Notesale: Turn your study into money

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● Context: Imtiaz Dharker describes herself
as a Scottish Muslim Calvinist and the theme
of religion, and religious language, is often
reflected in her poetry
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It is these
experiences which help to inspire her works
...
In this case,
light could be a metaphor for Allah, due to
Dharker’s Muslim background and Pakistani
heritage
...

Gods are often a symbol of hope, and this
particular phrase connotes images of a
stained-glass window in a holy place, such as a church
...

Similarly, we all have the opportunity to let people shine into our lives and
bring us wisdom
...
The theme of paper and skin is also reflected here - as
we get older, our skin becomes thinner and perhaps life experiences and new
people could be what “alter[s] things”
...

● “Credit card/might fly our lives like paper kites” - this simile conveys how
money controls our lives, however the use of “paper kites” may suggest that
perhaps, despite our apparent freedom, we are all actually tethered down by
material goods and possessions (and the responsibilities in our daily lives,
perhaps)
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The speaker appears to want to break free from these
restrictions, as she believes that they are worthless and that we should
collect experiences, not goods (due to the short and impermanent nature of
human life)
...


Key themes, form and structure
● Dharker does not give the narrator a name, which may suggest that this poem
is more broad and applies to humanity as a whole
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● Direct address is used in the final stanza, giving the effect that the speaker
wants the reader to focus on their own identity and to make the poem more
personal and give it a reflective tone
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However the language and metaphors about light
appear to convey an overridingly positive tone surrounding the creation if
humans and what we can achieve (although, of course, these seem
irrelevant in comparison with the fragility of human life)
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