What does ‘Emigree’ even mean? Émigrée – A woman forced to leave her native country, often for political reasons. What may be meant by ‘political reasons?’

The Émigrée- Stanza 1 There once was a country… I left it as a child but my memory of it is sunlight-clear for it seems I never saw it in that November which, I am told, comes to the mildest city. The worst news I receive of it cannot break my original view, the bright, filled paperweight. It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight

The Émigrée- Stanza 2 The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time rolls its tanks and the frontiers rise between us, close like waves. That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar. Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it. It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight.

The Émigrée- Stanza 3 I have no passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me in its own white plane. It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I comb its hair and love its shining eyes. My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. They accuse me of absence, they circle me. They accuse me of being dark in their free city. My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight.

What’s it all about? The speaker talks about a city in a country that she left as a child – she has a purely positive view on it. The city seems to be under attack and unreachable. The city may or may not be a real place, its could represent a time, person or emotion that the speaker has been forced to leave.

The Émigrée- Stanza 1 There once was a country… I left it as a child but my memory of it is sunlight-clear for it seems I never saw it in that November which, I am told, comes to the mildest city. The worst news I receive of it cannot break my original view, the bright, filled paperweight. It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight What does this make the poem sound like? What theme does this suggest? What are the connotations of sunlight? How does ‘November’ contrast to sunlight? Why? What is this an example of? What is the effect? How is the narrators opinion at odds with reality? Is ‘branded’ positive or negative? What does it suggest?

The Émigrée- Stanza 2 The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time rolls its tanks and the frontiers rise between us, close like waves. That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar. Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it. It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight. What impression do we get of the city? How does this contrast that view? Why is time personified? This suggests.. This creates a sense of… What is this an example of? What is the effect? Why is this line poignant? Why does the poet refer to taste?

The Émigrée- Stanza 3 I have no passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me in its own white plane. It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I comb its hair and love its shining eyes. My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. They accuse me of absence, they circle me. They accuse me of being dark in their free city. My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight. What does this line create a sense of? What do these two words suggest? What does the colour white suggest? What sort of imagery is this? What is the effect? What is this an example of? What is the effect? How does it make the city appear? Who is they? Why is the poet keen to end on a positive despite the darkness?

Exploring Alternative Interpretations There are many interpretations of this poem. Using evidence from the poem write a justification for each of the following statements. The place is a real country. The city does not exist. She is talking about a person. She is talking about a time or an emotional connection she had. EXT: Come up with your own interpretation of the poem

Form 1. The poem is written in the first person. What is the effect of this? 2. The author uses enjambment. Find an example of this and comment on its effect.

Structure How does the strucutre of the poem reflect the content? How does the structure change as the memories become clearer? Why does each stanza end in sunlight? What is the effect of this?

Language of Conflict Highlight all language associated with war, invasion and tyranny. What does this suggest about the city? Compare this to the speaker’s view. How does the speaker begin to defy the authorities?

Language about Light Highlight all words that suggest a bright and colourful city. What is the effect of this? What does this contrast to?

PERSONIFICATION Highlight all examples of personification within the poem. What is the effect of describing the city in human terms? What does this suggest about the speaker’s love of it?

THEMES Highlight all words that link to: Nostalgia Threat Which one do you think is more important?

Questions for Understanding 1. What does the title suggest about how the speaker feels about leaving the city? 2. Why does Rumens use the word ‘break’ in line 5? Does this tell us anything about the city? 3. Why do you think the poet uses the simile “as docile as paper” to describe the city? 4.If it’s not a real place, what might the city represent?

Comparing with other poems… Have a go at comparing the power of memory in this poem with ‘Kamikaze’. Compare the experiences of loss with that of ‘Poppies’. Compare the exploration of place with that of ‘London’.

ANALYSING YOUR POEM Ballad Voice Sonnet Tone Symbolism Free verse Structure How is the piece organised on the page? Can you identify the topic of each stanza? Are the stanzas equal or unequal? How many stanzas/verses? Is there rhythm/repetition/enjambment? What is the line length/rhyme scheme? Effect What effect on the reader is the poet aiming to achieve? (How is it intended to make you think/feel?) What opinion is conveyed by the poet? What is the purpose of the poet’s choice of language/opinion/theme? Meaning What is the poem about? Can you discover more than one meaning of the poem? What ideas and themes is the poet portraying? What is the poet’s point of view? Voice Tone Ballad Sonnet Free verse Dramatic monologue Symbolism William Blake’s- London Alliteration Assonance Juxtaposition Oxymoron S.M.I.L.E Simile Extended Metaphor Personification Rhyming Couplet Enjambment Emotive Language Repetition Language Which words has the poet used to convey meaning? What are the connotations of the language used? Is there more than one meaning of the word/phrase? Has the poet used figurative language? (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance…) How has the poet used language to infer meaning? Imagery Which images are conveyed to the reader? Does the poem contain metaphors, similes or personification? Why do you think the poet has included the images in the poem?