Question

Read the extract and answer the questions:

‘Already division piles emphasis like bullets, Already the one dark air is separate and strange’.

1. Which words describe the ‘dark air’?
2. Explain ‘Already division piles’.
3. What effect does the repetition of the word ‘Already’ have on the poem?

Answer 1

1. The words “dark” and “separate and strange” describe the ‘dark air’.
2. “Already division piles” means that separation and differences between people are already increasing and becoming stronger. The comparison with bullets suggests that this division is dangerous and destructive.
3. The repetition of “Already” emphasises that separation and conflict have begun to develop rapidly. It creates a sense of urgency and shows that the effects of division are already being felt.