The Immigrant's Song

Tishani DoshiFiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2012

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Doshi’s “The Immigrant’s Song” is a free verse poem, meaning it has no set meter nor rhyme scheme. It is written in a single stanza with one fragmented, single-word line (Line 14) offsetting the form. While the poem does not have a set rhyme scheme, it does use end rhyme in places to establish a musical flow. A slant rhyme is a rhyme in which two words sound the same but do not perfectly rhyme. For example, Lines 8 and 10 have a slant end rhyme (“dreams” and “eaves”). Similarly, Lines 4 and 5 also end with a slant rhyme (“lines” and “sky”). However, because there is no set pattern for these rhymes, the poem does not have a defined rhyme scheme.

Doshi tends to use rhyme when the poem explores memories of the speaker’s homeland. These are positive, sensory-filled memories. By using rhyme in these moments of positive memory, Doshi establishes a sense of “rightness” with these moments. These memories (women washing clothes, mothers wearing headscarves, the smell of coffee beans) all represent a time before the