1
Q
‘Blessing’
A
- Extended metaphor comparing water to a gift from God - religious connotations
- Shows how, despite the fact that this community is far from blessed, when there is scarcity, access to that thing seems like a ‘blessing’
- Polysemus as it can be a prayer said before or after a meal comparing water to a meal or feast at a time of deprivation
2
Q
Form
A
- Free verse, no fixed rhyme or rhythm
- Highlights how infrequently and irregularly this community receives water
3
Q
Division between the 4 stanzas
A
- First two stanzas are short and brief so set the scene by describing the suffering caused by the scarcity. As though the words are dried up.
- Second, longer stanza with enjambment describes the excitment of the people when given access to this scarce resource
- The fourth stanza describes it as a blessing, and how it is only a temporary relief - the drout will come again
4
Q
Enjambment and one-sentence nature of poem
A
- Mimetic of the flow and gushing of water
- Increased enjambent in second stanza creates a sense of excitement and chaos
- Shows how it is so valuable due to its scarcity, so it always at the forefront of people’s minds and the excitement it can cause when people are given access to it
5
Q
Caesuras
A
- Contrast with the regularity created by the enjambment
- Disrupts the regularity of the flow of the poem to show how their supply of water is haphazard at best
6
Q
‘The skin cracks’
A
- Metaphor for the earth/ground, though polysemus as it could mean literal dry skin
- Harsh consonants in ‘cracks’
- Emphasises the harsh effects of the drout and the sun, and the breadth of these effects as it impacts both man and nature
7
Q
‘There never is enough water’
A
- Anastrophe
- Foregrounds the word ‘never’ to heighten the harsh presentation of the drout and the desperation of the people
- Only place water is used in the poem (when there is none) to tell us what the poem is about. Only vivid descriptions follow
8
Q
‘Imagine the drip of it’
A
- Imperative
- Instructs the reader who likely has never experienced severe drout to try and sympathise with the community and understand their suffering
9
Q
‘the voice of a kindly god’
A
- Metaphor
- Shows how scarce water is by comparing even the sound of a single drop to the ‘voice of a god’ to illustrate their gratefulness for even a little bit of water
- Water itself is a benevolent element, bringing life to the world.
- However, ‘kindly’ is ironic as the best this God could do is provide one single drop to this desperate community
10
Q
‘silver crashes’
A
- Metaphor for treasure as it has the same white shine to it as water.
- It is also a precious metal which is sometimes used to create coins or money.
- Water is more valuable to these people than money, when they are thirsty and hot forcing reader to reflect.
- ‘Crashes’ amplifies abundance of water
11
Q
‘a roar of tongues’
A
- Metaphor and synecdoche
- Shows the chaos caused by people flocking to try and receive some water
- The synecdohce of ‘tongues’ shows how to the people their tongue is the most important aspect of them in this moment as it is what can consume water
12
Q
‘liquid sun’
A
- Metaphor
- ‘Sun’ is symbolic of the joy at this moment in time, but foreshadows the soon to come burning and drout once the flow of water ends
