Look We Have Coming to Dover!

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Conflict: As a result of these societal, cultural and identity differences, it is easy to see how there is potential for conflict as different groups and different ideologies are merged into this one poem.

While there is variety within stanzas regarding line length, there is a very even structure across the poem with five stanzas of five lines. One interpretation of the specific use of five could be as a reference to the ‘five oceans’ of the world, which have all proved vital to traditional movement and travel over the centuries. Alternatively it could be seen as further representation of cycles, perhaps arguing that changes in immigration are natural changes which should be expected. Many word choices throughout the poem are important due to their variety of negative connotations. This includes phrases such as “diesel-breeze” which alludes to pollution and environmental damage as a result of travelling, and harsh and unpleasant industry-heavy areas. There is also the personification of the wind and rain described as “yobbish” and the ugly connotations and dehumanisation of “swarms of us” which likens those entering the country to insects. Intriguingly, a reader today may find this line even more notable than in 2007 (the year in which the poem was published) due to former Prime Minister David Cameron’s description of migrants crossing the Mediterranean as a “swarm”. As such, this would help to make the poem even more memorable and help a reader consider the implications and ideas of the poem in todays society. Important Lines Eminent group adds pens of Andrea Levy and Jean Rhys to its collection as it sets out to champion writers of colour Another link to ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is that the poem shares a very similar rhyme scheme. All stanzas have an initial ABAB pattern, with the first three then continuing to CDEDCE and the last two to CDECDE. It is important to note that while Turnbull uses the same rhyme structure as Keats, the inclusion in each stanza of the poem is slightly different. Whereas Keats uses a Miltonic sestet (with the first and fifth stanzas ending in CDEDCE, the second stanza CDECED, and third and fourth stanzas CDECDE), Turnbull instead uses a more simple pattern with the first three stanzas matching, followed by the last two stanzas matching. Readers who are aware of this difference may interpret it as a representation of the changes in society over time, and this different rhythm used to show how a metaphorical‘rhythm of society’ may have developed. Alternatively, readers who are not aware of these changes and would consider the poem more at face value would likely understand this relatively complex rhyme scheme as showing the complex and diverse society of today.The use of non English words is an intriguing way in which Nagra can be seen to be critical of anti-immigration ideas and sentiments, demonstrating how English has naturally evolved to incorporate words from other languages. There are many examples, such as “alfresco” (Italian) and “camouflage” (French) within the first two stanzas, and reference to champagne through “charged glasses” in the final stanza. This would be very effective for readers who notice the inclusion of such words but don’t immediately see them as ‘foreign’ because it would demonstrate how language has evolved, and how little it has been realised by modern society.

His second collection, Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man Eating Tiger-Toy Machine!!! (2012), was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. [ citation needed] Nagra's 2013 book, Ramayana, was also shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. [ citation needed] In 2014, he won the Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship Award. [8]Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!! – Faber & Faber, 2012. ISBN 978-0571264919 There are a few important themes in ‘Look We Have Coming to Dover!,’but the most prominent are identity and society. They can be seen from the start with the contrast between the arrival of the immigrant and the presence of the tourists. The immigrants maintain their culture throughout the poem, even in the dream future they still keep their language in the safety of their middle-class homes. The sibilance and alliteration of ‘Stowed in the sea to invade’ conjure up the sound of the sea and are also reminiscent of Old English alliterative verse, suggesting a certain primitiveness in the account of the voyage as well as highlighting the threat that some believe immigrants present. This, however, also reminds the reader that England is part of an island nation whose population is made up of invaders. Nagra successfully mingles the suggestion of racist attitudes with an ironic reminder of history. Blumsom, Amy (8 October 2015). "Daljit Nagra becomes first poet in residence for Radio 4". The Telegraph. Daljit Nagra MBE FRSL (born 1966 [1]) is a British poet whose debut collection, Look We Have Coming to Dover! – a title alluding to W. H. Auden's Look, Stranger!, D. H. Lawrence's Look! We Have Come Through! and by epigraph also to Matthew Arnold's " Dover Beach" – was published by Faber in February 2007. Nagra's poems relate to the experience of Indians born in the UK (especially Indian Sikhs), and often employ language that imitates the English spoken by Indian immigrants whose first language is Punjabi, which some have termed "Punglish". [2] He currently [ when?] works part-time at JFS School in Kenton, London, [ citation needed] and visits schools, universities and festivals where he performs his work. He was appointed chair of the Royal Society of Literature in November 2020. He is a professor of creative writing at Brunel University London. [3] Early life and education [ edit ]

In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by presenting the English shore from the perspective of an immigrant. The violent language in these lines implies that they are illegal immigrants searching for a new life in England. They have traveled in the most basic way possible, perhaps “Stowed” aboard a small ship. This word also speaks to the secrecy and illegality of the operation, as does the word “invade.” It is scary, employed by the speaker to show how those in England would view the immigrants coming to their country. As if they are there to do personal harm or take something from the residents. His poems have been published in the New Yorker, [9] Atlantic Review, The London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Poetry Review, Poetry London, Poetry International, The Rialto and The North. When the immigrants arrive at the shore, it is not a pleasant experience. They are not greeted with beautiful scenery such as that present within Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach.’Instead, the first thing the speaker notices is the “diesel” smelling breeze. It isn’t clean, even though they are “alfresco” or out in the open air. It comes to them like a “lash,” as if trying to punish them. The speaker also describes the tide as part of the scene, it is moving in with the terrible breeze. At the same time, there is the water itself, which is filled with, Similarly, the contrast of the ideas present in the semantic field against ideas of “pensioners and parents” can be seen as creating a sense of inter-generational and inter-class contrast, emphasising the transition between these different elements of society. This can be interpreted as generating a consideration for perspective, which is an idea that is explored further in the final stanza of the poem as a more considerate tone is developed. Important Lines Literature: Daljit Nagra 'Look We Have Coming to Dover!', Newsnight Review, 19 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2007.

Interpreture gives ‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ a difficulty rating of 4, meaning that it is deemed to be a relatively difficult poem. All aspects of this poem are deemed to be somewhat difficult, with the meaning perhaps hard to initially understand and the poem as a whole made more difficult by the links to Keats’‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’. That said, the strong links between the two poems offer a wide variety of interpretations and potential analysis, particularly in the juxtaposition between modern ideas and a Romantic-based structure. ‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ This poem is about the experience of immigrants to England, and has been cleverly written to be read in parallel with Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach. Nagra’s poem reflects the themes of Arnold’s poem, written a hundred years ago, where the he imagines the conflict and chaos that might result if the there was no religious basis to our society. Nagra also dramatises an uneasy nation, as one idea of England is replaced by another — the latter, Nagra’s vision, is uglier, with hostility to immigrants and pollution.

A number of poems were removed from the prescribed list in 2017 for AS and A Level, meaning that you will not be examined on these poems. However, they act as a great option to use for practice essays and general Poems of the Decade revision, with analysis available to support your learning. International exams may still use these poems – confirm with your teacher. Daljit Nagra leapt into English poetry with an exclamation mark. Look We Have Coming to Dover! was the title of the Forward-prize-winning poem that made his name in 2004 and later his debut collection from Faber. He followed it in 2011 with Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!!, and then, in 2013, a free retelling of the Asian epic poem, Ramayana, which was also peppered with energetic, comic-book outbursts ("Scrammed from . thirteen wowser arrows, by jiminy!") The poem refers to the electronic genre of music called House which developed in the 1980s in the United States, with the idea of it being “imported” from different locations demonstrating how geographical distance has largely been removed thanks to the ease of travel and communication. The line goes on to link “UK garage” so as to demonstrate the diversity of modern culture. It could also be interpreted as having a double meaning and be referring to the idea that households are increasingly diverse with origins from around the world. The last stanza focusses in on an individual experience and relationship, as does Arnold’s original. There is a sense of having reached a possible, maybe ‘imagined’ destination and having left a state of being ‘hutched’ to be ‘free’. The word ‘free’ itself sits alone after the caesura at the end of a line as a syntactic demonstration of independence but note that it is still enclosed by punctuation. Glasses are raised ‘East’ in a celebration of difference and achievement. The immigrant voice may express the position of the second generation who have become accepted in the Blairite atmosphere of plenty. The voice refers to those who have ‘beeswax’d cars’, a typical image of middle England, and asks the reader to ‘imagine’ again with a sense of irony. The immigrant has the last laugh as Nagra refers satirically again to the prejudiced who might talk of ‘babbling’ and ‘lingoes’. Stars including Take That and Kermit the Frog put on a night to remember at spectacular Coronation Concert". BBC Media Centre. 7 May 2023 . Retrieved 9 May 2023.Buchanunn, Joe (7 May 2023). "We're Lighting Up The Nation: Professor's poem wins the castle crowd's hearts". Brunel University London . Retrieved 28 July 2023. These are hard lives, filled with endless work and the ever-present fear that they’re going to be caught and returned to their home country. At the same time, they are able to hope for a better future, as described in the final stanza. Themes Past and Present: The allusion to ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ adds an aspect of history and consideration of the past in comparison to the present, with the poem looking at the idea of society across time and how it is represented in art. Before beginning this piece it is important to take note of the epigraph that begins the piece. It is a short quote from Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach.’It reads, “So various, so beautiful, so new…” There is nothing “beautiful” about the speaker’s description of the Dover shore in the first stanzas of the text. Analysis of Look We Have Coming to Dover! Stanza One There is also frequent use of commas and hyphens throughout the poem, which may represent the idea of diversity and change within society due to the frequent use of these different types of punctuation. Some readers could also interpret this as continuing the idea of foreign languages and speech, with these pauses representing the thinking and consideration for new words when a non-native speaker is using another language. However, as these pieces of punctuation are generally used to join sentences and words together (in comparison to full breaks with caesura, such as full stops and exclamation marks), it could be seen that this is demonstrating how different cultures and people bring society closer together. Poetic Techniques