Exploring Themes in Grace Nichols' Poem 'Island Man'
Delve into the themes of alienation and displacement in Grace Nichols' evocative poem 'Island Man', as the Caribbean island man in London yearns for the sounds of his homeland. Understand how Nichols portrays the feeling of detachment through vivid imagery and contrasts between the island and city life.
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Presentation Transcript
Unseen Poetry: Island Man Sunday, 20 April 2025
Answer these questions in full sentences in your books. 1: Define Assonance 2: Define Free verse 3: Define Onomatopoeia 4: Define Alienation 5: Define Dislocation
Answers please write these down if you got them incorrect. 1: Define Assonance: Assonance is the deliberate repetition of vowel sounds in a sentence or across lines of poetry. 2: Define Free verse: Free verse is poetry with no consistent rhythmic pattern or rhyme scheme and no formal structure. 3: Define Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is the use of words which sound like the noises they are describing. 4: Define Alienation: Alienation is the sense of not belonging to a society being an outsider. 5: Define Dislocation : Dislocation is the sense of feeling as though one is in a certain place, when being in another.
Island Man by Grace Nichols (for a Caribbean island man in London who still wakes up to the sounds of the sea) Morning And Island man wakes up To the sound of blue surf In his head The steady breaking and wombing Wild seabirds And fisherman pulling out to sea The sun surfacing defiantly From the east Of his small emerald island He always comes back groggily groggily Comes back to sands Of a grey metallic soar To surge of wheels To dull North Circular roar Muffling muffling His crumpled pillow waves Island man heaves himself Another London day
ISLAND MAN Discuss the poem with a neighbour and be prepared to feedback to the room your thoughts about either the meaning of the poem or specific devices used for effect. 5 minutes. I will select students to feed back.
QUESTION: Think and write In your books, write an answer to this question in no more than 2 sentences: How does Nicholls present the feeling of alienation in the poem Island Man? (You are writing the what of a what, how, why paragraph).
Pair and share (10 minutes) Share your response with your neighbour and discuss your ideas. THEN: Work together to find evidence for your idea in the poem and to explain your thinking ( HOW and WHY). I will ask students to share their ideas with the class.
Write your response to the question as a what, how, why paragraph How does Nicholls present the feeling of alienation in the poem Island Man?
Example Grace Nicholls uses sensory imagery relating to the sound of traffic to show that the Island Man is confused when he wakes up and feels that he does not belong in North London. She writes that he wakes to the sound of blue surf yet actually hears the surge of wheels . The assonance of the ur sound links the two images and shows us his confusion. This helps to establish the idea of his mind and body being in different places as he awakens
