Island Man

Poet: Positive memories of the Caribbean - Line 3 "Sound of blue surf", Line 10 "His small emerald island"

Sadness because of being in London - Line 13 "Grey metallic roar", Line 15 "Dull North Circular roar"

Stuck in England - Line 19 "Another London day"

First half: Relaxed - Line 5 "The steady breaking and wombing"

Second half: Tense, fast paced - Line 14 "To surge of wheels"

Misses the Caribbean - Line 11 "He always comes back"

Dislikes being in London - Line 12 - 15 "Comes back to sands/of a great metallic soar/to surge of wheels/to dull North Circular roar"

Knows he can't go back to the Caribbean - Line 7 "And fishermen pushing out to sea" (Agricultural lifestyle doesn't bring in enough money)

Doesn't want to get up - Line 11 "Groggily groggily", Line 17 "His crumpled pillow waves"

Necessity to be in England - Line 7 "And fishermen pushing out to sea"

Not enjoying being in England - Line 19 "Another London day"

Homesickness - Line 11 "He always comes back"

Water/Beach words - "Surf" "Breaking" "Wombing" "Sea" "Sands" "Waves"

Makes the island his own - "HIS small emerald island" - emerald makes it valuable to him.

First half is very positive - "Blue surf" "Wild seabirds" "Small emerald island"

Second half is negative - "Dull" "Grey" "Heaves"

Contrast between first and second halves - first half uses colour eg. "Blue", second half is "Grey"

Varying line length makes it look like waves coming in

Free verse, no rhyme scheme though some rhyme dotted here and there eg "Soar" "Roar" & "Sea" "Defiantly"

Repetition - eg "Groggily groggily" & "Muffling muffling" give ryhthm and makes those words important

Whole poem is written in a slow sort of way, like the island man waking up

Transition between dreams and reality - good dream suddenly changing (lines 11-12) into the cold stone reality.

Third person, which makes it impersonal, and no name other than "Island man" which means this can apply to almost all immigrants.