Storm on the Island Flashcards
what is the poem about?
the narrator describes how a community thinks it’s well prepared for a storm to come, their confidence starts to disappear
‘we are prepared’
the first personal plural pronoun indicates he is not alone, creates a feeling of safety
‘the wizened earth has never troubled us’
personification - suggests the earth is like an old friend to the islanders
‘no stacks or stooks that can be lost’
enjambed phrase. alliteration with the repeated ‘st’ and constantly rhymed. repeated sound imitates lashing rain and howling wind
‘the thing you fear’
personal fear, even though everyone is in the same position they will all be affected differently
‘no natural shelter’
nature isn’t protecting the humans on the island, it is controlling it and making it so they have no power against it
‘exploding comfortably’
oxymoron, juxtaposes the feeling of fear and safety
‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’
simile to show you cannot control nature and you cant predict it either
‘it is a huge nothing that we fear’
the storm is invisible, there’s nothing solid there, contrasts with the solid rock mentioned in the second line
what themes are in ‘Storm on the Island’?
power of nature, fear
power of nature in ‘Storm on the Island’?
the island is inhospitable because nothing can grow there - the earth is ‘wizened’ and there are no trees or ‘stacks/ or stooks’ however its the extremes of nature that the islanders fear
fear in ‘Storm of the Island’?
progression from security to fear. the fear is amplified because nature is an invisible, abstract force
what is the form of the poem?
written in blank verse, mirrors the pattern of everyday speech and makes it sound like a conversation. one stanza, it is compact/ sturdy like the houses
