The Emigrée Flashcards
In summary what is this poem about?
A poem about social and cultural displacement which touches upon the topic of racism
Identify a use of anaphora near the end of the poem which is the volta
They accuse me of absence, they encircle me // they accuse me of being dark in their free city. Introduces the question of who are they
What does the anaphora portray?
She receives the same treatment everyday and feels isolated and separate from the rest of her city - racism is a current issue
How is this poem a cyclical structure?
The word sunlight is used in the second line ‘my memory of it is sunlight-clear’ and also the last line ‘my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight’
What is the significance of the cyclical structure?
Her original view of her city cannot be broken. The lasting impression is positive
Why is the motif of sunlight ironic?
It connotes ‘life giving’ whereas she has not been given any opportunities in this new place. The sun rises whilst she is dragged down by her treatment
Give an example of dehumanising language
Like a hollow doll
What does the dehumanising language reveal?
Everything she thought she knew was untrue - she has nothing inside her to prove her identity. This means she is not a human but an object. Also she has been dehumanised by her treatment and made to feel like she doesn’t belong anywhere
How does the poem begin?
‘There once a country…I left as a child’
How does the beginning contrast with the ending?
Beginning sounds like a fairytale but fairytales are never reality so the tone of the piece increasingly darkness and we later realise her identity is based on nothing but a dream. ‘I have no passport’ is no longer lyrical language instead it is blunt which reflects a loss of hope (contrast with Checking Out ‘a yellow sunrise’ as this is near the end of the poem and portrays hope)
What is the last line of the poem and why Is there an extra line in the last stanza?
The persona cannot let go, links to repetition of ‘sunlight’
Identify a use of hyperbole in the first stanza which connects to Checking Out
‘I am BRANDED by an impression of sunlight’ This means her city is part of her
How do the Emigree and Checking Out both portray disturbing ideas about identity?
In Checking Out the poem laments the fact he has never had access to his culture due to the conflict between white and black history whereas the persona in the Emigree has lost her identity due to conflict
Identify a metaphor which connects to Tissue (fragility of identity)
my original view, the bright, filled paperweight
