Composition

In this section of the study guide, we will discuss the outer composition and the inner composition of “Immigrants in Our Own Land”.

Outer composition

“Immigrants in Our Own Land” is a descriptive poem. In other words, its aim is to describe a situation and to convey the feelings of the poet on a particular topic. The action and the events in the poetry are important for the feelings they create.

The poem is comprised of six stanzas, varying in length. The longest one counts seventeen verses while the shortest one only seven verses.

Remember that stanzas help to organize a poem in a balanced and symmetric way, while allowing the author to divide the messages and subjects he/she approaches. “Immigrants in Our Own Land” is also a free verse poem, which means it has no rhythm or rhyme.

Inner composition

The first stanza introduces the topic - the life of immigr...