Storm on the Island

• Storm on the Island introduces the theme of nature immediately, and it creates a realistic image of nature: dangerous and violent. The poem shows the impact of the storm on the people and how they wait inside for it to pass.

  Nature vs man
• "We are prepared"


  The poem begins with the narrator's arrogance and boldness, they are confident in their ability to overpower nature. The first two lines reinforces feelings of security.
• "as you see" "you know what i mean"


  Conversational colloquialisms connects the reality of the islander's lives to reader's. Direct address, control + almost defiant, pride.

  Colloquialisms: an informal phrase common at its time of utterance.
• "blows full blast" "strafes" "salvo" "bombarded"


  Plosives give sense of violence and aggression and suggests nature is attacking the island - resembles bullets - shows weather is as deadly as a weapon.

  Military terms (military semantic fields) compare the storm to a military plane, islanders are under attack from nature - creates tone of violence and aggression.
• "exploding comfortably" "tame cat turned savage"


  Oxymorons - juxtaposes feelings of safety and fear

  There is a mistaken belief that they had tamed nature - then the cat turns against its owner. The islanders never owned nature - it was always more powerful than them. Oxymoronic as tamed cats shouldn't be aggressive.
• Cyclical Structure: "houses squat, good slate" and "the empty air, huge nothing that we fear" half rhyme connects the preparation for the storm at the start to the fear of the storm's power at the end.

  The structure shows the resilience of the islanders - the cycle of preparation, storm and recovery is never ending.
• Rhyme Scheme: No consistent rhyme scheme, reflects how order cannot be enforced upon nature, more powerful than humans, so humans have no way to control it.
• Enjambment: The poem is written in one single stanza, mirroring the overwhelming power of storms, also shows intensity of experience.

  Breathlessness caused by enjambment replicates the panicked feeling of islanders.
• The poem begins optimistically, however the tone shift to fear and aggression.