BlessingBy Imtiaz Dharker

Objectives:By the end of today’s lesson you will be

able: Identify and understand the imagery in

the poem ‘Blessing’ Make notes in the form of a Symbolic

Story.

ContextBorn in Pakistan, Imtiaz Dharker grew up a Muslim/Calvinist in a Lahori household in Glasgow and eloped with a Hindu Indian to live in Mumbai. She is now making a new life between India, London and Wales. She is an accomplished artist and documentary film-maker, and allall her books – all published by Bloodaxe – Postcards from god (including Purdah), I Speak for the Devil and The terrorist at my table, include her own drawings.

• Dharavi, in the city of Mumbai, is the largest shanty town in Asia with almost 1 million inhabitants

• In November 2006 it was estimated that there was only one toilet per 1,440 residents

• Therefore most residents use the canals for defecating and for drinking water

Blessing noun1. a short prayer of thanks2. the formal act of approving; "he gave the

project his blessing”3. a desirable state; "enjoy the blessings of

peace“

In a village during a drought, a water pipe bursts and the people rush to collect it, play in it and celebrate the value of water in such times.

Symbolic Story:• I will read the poem to you

(slowly). You need to draw the images or take notes (not writing) in a way that will allow you to recite the poem back to me;

• Make notes using only pictures or symbols, no words

• Obviously you need to listen carefully so no talking

• Your finished work should allow you to recite a version of the poem as close the original as possible.

Blessing - Imtiaz Dharker

The skin cracks like a pod.There never is enough water.

Imagine the drip of it,the small splash, echoin a tin mug,the voice of a kindly god.

Sometimes, the sudden rushof fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,silver crashes to the groundand the flow has founda roar of tongues. From the huts,a congregation: every man womanchild for streets aroundbutts in, with pots,brass, copper, aluminium,plastic buckets,frantic hands,

Words with religious

connotations

onomatopoeia

Metaphor

The act of giving to beggars, real value

Pun All these implements

reflect poverty

Pace picks up as the water begins to flow

Commas break up the sentences,

making it actually flow

Simile

Alliteration: like the sound of water

and naked childrenscreaming in the liquid sun,their highlights polished to perfection,flashing light,as the blessing singsover their small bones.

innocence

Unusual adjective

Alliteration

Enjambment reflecting

excitement

Third person omniscient narrator – allows reader to appreciate the wider effect of a drought

Imagery Simile = “The skin cracks like a pod”Metaphor • “the voice of a kindly god” (the

sound of water)• “silver crashes to the ground” • “the liquid sun”• “as the blessing sings”

Narrator Third person omniscient narrator – allows reader to appreciate the wider effect of a drought

Alliteration • “small splash” (“s” sound like the splash of water)•“polished to perfection”

Themes/Interpretation

1. What does Dharker say the poem is not about?

2. What is the main theme of the poem, according to Dharker?

Tone • Ideas:

– In a society where water is sometimes scarce it becomes the most precious commodity (water = “silver”)

– During a drought a sudden supply of water is cause for major celebration

• Attitudes:– There is no sense of recrimination about the lack of water, only

joy when it finally arrives– Self-preservation (“every man woman child … butts in”)

• Feelings:– Hope / desperation (“Imagine the drip of it”)– Joy / excitement (“roar of tongues”, “naked children / screaming

in the liquid sun”)– Relief (“as the blessing sings / over their small bones”)

• Interpretation (the theme of the poem)Why is the poem called ‘Blessing?’

• Language (how the poem is told eg. register, tense, poetic voice, 1st or 3rd person)The poetic voice is a third person omniscient narrator. What is the effect of this?

• Imagery (the pictures created in the reader’s mind eg. simile, metaphor, personification, symbols)What is the effect of the metaphor, ‘the voice of a kindly god?’

• Structure (how the poem is put together eg. assonance, alliteration, enjambment, rhyme, rhythm) What is the effect of the alliteration, ‘small splash’ and ‘polished to perfection’

• Tone/Mood (the attitude of the writer towards the subject and the effect of this on the reader)Do you think the author feels angry about the level of poverty in Dharavi?