Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker Essay -- Blessing Imtiaz Dharker Poems Poet

Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker Imtiaz Dharker’s poem can be read in two ways. A straightforward reading might suggest that the poem is simply a description of an incident when a pipe bursts and people run excitedly for the water. A more considered reading, however, would see the poem as being more ominous and disturbing. Under the apparent good fortune and excitement of the scene are darker ideas about the poverty and superstition of the people in the poet’s native country. It is the second reading we will be exploring in this revision programme. Either way, the attitude to water in the poem should make us in the West wonder at how much we all take for granted, and how too often we squander the earth’s resources. Dharker paints for the reader a vivid scene using visual and aural imagery. For instance, after opening with a powerful visual image, the poet goes on to make us hear the smallest noise ‘echo/ in a tin mug’, before upping the sound level with the ‘roar of tongues’ as people descend on the pipe. The title of the poem appears to be ironic. These people are not blessed - they have little water of their own. Only superstition could lead them to count this ‘municipal pipe’ burst as a blessing. In reality, it shows the poor state of the pipes, part of the city’s basic infrastructure, pipes that should be carrying water to the people. The fact that the people live in ‘huts’, that the children are ‘naked’ and that everyone is ‘frantic’ for the water tell us a lot about the living conditions. There is a lot of sensual imagery in this poem. Mainly we hear and see the unfolding scene. These details show us what the people’s lives are like. In the following table are some of the vis... ... darker, and harder hitting. The layers of the poem reflect the way different people will see the same scene/culuture differently. Attitude The poet appears at first to be objective, describing but not commenting on the incident. And to some extent she leaves the reader to decide the feeling and meaning of the poem. Perhaps though there is horror and pity in that opening image of skin cracking ‘like a pod’. To me the poem seems like a lament for the poverty of these people and for the value system that keeps them poor, yet humble and thankful. Style Dharker uses sensual imagery to evoke the scene, and builds the rhythm of the poem into a crescendo at the bursting of the pipe. She uses an extended metaphor, comparing water to a god. She makes lines intentionally ambiguous, uncertain, so that the scene can be interpreted in more than one way.