Belonging Anthology - All 15 Poems and Key Points

To My Sister - Context

Romantic ideas including nature, imagination and solitude. It opposes the Enlightenment ideas of work, science and reason.

To My Sister - Structure/Form

Form - 10 stanzas, 4 lines each, ABAB rhyme scheme
Structure - Romantic poem
Could reflect the simplicity of nature and the order of it.

To My Sister - Key Quotes

"Our minds shall drink at every pore/The spirit of the season"
There are things felt and experienced by humankind that science, logic and reason cannot explain (e.g. emotional effect of a sunset)

"One moment now may give us more than years of toiling reason"
Nature and emotion can teach us things that could never have been discovered in academia.

Kumukanda - Context

Kumukanda is the name given to tribal rites of passage that Zambian boys must undergo before they become a man - these have disappeared in the West.

Kumukanda - Form/Structure

Form - 3 sestets, fourteener in a line, 14 syllables (iambic heptameter)
Structure - Starts with journey into manhood, then it goes to his own rite in England and, lastly, him imagining his life differently

Kumukanda - Key Quotes

"Never sloughed off the childish estate" and "river boys of our tribe must cross"
Juxtaposition between modern and traditional, ugly and beautiful, unnatural and natural.

"Father"
Repeated - shows how deep his heritage is and that it has now been broken. The speaker's displacement is betrayal.

My Mother's Kitchen - Context

An autobiographical poem written in the aftermath of the war in Iraq (2003), when the poet's family returned home to Iraq.

My Mother's Kitchen - Form/Structure

Form - 3 stanzas of free verse and varying length. No regularity to reflect the disjointed, unpredictable nature of life as a refugee.
Structure - 1st stanza explores her mother's things she will inherit. 2nd stanza recalls that she has left homes before. 3rd stanza explores her mother's stoic response to displacement.

My Mother's Kitchen - Key Quotes

"Glasses, some tall and lean, others short and fat" and "an ugly collection from various sets"
The mismatched crockery reflects the mother's travels and how she has never settled.

"Spread over the trellis on the porch"
Metaphor of the vines - for the sorrow of being torn up by your roots, people (like trees) cannot thrive in foreign environments.

I Remember, I Remember - Context

The innocence of childhood portrayed contrasts to Hood's later life which was filled with ill health and financial struggle. Also a Romantic poem - children had not yet been corrupted my society.

I Remember, I Remember - Form/Structure

Form - 4 stanzas of 8 lines (octaves), 8 syllables and 6 syllables are alternated. The 6 syllable lines rhyme showing Hood only has connected to his childhood
Structure - "I remember" is a refrain throughout, so a constant reminder of the memories. The focus of the poem shifts across each octave which captures the beauty of childhood.

I Remember, I Remember - Key Quotes

"The sun/came peeping in at morn" ... "I often wish the night/had borne my breath away"
Juxtaposition between the poet's childhood and present state (light and dark as well).

"Summer pools could hardly cool"
Hopelessness/resentment: the poet would rather be dead than live in his current state - hence his only joy being through childhood.

Clear and Gentle Stream - Context

Bridges was a deeply religious man, but instead of a very religious poem, we have a merging of Victorian faith with Romantic ideals - the natural world as a source of spirituality and contentment. The poet's later life was also filled with ill health and financial struggle - which contrasts with the simplicity of childhood.

Clear and Gentle Stream - Form/Structure

Form - 4 stanzas, changing rhyme scheme (ABBACDCDEEFF). 12 lines, each line is 5 syllables. This is a combination of change and continuity, reflecting the subject matter. Could also be reflective of the stream and the soothing nature of it.
Structure - First and last stanza end with the same 3 lines ("with my old lament/and my idle dream/clear and gentle stream!") which relates to youthful frustration and continuity. Stream of consciousness.

Clear and Gentle Stream - Key Quotes

Title: "Clear and gentle stream!"
The stream stands as a metaphor for continuity and change - the stream is still there, but the water is different (not the same). Also can function to provide a childish, happy tone - one that is uncorrupted by society.

"Here again I sit" contrasted to "that familiar strain"
Continuity vs. change

"Idle"
Repeated - not wanting to leave this moment.

In Wales, Wanting to be Italian - Context

Poet moved a lot growing up and there is reference to this in the poem - reference to Darker's own teenage years. Lots of universal references, and universality of a lack of identity.

In Wales, Wanting to be Italian - Form/Structure

Form - 4 stanzas, varying in length and free verse. Reflects fluidity of teenagers and how their identities are always changing
Structure - First stanza uses direct address to suggest universality of this feeling and the remaining stanzas emphasise this.

In Wales, Wanting to be Italian - Key Quotes

"Dying to [...] wanting to [...] longing to [...]"
Lexical set of desires which captures the emotional experience of teens - wanting to escape from your life. Universal feeling.

"Vespa", "shrug and pout", German words
Italian, German and French stereotypes - shows a lack of depth and the cool/mysterious feeling of teenage desire. Hollow understanding of these cultures but still wants to be a part of it.

Us - Context

Zaffar writes about issues surrounding identity, belonging and separation for the contemporary reader.

Us - Form/Structure

Form - 7 tercets (3 line stanzas), with a final one on its own, lots of enjambment. Reflects the connections between tribes/space.
Structure - Casual, conversational tone which juxtaposes structured nature and captures the paradox in the poem ("us" are those separate from community.

Us - Key Quotes

"Each wave in the sea", "shore-like state", "my hearts sunk"
Lexical set of seamanship - 2 lovers living on separate coasts
Metaphorical level - we are all connected. The sea also functions as a reflection of how identity struggles are like undulations. Even though the seas part, they still come together, just like humans (unify us). The "Us" can also change and adapt, just like the sea.

"Us equally meant me"
The italics of "us" and "me" reflect the universality of feeling as though you do not belong to a culture or identity. Past tense is also used which shows how it was a past feeling and now the speaker does not feel this anymore.

Peckham Rye Lane - Context

Similar to Island Man, the poem explores the experiences of the Windrush Generation - how poor, tough but diverse and beautiful its community is.

Peckham Rye Lane - Form/Structure

Form - Free verse, irregular stanzas/sentence length. Reflects the random experience one receives while travelling through Peckham.
Structure - Begins and ends with the natural world - capturing a snapshot of the lives of this community.

Peckham Rye Lane - Key Quotes

"Gunmetal", "afro combs", "salted jellyfish", "Primark"
Semantic fields of violence, hair, caribbean culture and poverty.

"Delicate babies in KFC", "Plaid-dressed children, wailing, clutching drumsticks like weapons"
Juxtaposition - such a diverse community of poetic and paradoxical richness.

We Refugees - Context

2000 - start of the worldwide refugee crisis and in the past century 84 million people have been displaced due to war and violence.

We Refugees - Form/Structure

Form - 10 stanzas, 8 quatrains, song-like.
Structure - All stanzas contain enjambment, forcing the reader to rush, imitating urgency that migrants feel when fleeting. Constant juxtaposition.

We Refugees - Key Quotes

"I came from an ancient place", "Where girls cannot go to school"
Cannot put a name to the place of description which shows the universality of refugeeism.

"I", "We"
Personal pronoun "I" humanises the universal and "we" reiterates how quickly one can become a refugee.

Jamaican British - Context

Poet's parents are part of the Windrush Generation (father). Jamaica was also part of the slave trade and a British colony until 1962.

Jamaican British - Form/Structure

Form - 8 couplets reflecting the dual nature of speakers identity. Free verse as well which shows how his identities are not connected.
Structure - Each pair of couplets focus on the contradictions that govern his identity.

Jamaican British - Key Quotes

"Jamaican British"
Refrain - used to highlight the speaker's identity because he sees them in conflict (with the slave trade and colonies).

"House slave", "light skin"
Juxtaposition - 2 different identities.

Island Man - Context

Explores immigration and the homesickness people can feel. Also some historical context is explored in terms of colonisation and the reason for immigration (work and opportunities).

Island Man - Form/Structure

Form - Line numbers and length of stanzas fluctuate which gives a sense of randomness (like dreams).
Structure - First half (11 lines) is devoted to homeland and second half to London. More lines to homeland which shows how the two places don't carry the same value.

Island Man - Key Quotes

"The sun", "blue surf", contrasted to "grey metallic", "dull"
The vibrant and free sounds/colour used in first half juxtaposes to the oppressive sounds/colours which describe London.

"Wombing"
Made-up word, description of ocean waves. Highlighting how his home is a place of security and safety.

The Émigrée - Context

Poet, like 'We Refugees', leaves the identity of the Emigree's homeland unspecified, making it applicable to everyone. Themes of displacement are explored.

The Émigrée - Form/Structure

Form - Dodecasyllabic verse, 3 stanzas (2 are 8 lines and 1 is 9 lines). Reflects the stability provided to the speaker as a result of their national identity and memories.
Structure - 1st stanza explores the speaker's memories of her childhood and homeland. 2nd stanza shows the speaker's vocab and relationship to this. 3rd stanza explores the memories of the city in which she was born. Overall, a sad tone is adopted as she holds onto the past.

The Émigrée - Key Quotes

"My memory of it is sunlight-clear", "It takes of sunlight"
The sunshine motif - implies memories are a source of warmth and comfort. The sunlight also emphasises how even with the stereotypes of her home country and the horrible news about it, she will always remember her memories as positive and beautiful (ends on the word "sunlight" to highlight the optimism she has for her country).

"They"
Repeated towards the end of the poem: She is treated as an immigrant and someone who does not belong. They thinks he represents the country just because she's from there.

"Paperweight", "docile as paper", "white plane"
Paper motif - her memories allow her to shape and preserve positive memories of her home country. The "white plane" could be a newspaper and presentation of the country. But could also be a continuation of the line "white streets" to show the purity and beauty of their homeland.

Sunday Dip - Context

Sunday was the day of rest in Christianity - this suggests that the other days were for work (Enlightenment ideas). Romantic ideas of leisure and nature are also clear in this poem.

Sunday Dip - Form/Structure

Form and structure - Rhyme scheme is the same as a sonnet (couplets). This reflects the simplicity of children and lack of concern for tomorrow.

Sunday Dip - Key Quotes

"The morning road is thronged with merry boys"
Representing children and how they were not corrupted by society and full of innocence.

"And laugh to hear the thunder in their ears"
Thunder is the other side of nature - the more powerful side which contrasts to the rest of the poem. However, the children just "laugh" about the thunder rather than focusing on the danger of it.

Mild the Mist Upon the Hill - Context

The poet's family was steeped in grief. They experienced a rural existence rich in fantastical imaginings (blurring the lines between reality and unreality).

Mild the Mist Upon the Hill - Form/Structure

Form - Traditional lyrical ballad, 4 quatrains, consistent rhyme scheme. Emphasises universal feelings and simplicity/longing for childhood.
Structure - There is a backward narrative as we move back to the tears of the morning which reflects the desire to go back in time.

Mild the Mist Upon the Hill - Key Quotes

"wept", "rain", "tears", "damp", "spent its shore to silent sorrows"
Semantic field of tears - sadness and longing to go back in time to a simpler time: childhood.

"mist", "dreamy scents"
Obfuscation - blurred lines of the reality and unreality.

Captain Cook - Context

The innocence of childhood and the close relationship between the speaker and her brother contrasts with Landon's later life which was filled with scandals. The concept of childhood as being magical was also a recent construct at the time of publication.

Captain Cook - Form/Structure

Form/Structure - 8 quatrains which can be seen as pairs in terms of their focus (1st - Direct Questions, 2nd - Love for Captain Cook, 3rd - Playing, 4th - Present). Also and AABB rhyme scheme which reflects the simple happiness of childhood.

Captain Cook - Key Quotes

"Boughs grew dim", "the lime-tree bower", "dells in a darker share"
Foreshadows the darkness of adulthood and the fragmented sibling relationship.

"Sea-captain", "silver", "gold", "treasures"
The semantic field of adventure in the South Pacific litters the poem - mimicking how it must have occupied the children's minds.