Imtiaz Dharker's 'Blessing' - Analysis

• Imtiaz Dharker was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1954.
• Dharker moved to Glasgow as a child and currently resides in both Britain and Mumbai, India.
• Dharker is a poet, documentary maker, and filmmaker.
• She won the Queen's Gold Medal for her English poetry.
• 'Blessing' describes the impact of a burst water pipe in a Mumbai slum during the dry season when temperatures reach 40 degrees centigrade.
• The poem celebrates the life-giving power of water, portraying the event as a miracle.

Summary

• The poem depicts the transformation brought by water to the impoverished in Mumbai.
• The drought-stricken environment contrasts with the joy and relief when a pipe bursts, symbolizing a religious blessing.
• The poem's message is that water is a precious resource, and its sudden availability feels like a miracle with nature transforming lives.

Analysis

• The title 'Blessing' immediately establishes a religious tone.
• It indicates a divine gift that offers protection and kindness.
• It suggests a prayer-like significance, highlighting water as a generous gift to the children during a drought, like a feast after deprivation.
• The poem is written in free verse without a fixed rhyming structure or rhythm.
• Shorter stanzas at the beginning reflect the scarcity of water, while longer, flowing stanzas mirror the gushing water from the burst pipe.
• Enjambment in stanzas three and four imitates the continuous flow of water.

Stanza 1

• The simile comparing 'The skin' to a 'pod' or 'seed' describes dehydration.
• It could refer to the parched earth or the cracked skin of Mumbai residents.
• It is an image representing both dehydration and the potential for renewal.
• The short sentence "There never is enough water" emphasizes chronic water scarcity.
• The word 'water' is strategically placed at the beginning when it's absent, making it more poignant.
• Instead of reusing 'water', the poem uses descriptive imagery to highlight its essence.

Stanza 2

• Begins with 'Imagine', an imperative inviting readers to empathize with those lacking water.
• The auditory imagery of 'the drip of it' and 'small splash' evokes a sense of water.
• Sibilance in 'small splash' creates a flowing sound like water.
• A metaphor compares the sound of water 'in a tin mug' to 'the voice of a kindly God'.
• The tinkling sound symbolizes a divine voice.
• Water is personified as a benevolent element, bringing life.

Stanza 3

• 'Sometimes' emphasizes the rarity of the pipe bursting, making it a special event.
• 'Sudden rush of fortune' is a metaphor that characterizes the rupture as an outpouring of luck.
• The water is compared to 'silver crashes to the ground' a metaphor emphasizing its value and shininess.
• 'Crashes' highlights the weight and abundance of the flowing water.
• Alliteration of 'F' in 'flow has found' emphasizes the water's pace.
• The people's voices are metaphorically described as the 'roar of tongues'.
• 'Roar' suggests a primal expression of joy and unity.
• The people gathering 'a congregation' highlights unity as a community, usually in a church.
• The phrase 'pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets' illustrates the urgency of collecting water.
• 'Frantic hands' captures the happy chaos caused by the water.

Stanza 4

• The enjambment linking stanza three and four mirrors the continuous water flow.
• 'Liquid sun' describes the water transforming the children, highlighting its brightness and beauty.
• The children's skin, once 'like a pod', is now 'polished to perfection'
• The alliteration of 'p' sound emphasizes the harmony and glossiness given by water.
• These sight images of the water contrast the sound images from the beginning of the poem.
• The water is described as singing over their 'small bones'
• 'Sings' echoes the 'kindly God' from stanza two.
• The verb 'to sing' also describes something positive and joyful which the water has brought to the children.
• The blessing plays across the 'small bones' of the children highlighting the transformation of their bodies.
• The poem concludes with a happy image of revitalized children, brought to life by water.