"Hurricane Hits England" by Grace Nichols
Line 1–2:
It took a hurricane, to bring her closer
To the landscape.
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Analysis: The poem opens by showing that the hurricane creates a moment of
realization for the speaker, helping her connect more deeply with the place she is
living. It suggests a sudden awakening or reconnection with identity and surroundings.
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Language Device: Enjambment – The lines flow into each other, mirroring the
unexpected nature of the storm and the emotions it brings.
Line 3–4:
Half the night she lay awake,
The howling ship of the wind,
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Analysis: The speaker describes lying awake during the storm, listening to the powerful
wind, which is described as a ship. This shows the storm's force and her alertness or
unrest.
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Language Device: Metaphor – The wind is described as a "howling ship," giving it
movement, force, and a sense of purpose.
Line 5–6:
Its gathering rage,
Like some dark ancestral spectre,
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Analysis: The storm’s energy is compared to an ancestral ghost. This links the hurricane
to the speaker’s heritage, blending fear with familiarity.
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Language Device: Simile – “Like some dark ancestral spectre” compares the storm to a
ghostly figure from the past.
Line 7:
Fearful and reassuring:
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Analysis: This line captures the paradoxical feeling the speaker experiences — the
storm is frightening but also strangely comforting because it reminds her of her
origins.
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Language Device: Juxtaposition – The pairing of opposing emotions (fearful vs.
reassuring) emphasizes the complex emotional impact of the storm.
Line 8–11:
Talk to me Huracan
Talk to me Oya
Talk to me Shango
And Hattie,
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Analysis: The speaker calls out to deities from Caribbean mythology and history,
seeking understanding. It reveals her spiritual and cultural connection to the storm.
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Language Device: Apostrophe – Directly addressing these figures, the speaker seeks
answers from forces that are not physically present.
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Language Device: Allusion – The names Huracan, Oya, and Shango reference West
African and Caribbean gods associated with storms and power.
Line 12–13:
My sweeping, back-home cousin.
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Analysis: The speaker refers to the hurricane as her "cousin," showing kinship and
cultural familiarity. The storm is not just a natural event—it’s a reminder of home.
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Language Device: Metaphor – The storm is personified as a cousin, symbolizing shared
roots.
Line 14–16:
Tell me why you visit
An English coast?
What is the meaning
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Analysis: The speaker questions the arrival of a tropical storm in England. It feels out of
place, and she wants to know why something so familiar from home is now here.
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Language Device: Rhetorical Question – The speaker reflects on deeper meanings
behind the storm’s appearance in an unfamiliar land.
Line 17–18:
Of old tongues
Reaping havoc
In new places?
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Analysis: The "old tongues" suggest ancestral voices or cultural forces that have
followed her to a new country. The storm brings chaos, but also cultural memory.
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Language Device: Symbolism – “Old tongues” may represent cultural roots or the
voices of ancestors carried by the storm.
Line 19–21:
The blinding illumination,
Even as you short
Circuit us
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Analysis: The storm brings both light (a kind of understanding) and destruction (power
outages). It symbolizes revelation and disruption at once.
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Language Device: Contrast – Light is associated with knowledge, but here it also causes
darkness through short-circuiting.
Line 22–23:
Into further darkness?
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Analysis: The speaker questions whether the storm truly enlightens or just brings more
confusion and uncertainty.
Line 24–26:
What is the meaning of trees
Falling heavy as whales
Their crusted roots
Their cratered graves?
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Analysis: Trees falling in the storm are likened to whales, showing the immense weight
of the destruction. The exposed roots and craters represent deep emotional
disturbance.
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Language Device: Simile – “Heavy as whales” suggests the magnitude and sadness of
the destruction.
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Language Device: Imagery – “Crusted roots” and “cratered graves” evoke strong visual
and emotional reactions.
Line 27:
O why is my heart unchained?
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Analysis: The storm stirs the speaker’s emotions, releasing feelings that had been
buried or suppressed.
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Language Device: Metaphor – Her "unchained" heart suggests emotional liberation.
Line 28–30:
Tropical Oya of the Weather,
I am aligning myself to you,
I am following the movement of your winds,
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Analysis: The speaker embraces her connection with Oya, a goddess of storms,
accepting the emotional and cultural power of the storm.
Line 31–33:
I am riding the mystery of your storm.
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Analysis: She now surrenders to the unknown, ready to face her emotions and cultural
journey with openness.
Line 34–36:
Ah, sweet mystery,
Come to break the frozen lake in me,
Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me
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Analysis: The "frozen lake" symbolizes emotional numbness. The storm helps her break
through and feel deeply again.
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Language Device: Metaphor – The “frozen lake” represents her blocked emotions
being released.
Line 37–39:
Come to let me know
That the earth is the earth is the earth.
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Analysis: She reaches a moment of clarity and acceptance — that nature, identity, and
place are all deeply connected. It’s a return to a grounded understanding of her place
in the world.
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Language Device: Repetition – “The earth is the earth is the earth” emphasizes her
realization and reconnection with nature and self.
1. Context behind the poem:
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Grace Nichols was born in Guyana in the Caribbean and later moved to England.
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The poem is about a hurricane hitting England, which is unusual, and how it reminds
the poet of her home in the Caribbean.
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It shows how natural events can bring back memories and help someone feel
connected to their roots.
2. The meaning and message of the poem:
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The hurricane makes the poet think about her Caribbean heritage.
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Even though the storm is scary, it helps her feel closer to her identity and more at
home in England.
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It shows how powerful events in nature can unlock deep emotions and help us
understand who we are.
3. Language devices used and why:
Device
Metaphor
Simile
Example
"howling ship of the wind"
"trees falling heavy as
whales"
Apostrophe "Talk to me Oya"
Imagery
"cratered graves"
Repetition
"the earth is the earth is
the earth"
Why it’s used
Makes the wind sound strong and alive.
Helps us imagine how big and strong the trees
are.
She talks to gods from her culture to feel
connected.
Shows the damage and sadness caused by the
storm.
Emphasizes her final understanding that
everything is connected.
4. Structural devices used and why:
Device
What it does
Free verse
No rhyme or set pattern – reflects the wild, unpredictable nature of the
storm.
Enjambment Lines run into each other – mirrors the flowing, ongoing thoughts and
emotions.
Key themes:
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Identity and belonging – finding where you feel at home.
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Power of Nature – how storms and weather can affect us emotionally.
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Memory and Heritage – reconnecting with your past and culture.
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Emotional Awakening – the storm helps her feel deeply again.