Tone: Rant-like and quite ironic. However, the ending could be interpreted in different tones depending how the reader interprets who the belt up is aimed at.
Half-Caste
Language: Phonetic Spelling, makes us talk like we are also Caribbean makes us wonder why we are prejudice to people even though we all talk the same.
Uses the pejorative term “Half-Caste” and tries to make it a more optimistic term
Imagery: A lot of colour, mixing two colours together to make a beautiful art work but when two mixed colours make a child, they are prejudiced to the mixed child.
Physical imagery of being only half a person
Structure: Around 4 words per line, rant like. No punctuation so flows and no capitalisation at new line.
Tone: Mocking at the beginning to rant/anger to sadness at the end
Love after Love
Language: Metaphor “Stranger who was yourself” <- before a relationship
Uses imperatives and is rather authoritative to instruct the reader how to become the person who you were before the relationship.
Imagery: Religious imagery of you “eating” yourself. Like last supper, eating in memory of who Jesus was in comparison to you eating who you were during the relationship.
Imagery of you peeling off images, like clearing out clutter in ‘This Room’
Structure: Not much to talk about structure in all honesty..
Tone: Quite calm mainly because it is reassuring you that it is going to be okay because you might have suffered badly during a relationship.
This Room
Language: Onomatopoeia used “clang” and “bang” and “crash” very celebratory also has an alliteration of “celebration, clang” and “pots and pans” and “crash through clouds” – All these are very positive sounds.
Imagery: Very metaphorical. Room is Imtiaz Dharker’s head. Person was confined, throwing out the memories to get to a stage where she is content. However, she is throwing out some good memories as well in the process as we don’t know what type of cloud the “chairs” are crashing through.
Structure: The use of the enjambment at the end so the last line could be seen as a question or a statement. This shows that she has divided herself in the process of finding the person she wants to be.
Also, there is the separation of the fourth stanza from the third and last stanza which shows us that she is separated from the person she was before – it was successful.
Tone: There is excitement at being able to become the person that she wants to be but there is also confusion because she is wondering “where I’ve left my feet”
Not My Business
Language: The use of not being able to name who is attacking the citizens of Africa, shows the democracy of Africa during that period.
The use of the rhetorical question that Niyi Osundare asks at the end of each stanza; it shows the selfishness of not wanting to get involved to help innocent people.
Imagery: Personification of the jeep. “stuffed him down the belly” makes the jeep seem monstrous and scary. Also the metonymy of “bewildered lawn” shows the shock of being picked next by the Government even though you think that you haven’t done anything wrong.
“Yam” shows the vast population and “savouring mouth” shows the vast hunger.
Structure: The indent of the last three lines in the first three stanzas, instead of narrating the story, show the person’s thoughts on the events.
The last stanza is only 5 lines long in comparison to the other stanzas which has 7 lines long which shows that the dinner has ended that that there is a surprise. Maybe his life has ended?
Tone: Quite selfish and arrogant, maybe led by fear of being picked next to be captured.
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan
Language: Calls the Pakistani clothes what they are really called – shows that she has some knowledge on Pakistan but also has knowledge on English clothes with the “denim and corduroy”
Uses the pejorative terms “alien” and “half-English” which shows that she knows that she doesn’t fit in
Imagery: Very colourful and has a lot of similes. Metaphor: “bangles snapped, drew blood” has reference to race and ethic and shows that they don’t fit her as in culture-wise and injure her instead – it shows that the clothes are rejecting her as well.
Use of “prickly heat” shows that because of her skin colour, she cannot adjust to the temperature change that Britain has. Also the “rise up out of its fire” is a metaphor for being embarrassed by wearing Pakistani clothes in England.
She called the Pakistani “costumes” which is seen as something that is worn but doesn’t represent who the person really is.
Structure: In free verse which shows how she is mixed up.
Tone: Sad because she does not fit in English culture or Pakistani Culture.
Hurricane Hits England
Language: It is basically made up of statements, commands and questions. The statements kind of narrate the poem but also tell us what she does about the hurricane. The commands show her connection with the hurricane and how it links her to her homeland. The questions are basically her questioning the hurricane and herself to why she moved to England rather than staying at home.
Imagery: Personifies the hurricane. Gives them names and calls them her cousin because hurricanes were a normal even in Guyana.
Imagery of the earth being one shows that everyone is the same whether they are from Guyana or Britain.
Structure: In free verse which shows the unpredictability of the hurricane.
Tone: Reassurance that her home is nearby.
Prejudice: Unrelated Incidents & Half-Caste
Culture: Search for my Tongue & Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan
Language: Search for my Tongue & Unrelated Incidents & Half-Caste
Different Places: Search for my Tongue & Hurricane hits England
Finding who you are: This Room & Love after Love
Conflict: Presents from me Aunts in Pakistan & Not my Business
