Summary
Summary Home (Merle Collins)
- Course
- English Home Language
- Institution
- 12th Grade
Home (Merle Collins) - analysing the poem and background information.
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1. Nothing but a name, and a sea-flash of blueTheme:
The poet is reminded of her home in the 2. pulling me from a stranger’s brooding
Caribbean and longs to go back home.
She is homesick and thinks deeply of the 3. Berwyck-Upon-Tweed, a sudden blue reminding
meaning of the word ‘home’.
4. that these are British ISLES, and beautiful, too.
“a sea-flash of blue” and “a sudden blue”.
5. A fleeting look that feeds some need Both of these point to the sight of the sea as
being brief, and yet it takes so little to remind
6. for sea, for mountain dew laughter her of home.
This poem as a sonnet: 7. for dust, for sky, for woods and water
It has 14 lines, consists of three quatrains and 8. for Caribbean Berwyck-Upon-Tweed
a rhyming couplet.
The rhyme scheme of the three quatrains is 9. To escape pursuing spirits, cross water
ABBA
10. they say, for spirits cannot follow
11. but these have left the tang of mango
12. have crossed and mean to linger
Tone:
Background:
13. From a train in England, on a journey home The poem has a sad tone, as she yearns to
The poet comes from either work or a holiday go back to her hometown
and is on her way home which is in England. 14. fleeting seascape, recalling dreams of home
, 1. Nothing but a name, and a sea-flash of blue Line 2:
Both ‘pulling’ and ‘brooding’ are strong verbs
2. pulling me from a stranger’s brooding
which emphasise the overwhelming feeling of
homesickness of the poet. She is being pulled
3. Berwyck-Upon-Tweed, a sudden blue reminding
back from her deep, unhappy thoughts when
4. that these are British ISLES, and beautiful, too. she suddenly sees the sea.
Line 2:
5. A fleeting look that feeds some need
“pulling me from a stranger’s brooding” is the
mention of her birthplace while the mention 6. for sea, for mountain dew laughter
of “Berwyck-Upon-Tweed”, “these” and
“ISLES” is where she lives now. 7. for dust, for sky, for woods and water Senses
8. for Caribbean Berwyck-Upon-Tweed
9. To escape pursuing spirits, cross water
10. they say, for spirits cannot follow
11. but these have left the tang of mango
The word ‘home’ in the rhyming couplet:
12. have crossed and mean to linger
Home is used at the end of each line. The first
13. From a train in England, on a journey home line refers to her home in England that she is
travelling to on the train. Home in the second
14. fleeting seascape, recalling dreams of home
line is her home in the Caribbean that she
carries with her in her memories
Why the poet regards herself as a stranger:
She is not from England and is not familiar
with their culture and because she misses her
hometown so much, she feels as though she
doesn’t belong
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