Analysing the Poem 'The Emigree' | Exit Quiz | Oak National Academy

Match the keywords to their definitions.

• Idealised

• spread through every part of.

• Pervade

• extremely happy, peaceful, picturesque.

• Epistrophe

• the repetition of a word at the end of a sentence or stanza.

• Idyllic

• regarded as perfect or better than in reality.

Answer explanation

These are useful words when exploring Rumen's 'The Emigree'.

How does 'The Emigree''s opening line support the speaker’s idealistic and innocent view of the past?

• The opening shows the speaker is daydreaming

• The opening makes the poem sound like a story

• The opening shows the speaker holds onto the bright perception of her country

Answer explanation

The opening line is almost reminiscent of a fairy tale in the way it's structured. Though it sounds like the start of a story, it can also suggest a sense of sadness or loss.

The use of free verse in 'The Emigree' could reflect a ___ identity.

Answer explanation

The speaker may feel unsettled about the current state of her country and also her place/position in her new city. Line 23 suggests the speaker feels threatened.

What is the effect of Rumen's use of personification in 'The Emigree'?

• it makes her city seem child-like

• it makes her city seem menacing

• it makes her city seem oppressive

Answer explanation

The personification likens the city to a child, perhaps reflecting the speaker wanting to take care of it as it did for her when she was little.

Rumens uses epistrophe which is a type of repetition in 'The Emigree'. What word does she repeat using epistrophe?

• city

• child

• sunlight

Answer explanation

The word 'sunlight' is repeated at the end of each stanza which suggests the lasting impression her city has left on her.

Ultimately, at the end of 'The Emigree' the speaker feels __________ about her home city.

• positively

• negatively

• neutrally

Answer explanation

The final line of the poem is defiant and ends positively, suggesting that cherishing memory defies the oppression of tyranny and menacing threats.