Island Man Essay Questions

Compare and contrast the imagery in the island scene and the imagery in London.

One primary difference between the island scene and the London scene is the employment of color in the descriptions. Several hues are featured prominently within the poem. In the first stanza, the man hears the “sound of blue surf.” Even though he is listening, the sound is powerful enough to conjure an image with a color. The island is described as “emerald,” which conveys the brilliant green of the namesake gemstone as well as a sense of preciousness and value. After he awakes in London, the “sands” there (which can be read as a pun on the word “sounds”) are of “a grey metallic soar.” Again, a sound is enough to conjure an image, yet the bright blues and greens have been replaced by a greyscale. That this grey is “metallic” evokes machinery and industrialization, instead of the rich nature of the island scene.

One similarity in the imagery of both locations is the emphasis on movement through the employment of action verbs. Movement in poetry creates an immersive experience. The waves on the island are “breaking and wombing” steadily, the fishermen are “pushing out to sea,” and the sun is “surfacing defiantly.” In London, the sound is filled with action, with “soar,” a “surge of wheels,” and “roar.” Even the inanimate object of a pillow moves: it “waves” to the man. When the island man rises, he “heaves.” This word choice conveys the sense of effort and resignation it takes for the man to get out of bed.

How does the poem discuss cultural identity and belonging?

From the second line, the poem centers the idea of cultural identity and belonging. The central subject of the poem is an “island man,” whose identity is inseparable from the landscape of an island. The island in this case has dual significance—both of the imagined “small emerald island” of the man’s homeland and of the island country of England. It also could represent the isolation attached to island living, which is separated and surrounded by sea on all sides.

The man finds comfort and belonging within the island scene he pictures. The sea is described as “breaking and wombing.” The word choice of “wombing” carries an innate sense of warmth, nourishment, and home. The island is described as “his small emerald island,” which his intimacy with the landscape. He finds comfort in the landscape, which “he always comes back” to. The fact that he heard traffic and immediately was transported to the island demonstrates that the man is originally from a place in which waves are more commonplace than busy roads.

In his current life in London, he is less comfortable. The effect of traffic is “muffling muffling,” which suggests that the environment stifles something within him. His pillow is “crumpled.” When he gets out of bed, he must “heave” himself with great effort.