At the Border, 1979
By Choman Hardi
‘It is your last check-in point in this country!’
We grabbed a drink –
soon everything would taste different.
The land under our feet continued
divided by a thick iron chain.My sister put her leg across it.
‘Look over here,’ she said to us,
‘my right leg is in this country
and my left leg in the other.’
The border guards told her off.My Mother informed me: We are going home.
She said that the roads are much cleaner
the landscape is more beautiful
and people are much kinder.Dozens of families waited in the rain.
‘I can inhale home,’ somebody said.
Now our mothers were crying. I was five years old
standing by the check-in point
comparing both sides of the border.The autumn soil continued on the other side
with the same colour, the same texture.
It rained on both sides of the chain.We waited while our papers were checked,
our faces thoroughly inspected.
Then the chain was removed to let us through.
A man bent down and kissed his muddy homeland.
The same chain of mountains encompassed all of us.
Summary of At the Border, 1979
- Popularity of At the Border, 1979”: This narrative poem was written by Choman Hardi, a famous poet, writer, and academic researcher. “At the Border, 1979” is a superb literary piece with the thematic idea of immigration on a different note. First published in 2004, the poem accounts for the writer’s personal experiences of crossing the border with her family. It also illustrates how her young mind constantly tries to spot the similarities and differences between the two places.
- “At the Border, 1979”, As a Representative of Wonder: The poem is about someone crossing the border along with the family and returning to the homeland as a child. The poem begins when the speaker and her anxious family are at the last checkpoint. Soon, they are going to cross the border dividing the two countries. Since the speaker and her sister are too young to understand the fragility of the time, they look at this serious situation with their innocent minds. To her sister, it is something exciting. However, her mother tells them that they are going home where everything will be beautiful and people will be kinder.
The poet captures the anxiety and emotional response of the people crossing the border with them. The speaker’s young mind fails to spot the difference between the two states. To her surprise, nature continues to exhibit the same glory; the color and texture of the soil. After some time, the most awaited moment arrives when after a thorough inspection, a soldier removes the chain and lets them enter their state. The readers see the immigration experience from a child’s perspective. - Major Themes in “At the Border, 1979”: The innocence of a child, divided states, and migration are the major themes of the poem. The poem beautifully illustrates how people feel while crossing the border. To the adults, these are the breathtaking moments of their lives. However, children perceive these crucial moments with the same innocent mind and playful attitude. The adults become very emotional about crossing the borders and returning to their homeland. The speaker seems unable to understand why it is so important for them when things are the same on both sides of the border.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “At the Border, 1979”
literary devices are tools that poets and writers use in their texts to present their feelings and ideas in a better way. Choman Hardi has also used some literary devices in this poem. The analysis of the literary devices used in this poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /i/ in “my right leg is in this country” and the sound of /a/ in “The same chain of mountains encompassed all of us; The same chain of mountains encompassed all of us”.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /m/ in “My mother informed me: We are going home.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“The autumn soil continued on the other side
with the same colour, the same texture.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. In the second last stanza of the poem, the speaker spots no difference between the two states. For example,
“The autumn soil continued on the other side
with the same colour, the same texture.
It rained on both sides of the chain.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “A man bent down and kissed his muddy homeland” and “Dozens of families waited in the rain.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. “The border” and “chain” symbolize how a thin line separates two identities and two states.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “At the Border, 1979”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here the fourth stanza is a quatrain.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are seven stanzas in this poem, each comprising a different number of verses.
- Tercet: A tercet is a three-lined stanza borrowed from Biblical Hebrew poetry. Here, the first and the sixth stanzas are tercets.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are suitable for someone to use while talking about the similarities of different places. These can also be used by parents to narrate their past incidents to their children.
“The autumn soil continued on the other side
with the same colour, the same texture.
It rained on both sides of the chain.”