English Literature Poetry- The Emigrée

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  • Created by: Humaa 123
  • Created on: 17-12-18 19:44
What is the poem called?
The Emigrée
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Who is the author?
Carol Rumens
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When was it written?
1993
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What is it about?
The speaker talks about a city in a country she last as a child-she has a purely positive view of it. The city seems to be under attack and unreachable, but in the 3rd stanza, it appears to the speaker.
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What is it about?
An unknown "They" accuse and threaten the speaker, but she still sees the old city in a positive way. The city may not be a real place- it could represent a time, person or emotion that the speaker has been forced o leave.
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Feelings and Attitudes (Nostalgia)
Speaker's positive memories of the city are unwavering-nothing she hears will change her view of it. There's a sense of yearning for the city and the past, which is partly fulfilled by the city appearing to the speaker in the final stanza.
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Feelings and Attitudes (Threat)
Suggestions that the city has been invaded or taken over by a tyrant, but the speaker chooses to ignore these things. She is threatened in her new city, and seems to have to protect her old city. Poem ends with "sunlight" but doesn't remove threat.
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"There once was a country..."
The opening makes it sound like a story, but it also suggests loss.
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"sunlight-clear"
This suggests that the memory is clear and happy.
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"it seems", "I am told"
This hints at another voice telling her about her past.
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"November"
"November" represents difficult times when things are cold, dark and gloomy.
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"the bright, filled paperweight"
Metaphor suggests that the narrator's memories are bright and positive, but also solid and fixed.
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"It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants"
Suggestion that the country has been invaded and that the speaker's positive view of it isn't accurate.
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"I am branded by an impression of sunlight"
The negative "branded" is juxtaposed with the positive "impression of sunlight." "Branded" also suggests a permanence to her view- it can't change.
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"white", "glow"
The description makes the "city" sound pure, almost heavenly.
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"time rolls its tanks"
Time is personified as an enemy, but it can't affect the speaker's memories.
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"child's vocabulary", "every coloured molecule"
This seems to refer to the language of her childhood- the metaphor makes the language seem bright and precious.
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"It tastes of sunlight"
Using another sense (taste) increases the vividness of the experience.
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"I have no passport, there's no way back at all"
The 1st line of the stanza sounds hopeless, but the next line changes the mood again.
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"but my city comes to me in its own white plane"
The city is personified- the "white plane" could represent the speaker's memories.
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"I comb its hair and love its shining eyes"
There's a childlike joy in this description- it sounds like a child playing with a pet.
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"city of walls", "free city"
Contrasting perceptions of the city the speaker is now in- she sees it as restrictive, but "they" set it as "free."
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"They accuse me"
It's unclear of who "They" are, but they are menacing, and the repetition reinforces their threat to the speaker.
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"dark"
The speaker is accused of being "dark" in her current city- this contrasts with the brightness she associates with her old city.
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"evidence of sunlight"
The poem ends on a positive note- despite the threats of death, the city is still associated with "sunlight", just as it is at the end of the 1st 2 stanzas.
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Form
Poem written in 1st person, with 3 eight-line stanzas but no regular rhythm. 1st 2 stanzas contain lots of enjambment, but there's more end-stopping in the final stanza. Reflects speaker' feeling of confinement in her new "city of walls"
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Structure
Speaker's memory of city grows and solidifies as poem moves on-city becomes a physical presence for speaker in final stanza. Each stanza ends with "sunlight", reinforcing the fact that the speaker sees the city in a positive light.
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Language of Conflict
Vocabulary associated with war, invasion and tyranny shows that the city may not be perfect as speaker remembers it. 2nd stanza, there's the sense that speaker is defying the authorities by accessing her "child's vocabulary" that's been "banned"
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Language about light
The city is described in bright, coloured terms, emphasising the speaker's feeling that it's a beautiful, positive place. The repeated link with "sunlight" suggests a vitality to the city.
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Personification
The city is initially personified as being "sick with tyrants." Final stanza appears to the speaker, lies down and then later takes her dancing. Describing the city in human terms emphasises the strength of the speaker's love for it.
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Card 2

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Who is the author?

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Carol Rumens

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When was it written?

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Card 4

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What is it about?

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Card 5

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What is it about?

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Preview of the front of card 5
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