Honour Killing

Question 1

Her taking off the next piece of clothing as the second stanza starts

Answer 1

• Im taking off this veil/this black veil of a faith/ that made me faithless’*
• juxtaposition of faith and faithless conveys her resentment of enforced faith which in her eyes is the very opposite of what religion should be
• LNK ‘god a devil’s face’

Question 2

General Stanza Opening Pattern

Answer 2

‘Im taking off..’
‘Let’s see’
- confidence echoed through regular opening of verse, a metaphor of rejection and shows she knows what she is doing and backs herself

Progression of verbs to imperative phrase im taking off to relaxed phrase how much more relaxed she has become by expressing herself and removing things that weighed her down

Question 3

The first line in Honour Killing

Answer 3

At last I’m taking off this coat /this black coat of a country’
- Opening adverbial “at last” adds sense of relief as Dharker battles to find her own identity
- ‘taking off her coat conveys her immense bravery as ‘coat’ has connotations of protection and warmth which she removes showing rejection of culture and belief forced onto her

Question 4

Second Last stanza of the poem

Answer 4

‘Lets see/What I am in here/When I squeeze past /the easy cage of bone’
- ‘easy’ shows renewed confidence
- ‘ Let’s to Let us’ invites reader’s involvement in the excitement she feels being free from all the constraints of religion, nationality and gender echoed due to present tense, use of ‘us’ (no gender)

Question 5

Dictator Description in Honour Killing

Answer 5

‘Lacy things that feed dictator dreams’
- Imagery of men, as dictators in their context of women - verb ‘feed’ conveys parasitic relationship as Dharker denounces all means of control by men
- Harsh alliteration in ‘dictator dreams’ voices her hatred of male dominance

Question 6

Disembodied Dharker in the poem

Answer 6

‘I’m taking off this skin/ and the face, the flesh and the womb’
- Shocking imagery of disembodiment shows Dharker does not want to be judged as she strips everything of herself including her biological purpose - gender - femininity

Question 7

Physical Restraint and Juxtaposition in Honour Killing

Answer 7

‘Tied my mouth/gave my god a devil’s face’
- shocking visual imagery of physical restraint shows blatant lack of freedom of speech and rights
- juxtaposition of God and Devil in close proximity shows hostility towards honour killings and unholy effect on Islam, good is bad