BLESSING: An Analysis

Here are some ideas about DRAMA in Blessing, from 8A1:

Laura Levy Cameron talked about imagery:
The line "the skin cracks like a pod" could reflect the cracks in society in Mumbai - the rich people in the cities vs. the poor people of the slums. These cracks have led to the rich having lots of water but the poor having none.

Louise Brennan talked about language:
The word "echo" makes me think that apart from the drip of the water, nothing else is present. There is nothing else around to occupy the people; there is only the small drip of the water pipe. It echoes because of the empty space.
Kai Mohammed-Grange and Blay Wynn added to this:
"Echo" could show that everything has slowed down. Everyone is tired and thirsty. It could be like the feeling you get when something is so important, time comes to a stop. That relates to "drip", too.

Carise Lownds talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could imply that the people are so very thirsty that they have started to hallucinate; the sun is no longer in the sky but has become liquid, falling all over them.

Jason Todd talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could mean that even though the people have water, the sun is reflected in it. This reminds us that even though the people have water for a moment, in it is reflected the thing that will ultimately kill them - the heat.

Tori Cook talked about structure:
The poem is structured in a way that makes me think that the poet wants us to remember nothing is forever. It starts negative, then builds up to a positive event. However, it then ends with the line "over their small bones", which makes me think that the children are still starving, and the water was only short-lived.
Carys Broom added to this:
The basic message is that the water is a miracle, and that miracles are short-lived. The poet brings us back to earth with a bump.

Kimmy Slough talked about language:
The juxtaposition of "flow" and "roar" is important because it shows the contrast between the people and their surroundings. The water is calm, but the people are not. The people are roaring because the sudden flow of water has awakened their animal instincts; they have become animals and lost all of their human features. It's an angry noun.

Well done 8A1! Please check back tomorrow for some more original ideas about Stanza 1.