intentions
- Criticise landlords and how they prioritise money over human rights or comfort - unethical
- Show the entrapment of people who live like this
- Rapid urbanisation in cities around the world
- How we are losing touch with nature, and what a shame this is
how does the poem being in quintains affect the reader
consistent, representing something cramped, box-like, reflects the physical space.
5 important techniques
- Semantic field of chaos and a busy, disrupted city
- Smuggled verb implies orchid is illegal, is it a comment on wealth and nature being a luxury?
- Imagery and metaphor to imply a feeling of being trapped. Orchid is a symbol for how she feels.
what does siren have to do with it
Siren in mythology lured sailors into the sea, seven islands refers to the fishing communities Mumbai used to be made out of. Speaker feels angered by how the government has reclaimed land from the sea, destroying natures and communities
what is it about
Talks about the reality of living in a small place and the struggles that are faced when living in a developing country that has a exceeding population
why is there a lot of imagery ( tactile, gustatory ..)
to make you feel like you’re there.
where is the poem set
in a tiny cramped apartment in mumbai india
speaker is
an omniscient narrator
why smuggling in a duffle bag (2)
it’s not an ideal way to transport a delicate flower, and also implies it’s illegal, commenting on wealth and nature being a luxury
what symbol is there
the orchid (symbolises what she feels)
nine steps from door to balcony and already she is a giant fretting insect in a jar is what? (2)
a metaphor which creates an unsettling image of entrapment and how hard it is to live in such a cramped environment
imagery which also paints a claustrophobic, intense emotional state.
in 2nd stanza, smell of food is good, what effect
sensory warmth amidst hardship
giant stack of quilts symbolizes
its a literal image of overcrowding and a metaphor for precariousness, it symbolizes the family’s fragile economic or emotional stability
window bars reinforces
metaphorical imprisonment, restriction and enclosure
direct address makes
reader experience physical constriction firsthand
sylbilance of sing son of voices reinforces
the sounds right outside which cannot be escaped
why is 2 giant black pigs striking
pigs symbolize dirt and filth and decay, they show the urban neglect and the degradation of the environment
there is also an ____ between life and death which
uncertainty, evokes a disturbing exhaustion of life
what does the last stanza focus on
the relentless expansion of the city
absence of commas in students wives lovers babies suggests
that these people who represent different stages of life are all lumped together and insignificant against the force of urban expansion
seven islands once alludes to
Mumbai, once was seven islands and the loss of history and identity that urbanization brings
what does the title suggest
that peoples homes are reduced to tiny impersonal cubes, as if they could be easily stacked up and moved elsewhere, stripping away comfort and belongingness
what effect does the husband only being features once have
that her space is so tight that there isn’t enough room even for him
orchids roots are dangling in the air, this ties in with the fact that
the couples situation is so unstable like the orchids, and they’re barely managing to hold on to their fragile existence
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The Road28
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Song21
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The instant of my death28
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children of wealth23
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an afternoon nap17
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boxes26
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the enemies16
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at the bus station21
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how to structure Paper 1, question 16
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technique meanings11
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The bus21
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these are the times we live in31
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touch and go25
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THINGS FALL APART29
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intentions of all the poems15
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Antony and Cleopatra Author Intentions12
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Things Fall Apart Intentions & exam technique15
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plaits17
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a long journey21
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the capital9
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rich and poor or saint and sinner19
