Poetry Belong anthology key quotes + analysis (edexcel)

from the 5 poems that have already come up

sibilance that reflects the sound of the sea

“sound of blue surf”

repetition emphasising the contrast of London to where she used to live

“groggily groggily”

use of adjectives “grey” and “sour” act as a contrast to the bright colours of the island

“grey metallic sour”

repetition showcasing how repetitive her life in London has become

“muffling muffling”

adjective “dull” showcases her homesickness as even the weather is so different to what she used to know

“dull north circular roar”

the determiner “another” emphasises how this is just a typical london day for others but to her who will have to deal with these feelings of homesickness and alienation for the rest of her life

“Another London day”

Island man structure

• No rhyme scheme

• Lack of structure

• Uneven verse

• Frequent emjambment

• No punctuation

• Varied sentence lengths

what is the impact of Island man’s structure?

• reflects a dream like nature

• free-flowing nature of the Island man’s thoughts

island man context

• showcases reasons for immigration

• explores homesickness people can feel which reflects the authors own experiences

• author was an immigrant who recently moved to london

themes of island man

• identity

• Immigration

• homesickness

• Alienation

pejorative tone showcases how she feels comfortable enough there to be able to make fun of it and see the sense of humour in it

“as damp and crammed as a coconut shell”

internal rhyme which showcases the deep connection of items in her community

“afro combs and mobile phones”

the contrast between the purity of children and violence showcasing the good and bad that this community of people experience

“delicate babies” “clutching drumsticks like weapons”

metaphor that showcases how everyone is connected through their different experiences as we all go through some kind of hardship that makes us who we are

“each person is a sturdy hairbrush”

Semantic fields of violence, hair, caribbean culture and poverty overall negative but still home to her

"Gunmetal" "afro combs" "salted jellyfish" "Primark”

metaphor that showcases a link to romanticism and reflects that idea that she feels she is being watched over and protected emphasising the importance of the poem ending on the single word “comfort”

“Angels gaze from the treetops”

Structure of Peckham Rye Lane

• Free verse

• Irregular stanzas

• Similar sized stanzas

• Unstructured

Impact of Peckham Rye lanes structure

• reflects the random nature of a bus journey through Peckham

• as well as the constant need to move on

• aims to capture a snapshot into the lives of these communities

• showcase their connection and rich diversity

context of peckham rye lane

• explores experiences of the windrush generation

• showcases how poor, tough, diverse and beautiful this community is