12.1.3

Key Quotes & Comparisons

Test yourself

Key Quotations in The Emigree

Here are key quotations to remember for your exam:

Illustrative background for “My city"Illustrative background for “My city" ?? "content

“My city"

  • The use of the possessive pronoun conveys the speaker’s deep admiration for, and pride in, her city.
Illustrative background for "The bright filled paperweight"Illustrative background for "The bright filled paperweight" ?? "content

"The bright filled paperweight"

  • “The worst news I receive of it cannot break / My original view, the bright filled paperweight”.
  • Metaphor.
  • This metaphor suggests the strength and solidity of the speaker’s positive memories.
Illustrative background for “I have no passport..."Illustrative background for “I have no passport..." ?? "content

“I have no passport..."

  • “I have no passport, there’s no way back at all”, “they accuse me….” etc.
  • Mysterious language. This suggests the speaker could be in exile.
Illustrative background for ”The white streets”Illustrative background for ”The white streets” ?? "content

”The white streets”

  • Light and colour imagery.
  • Highlights how overwhelmingly positive the speaker's memories are of her city.
Illustrative background for “I comb its hair and love its shining eyes” Illustrative background for “I comb its hair and love its shining eyes”  ?? "content

“I comb its hair and love its shining eyes”

  • Personification of the city.
  • This quote intensifies the sense of the speaker’s love and affection towards the city.
  • It is also a childish image, conjuring up images of innocence and purity.
Illustrative background for “It may be sick with tyrants…”Illustrative background for “It may be sick with tyrants…” ?? "content

“It may be sick with tyrants…”

  • Personification of the city.
  • Emphasises the strength of her dislike for the people currently controlling the city.

Key Comparisons: the Emigree

Here are some themes that come up in The Emigree and other texts:

Illustrative background for Conflicting emotionsIllustrative background for Conflicting emotions ?? "content

Conflicting emotions

  • You may want to compare the theme of conflicting emotions in The Emigree to the following texts:
    • Bayonet Charge.
    • Poppies.
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Power of place

  • You may want to compare the theme of power of place in The Emigree to the following texts:
    • London.
    • The Prelude.
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Identity

  • You may want to compare the theme of identity in The Emigree to the following texts:
    • Kamikaze.
    • Checking Out Me History.

Jump to other topics

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

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