‘Blessing’- by Imtiaz Dharker.

By Sally Yu.

PoemBlessing by Imtiaz Dharker

The skin cracks like a pod.

There never is enough water.

Imagine the drip of it,

the small splash, echo

in a tin mug,

the voice of a kindly god.

Sometimes, the sudden rush

of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,

silver crashes to the ground

and the flow has found

a roar of tongues. From the huts,

a congregation : every man womanchild for streets aroundbutts in, with pots,brass, copper, aluminium,plastic buckets,frantic hands,and naked childrenscreaming in the liquid sun,their highlights polished to perfection,flashing light,as the blessing singsover their small bones.

Enjoy the podcast!!!:)

situation

symbolism poem

poor country, drought

pipe busts (like rain, water)

poetic devices used

extended metaphor

symbolism

free verse

imagery

simile

personification

extended metaphor

extended metaphor: A metaphor that is extended by multiple comparisons of unlike objects or ideas.

ex)”He is a pig, he is trash.”

How extended metaphor is used

line 7,8,9:

“rush of fortune” + “silver”=water

symbolism

symbolism: symbols to represent ideas.

ex) “The rose you gave,”

how symbolism is used

line 6: “the voice of a kindly god”

“kindly god” symbolizes water, and hope.

line 11: “a roar of tongues. From the huts”

“roar of tongues” symbolizes people shouting.

how symbolism is used

line 11: “screaming in the liquid sun”

The sun is the center of the universe. Therefore, it is referring “sun” as water. (water=life)

free verse

free verse: having no fixed metric poem.

ex) down to the beach on a sunny day we go.....

how free verse is used

There are no patterns of anything. ( no rhyme scheme, or a stanza.)

imagery

Imagery: descriptive, and figurative language.

ex) “glistening oily bodies radiating with sensation”

how imagery is used

line 3~4:

sound, shape

simile

simile: two unlike things compared.

ex) “The baby was like an octopus”

This simile is implying that the baby was grabbing things really fast, like the baby had a lot of arms like an octopus.

how simile is used

line 1: “The skin cracks like a pod”

Since there is “like” it is a simile.

The “skin” is the earth.

personification

personification: Giving a non-human thing a human aspect.

ex) “She saw a smiling moon in the sky”

The “moon” is a non-human thing, and “smiling” is a human aspect.

how personification is used

line 23: “as the blessing sings”

“blessing” is a non-human thing, and “sings” is a human aspect.

line 11: “a roar of tongues. From the huts,”

The tongue is a non-human thing, and “roar” is a human aspect.

About the poet

poet: Imtiaz Dharker.

Imtiaz Dharker, the poet of “Blessing”.

Works internationally.

education, and human lives.

HOw it relates to the poet

Poem might have been created when she saw a scene of devastation in a developing countries.

Interest in happy lives, and sad lives

comic!

Bibliography

"Imtiaz Dharker." wikipedia. 8 January 2009. wikimedia. 13 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imtiaz_Dharker>.

Bahatt, Sujata. "Imtiaz Dharker 'Blessing'." search my tongue. 17 Jan 2009 <http://www.open.ac.uk/crete/movingwords/ pages/poetry/poems/blessing.html>.

Imtiaz, Dharker. "Drawings." Imtiaz Dharker. 2007. 17 Jan 2009 <http://www.imtiazdharker.com/drawings>.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!:)