Language and style
Elements of language and style are important analytical elements that can facilitate your understanding of “This Land” by Ian Mudie and give you some insight into the author’s intentions with the poem.…
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Playing with the language
Ian Mudies plays with language in the poem through metaphorical language. For instance, in the first stanza, the lyrical speaker thinks he can “wring” or squeeze music out of the landscape, a playful way of saying that the landscape is inspiring: “Give me a hars…
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Tense of the verbs and type of words used
The poem is written using the present tense and the imperative. Each stanza starts with the imperative “Give”, which suggests a passionate plea or request. The rest of the verbs, which are in the present tense, suggest the constant presence of nature and natural phenomena; the implicati…
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Style and mode of expression
The style of the poem is that of a solemn poetic request. This is suggested by the use of the imperative ‘Give me/my’ and by the use of dramatic expressions such as “dead grass…
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Sentence structure
The sentence structure is simple as the writer generally respects the no…
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Repetition
Repetition is frequently used in the poem, giving it rhythm and musicality. First of all, each new stanza begins with the phrase “Give me” or “Give my”, which underlines the idea that the poem is a passionate outburst and an expression of the…
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Rhythm and rhyme
The poem does not follow fixed, classical rhythm and rhyme patterns. The poem is written in free verse which means that there is no end rhyme. However, in two instances the poem has some imperfect couplets: lines 18-19 half-…
