Writers intent

• What is Rumens’ intent in exploring memory and identity?

  She suggests that personal memory can preserve identity even when physical places are lost. Her intent is to show the power of imagination in exile.
• How does Rumens portray political conflict?

  Though not naming the country, Rumens alludes to corruption and oppression, showing how emigration is often forced, not chosen.
• What does Rumens suggest about nostalgia?

  She presents memory as idealised, showing how people in exile may cling to a romantic version of home. Her intent is to show how identity is shaped by longing.
• Why does Rumens use light imagery throughout the poem?

  Light represents hope, purity, and love for home. Her intent is to show that even in loss, cultural identity and pride endure.
• What is Rumens’ message about displacement?

  She shows how the émigrée is both empowered and isolated, highlighting the emotional cost of exile. Her intent is to explore the complexity of belonging and memory.
• Context/Writers Intent

  Carol Rumens (b. 1944) was born in London and lived in Belfast and Wales. She traveled widely through Russia and Eastern Europe. Her experiences with different cultures influence her poetry, which often explores themes of foreign customs, identity, and language. The Emigree reflects these ideas of displacement and memory.
• Context/Writers intent

  The Emigree is from Carol Rumens’ 1993 collection Thinking of Skins, which focuses on political issues in Russia and Eastern Europe. The collection explores how identity is shaped by culture and displacement.