In Wales, wanting to be Italian

Question 1

Who is the poet?

Answer 1

Imtiaz Dharker

Question 2

When was it written?

Answer 2

2014

Question 3

Context:

Answer 3

• Dharker refers to Freddie Mercury, who was born in Zanzibar before moving to the Uk with his family in 1964, during the Zanzibar revolution

Question 4

Poets life:

Answer 4

• Dharker was born in Pakistan, in 1954, but her family moved to Glasgow before her first birthday
• She now shares her time between Bombay, Wales and Glasgow

Question 5

Form and structure:

Answer 5

• 4 stanzas of varying length
• free verse
• Free verse mirrors speakers desire for emancipation and freedom from what she views as a dull, uninteresting identity
• No rhyme scheme
• This helps to create a contemplating tone as poets thoughts seem to wonder freely and unstructured

Question 6

Language:

Answer 6

• poet uses long, non-sensical seeming German words which provide a rhythmic quality and create a sense of humour

Question 7

Rhetorical questions:

Answer 7

• poet uses a number of rhetorical questions, such as ‘is there a name for that thing / you do when you’re young?’ to address the reader and allow them to feel empathy for the speaker

Question 8

Imagery:

Answer 8

• lexical field of communication and expressions as the speaker uses words from other languages
• also uses words such as ‘shrug’ , ‘pout’ , ‘lounge’ to show the other ways that humans can convey their emotions and feelings

Question 9

Tone:

Answer 9

• tone is humorous in places with the speaker remembering what she was like as a child, and how she behaved
• also conversational as she directly addresses the reader with questions

Question 10

Exclamations:

Answer 10

• exclamations are used to show the feelings of excitement
  ‘bella! bella!’

Question 11

Techniques used:

Answer 11

exclamations
rhetorical questions
imagery related to communication
humorous tone
Hyperbolic metaphor
Colloquial tone
Symbolism

Question 12

Themes:

Answer 12

• identity
• memories
• communication
• belonging

Question 13

Quotes:

Answer 13

‘make yourself understood / without saying a word’
‘lounging by a vespa with a cigarette’
‘wanting to declare that you are from somewhere like Zanzibar’
‘to say aloud without embarassment’

Question 14

Hyperbolic metaphor

Answer 14

‘Dying’
- Depicts speaker’s extreme yearning for an alternative lifestyle, emphasised by repetition

Question 15

Colloquial expressions

Answer 15

‘Dying to..’
- Creates an informal tone, perhaps as the speaker wishes for the reader to empathise and relate to the experiences in the poem

Question 16

Symbolism

Answer 16

• Vespa can symbolise freedom, adventure and independence, highlighting speakers desire to make her own choices in regard to her lifestyle
• Cigarette has connotations of youthful rebellion

Question 17

‘Like Freddie..’

Answer 17

‘Like Freddie Mercury, you are from somewhere like Tanzania’

• In interviews, Mercury would often emphasise his Tanzanian birth but neglect his Indian heritage
• Refers to ideas of selecting and choosing which parts of our identity we project to others

Question 18

Poems for comparison:

Answer 18

Jamaican British
Island man