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GCSE Level 9 analysis of "Blessing" by IMTIAZ DHARKER
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE level 9 analysis of "Blessing" by IMTIAZ DHARKER
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BlessingThe skin cracks like a pod. * simile
There never is enough water.
Imagine the drip of it,
the small splash, echo * onomatopoeia
in a tin mug,
the voice of a kindly god.
Sometimes, the sudden rush
of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,
silver crashes to the ground * wealth; a colour and a precious metal
and the flow has found
a roar of tongues. From the huts, * poet has created a collective noun
a congregation: every man woman * religious reference
child for streets around
butts in, with pots, * asyndetic listing;-conveys urgency
brass, copper, aluminium, through lack of conjunctive words
plastic buckets,
frantic hands,
and naked children * emotive language (evokes an emotional
screaming in the liquid sun, response in the reader)
their highlights polished to perfection,
flashing light,
as the blessing sings
over their small bones.
IMTIAZ DHARKER
The title “Blessing” introduces the notion of something precious and god-given
before the reader knows what it is. In times of adversity we ask for a blessing
from god. The title therefore foreshadows the suffering depicted in the poem. We
are then immediately then given the image of “the skin cracks” which infers
physical pain and suffering and therefore the title and the opening lines re-inforce
, the inference that the subject-matter of the poem is of a serious nature entailing
suffering.
The poem describes the effects of the depravation of water and the commotion
that is caused when a “pipe bursts” letting water flow out of it. The water is so
precious that it is described as “silver” and as metaphorically being “the voice of
a kindly god”. This natural resource that we take for granted is elevated to being
god-like and commensurate with the precious metal “silver”. The idea that it is a
gift from a god is conveyed by the notion that this flow of water “has found/ a
roar of tongues”; the image of the flow of water actively seeking those in need
reinforces the notion of a “kindly god”. Water is therefore likened to “silver”
which “crashes to the ground”. In Pakistan (from where Imtiaz Dharker comes)
and in other Asian countries, it is common for wealthy people to throw silver
coins to the ground, for the poor to pick up. The water from the burst pipe is like
this - a short-lived blessing for a few.
The randomness and arbitrary nature of the advent of this water is encapsulated
in the words “pipe bursts”; it has not been actively opened to provide water; it is
a mere accident – an inadvertent event and yet it is elevated to being an act of
god. This notion emphasises the desperation and hopelessness of this human
plight.
The refence to “speaking in tongues” may also be a reference to the Christian
belief that a person can be given the ability to speak in different languages to
communicate the Gospel across language barriers. The Bible says that anyone
who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Thus the
“congregation” communicates gratitude to their “kindly god”.
The poem opens with a striking image of dryness and suffering: “The skin cracks
like a pod.”. The sound of a drip of water is described in a metaphor as 'the voice
of a kindly god', while water itself is referred to as fortune, as silver, and as 'the
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