Hurricane hits England

Grace Nichols

Lesson objective: To understand how the poet conveys a clash of different cultures and deals with the cultures being side by side.

Background on the poet

• She was born in 1950 in Georgetown, Guyana.

• She moved to England in 1977.

• She now lives in Brighton with her husband (also a poet) and her daughter.

• The poem is based on a true experience she had when a hurricane hit the coast of England in 1987.

The poem

When reading the poem, think about the following things:

• How the hurricane is described – how does it move?

• How does Nichols feel about the hurricane in the poem.

• Does she see the hurricane as a positive or negative event?

Hurricane hits EnglandIt took a hurricane, to bring her closerTo the landscape.Half the night she lay awake,The howling ship of the wind,

5 Its gathering rage,Like some dark ancestral spectre.Fearful and reassuring.

Talk to me HuracanTalk to me Oya

10 Talk to me ShangoAnd Hattie,My sweeping, back-home cousin.

Tell me why you visitAn English coast?

15 What is the meaningOf old tonguesReaping havocIn new places?

The blinding illumination,20 Even as you short-

Circuit usInto further darkness?

What is the meaning of treesFalling heavy as whales

25 Their crusted rootsTheir cratered graves?

O why is my heart unchained?

Tropical Oya of the Weather,I am aligning myself to you,

30 I am following the movement of your winds,I am riding the mystery of your storm.

Ah, sweet mystery,Come to break the frozen lake in me,Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me,

35 Come to let me knowThat the earth is the earth is the earth

Hurricane hits England

It took a hurricane, to bring her closer

To the landscape.Half the night she lay awake,The howling ship of the wind,

5 Its gathering rage,Like some dark ancestral spectre.Fearful and reassuring.

Talk to me HuracanTalk to me Oya

10 Talk to me ShangoAnd Hattie,My sweeping, back-home cousin.

Tell me why you visitAn English coast?

15 What is the meaningOf old tonguesReaping havocIn new places?

Written in the third person. Metaphors and similes are used to describe the hurricane and its actions – why are these effective?

Written in the first person. Talking directly to the hurricane, using names she would have used in the Caribbean. Both of these things make the poem sound more personal now.

She is reminded of her childhood and her roots. Does she think this positive or negative?

The blinding illumination,20 Even as you short-

Circuit usInto further darkness?

What is the meaning of treesFalling heavy as whales

25 Their crusted rootsTheir cratered graves?

O why is my heart unchained?

Tropical Oya of the Weather,I am aligning myself to you,

30 I am following the movement of your winds,I am riding the mystery of your storm.

Ah, sweet mystery,Come to break the frozen lake in me,Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me,

35 Come to let me knowThat the earth is the earth is the earth.

Further into the unknown, further into the confusion she now feels.

She wonders why she is being affected by this. She again speaks directly to the storm.

She feels at home with the hurricane’s presence, and is remembering and embracing her past.

The hurricane has reminded her of roots she had forgotten – consider her metaphorical ‘tree’ shaking and her ‘roots’ being pulled out of the ground.

Repetition of ‘I’ makes the poem very personal

The hurricane helped her overcome feelings of uncertainty she had when she moved to England. She now realises that no matter where she is in the world, she is the same person.

Learning objective: To look at the poem in more depth to understand the key ideas

and also the main themes within the poem.

Hurricane Hits England.

Make notes on the following...1. What is being described and how is it

described in the first stanza?

2. In the second stanza there is a shift to the first person. What is the effect of this and why is it important?

3. Look at the similes and metaphors used in stanzas 1 and 5, what are they describing and how is this effective?

4. How do her feelings change towards the storm throughout the poem? List at least 2 quotations to back up your point.

What are themes?

Themes are the main points/subjects/ideas of a piece (or in this case a poem).

How are they useful for the exams?

For comparison with other poems to discuss similarities and links, as well as

differences.

Main themes of the poem:

• Cultural differences.• Emigration.• The violent and

destructive nature of the hurricane – mirroring her feelings.

• Being reminded of roots and origins.

• Mixed feelings.• Nature imagery.

Finally...

In one sentence...describe the key meanings and themes

behind the poem.