'Praise Song for My Mother' by Grace Nichols

About the poet:

• From the Caribbean 
• Then moved to UK
• Inject poems with Indian folk law, cultural displacement, elements/nature, embraces diversity

Structure/form: 

•  A Praise Song is African in origin and is used to celebrate the life of the person it is about 
• It has a similar intention to an ode and can serve as a euology
• In this case, Nichols appears to be celebrating the life of her mother
• Structure resembles a stair case
• First three stanzas follow a pattern
• The last one breaks this pattern - representative of falling off the edge into adulthood without the nurturing presence of her mothe, either that or it could signify a change in relatiobship
• First three stanzas: monometer (to introduce as the first line), diameter (second line), trimeter (to extend the metaphor in the final line)
• First three stanzas being uniformed reflects the stability of her childhood 
• Breakdown in structure - hints at childhood ending 
• Last line - no full stop shows the relationship being unresolved/ love on going. Adulthood leads to lack of treatment and structure 

Language analysis:

You were

water to me 

deep and bold and fathoming 

• 'You were' commences the anaphoric repetition that continues through the poem which shows the huge impact her mother has had in a variety of ways. Represents structure of childhood, empahsises presence of mother day after day 
• Metaphor- water is a necessity, just like her mother in her life.
• Rule of three- in third line. Example of an extended metaphor 
• Deep - wisdom, emotional depth, strong and dark in colour, physical depth, needing serious thought/profound
• Bold - strong and powerful, not shy, brave
• Fathoming - Literal = a unit of water. Metaphorical = understanding/or difficult to understand
• Sibliant alliteration - 'were water'. Were is in the past tense - either mother…