Blessing Flashcards
the skin ‘cracks’ like a pod
simile
wants reader to understand the painful physical effects of dehydration resulting from lack of water
there is never enough water
simple declarative sentence
emphasises how water is a simple basic need
declarative sentence presents it as a fact that there’s never enough water- the people accept that fact
present tense
makes it more immediate for the reader
creates sympathy for those who don’t have what we take for granted
‘imagine’ the drip of it
imperative verb
wants the reader to put themself in their place and empathise what it feels like to lack water
‘drip’
‘splash’
‘echo’
onomatopoeia
‘drip’ –> ‘roar’ of tongues
from a small amount of water to an absolute deluge as pipe bursts
sensory imagery
every drip of water is precious as there’s so little of it
the ‘small’ splash
sibilance represents the sound of the water
‘small’ splash emphasises the lack of water
the voice of a kindly ‘god’
metaphor
the water is a blessing/ a gift from god
the sudden rush
Of ‘fortune’
enjambment
replicates the flow of water as the pipe bursts
‘fortune’
the value of water - it is more essential than money
‘silver’ crashes to the ground
imagery
the water is precious to them
a ‘congregation’
religious imagery
implies they worship and give thanks to the blessing of water
butts in with pots,
brass, copper, aluminum,
plastic buckets,
‘frantic’ hands,
listing
chaos of their response to the water and their frantic attempt to collect as much water as possible
‘screaming’ in the ‘liquid sun’
‘screaming’
auditory imagery
conveys children’s excitement as unexpected supply of water
shows how unusual it is
‘liquid sun’
metaphor
sun and water both necessary for life
connotes the sunlight shining through the water
‘children’ line 18
children are symbols of innocence creates pathos
‘polished to perfection’
the water cleanses them physically but from religious perspective, the water is like a baptism cleansing them spiritually
the blessing ‘sings’
over their ‘small bones’
‘sings’
personification
‘small bones’
emotive: perhaps the children are under developed due to lack of necessary things to survive and grow
