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Year 7

Analysing the poem 'Island Man' by Grace Nichols

I can understand and analyse the poem ‘Island Man’.

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Year 7

Analysing the poem 'Island Man' by Grace Nichols

I can understand and analyse the poem ‘Island Man’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The process of moving home can be very difficult and emotional.
  2. The poem ‘Island Man’ is based on Nichols’ own experience of migration
  3. ‘Island Man’ suggests a fondness and nostalgia for life in the Caribbean.
  4. ‘Island Man’ shows the difficulties one might face adjusting to a new home.
  5. ‘Island Man’ is arranged in two sections perhaps reflecting the dual nature of the man’s identity after migration.

Keywords

  • Sensory language - language used to describe the five senses: touch, smell, sound, taste, sight

  • Nostalgia - longing for a past time or place

  • Identity - the characteristics that makes someone who they are

  • Migration - movement from one country to another

Common misconception

The poem 'Island Man' only tells the story of someone that misses the Caribbean.

The poem 'Island Man' can help to tell the story of any migrant who experiences nostalgia for their home country.


To help you plan your year 7 english lesson on: Analysing the poem 'Island Man' by Grace Nichols, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If any of your pupils have experienced migration and are comfortable with the topic, they can base their letter on their own experiences for practice Task A.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

A copy of the poem 'Island Man' by Grace Nichols from 'The Fat Black Woman's Poems' is needed for this lesson.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is sensory language?
language that compares one thing to another
beginning multiple sentences with the same word
Correct answer: language that appeals to the five senses
Q2.
What sense is being appealed to in the following sentence: 'The sky was painted a deep blue.'?
smell
taste
touch
Correct answer: sight
Q3.
What is a womb?
an injury
Correct answer: the organ in which a baby grows
a place in which you give birth
Q4.
Which word is a possessive pronoun?
she
it
Correct answer: his
Q5.
What does 'annotation' mean?
to write an analytical paragraph
Correct answer: to label with interesting ideas
to research a concept
to highlight techniques
Q6.
What is a stanza?
a pause in a line of poetry
a poem about love
Correct answer: a section of a poem

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is nostalgia?
an aversion for the past
Correct answer: a longing for a past time or place
a love for your country
Q2.
How does Nichols show the man's nostalgia for life in the Caribbean in the poem 'Island Man'?
Correct answer: The Caribbean is described with vivid detail.
Correct answer: The words used to describe the Caribbean have positive associations.
Caribbean life is described as tedious.
Correct answer: The man dreams of the Caribbean.
The Caribbean is somewhere the man cannot remember very well.
Q3.
Why might Nichols have used the word 'emerald' to describe the island in 'Island Man'?
to show it belonged to the man
Correct answer: to show how precious it was to the man
to show how it was similar to London
to show it was something he would never get bored of
Q4.
What does the poem 'Island Man' suggest about Nichols' feelings towards London after she migrated from the Caribbean?
Nichols loved London from the moment she arrived.
Nichols hated everything about London.
Correct answer: Nichols found it hard to adjust to the weather and noise in London.
Q5.
What is interesting about the structure of 'Island Man'?
It is written using the man's own dialect; reflecting his pride.
Correct answer: It is separated into two sections; reflecting two parts of the man's identity.
It is a sonnet; reflecting the love the man has for his home country.
Q6.
Why may have Nichols written the poem 'Island Man'?
to criticise London
to teach people how to adjust to life after migration
Correct answer: to express her own nostalgia
Correct answer: to show what the experience can be like for those who migrate