Blessing
By Imtiaz Dharker
Objectives:
By the end of today’s lesson you will be able:

Identify and understand the imagery in the
poem ‘Blessing’

Make notes in the form of a Symbolic Story.
Context
Born in Pakistan, Imtiaz Dharker grew up a
Muslim/Calvinist in a Lahori household in
Glasgow and eloped with a Hindu Indian to
live in Mumbai. She is now making a new life
between India, London and Wales. She is an
accomplished artist and documentary filmmaker, and all her books – all published by
Bloodaxe – Postcards from god (including
Purdah), I Speak for the Devil and The
terrorist at my table, include her own
drawings.
• Dharavi, in the city of
Mumbai, is the largest
shanty town in Asia
with almost 1 million
inhabitants
• In November 2006 it
was estimated that
there was only one
toilet per 1,440
residents
• Therefore most
residents use the
canals for defecating
and for drinking water
Blessing noun
1. a short prayer of thanks
2. the formal act of approving; "he gave the
project his blessing”
3. a desirable state; "enjoy the blessings of
peace“
In a village during a
drought, a water pipe
bursts and the people rush
to collect it, play in it and
celebrate the value of
water in such times.
Symbolic Story:
• I will read the poem to you
(slowly). You need to draw the
images or take notes (not
writing) in a way that will allow
you to recite the poem back to
me;
• Make notes using only pictures
or symbols, no words
• Obviously you need to listen
carefully so no talking
• Your finished work should allow
you to recite a version of the
poem as close the original as
possible.
Blessing - Imtiaz Dharker
Simile
Words with
religious
connotations
The act of
giving to
beggars,
real value
Pun
The skin cracks like a pod.
There never is enough water.
Imagine the drip of it,
the small splash, echo
in a tin mug,
the voice of a kindly god.
onomatopoeia
Alliteration: like the sound of
water
Metaphor
Pace picks up as the
Sometimes, the sudden rush
of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, water begins to flow
silver crashes to the ground
Commas break up
and the flow has found
the sentences,
a roar of tongues. From the huts,
making it actually
a congregation: every man woman
flow
child for streets around
butts in, with pots,
All these
brass, copper, aluminium,
implements
plastic buckets,
reflect poverty
frantic hands,
Enjambment
reflecting
excitement
innocence
and naked children
screaming in the liquid sun,
their highlights polished to perfection,
flashing light,
as the blessing sings
Alliteration
over their small bones.
Unusual adjective
Third person omniscient narrator – allows reader to
appreciate the wider effect of a drought
Imagery
Simile = “The skin cracks like a pod”
Metaphor
• “the voice of a kindly god” (the
sound of water)
• “silver crashes to the ground” • “the
liquid sun”
• “as the blessing sings”
Third person omniscient narrator –
allows reader to appreciate the wider
effect of a drought
Alliteration • “small splash” (“s” sound like the
splash of water)
•“polished to perfection”
Narrator
Themes/Interpretation
1. What does Dharker say the poem is not
about?
2. What is the main theme of the poem,
according to Dharker?
Tone
• Ideas:
– In a society where water is sometimes scarce it becomes the
most precious commodity (water = “silver”)
– During a drought a sudden supply of water is cause for major
celebration
• Attitudes:
– There is no sense of recrimination about the lack of water, only
joy when it finally arrives
– Self-preservation (“every man woman child … butts in”)
• Feelings:
– Hope / desperation (“Imagine the drip of it”)
– Joy / excitement (“roar of tongues”, “naked children / screaming
in the liquid sun”)
– Relief (“as the blessing sings / over their small bones”)
• Interpretation (the theme of the poem)
Why is the poem called ‘Blessing?’
• Language (how the poem is told eg.
register, tense, poetic voice, 1st or 3rd
person)
The poetic voice is a third person
omniscient narrator. What is the effect of
this?
• Imagery (the pictures created in the reader’s
mind eg. simile, metaphor, personification,
symbols)
What is the effect of the metaphor, ‘the voice of
a kindly god?’
• Structure (how the poem is put together eg.
assonance, alliteration, enjambment, rhyme,
rhythm)
What is the effect of the alliteration, ‘small
splash’ and ‘polished to perfection’
• Tone/Mood (the attitude of the writer
towards the subject and the effect of
this on the reader)
Do you think the author feels angry about
the level of poverty in Dharavi?