The Deliverer

?
View mindmap
  • The Deliverer
    • title
      • there is much ambiguity surrounding the title of the deliverer
        • it could be the mother, the adoption agency etc.
          • this ambiguity mirrors the child's ambiguity surrounding their identity
      • the use of the pronoun 'the' makes the title seem very impersonal reflecting the relationship the mother has with her child
    • stanza 1
      • the stanza takes an informal tone which contradicts with the serious subject matter
        • the use of phrases such as 'the sister' or 'collect children' suggest informality making the nature of 'the sister' work seem habituale
          • this emphasises the amount of children that may be disregarded
      • the poet uses the list of 'crippled or dark or girl' to show the prejucied nature of the society the child from
        • the repetition of 'or' shows the multitude of things you can't be in their culture
    • Stanza 2
      • the past tense is used 'found' and 'covered' suggesting it has happened before this girl
      • the vivid language used such as 'abandoned' and 'naked' make the poem more raw and access the emotions of the reader so their despair matches the children's
      • the children are dehumanised as are 'stuffed in bags' or 'covered in garbage'
        • this suggests that anyone who is 'crippled or dark or girls' is comparable to rubbish
        • no pronoun is put before the verbs making the appear even more inhuman
    • Stanza 3
      • they are called 'one' and of 'them'
        • this disassociates from the children making them appear even more inhuman and showing there are multitudes and it is a common thing
      • their only purpose is something for a dog to chew
        • their head was 'barely poking above the ground' which an extended metaphor for how hard it was for them to cling onto life
      • the repetition of the 'd' sound in 'dug up by a dog' and the use of the caesura emphasises the brutality of these children's disposal
    • Stanza 4
      • pronouns are now used before nouns 'the' and 'they'
        • reflects how the American parents are eager to connect with children - juxtaposes brutality and disassociation of previous Stanza
      • they are called 'American' suggesting they are almost of a different species
        • imperitive used to show that the believe strongly they know what is 'right'
    • Stanza 5
      • use conditional tense to show the 'Americans' are looking forward to the future with this child
      • the juxtapose the 'plucking hair off hands' - which suggests beauty standards with 'her mother tried to bury her
        • it is introduced as though a normal thing showing how common place is in their culture
      • use the sense of haven't 'seen' or 'touched' to reflect their anticipation
        • these are more gentle verbs than used in previous stanza's to show difference between two cultures
    • Stanza 6
      • shifting viewpoints shows the confusion of the child surrounding her indentity
      • the use of pronoun 'we' suggests the first form of union
        • this juxtaposes with the 'empty arms'
    • Stanza 7
      • the idea of her on 'video tapes' shows she is in a developed country and that her life is very different to how it would have been
      • the phrase 'she is passed from woman to woman' shows her lack of being able to find a mother figure due to having lost hers
        • the poet uses sibilance to reinforce the idea she is undesirable and no one wants her
    • Stanza 8
      • we go back in time and follow this girls search for indentity
        • her place of birth is 'outside village boundaries where mothers go to squeeze out life'
          • it suggests that giving birth was impure thing as not allowed to be done in village boundaries
            • the word 'squeeze' suggest it is forced and it is more their duty than pleasure
    • Stanza 9
      • the use of the verb 'slither' suggests something evil or disgusting about giving birth
      • the idea of the baby being an object as the feel for a penis
        • that is the only form of glory for a child
        • the child is 'tossed' to a 'heap' which dehumanises them and suggests the amount of children that are gotten rid of
      • the phrase 'trudge home to lie down for their men again'
        • the word trudge has low modality and shows their unwillingness to go home
          • the word 'again' shows the continuous cycle of events
            • the phrase 'lie down' suggests no passion and it is merely their duty to give birth to a boy
    • structure
      • the use of the two locations a Convent and airports represent two ways of thinking
        • a convent suggests tradition whereas an airport is modern and progressive
          • this shows the ideologies of the two nations surrounding children and how they conflict
      • the use of end stoped lines at irregular intervals reflect the continuous cycle of lost children and how hard it is to stop
      • the use of commas in the final two stanza's quickens the reading pace making more urgency surround the situation
        • the use of short lines reflect the short lives the girls live due to preferences for males in the society

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Literature resources:

See all English Literature resources »See all Poetry resources »