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For this activity, you will need to turn to the poem 'The Emigree' by Carol Rumens, which can be found in the Power and Conflict section of your Anthology.
In this poem, the speaker is recalling a place she left many years ago (the place where she was born). She does not remember details, but the place has left a very strong impression with fond memories. She also suggests that she feels threatened in her new city.
Emigrants are people who have left the country of their birth to settle elsewhere in the world. The spelling of the word Rumens chooses, "émigrée"- is a feminine form and suggests the speaker of the poem is a woman.
The poem focuses on the main themes of living in exile, the passage of time, migration and light.
In the following questions, you will be asked about the meaning of these themes.
You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples. These quotations are for reference only.
