Sentry Page Protection

A GRANDFATHER SINGS 
Jennifer Rahim (1963 – March 13, 2023) was a Trinidadian fiction writer, poet and literary critic. She held a BA (1987) and PhD (1993) in literatures in English and an MA in theology (2016), and lectured at the University of the West Indies. (more)
Picture
Bahjan
Picture
Yard
Picture
Carili Vine
LITERAL MEANING
A grandfather is rocking his granddaughter in his yard, singing a bajhan, or hymn. He sings her the only bajhan that he knew, trying to expose her to his culture. He is grateful for the (www.bulbsoup.com) baby, despite the fact that she is half black. He tries to give her the India that he remembers and wonders how her other race will influence her.
        1. A bajhan breaks the dawn.
        Grandfather paces 2. a yard swept bald
        with care, 2. singing India
        into his granddaughter's ear.

    5  1. His voice strains past walls
        where 3. time gnaws on long
        as a carili vine strung with bitter bulbs
        for cleansing bad blood.
       
        He sings the only lullaby he knows - 
   10 a prayer from his childhood mornings,
        his mother veiled at the jhandi
        4. pleading to gods he no longer serves.
       
        2. He places their language on her tongue
        2. while eyes open wide in coco houses
   15 2. that reek the scent of his labour.
        He reads understanding in her babble
        
        hugs her close 4. breathing gratitude
        for newness strange as 5. the communion
        in her veins makes her another race.
   20 One day she will speak her own words. 

        So he gives the India he remembers
        and 3. wonders at the other tightening
        in her curls as light rains through leaves,
        blessing them with many, many arms.

Poet: Jennifer Rahim
LITERARY DEVICES
1. PERSONIFICATION
  • Stanza 1, line 1: The poet personifies the bajhan/hymn because it 'breaks' the dawn. On a literal level this means that this bajhan is the first thing that is heard so early in the morning. This bajhan is significant because it represents the Indian culture that the grandfather is trying to embed in his granddaughter.  ​
  • Stanza 2, line 5: The grandfather's singing was loud. This personification highlights that he was focused on his task, imbuing the Indian culture into his granddaughter, so there is no care directed towards who might be disturbed, he is on task.
​2. METAPHOR
  • Stanza 1, line 2: The yard is compared to a man, it was swept so cleanly that it looked bald, like a man's head. This highlights the care and discipline that mimics the historical continuity, passing on the Indian culture, that the grandfather is invested in.
  • Stanza 1, line 3-4: India is compared to a song. Songs can usually infiltrate people's consciousnesses in a seamless, almost subtle way that is very effective. This emphasizes the grandfather's strong desire to pass on his Indian heritage to his grandchild. 
  • Stanza 4, line 13: The Indian language is compared to food, and food is supposed to nourish the body and initiate growth and development. The Indian language, in theory, should do the same for his granddaughter, she should be able to grow into the Indian culture if he feeds it to her.​
  • ​Stanza 4, line 14: The inhabitants of the houses are brown people, as seen the comparison with coco. There is an implication that the grandfather's actions are being observed by his neighbours, who are also brown.
  • Stanza 4, line 15: Labour is compared to sweat, the grandfather's labour in particular. It is implied that the grandfather is a labourer who might have worked on the houses around him.
3. SIMILE
  • Stanza 2, lines 6-8: Time is compared to a carilli vine, which is a staple in traditional medicine in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. So time, in this context, is not only long like the vine, but it also has healing properties. The implication, therefore, is that the bajhan will work, over time, to ensure that she knows her Indian culture.
  • Stanza 2, lines 6-8: The grandchild is mixed raced. The tightening of her curls indicates that she is black, as well as Indian. The poet indicates that her black genes infiltrates her Indian genes like rain through leaves. He wants to ensure that his Indian heritage plays a part in her future as well as her black heritage.
  • * Situational Irony: (Stanza 3, line 13) The persona pleads to gods that he no longer believes in. The persona believes one thing, but does the opposite of that belief. This implies that the grandfather is desperate to ensure that his Indian culture is passed on to his granddaughter. 
​IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES
4.'breathing gratitude for newness' (Stanza 5, line 17)
This is the point at which the grandfather literally breathes in the babies fresh new smell. He is grateful for this new life. 
5. 'the communion in her veins makes her another race.' (Stanza 5, line 18-19)
This phrase speaks to the fact that she is of two races, Indian and black. The grandfather believes that she will have her own identity one day because of this 'communion'. The term "communion" strongly implies coming together, a deep form of merging.
THEMATIC CATEGORY: Love and Family Relationship, Desire, Patriotism
​ATMOSPHERE
  • The mood of the poem is calm due to the grandfather's resolve to ensure that his granddaughter is submerged in the Indian culture. His approach to the process is calm and deliberate, starting with exposing her to the bajhan.
  • The tone of the poem is one of warmth due to the grandfather's gratefulness for the existence of his grandfather. 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In 30 words, say what this poem is about?
2. How does the bajhan break the dawn?
3. What is the purpose of the bajhan?
4. What is the significance of 'His voice strains past walls' (l.5)?
​5. Why does the persona plead 'to gods he no longer serves' (l.12)?
6. Identify the metaphors in stanza 4 and explain each.
7. Explain the term 'breathing gratitude for newness' (l.17)
8. How does the use of the term 'communion in her vain' (l.18-19) indicate a mixed heritage?
9. Explain the term 'blessing them with many many arms' (l. 24)
​Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
​Plath, S. 'Mirror' in A World of Poetry. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.


BACK