Analysis of Wherever I Hang by Grace Nichols

Grace Nichols and the Immigrant Experience

The poem entitled "Wherever I Hang" was written by Grace Nichols, who was born in Georgetown, Guyana. She lived in a small village on the country's coast until her family moved to the city when she was eight years old. She worked as a teacher, a journalist, and in government information services before she immigrated to the UK in 1977. Much of her poetry is characterized by Caribbean rhythms and culture, influenced by Guyanese and Amerindian folklore. The poem "Wherever I Hang" is about an immigrant's encounter with England and the difficulties of moving from one culture to another; it is based on her personal experience.

Structure and Symbolism in the Poem

The poem's structure is defined by its different stanzas. In the first part of the poem, the poetic persona mentions "the sun" and "the humming-bird" of her native land, in contrast to England, which she had imagined in a different way. The figure of Lord Nelson represents the significant differences between British Imperial power and Caribbean poverty.

Themes of Identity and Displacement

In the second stanza, she shows that she wants to go back home, while also acknowledging that she has lost part of her Caribbean identity while adopting an English one. Thirdly, it is mentioned that she is divided between two countries because she wanted to go back home but also felt a necessity to be in England. Lastly, in the fourth stanza, we see that the poetic persona is a woman, as it is mentioned that "where she puts her knickers, she puts her home."

Language and the Use of Caribbean Pidgin

Concerning the language that Nichols uses, she attempts to recuperate her Caribbean cultural heritage with Pidgin—the language of her youth. As the poetic persona of the poem, she uses words that characterize this language, such as "me" instead of "my" or "de" instead of "the," among other things. Some of the lines rhyme; for example, lines 3 and 4 of the second stanza are marked by repetition, as they both start with the word "And."

Conclusion: Seeking a New Life

To sum up, Grace Nichols has tried to show through this poem the experience she and many other people suffered while moving from one country to another in an attempt to build a new life.