Image in words of immigrants waiting to take a train to an unfamiliar destination. A stage in their ongoing journey from their homeland. Carry their worldly possessions in their luggage. Also a humanist image of a time in post war history.
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Structural features of texts |
Deconstruction |
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5 Verses
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Verse 1 – description of time and the atmosphere Verse 2 – descriptive of the migrants waiting; time waits with them Verse 3 – description of family groups Verse 4 – Impact of the whistle, referred to at the beginning Verse 5 – |
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Begins with the train’s whistle
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Poem captures a brief moment in time, from the whistle announcing it’s arrival to the prospect of leaving with it. |
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Ends with the train moving off.
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Language features of texts |
Analysis |
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Atmosphere
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Rain Dampness Silence Cold |
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Mood
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Sad – repeated Dampness and thoughts Cattle simile
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Simile: cattle
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Suggests numbers; muteness and a herd like movement of numbers Dehumanising |
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Simile: guillotine
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Suggests: finality; being cut off; a kind of death; loss of the known |
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Personification: time
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Suggests time or the future lies in the journey they will take; their destination |
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Personification: the whistle |
The whistle is in charge of their movements and, by implication, their futures |
eruditeHSC 