of RP and shows the status differences too

‘behind which violets grow.’

• shows how in rural areas nature will grow where it wants

• contrasts how nature is plotted in cities, since here it grows and flourishes wherever

• caesura at the end of this phrase suggests a finality and peace because nature is how it is supposed to be, contrasts the enjambment in 1st stanza showing a sense of restless unease

‘hens and chickens circle about, / clucking aimlessly

• ‘aimlessly’ directly juxtaposes the use of ‘plotted’ since something plotted is something planned out

• also contrasts ‘guidebook’ since being aimless is being without a guide

• shows how in rural areas, things are allowed to be uncertain

• ‘circle’ adds to this, since it connotes repetitive action. it also contrasts the squares in the city.

• square has connotations of precision, since all it's sides have to be completely equal and it's angles connote conformity, while a circle connotes freedom and expression

• enjambment adds to the motion made by ‘circle’

‘art tidily plotted with a guidebook;’

• ‘art’ also directly contrasts ‘tidily plotted’ since art is something done with emotion and not smth that should be superficially planned

• repeating ‘t’ sound reminiscent of RP and shows the status differences too

• ‘guidebook’ defeats the purpose to art, since it isn’t supposed to be guided through, it is supposed to be individually experienced and people are supposed to find their own meaning to art

• contrasts the freedom given to everything in the rural areas

She presents places as something you can bring with you and as something that is a part of you, which connects with the reader and gives the poem staying power in reader’s head.

She establishes a really easy way of identifying It shows that the way you were brought up matters more than just the setting where everything took place She presents it as an underlying thread that winds through every part of someones life and is something they carry with them for as long as they’re alive. Hits the theme of nature vs. nurture and it shows how Brewster believes that ‘nurture’ and where you’re brought up plays a significant role in your personality and who you are

She appeals to the senses of the reader, giving a deeper emotional attachment and sense of nourishment to the poem and making it stand out in the reader’s head.

Appealing to the senses of the reader also shows how appealing it is to be reminded of something familiar It shows Brewster trying to connect with the reader by using this common thread of places She is trying to appeal to someone’s nostalgia and make them feel emotions of fondness or recognition towards this imagery Her differing use of imagery does also link to how differently she presents the urban and rural settings

She creates a sharp contrast between the urban and rural setting, also linking it to the contrast between other people and her.

She was raised in a small, rural logging village Her experiences and identity of place is going to be vastly different to lots of other people since more than half of the global population lives in a city She is trying to show the depth of our connection to different places, and their variety.