Edexcel IGCSE Poetry Anthology Texts - Blessing

General notes about the poem

- Political poem about poverty, drought and water crisis

- Written by Imtiaz Dharker

- Themes: Religion, Poverty, Desperation, suffering

Structure of Poem

- Freeform poem with varied line lengths - lack of control over the dire situation they are in

- 4 stanzas: a couplet, a quatrain, 11-line stanza, sestet

Blessing [title]

- Religious connotation - given by God - Blessing seen as a privilege

- contrasts with expectation + content of the poem

The skin cracks like a pod.

There never is enough water. [stanza one]

- Harshness of sound in cracks

- cracks like a pod - simile - fragility of these people + dry skin

- strong negative - urgency, deprivation

- Engages the reader instantly, setting a scene of suffering

Imagine the drip of it,

the small splash, echo

in a tin mug,

the voice of a kindly god. [stanza two]

- Imperative - inviting the reader to empathise with the scarce situation

- Onomatopoeia - engages senses, vivid imagery + sibilance of small splash elongates the words - long wait for a small drop of water - again, connoting ideas of desperation

- the voice of a kindly god - metaphor accentuates scarcity

- God is not capitalised...lack of faith? - One of the main arguments that people use to disprove God is evil and suffering in the world, since God should be omnibenevolent - so how can this God who is allowing them to suffer be described as kindly

Sometimes, the sudden rush

of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,

silver crashes to the ground

and the flow has found [stanza three]

- Emphatic position of the adverb sometimes - this blessing (literally when they are given the bare minimum - water) is a special occasion.

- 'fortune' 'silver crashes' - describing a basic human right, a necessity to live - water - as something valuable - sense of deprivation + extreme poverty - encourages reader (most likely living comfortably) to reflect on how privileged they are in contrast to people living like this

- Rhyming couplet + alliteration of flow + found - there is now a flow of water

a roar of tongues. From the huts,

a congregation : every man woman

child for streets around

butts in, with pots,

brass, copper, aluminium,

plastic buckets,

frantic hands

- Roar of tongues + frantic hands connotes idea of hysteria, discord, chaos

- Congregation - religious connotation - a gift from God, gratefulness from the community, sanctifies moment

- man woman child - not even split with commas, again links with community and idea of them being united together when this blessing happens. Alternatively, suggests people will not share this water to feed to their most vulnerable - first come, first served / survival of fittest?

- pots...buckets - listing, symbolising these people will do anything to get their hands on this water

and naked children

screaming in the liquid sun

their highlights polished to perfection,

flashing light,

as the blessing sings

over their small bones. [stanza four]

- 'naked children' + 'small bones' - innocence, vulnerability - these children are the future of the community and there is little hope for them despite this 'blessing'

- 'screaming' in pain or in happiness due to receiving blessing?

- 'liquid sun' - metaphor - scorching hot weather - drought

- 'flashing light' - presence of God? + 'blessing sings' - personification- celebration