Island Man Grace Nichols

If you were to leave Weymouth what would you: miss about it? not miss about it?

Grace Nichols Born in Guyana in 1950 After university, she worked in the Caribbean as a journalist and reporter Moved to Britain in 1977 Now lives in Sussex

I feel at home now both in Guyana and in England. When I’m in Guyana, I feel I belong there because I spring from that landscape. But, partly because I have children in England, I also feel at home in this culture, with their dreams and aspirations. So I embrace both.

England is where I live, where I make my living. But when I’m in England I’m always looking back. Both as a writer and as an individual, I’m always looking at both worlds.

Many Afro-Caribbeans in Britain live a split existence They may yearn for the warmth and simple pleasures of the islands they think of as home However, they find themselves, with friends and family, in a cold northern climate ‘Island Man’ captures this division – between a fantasy of the simple life and the working daily reality

Listen again to the poem ‘Island Man’ What does he associate with his island home and what does he associate with London?

Island Man

Island Man – Grace Nichols Look at the lay-out of the poem. It is unusual. Which of these statements would you agree with? The poem is divided into six stages Two distinct parts of the poem are separated by one line There are three separate parts to the poem

Look at the shape of the poem. What is unusual or irregular about it? Why did the poet choose to set out her poem in this way? In what ways are the first three lines of the poem reflected in the last three?

The poem is written as free verse – it is a quite loose sequence of vivid images The poet relies on effects of sound What sounds does she contrast? There are few rhymes and repetitions Grace Nichols also uses colours Is this effective?

What do these words suggest to you? Language Think about the words the poet uses and how they are placed together. The steady breaking and wombing (5) Even rhythm – ‘stea/dy’, ‘break/ing’, ‘womb/ing’ reflects sound of sea. Uses noun ‘womb’ to make verb ‘wombing’ – suggests comfort, security and place of birth. The sun surfacing defiantly (8) his small emerald island (10) a grey metallic soar (13) to dull North Circular roar (15) his crumpled pillow waves (17) island man heaves himself (18) Another London day (19)

Which verbs does the poet use to describe the island in lines 5-8? Which verbs does the poet use to describe London in lines 13-15? What differences do you see between them?

Grace Nichols wrote Island Man ‘for a Caribbean island man in London who still wakes up to the sound of the sea’. Why do you think such a man would come to live in London? What does the poet suggest to you about the way he might feel?

What does the poem imply about culture and its importance? ‘ On the surface this poem seems to be about the difference between a Caribbean island and London. Underneath it’s about the dreams and realities that we all have to deal with.’ In what ways do you think this is an accurate description of ‘Island Man’? Where does home really lie? Does the title have more than one meaning?