the emigree

• 'it may be sick with tyrants'

  • suggests it is at war
  • personified to be 'sick' with all the evil
  • however she still sees it in a positive light
• 'they accuse me of being dark in their free city'

  • juxtas 'dark' with 'sunlihgt' - shows her new city is worse than her old city
  • 'dark' - may allude to possible racism and descrimintation
• who wrote the emigree?

  • Carol Rumens
  • She has lived in various areas aroudn the UK and Europe, notably London and Russia which may have formed her views on the difficulties of conflicting identities and fitting in to a new place
  • Much of her work is based off socio-political aspects within foreign countries
• why dosen't the emigree conform to specific historic context?

  • to allow it to universally focus on the emotional experience of migration and be applicible to many of the readers who may relate to this
• why is the theme of 'sunlight' used throughout the poem

  • the extended metaphor of 'sunlight' reflects the warmth and comfort she associates with her home city, underscoring her positive view of it despite it being 'sick with tyrants'
• why does each stanza end with 'sunlight'?

  • to characterise sunlight as an irrepressible force which will break through despite conflict and tyranny
• 'it tastes of sunlight' analysis

  • Rumens uses synaesthesia in order to emphasise how vivid her memorys of her city is
  • it shows that the speaker undergoes an encompassing experience when she thinks back to her city, as the memories immerse her in positivity, so much so that she senses it in all different ways, including 'taste'
  • this shows how much of an impact her city had on her and how strongly she loves and cherishes it
  • Rumens may do this to starkly contrast the traditional trauma and negativity associated with emmigrating, as most people leave behind their city with memories of fear and violence
  • Perhaps Rumens does this in order to show the unreliablity of the narrator due to her 'branded' impression of her city as perhaps she is struggling to see the truth and reality - her city is now 'sick with tyrants' but she refuses to accept that
• 'I am branded by an impression of sunlight'

  • the verb 'branded' emphasises the permanence of her views of the city despite any negative realities she may experience
  • furthermore, the phrase 'impression of sunlight' symbolizes a vivid and hopeful memory that stays with her amidst harship
  • Alternitavly, 'branded' may also have connotations of pain and suffering due to the harshness of the verb , alluding to the detrimental impact in which leavign her city has had on the speaker, and she can't unsee reality and effect of war and conflict on a place she loves
• 'It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants'

  • the repition of 'it may be' shows the speaker's uncertainty of the current state of the city - the flaws of it appear hypothetical to her due to having to leave the city as a child, showing her unawareness of its current state, meaning her views of it which are 'branded' may be completely different if she went back to see it in present day
  • the speaker personifies her city to be 'sick' showing the detrimental impact the war and conflict has had as it has turned a once 'sunglight clear' city into being filled with pure evil
• 'they accuse me of being dark in their free city'

  • Rumens uses the repition of 'they' to create an aggressive and accusatory tone to make the new city appear threatening and hostile
  • the speaker mentions new hardships she faces, such as racism - 'accuse me of being dark' shows that she is experiencing new social threats rather than physical conflict
  • this underscores the theme of culture and identity as she feels she dosen't belong in a place where she is not accepted