Poetry- Hurricane Hits England Flashcards
Context for Hurricane Hits England
-Nichols moved from Guyana to England in 1987. Poem is about her finding her identity in a new country and understanding where she stands in the world
-Guyana had lots of hurricanes, so used to it and uses as a symbol for home
-Great Storm of 1987 in UK, autobiographical
Form of Hurricane Hits England
-Free verse
-Varied stanza and line length
Talk to me Huracan…
“Talk to me Huracan/ Talk to me Oya/ Talk to me Shango”
-Personification of the storms, giving it a voice and anaphora with repeated imperative shows that she feels close to the hurricane and is talking to it about herself
-Gods of weather, connecting to her homeland
The blinding illumination…
“The blinding illumination, Even as you short- Circuit us/ Into further darkness?”
-Metaphor/ double meaning, lightning but also knowledge as you shine a light on something, which she seeks as she is seeking understanding of identity
-Metaphor for lack of knowledge, shows she is lost and confused in “darkness” as a result of the out of place Hurricane
-Juxtaposing illumination and darkness, enjambment is jarring and reflects sudden power cuts
O why is my heart unchained?…
“O why is my heart unchained? … I am aligning myself to you, I am following … I am riding.”
-Anaphora of “I am” shows her certainty in her identity now, different to before when was confused
-Direct address shows she has become close to her home country and identity and speaks to it
-Metaphor, showing herself as being with weather, shows her in harmony with it and being on a spiritual/ physical journey
Come to break …
“Come to break the frozen lake in me, Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me”
-Personification of the hurricane, has come to reunite her with identity, metaphor of frozen lake in her shows she could not connect to identity, but now can as it was broken
-Metaphor of trees produces same effect, life changing change caused by hurricane
