Studied by 1 person
To my sister - nature
In Wales - feelings
We refugees - places
Captain Cook - recollections of the past
Island man - belonging
To My Sister context
romantic poet, close with sister as they lived together and she helped him overcome depression, he is a pantheist so thinks God is the universe.
To My Sister structure
ABAB rhyme scheme reflects peace and beauty of nature
To my sister quotes
'blessing in the air'
'your morning task resign; come forth and feel the sun.'
'From earth to man, from man to earth.'
'And bring no book: for this one day We'll give to idleness.'
Sunday Dip context
romantic poet, grew up in rural village in poor family so had to work from a young age so enjoyed his Sundays off work, was put into an asylum cus he went a lil crazy 🤪🤪
Sunday Dip structure
rhyming couplets (AABB) creates a playful tone, sonnet structure showing his love for nature and resentment for industrial revolution like all them romantic poets
Sunday dip quotes
“boys“ and “joys“ - rhyming couplet - showing that humans belong with nature
“run, wade, dance” semantic field of movement
“laugh to hear the thunder in their ears” - Thunder is part of nature, and the boys are so connected that they can use their human traits to connect to nature, a longing for joy and nature
“and“ “and“ “and“ - anaphora - at the beginning of three lines in a row showing business and breathlessness conveying a childlike excitement
Mild the Mist Upon the Hill context
romantic poet, mother died at young age, wrote this at a young age
Mild the Mist Upon the Hill structure
lyrical ballad (common form of romantic writing), ABAB rhyme scheme reflects regular comfort felt as a child, trochaic tretrameter
Mild the Mist Upon the Hill quotes
“mild the mist upon the hill“ - comforting “m“ sound
“the day has wept its fill“ - personification, extreme sorrow
Captain Cook context
Captain Cook was a famous explorer who wrote journals about his travels, poet and brother were close and then he spread rumours about her so distant, lived in countryside before moving to London in the agricultural depression.
Captain Cook structure
rhyming couplets reflects joyful childhood
Captain Cook quotes
'any favourite volume was a mine of great delight'
'all other heroes were nothing besides him'
'our idol'
'we leave in leaving childhood, life fairy land behind'
'plough'd its long green grasses and cut down the lime tree'
Clear and Gentle Stream context
he wrote many hymns so reflects the lyrical nature of his poetry, he was a literary scholar and religious man so wrote a variety of literary styles
Clear and gentle stream structure
refrain shows his lyrical nature when writing poetry, complex rhyme scheme reflects meandering of the stream and its unique beauty
I Remember, I Remember context
he was terminally ill aged 41 and died aged 45, romantic poet
I Remember, I Remember structure
2nd + 4th lines rhyme and the 6th and 8th line rhyme of each stanza and consistent rhyme reflects joy of reflection
I remember, I remember quotes
'the sun came peeping in at morn' The sun is personified as a force for good within the poem. ‘He’ is presented as a friendly character which seems to do everything to a level of perfection.
'But now, I often wish the night Had borne my breath away!' - suicidal
'The roses, red and white, The violets, and the lily-cups, Those flowers made of light!' - Reference to Eden, becoming an adult is like falling from grace
'the air must rush as fresh To swallows on the wing' 'my spirit flew in feathers then' - bird-like imagery, freedom
Hood repeats the line ‘I remember, I remember’ at the start of each stanza. This repetition ensures that each stanza starts with a memory of his childhood and how things have changed for the worst in his life. It also underlines the theme of childhood innocence as Hood wants us to know he is remembering happier times.
Island man context
she is Caribbean and migrated to the UK, the north circular is a main and busy road which connects in and out of London
Island man structure
free verse reflects peace and freedom of the island, break in line reflects break in peace, ends on single line stanza which emphasises distance felt in London
Island man quotes
Peckham rye lane context
Peckham is a dangerous place in south London, buses are a common form of travel around London, 36% of Peckham's population are minorities
Peckham rye lane structure
free verse reflects chaos and stop- start motion of bustling city life
Peckham rye lane quotes
“punctuated cornrows and seed beads, cornflower scrunchies, liquorice weaves.“ - asyndetic list show stream of consciousness
“Knickers lie flaccid in Primark. Like salted jellyfish – tentacle pink,” - everyday imagery compared to beautiful marine imagery, showing elegance and specialness
“each person is a sturdy hairbrush bristle on its surface” - This idea that each person is strong and individual but lost in the crowd shows how busy and cramped London streets are.
We Refugees context
Zephaniah is a strong human rights advocate who faced a lot of discrimination as black and dyslexic, a refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their home due to danger
We refugees structure
free verse reflects chaos in a refugees life
We Refugees quotes
'I come from a musical place where they shoot me for my song'
'my brother has been tortured By my brother in my land' 'We can all be refugees We can all be told to go, We can be hated by someone’
'each year the hurricane tells us that we must keep moving on.'
'I am told' (anaphora, 3 times)
'sometimes it only takes' (repeated)
Us context
Poets Father is Pakistani and Mother in English so has a dual identity, grew up in Birmingham, in midlands 'us' means 'me', poet is trying to get people to be more tolerant of others
Defined by multiculturalism
Us structure
Seperate stanzas of the same length, however the sentences continue from one to the next stanza, showing fluidity
Us Quotes
“us takes us in undulations“ “coast“ waves“ “shore-like“ - metaphor - waves shows fluctuation in identity, no contraints, free
“undulations“ - begins with “u“ and ends with “s“ showing how “us“ showing multicultural, as it has lots of different letters imbetween, representing the different places or aspects of identity
“Us. I hope” - Caesura - a singular and plural pronoun are almost united, although group identity is never absolute, it is always close
“i hope… I hope“ - anaphora - repetition shows disparity for unity
In Wales, wanting to be Italian context
vespas are small Italian scooters and were popular when poet grew up, Freddie Mercury was the lead singer in Queen who was from Zanzibar and known for his confidence and at times, he ignored his Indian heritage, poet was born in Pakistan and moved to Glasgow, now lives in London, Bombay and Wales, she is fondly amused
In Wales, wanting to be Italian structure
free verse reflects informal and conversational tone and desire for freedom and variety, 2nd person pov so reader can relate
In Wales, wanting to be Italian quotes
'Is there a name for that thing // you do when you are young?' - · Enjambment links to this free tone and flurry of thought, “thing“ is vague emulating the way teenagers speak
“thing“ “something“ “a word“ - home is so uninteresting cant find the word for it
“dying” “hanging“ “wanting“ vs “being“ “living“- all present continuous verbs, portray how it is a constant discontentment, difference between desired location and current location
'lounge by a Vespa with a cigarette', 'dying to shrug and pout', 'wear impossibly pointed shoes?' - no stereotypes are ACC true, mocking teenage delusion (so real us teenage girlies are hella delusional)
Kumukanda context
part of Luvale (Zambian) tribe, Kumukanda is the Zambian word for initiation where they die as they cross the river and are reborn as adults, poet was born in Zambia and migrated to the Uk, mother died at 13
Kumukanda structure
The first stanza is not punctuated as much as the 2nd and 3rd, showing his rejection of the English language, had he grown up in Zambia
Alliteration of 'f' in father at the emphasises long and complex history with the tribe,
Kumukanda quotes
“die and come back grown“ - hyperbolic metaphor - binary understanding of childhood and adulthood, extreme (life and death)
“bathed my mother“ “yellow suit and white shoes“ - domestic imagery, snapshots of his life, nostalgia for close familiarities, forced to move past these memories too fast as his father instead of a “hug“, “shook“ his “hand“
“tongue that isnt mine“ - important, intricate part of the body, but its not his, his is lost as he didnt do the ceremony, broken identity
“my father and my father’s father and my father’s father’s father?” - repetion, end in a question showing uncertainty, is he really an adult?
Jamaican British context
Jamaican father and British mother so dual identity, Jamaica used to be a British colony, slave trade
Jamaican British structure
Every stanza is 2 lines showing how he is forced to pick an identity, most end in “jamaican“ or “british“
Jamaican British Quotes
“Anglo nose“ “Hair Straight“ “No way“ - Dehumanises and reduces himself down to his facial features to explore identity
“Half-caste, half mule, house slave” “Light skin, straight male, privileged” - Historically oppressed and oppresses, confusion, identity built on conflict
“you cannot love sugar and hate your sweetness” - Proud and ashamed, sugar was the main product of slave trade, doesn’t know whether to love or hate identity
My Mother's kitchen context
born in Iraq and grew up in Iran, written in 2004 just after Iraq war ended so about returning back to Iraq after the war
My Mother's kitchen structure
free verse reflects lack of consistency in their lives and last lines are a rhyming couplet which reflects new beginning of stability to come
My Mother's kitchen quotes
“glasses” “plates“ “cups“ - domestic imagery - asyndetic list - sentimental, linking to family
“all of this will be yours“ - direct speech - bringing mother to life - monosyllabic showing certainty
“tall and fat“ “short and lean“ - juxtaposition - no choice, cant have the same things, showing irregularity
“escape“ “destination“ vs “home“ - holiday imagery, a holiday is usually an unfamiliar place, been away for so long that home feels foreign and unexplored
“She never talks“ “She never feels regret“ - anaphora - a disregard for materialism
The Emigree context
French female word for emigrant, someone who leaves their country to live somewhere else, Rumens is British, about a child being forced to leave country and live somewhere else due to wars in the middle- east
The Emigree structure
free verse reflects the chaos in the place she used to be and danger, each stanza has 8 lines but the last one has 9, reflecting how she is clinging to her memories
The Emigree quotes
“there once was a city“ - fictitious, fairytale like language - city is established as happy and magical
'I left it as a child but my memory of it is sunlight-clear' “impression of sunlight” “It tastes of sunlight.“ - extended metaphor of sunlight - despite reality, she uses repetition of 'sunlight' at the end to show her final view is still clouded by optimistic naïve nostalgia. Optimistic and warm, comforting
'the bright, filled paperweight' - metaphor - contrasts with “war“ “sick of tyrants“ - paperweight is a perfect souvenir juxtaposed with the harsh reality of the city
'I comb its hair and love its shining eyes.' - personification - shows how well treated and cherished these memories of her home country are
“my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight” - the last line breaks the pattern of the poem, she is not conforming to society, resistance
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