Analysis of Imtiaz Dharker's Poem "Blessing
Imtiaz Dharker's poem "Blessing" explores the significance of water as a blessing in the lives of people living in challenging conditions. Set in a temporary settlement in Bombay, India, the poem vividly portrays the desperation for water during times of scarcity. The poet contrasts the scarcity of water with the joy and gratitude expressed when water unexpectedly arrives, highlighting its life-saving properties, especially in a hot climate. Through powerful imagery and description, Dharker conveys the value of water as a precious resource and a symbol of hope and renewal.
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Knowledge: Travel and Other Cultures Skill: Poetry analysis Previously studied: Analysed language in other texts
Title: Poetry Analysis Blessing Copy the title of the poem List five things that you are grateful for. List five things other people may be grateful for. Stretch: Why would water be considered a blessing or something to be grateful for? Use the conjunction because in your answer. Blessing-Noun A prayer asking for divine favour and protection. A beneficial thing for which one is grateful. A person s support.
Blessing is a poem with four stanzas that highlights the blessing of water in peoples lives. Imtiaz Dharker, an English poet moved to Bombay, a city in India. In her poem she explores how water is a blessing to those who lived there. This is because during the dry season, the temperature can reach 40 degrees. The poem is set in a vast area of temporary accommodation called Dharavi, on the outskirts of Bombay, where millions of migrants have gathered from other parts of India. Because it is not an official living area, there is always a shortage of water. In an interview, the poet says: 'But when a pipe bursts, when a water tanker goes past, there's always a little child running behind the water tanker getting the bits of drips and it's like money, it's like currency. In a hot country in that kind of climate, it's like a gift. And the children may have been brought up in the city and grown up as migrants, but the mothers will probably remember in the village they've come from they would have to walk miles with pots to get to a well, to the closest water source. So it really is very precious. When the water comes, it's like a god. List four things we learn about the poem. We must write in full sentences NOT fragments 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker (analysis) - GCSE English Literature - BBC Bitesize 03:27 Context
Blessing The skin cracks like a pod. There never is enough water. BBC Two - English File, Roots And Water 1: Poetry from other cultures and traditions, 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker (dramatisation) Imagine the drip of it, the small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god. 01:11 Dramatisation and voice over reading 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 woman child for streets around butts in, with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets, frantic hands, Blessing By Imtiaz Dharker - YouTube 02:49 Images, Music and the poem and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, their highlights polished to perfection, flashing light, as the blessing sings over their small bones. Who narrates the poem? What happens in the poem? Which theme does it explore? How do you feel as a reader?
Title + Stanza 1 Blessing The skincrackslike a pod. There never is enoughwater. 2 lines, a couplet It communicates the important message of the poem. Use the words in bold to answer the questions. Which noun is a name for the protective human organ? Which piece of onomatopoeia makes the reader hear the pain? Which adverb emphasise the suffering of the people? Which determiner emphasises that the people need more in life? Which noun is used to communicate what the people need? Strong imagery is created by using a simile.
Imagine the drip of it, the small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god. A metaphor is used to convey how water is so important, so rare that when it arrives, it is seen as a divine blessing. Use the words in bold to answer the questions. Which nouns are used to emphasise how little water the people received? Which noun emphasises how empty their containers are? Which verb instructs the readers to think about their dehydration?
Sometimes, the sudden rush of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, silvercrashes to the ground and the flow has found a roar of tongues. From the huts, a congregation: every man woman child for streets around butts in, with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plasticbuckets, frantic hands, Identify the verbs in the stanza Identify the nouns in the stanza Identify the adjectives in the stanza Juxtaposition of words to emphasise the poverty of the people. They see water to be as valuable as gold
and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, their highlights polished to perfection, flashing light, as the blessing sings over their small bones. Strong imagery created through the adjectives to remind the readers of their impoverished state. Use the words or phrases in bold to prove these inferences. We see how the people are transformed now they have water. Water is described as being holy as it is so precious. Everyone is excited now there is water.
Blessing The skin cracks like a pod. There never is enough water. Create a table identifying examples of these language features. Adjectives Nouns Verbs Imagery Similes metaphors Personification etc Powerful Vocabulary Imagine the drip of it, the small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god. small pipe Skin cracks like a pod 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 woman child for streets around butts in, with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets, frantic hands, Summarise your understanding of the poem. Make sure to use transitions in your summary. Firstly, in stanza one we learn that Moreover, as the poem continues, we understand Furthermore Finally and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, their highlights polished to perfection, flashing light, as the blessing sings over their small bones. To Summarise-To give a brief statement of the most important points.
What knowledge have you learnt? What skill have you practiced? How has your previous learning helped you?
