Skip to main content

What does the simile, "docile as paper," suggest about the city in the poem, "The Emigree"?


The simile, 'docile as paper' is part of the extended imagery which the poet uses to refer to the city throughout the poem. The image one has of the city from whence the speaker came is that it has lodged itself in her memory as pure and untainted. She furthermore associates the city with sunlight which speaks of a happy place, filled with warmth and life.



It is evident that the speaker has an idealised concept of her city of origin. Even though she is constantly bombarded with negative images and cynical stories about her homeland, she refuses to relinquish the positive image she has of it. 


In this sense then, the city poses no threat to her. As long as the memory thereof is pleasant, it cannot do any harm. It is in this context that the poet uses the simile, 'docile as paper.' Docile means obedient. The fact that the city comes to her in 'its own white plane' and 'lies down in front of me' metaphorically suggest that all the ideas that she has of her city find expression on a sheet of paper. The paper is docile since it submits to her will. She can write whatever she wishes about her city on the white sheet (plane) and it will yield to her. It will not, and cannot resist since it is in her control.


Since the images that she has of her city are only positive ones, the speaker will defend it and act as its protector. She will cast a shadow which is caused by the brightness of the city behind her, but the city she knows will never be dark since it exists in her mind and she controls what she thinks. In this sense, then, she will never harbour any negative images of a place which she wants to remember in positive terms.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more