Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker Learning Objective Use knowledge
‘Blessing’ by Imtiaz Dharker Learning Objective - Use knowledge of poetry analysis to recognise and investigate different language features in the poem ‘Blessing. ’
Match the word to the definition Metaphor Saying something IS something else Simile A pause or interruption Alliteration Use of a word that imitates the sound of the object associated with it Caesura Onomatopoeia Saying something is LIKE something else Repetition of the same sound or letter; usually at the beginning of words
Write down what YOU think the most important things in your life are.
Imtiaz Dharker Dharavi The poem we are looking at today is set in a slum on the outskirts of Mumbai in India called Dharavi. The temperature here can reach 40 degrees and is home to millions of migrants from across India. There is always a shortage of water here because it is not an official living area. Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan, but moved to Glasgow when she as less than a year old. She spends her time between India and Britain and has written four books of poetry. The main themes in her poems are of home, geographical and cultural displacement and gender politics. She is also a documentary film maker and accomplished artist.
Dharavi The poem we are looking at today is set in a slum on the outskirts of Mumbai in India called Dharavi. The temperature here can reach 40 degrees and is home to millions of migrants from across India. There is always a shortage of water here because it is not an official living area. Facts Dharavi is spread over an area of 175 hectares and has a population of around 1 million. There is only 1 toilet per 1, 456 people. Up to 6 people may share one bedroom. Most people have to walk about 15 minutes to get water as none of the houses have running taps. What do you think the most important things in these people’s lives are?
Blessing • What can the word ‘Blessing’ mean? • A gift from God AND a prayer for a special occasion. • Now read the poem. • What ‘blessing’ is being referred to? • The central metaphor of the poem is the idea of water as a gift from God. • Look at stanzas 1 & 2 – what situation is described? • Look at stanzas 3 & 4 – what events are being described?
“But when a pipe bursts, when a water tanker goes past, there's always a little child running behind the water tanker getting the bits of drips and it's like money, it's like currency. In a hot country in that kind of climate, it's like a gift. And the children may have been brought up in the city and grown up as migrants, but the mothers will probably remember that in the village they came from, they would have to walk miles with pots to get to a well, to the closest water source. So it really is very precious. When the water comes, it's like a god. ” Imtiaz Dharker
There a number of different possible reactions to the scenario presented in this poem. The poet does not express any opinion directly but presents us with a series of images. Think about the possible reactions. The reader could: Be angry about the water shortage Pity the people who have to live without a constant water supply Blame these people for their own poverty Share their excitement when the pipe bursts See their excitement as pathetic See life as fragile and easily damaged See life as beautiful Think their suffering is intense.
Images Blessing: the images Effect The skin cracks like a pod The voice of a kindly god The sudden rush/ of fortune Silver crashes to the ground A roar of tongues Frantic hands The liquid sun Their highlights polished to perfection
Use of simile to create the image of a dry ground: our first clue as to the type of country the poem is from The “splash” is compared to the “voice of a kindly god. ” This is also onomatopoeia. Blessing The use of short, abrupt sentences with lots of punctuation here express what it is like to have no water. The skin cracks like a pod. There never is enough water. Imagine the drip of it, the small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god. The poem then uses a metaphor to compliment the title by describing how the people see water as a gift from God
The sentences here are longer and flow more this expresses what it is like to suddenly have water. The water is now likened to “silver” because of how it looks when the sun reflects from it. This image also suggests the value of the water by comparing it to a precious metal. “Municipal pipe” suggests that there actually is water in the country! Where does this go? To the rich perhaps? Sometimes, the sudden rush of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, silver crashes to the ground and the flow has found a roar of tongues. From the huts, a congregation: every man woman The word “congregation” is child for streets around usually used for a group of people butts in, with pots, who attend church, therefore adding brass, copper, aluminium, to the religious plastic buckets, theme. frantic hands,
and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, their highlights polished to perfection, flashing light, as the blessings over their small bones. The final section of the poem is largely descriptive. The image is one of happy children rejoicing as they have some relief from the intense heat.
So…. what kind of picture does Blessing paint? What kind of setting/atmosphere is created?
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