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anthology poems - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Dharker claims that an architect could use tissue to build with and never need to use brick again.
  - - - The structure also implies that even the most powerful presentations of power (buildings and governments) are underpinned by chaos and insignificance. Dharker’s use of enjambment unifies lines showing her view that humans should become united. The combined effect of these devices is to show that humanity is not in control as much as it would like to imagine and the poem may be mocking those who believe they have a lot of power.
  - - - Whilst the Koran is paper it is also a collection of lives, the power it contains does not come from it being made of physical paper but from the influence it has on people’s lives. The power of paper is also seen in “might fly our lives like paper kites” which shows that if money is given too much power, it will be able to govern our lives (“fly them”).
    - - The poem could be interpreted to also be a source of enlightenment to the listener of a new way of living in which God is able to permeate through life and materialism. There is no reference to a specific God in this poem which reflects Dharker’s exploration and criticism of fundamentalism in the collection.
  - - - similarities
        
        Human power is presented to be a source of oppression and suffering in London. Here the citizens are shown to suffer in “mind forged manacles” whilst in tissue “borderlines” act as a symbol of division and limitation
        
        Both poets are critical of material wealth and inequality which is shown by the focus on “chartered” land in London whilst in Tissue, Dharker shows how money is able to “fly our lives like paper kites”.
      - differences
        
        In Blake’s poem, the narrator seems to accept the cyclical nature of corruption, which is seen in the structure of the poem. In the final stanza, the “Marks of weakness” referred to in the first stanza are alluded to in the final line “blights with plagues”. Dharker however, offers a solution to the problem of power to not let money “fly our lives like paper kites”
- - - - Each stanza begins with “dem tell me” which shows how colonial control has dominated his life in the same way it dominates the poem. The repetition could also be interpreted to allude to Agard’s emphatic desire to have his message heard.
    - - This final stanza also contrasts with the introduction. The phrase “I carving out me identity” contrasts with “Blind me to me own identity”. This shows how the poem shows the speaker’s journey to resolution.
  - - - The active verb used in “I carving out me identity” creates the impression that this is an ongoing process. This also has painful connotations which shows that this process is a painful one, implying that he feels pain at having his identity withheld from him for so long. The verb “carving” has connotations of wood which shows how the speaker no longer has the neural plasticity of a child so changing his worldview is long and difficult.
    - - This shows how the speaker is resisting the traditions of the English language and the restrictions imposed by colonial rule. Agard’s use of phonetic spelling emphasises that this poem is a form of oral poetry. Normally Agard writes in standard English so this makes this poem stand out in the collection.
    - - The lack of punctuation also shows the poems theme of resisting oppression. Without punctuation, the reader is unsure of the intonation, allowing the poem to be interpreted in different ways
- - - - This use of temporal deixis ( from the outset creates a childlike tone to the poem.
        
        establishes a fantastical tone to highlight the fact that the place described is a memory rather than a reality
        
        shows how the place the speaker remembers is romanticised by the idealism of youthand was never as perfect as the way it is depicted.
    - - the theme of sunlight is referred to repeatedly; motif
    - - The theme of language is used here to show how the narrator has not moved on from her childhood.
    - - This use of gustatory imagery shows the narrator’s delight in the memory.
      - The repeated references to sunlight suggest the speaker has an idealised, almost dream-like picture of the past, where it is always sunny
    - - use of emphatic repetition shows the persecution the narrator endures in their new home by creating a violent tone.
  - - - However, she cannot return to her native country leaving her in a precarious position in which she experiences no “sunlight”. Rumens further emphasises her feelings of segregation through the repetition in “their city” and “they accuse me of absence”.
  - - - The gustatory imagery in “it tastes of sunlight” is similarly positive as is the juxtaposition between darkness and light in “my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight”. Rumens’ use of epistrophe in the poem demonstrates that no matter what she hears in the news, the speaker will always have a positive view of her city.
  - - - similarities
        
        The violent connotations of “Bandage up me eye with me own history” allude to the conflict between Agard’s narrator’s culture and the one being inflicted on him by colonial rule. There is a similar conflict shown in Rumens’ poem by the aggressive undertones of “I am branded by an impression of sunlight”
        
        Both poets attach great emotional significance to their cultural identity. Agard’s repetition of “Dem tell me” shows the anger the narrator feels at having had his heritage hidden from him. Likewise, Rumens appears to have maternal feelings towards her former home and this is shown by the childlike lexis of “I comb its hair and love its shining eyes”.
        
        The importance of language is seen in Rumens’ work in “child’s vocabulary” which shows the narrator desperately clinging to the language of their childhood. Similarly, Agard uses a Creole language to represent the different cultures which have influenced him.
      - differences
        
        In Checking out me history, the narrator demonises his childhood through his angry tone and the separation of the stanzas to show how he was not educated sufficiently. Contrastingly, Rumens uses light imagery in “an impression of sunlight”, “The white streets” and “It tastes of sunlight” to present a dreamlike, idealised childhood.
- - - - This use of temporal deixis establishes the theme of remembrance from the start.
      - The enjambment shows how absorbed the mother is in her own thoughts, creating a sense of calm.
    - - The word choice implies that the memory also has painful undertones
    - - This metaphor creates an image of there being an outpouring of emotion by the narrator.
      - "treasure"-valuable
    - - ends with a sad metaphor
      - lack of auditory imagery shows the mother’s attempt to connect with her child.
  - - - Weir’s use of free verse also creates the impression of the poem being an outpouring of emotion or a stream of consciousness which is common in modern poetry. The chaotic structure of the poem reflects the narrator’s lack of control over her emotions as well as the events she has endured and shows that they chaos created by war is much further reaching than the battlefield.
  - - - Weir interweaves domestic imagery with violent military metaphors throughout the poem. This is evident when the speaker describes leaving the house “without a winter coat or reinforcements of scarf, gloves”. The lack of protection from the cold shows how violence has left a mark on all parts of her everyday life. This could also imply that she feels she needs reinforcement to face seeing the memorial for her son as it is still difficult to face the reality of her situation.
        
        The speaker remembers wanting to “graze my nose across the tip of your nose”, a phrase in which maternal affection is juxtaposed against the injury-like connotations of “graze”. Throughout the poem, Weir shows how war prevents people from having a normal domestic life.
    - - Weir is unusual as a war poet in the way in which she explores emotional suffering as opposed to physical pain. This is evident in the speaker’s declaration of “I was brave” which opposes conventional ideas of bravery associated with fighting and risk taking.
        
        In “Poppies”, the narrator is acting bravely by carrying on with her daily life despite what she is suffering. The narrator is also brave because despite her fear of losing her son to war, she still lets him go.
    - - The use of enjambment between stanzas in “all my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt // slowly melting” breaks the structure of the poem to correspond with the mother emotionally breaking. Hints of the mother’s suffering are heard throughout the poem as she is repeatedly assaulted by painful memories.
  - - - similarities
        
        The psychological effects of war is seen in both poems. Weir shows how grief leads the narrator to processing blissful, domestic memories of having “sellotape bandaged around [her] hand” whereas Garland recounts the day the character’s “father embarked at sunrise”.
        
        Both poems are focused on the unconventional victims of war, not those who went into battle themselves. This shows how far reaching the effects of violence are.
      - differences
        
        In Poppies, the narrator’s physical loss is shown by the wistful “I listened, hoping to hear // your playground voice”. Conversely, in Kamikaze, the main character’s father is rejected by society rather than killed and she has to “live as though he had never returned”. This shows how even those not actually killed in war can have their lives ruined also.
    - - similarities
        
        The psychological impact of losing a son is seen in Poppies through the desire to return to “play at being Eskimos like we did when [he] was little”. Armitage also explores the psychological effect of losing someone however, whilst Weir’s narrator wishes to remember, Armitage’s attempts to forget “the image of agony” after killing a man. This is damaging to both narrators as in Remains, he is unable to “Sleep” or “Dream” and in Poppies the irregular structure shows her unable to hold herself together. These memories seem to extend the impact of war for both narrators however, they are more positive and welcomed by Weir’s who sees the sad memories as a chance to remember her son.
      - differences
        
        Armitage presents the narrator’s guilt through the harsh repetition of “his bloody life in my bloody hands” as well as the desperate “the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”. In Poppies, the narrator instead experiences grief which is shown in the declarative “I was brave” and having to “[lean] against it” when seeing the war memorial.
- - - - Arrogance in the declarative "we are prepared" – too confident, shown by how bold and declarative,they are confident in their ability to overpower nature. BUT also betrays their fear – they have completely adapted their lives to the purpose of resisting nature
    - - connotations of wisdom and respect
        
        earth has a mind of its own
  - - - verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameters.
      - reflects the chaos- no rhythm
- - - - Can be considered an allusion to the idea of Mother Nature, and nature can be seen as female in that it is responsible for the feminine task of creating, sustaining and nurturing life – just as a mother does. By using personification, Wordsworth is able to contrast the role of nature to the role of a human – whilst women nurture a single child; nature nurtures an entire planet thus demonstrating its superior power.