The Emigree (1)

7/26/2019 The Emigree (1)

1/28

he EmigreeBy Carol Rumens


2/28

Learning Objective

To understand thecontext and subject

matter of the poem.


3/28

Learning Objective: To understand the context and subject matter of the poem

How did you feelabout your home

country as a child?

What images ormemories can youthink of?

How do you nowview your homecountry?

What do you seenow that you didntwhen you wereyounger?


4/28


Write down this introduction to todays lesson:

How successful were you at writing down theinformation?What was the biggest challenge?How did it make you feel?

ook at the title of the !oem we will be studying today"it is a version of the word #emigrant$ which meanssomeone who leaves their birth country%

How do you think your experience of writing in


5/28


& dis!laced !erson !ictures the country and the city where he or she wasborn% 'either the city nor the country is ever named and this lack ofs!eci(c detail seems intentional% )t is as if Rumens wants her !oem to be

relevant to as many !eo!le who have left their homelands as !ossible%Emigrants are !eo!le who have left the country of their birth to settleelsewhere in the world% The s!elling of the word Rumens chooses *+migr+e * is a feminine form and suggests the s!eaker of the !oem is awoman%

The e,act location of the city is unclear and !recise details of it are s!arse%-erha!s it only ever really e,isted in the +migr+es imagination%Rumens suggests the city and country may now be war*torn$ or under thecontrol of a dictatorial government that has banned the language thes!eaker once knew% .es!ite this$ nothing shakes the light*(lled im!ressionof a !erfect !lace that the +migr+es childhood memories have left% Thisshows the !ower that !laces can have$ even over !eo!le who have leftthem long ago and who have never revisited since% Though there is a clearsense of fondness for the !lace$ there is also a more threatening tone inthe !oem$ suggesting !erha!s that the relationshi! with the !ast and withthis !lace is not necessarily !ositive for the s!eaker%/tick the information about the !oem into your e,ercisebook% 0nderneath$ list four things that you learn

about the poem and its subject matter


6/28

There once was a country1 ) left it as a childbut my memory of it is sunlight*clearfor it seems ) never saw it in that 'ovemberwhich$ ) am told$ comes to the mildest city%

The worst news ) receive of it cannot break

my original view$ the bright$ (lled !a!erweight%)t may be at war$ it may be sick with tyrants$but ) am branded by an im!ression of sunlight%

The white streets of that city$ the graceful slo!esglow even clearer as time rolls its tanksand the frontiers rise between us$ close like waves%

That childs vocabulary ) carried herelike a hollow doll$ o!ens and s!ills a grammar%/oon ) shall have every coloured molecule of it%)t may by now be a lie$ banned by the statebut ) cant get it o2 my tongue% )t tastes of sunlight%

) have no !ass!ort$ theres no way back at allbut my city comes to me in its own white !lane%)t lies down in front of me$ docile as !a!er3) comb its hair and love its shining eyes%4y city takes me dancing through the cityof walls% They accuse me of absence$ they circle me%

They accuse me of being dark in their free city%

4y city hides behind me% They mutter death$and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight%


7/28

Learning Objective

To explore how the poet usestheme, language and structure

to present a place.


8/28

!earning "bjecti#e:To e,!lore how the !oet uses theme$ language and structure to!resent a !lace


The worst news ) receive of it cannot breakmy original view$ the bright$ (lled !a!erweight%)t may be at war$ it may be sick with tyrants$but ) am branded by an im!ression of sunlight%

The white streets of that city$ the graceful slo!esglow even clearer as time rolls its tanks

and the frontiers rise between us$ close like waves%That childs vocabulary ) carried herelike a hollow doll$ o!ens and s!ills a grammar%/oon ) shall have every coloured molecule of it%)t may by now be a lie$ banned by the statebut ) cant get it o2 my tongue% )t tastes of sunlight%


They accuse me of being dark in their free city%4y city hides behind me% They mutter death$

and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight%

$ypes of words: make a listof words6!hrases that (t intothe categories below and

comment on their e2ect onthe reader%

Words%phrases

&'ect

'egative

-ositive

Re!eated

This !oem communicates

feelingsrather than a story or

descri!tion% These feelings areoften mi,ed$ re7ecting thecon7ict the s!eaker feels%


9/28



The worst news ) receive of it cannot breakmy original view$ the bright$ (lled !a!erweight%)t may be at war$ it may be sick with tyrants$but ) am branded by an im!ression of sunlight%

The white streets of that city$ the graceful slo!esglow even clearer as time rolls its tanks

and the frontiers rise between us$ close like waves%That childs vocabulary ) carried herelike a hollow doll$ o!ens and s!ills a grammar%/oon ) shall have every coloured molecule of it%)t may by now be a lie$ banned by the statebut ) cant get it o2 my tongue% )t tastes of sunlight%


They accuse me of being dark in their free city%4y city hides behind me% They mutter death$

and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight%

Which of the wordsyou ha#e chosenshow:

The city as ideal?

The city she left as!lagued by con7ict?

Her a2ectionate and

!ossessive feelingstowards her home city?

& sense of threat?(s there a change in thenumber of positi#e and

negati#e words as the


10/28

$here once was a country1 ) left it as achildbut my memory of it is sunlight)clearfor it seems ) never saw it in that *o#ember

which$ I am told$ comes to the mildest city%

The o!eningmakes it sound like

a story$ but #wasalso suggests loss%/uggeststhememory isbright and

clear%+ontrastthe#sunlightwith#'ovember$

re!resentingdark andgloomydi8culttimes 9 asense of

forebodingis created%

This hints atanother #oicetelling herabout her!ast%

&llipsisadds to thesense of the !ast beingremembered%



11/28

$he worst news ) receive of it cannot breakmy original view$ the bright, flledpaperweight%)t may be at war$ it may be sick with

tyrants$but ) am brandedby an im!ression ofsunlight

&s anadult$ she

receivesbad newsabout thecountry *the !oemfeatures

languagereminiscentof T: newsbulletins%

Thissuggests it

has beeninvaded oris sub;ectto a brutalgovernment% Her

!ositiveview is no

,etaphor: suggestsher memories arebright and !ositive but

also solid and (,ed%

,etaphor:#branded

reinforces theidea of her viewas unchangeable9 she is markedby it%

The repeatedreferences to

sunlight suggest thes!eaker has anidealised$ almostdream*like !icture ofthe !ast$ where it isalways sunny%



12/28

The whitestreets of that city$ the gracefulslo!esgloweven cleareras time rolls its tanks

and the frontiers rise between us$ close likewaves%


This initialdescri!tionmakes thecity sound!ure and

almostheavenly 9reinforcingthe idea ofsunlightand clear

memories%Alliteration;oinsthe idea of#gracefuland #glow%

Time is personiedas anenemy%

#That city is never identi(ed$ so that it canstand for any !lace that anyone once loved% &swe age$ we all 9 in a sense 9 become e,ilesfrom the land of our childhood$ a land that is(lled with bright$ unreachable memories that#glow even clearer as time moves on%

-imile: suggests how close she feelsto the city% Even as barriers are !utu!$ the memories see! through likewater through cracks%


13/28

$hat childs #ocabulary ) carried herelike a hollow doll$ o!ens and spills agrammar%-oon ( shall ha#e e#ery coloured moleculeof it%It may by now be a lie, banned by the statebut ) cant get it o' my tongue% (t tastes ofsunlight


% The language is

returning to her 9#coloured moleculere7ects thebrightness of thememories that are so!recious to her%

% &nother reference to thecurrent state of the city 9she is remembering alanguage that is nowsu!ressed by those who ruleit%

@% -ense description asmetaphor: the language is a!ositive$ treasured thing%

A% )t is as (,ed asher memories

com!are to#branded or the#!a!erweight%


14/28

( ha#e no passport. theres no way backat allbutmy city comes to me in its own whiteplane%)t lies down in front of me$ docile as !a!er3) comb its hair and love its shining eyes%


This (rst line sounds ho!eless 9 but/

0ersonicationof the city" the#white !lane could re!resent

the s!eakers own memories%

1ey(mage: 2( comb its hair and lo#e its

shining eyesWhat does this key image suggest about the speakersrelationship with the city?

The city is personiedas someone very close to the s!eaker3 a lover!erha!s$ or a child%

The word #shining links this !hrase to the theme of light that runsthrough the !oem%

The line suggests the s!eaker s!ends a lot of time adoring the city and

trying to im!rove its a!!earance% Theres a sense in which she lavishesattention on her memory of the city%


15/28

,y city takes me dancing through the cityof walls% They accuseme of absence$ theycircle me%

They accuse me of being darkin their freecity%


+ontrast" she sees the cityas restricted #walls but

#they see it as #their freecity%

#4y city D childhood memorypersonied#The city D the city as it is now%

'ote" the freedom$ vitality and ;oyof #dancing%

)t is not clear who #they arebut they are threatening 9the repetitionof #accusereinforces their threat to thes!eaker as they #circle her%Her absence is !resented as

+ontrastwith thebrightnesssheassociates

with her oldcity% Here$though$ it isshe who isdark%

+ontrast:#theyand #me


16/28

4y city hides behind me% They mutter death$and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight%


The !ersoni(ed city of her

childhood is threatened by thenew city% /he !rotects it%

/ense of threat is am!li(ed% Thenew city will destroy 9 or alreadyhas destroyed 9 the old city and its

way of life%

"xymoron: .es!ite the threat of death and thementions of #dark suggesting a threat to herwellbeing$ the s!eaker ends the !oem on a !ositivenote% Even the darkness of her shadow is a reminderof the sunlight that once was% /he will not give u! hermemories%


17/28



18/28

3orm. structure and tone: #The Emigree

The !oem is written in the rst person% )t is made u! ofthree stanas" the (rst two have eight lines each and the

third has nine lines% -erha!s this e,tra line suggests thes!eaker ;ust cant let go of the memories and doesnt wantthe !oem to end%

There is no regular rhythm or rhyme scheme but there is

a suggestion of a rhythmic !attern of #e stresses to aline 9 this never really establishes itself$ however$ and!erha!s re7ects the s!eakers state of mind which isunsettled throughout%

The (rst two stanas contain lots of enjambmentbuttheres more end)stoppingin the (nal stana$ !erha!sre7ecting the s!eakers feeling of con(nement in the #newcity%

The s!eakers memory of the city grows and solidi(es as


19/28

(ts time to summarise4 Were going tomake a note of the poems 5($A!-


20/28

0oetry 5($A!-/

5oice" Who is s!eaking in the !oem?

(magery" What imagery is being created?How is it e2ective?

$heme" What are the main themes featured in the!oem?

Address" Who is the !oem addressed to? Why?

!anguage Features" What ty!e of language6devices are used?

What is their e2ect?


21/28

Learning Objective

To compare The Emigree toLondon

!earning "bjecti e To com!are #The Emigree to #ondon


22/28

!earning "bjecti#e:To com!are #The Emigree to #ondon

Londonby William Blake (1794!

The speaker describes "hat he sees durin# a "alk around $ondon% The speaker

talks of the misery and despair that no&one can escape% 't appears to su##est that

those in po"er offer no help%

The Emigreeby arol )umens (199*!

The speaker talks positi+ely about a city she left as a child% The city ,may be at "ar-

and the speaker seems to be accused of somethin# but still she is positi+e% The

poem is about positi+e memories (nostal#ia of a place%

)n !airs$ com!arethe !oems usinga :enn .iagramto record yourideas% Thinkabout" Theme &ttitudes

anguage

!earning "bjecti#e: To com!are #The Emigree to #ondon


23/28

!earning "bjecti#e:To com!are #The Emigree to #ondon

Suggestions for comparison:

London: sees the place% The Emigree! recalls the place from

memory% Imagery: contrast bet"een the poems of positi+e

in Emigree. ,sunli#ht- and ,"hite streets- compared "ith the

ne#ati+e of $ondon. ,"oe-. ,black-nin#- and ,blood-% Contrast and oxymorons: contrast of innocence and

corruption in London. and conflict and nostal#ia in /mi#ree% 0ramatic monolo#ue of Londonand first&person in The

Emigree% se of children in both poems% 2ey ima#es% /njambment. rhythm and structure in both poems%


24/28

ompare the "ays poets presentplaces in ,$ondon- and ,The /mi#ree-%

(ow do I structure a response for Section ) of te exam*


25/28

3elect uestion%

5i#hli#ht key words in the uestion%

6ind map ideas and planyour response%

Write your openin# para#raph explainin# "hat the t"o

poems are about and makin# linksbet"een them%

3tart your 1st sentence "ith bot!"

/xplore key point # in botpoems usin# W/)T8! "rite about

feelings and attitudes%

/xplore key point $ in botpoems usin# W/)T8! "rite about the

effect of language tecni%ues%

oncludin# para#raph refer back to the uestion and

summarise te similarities and differences bet"een the t"o

poems. makin# sure you answer te overall %uestion% :dd in

your own opinion of the poems%

/xplore key point & in botpoems usin# W/)T8! "rite about

effect of structure'form%

(ow do I structure a response for Section ) of te exam*

-lanning

)ntroduction

4ain body

Conclusion

;ossible key point + in

botpoems usin#

W/)T8! "rite about

sift'cange in poem

,look at te end-%


26/28

-tep 6: circle key words !oem6theme

-tep 7: identify three !oints to make about thistheme in this !oem try to link to feelings$language and structure 9 see essay !lan

-tep 8: choose a second !oem

-tep 9: identify three !oints to make aboutyour second !oem$ linking them to the threethings about the (rst !oem

-tep : mind ma! your answer-tep ;: (nd Guotations language andstructure in both !oems to su!!ort your !oints

-tep


27/28

Ine of the ways the !oet%%% &nother way%%%

The city is also shown to be%%% The !oetsuggests%%% When ondon is (rst described%%%

W

E

R

T

J

KThis is shown when it says$ LMMMN%%% &ne,am!le of this is when Blake writes$ LMMMN%%%

For e,am!le$ LMMMNThis makes the reader think%%% This suggeststo the reader%%% The reader will think%%% Thisim!lies%%% This suggests%%%

The use of the simile%%% The !oets wordchoice%%% The re!etition of the word LMMMN%%%The alliteration of%%% This word has strongconnotations of%%%

Thissuggests%%% This im!lies%%% This links to%%%


28/28

Peer Assess:

.ead your partner!s answer/

annotating for 000 and 1)I"

2se te 3Os to elp you"

Documents

The Emigree (1)