Storm On The Island Flashcards
We are prepared we build our houses squat
Sense of unity and arrogant confidence. Written in iambic pentameter to reflect the strength of the buildings
Wizened earth
Suggests that nature and land contain far more wisdom than man
Or that the earth showing signs of wear: it is old and cracked, damaged from years of war
Nor are there trees/which might prove company when it blows full / blast
Personification creates a sense of companionship and solidarity between trees and villagers suggesting that humans and nature can actually work together
However also emphasises the communities isolation and solidarity, heightening their vulnerability. Onomatopoeia of Blast emphasise sheer power of storm and this is reinforced by Capitalisation. Could also allude to a gunshot/explosion of a conflict
Bilabial plosive alliteration also communicates that nature is violent, attacking the island. The sounds also mimics bullets so the weather is presented as deadly as a weapon
Caesura mimicked the eerie silence following a damaging storm
You know what I mean
Non-chalant, colloquial
Weather/ political tensions have become so normalised
But no: when it begins, the flung spray hits the very windows, spits like a tame cat/ turned savage
Adjective flung conveys carelessness and a lack of compassion from the sea toward the islanders.
The simile shows how the sea can’t flip quickly. It is significant that a cat was chosen as they can be both domesticated and owned by humans or can be wild. Symbolic of how man has tried but failed to tame nature.
We just sit tight while wind dives and strafes invisibly
Assonance- long vowel sounds show the lasting impact of the storm
Personification creates an atmosphere of unrest turbulence and danger
Invisibility and unpredictability makes the attacker more terrifying
Juxtaposition of people sitting inside as the storm rages outside portrays humans as powerless
Strafes creates a semantic field of war
Space is a Salvo
Sibilance mimics the sound of bullets
A salvo is a rapid fire of shots
Space implies that the conflict is foundation less and poem ends questioning what it is people are fearing or presents conflict as unnecessary
