The Emigree by Carol Rumens Flashcards
what is the context of the poem
what is the poem about
speaks about a country she left as a child yet still remembers. she never saw it In difficult time but the things negative she hears doesn’t change her positive opinion
Inner conflict within the poem as the speaker has mixed emotions about having to leave the place she loved - conflict between her heat and her mind, her heart loves the place being described but her mind knows that it is too dangerous of a play
name the juxtaposition we see in the poem
juxtaposition beween positieve and negative
structure of poem
no rhyme or regular rhythm in the play
within the first stanza there is enjambment creating a fast paces flow to the poem- this should mirror her overflowing positive thoughts about he country as well as overwhelming want to go back to her country. Yet the lack of rhyme in the play shows that she is restricted from going back to her original country.
‘I left it as a child but my memeory of it is sunlight clear’
'’The worst news I recieve of it cannot break ///// my original view, the bright, filled paper weight’’. - evidence of enjambment
‘There one was a country… ‘- caesura through the ellipsis slows down the pace of the poem. the chaotic structure of the poem reflects the chaos in the place which the emigres loves and and the lack of power she has in not being able to go there.
the regular stanzas of 8,8 the 9 lines could reflect the speakers is attempting to impose some order on her experience as she is so out of control of her situation.
the juxtaposition of the orderly stanzas and lack of rhyme which could be seen as chaotic may depict her current dynamic as she if facing conflict within herself bc she want to go back to her country and refuses to share the negative views about her country. it may also show that she is resisting the negative thought and is fighting back against the facts and opinions, this is because the the contrast could mirror the friction she if feeling. it may also reflect her surrounding attempt at making her believe the negativity about her country but she will not.
she refuses to be overcome by the negativity and conflict in her home land of the power imposed her by the people that refuse to let her visit
the longest stanza being the last stanza could show the speak is choosing to love her country unconditionally and that is her final decision. Her love will remain forever and she will never give up on her country.
the caesura - ‘‘My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. ‘’ - her city brings her great jot and happiness.
'’my city hides behind me.’’
Use of cesura shows she is strong in her belief and is taking back her power. However it could suggest a sort of confinement and powerless of the Emigree, she will continue to stand strong but ultimately she will always be confined.
'’my city hides behind me.’’ she will protect and defend her city no matter what others thing and what the consequences may be.
imagery within the poem
the constant contrast between positive imagery ‘ sunlight- clear’ ‘sunlight’ ‘it tastes of sunlight’ ( semantic field of positivity as sunlight symbolises freedom, happiness, positivity and joy), repetition of ‘sunlight’ shows/ emphasises the speaker feels overly positively about her views. This contrast the
Each stanza ends with ‘slight’ showing the speaker in the end chooses positivity and it could suggest the will eventually get what she wants. Her love for the county endures.
recurring motif of positivity / semantic field of positivity-
‘ sunlight clear’ ‘bright filled paperweight’’ ‘ sunlight’ ‘it tastes of sunlight’ ‘dancing’
the place like a ‘paper weight’ - stability and positivity’
personification in the poem
‘My city COMES TO ME on its own White plane’
‘It LIES DOWN in front of me, docile as paper’
‘My city TAKES ME DANCING’
- suggests that the speaker has a loving relationship with the place unlike others. her experience is entirely different yet nobody seems to understand. this could create a sense of loneliness for The Emigree- conflict within herself. she finds comfort in her city however they will not let her go ( powerlessness).
‘branded’ by an impression of sunlight’
contrast of ‘ branded’ - negative ‘ sunlight’ - positive
- conflict with love of place and pain not being able to be there.
name 5 main quotes in emigree
’ the worst news [she] receive cannot break [her] original view.
’ my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight’
embedding quotes/ phrases
‘country’ ‘left it as a child’ ‘memory’ ‘ filled’ ‘ original view’
themes of this poem.
freedom, inner conflict and conflicting emotions, memory, identity, power of place
poems The Emigree can link too
remains - memory
what does stanza three mean ??
The writes personifies the speaker and her old city/country to be like a mother and a child - the dynamic is like a mother and a child. speaker - mother
country - child. the country is not able to defend to speak for itself. ‘ I comb its hair’ , ‘ my city hides behind me’ - she protects her child/ city
- city cannot prove itself that it Is not a country of chaos- its true nature is pure and peaceful however everyone is oblivious to that. The speaker is its mother- carer and ultimately defender. the city is not just a terrible ‘ war’ zone but beautiful and ‘white’( symbolic of goodness)
just like only a mother would see the goodness in her child or a child. The speaker chooses to see the goodness and beauty in the city despite all the negative truths she hears.
theme of identity ?????
the speakers identity is being taken for her. ‘city of walls’ - links to Istanbul the line ‘banned by the state’ also links to the Armenian Genocide which was a persecution in Istanbul , her city is accused one being ‘dark’ - connotations of evil as well as ‘ I have no passport’ - all her belongings have been stripped form her. this could be a metaphor for her identity being ripped form her. as her country - was ‘sick with tyrants’ - tyrant - ruler unrestrained by war it was other powerful rulers who were making her country appear evil, once again identity being stripped.
‘my city hides behind me. They mutter death and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight’. research contest suggests she was on a death march. her city walks behind her - the people of her city walk behind her in her death march ( identity being ripped) - ‘city mutter death’ - death march - people coughing, dying, wheezing. when the narrators says ‘ as evidence of sunlight’ - narrator falling to grown as exhaustion
lack of naming and specification of country highlights the speaker wants this to rue relatable to as many people as possible. EXPOSURE - relating.
