Carpet-weavers, Morocco
By Carol Rumens
The children are at the loom of another world.
Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright.
Their assorted heights would make a melodious chime.They watch their flickering knots like television.
As the garden of Islam grows, the bench will be raised.
Then they will lace the dark-rose veins of the tree-tops.The carpet will travel in the merchant’s truck.
It will be spread by the servants of the mosque.
Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer.The children are hard at work in the school of days.
From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly
and freeze into the frame of all-that-was.
Summary of Carpet-weavers, Morocco
- Popularity of “Carpet-weavers, Morocco”: The poem, Carpet-weavers, Morocco was written by Carol Rumens, a famous British poet and writer. It is a descriptive, poetic piece and paints a realistic picture of the working class of a third-world country. It also illustrates how children belonging to different ages spend their lives weaving carpets used in mosques. The actual representation of the third-world country and its realistic comparison with the Western countries make this poem captivating for people across the globe.
- “Carpet-weavers, Morocco” As a Representative of Wonder: The poem presents the situation of a third-world country, especially the working class. The speaker talks about children and how they are engaged in productive work. They are weaving carpets skillfully at the loom with deep concentration. To her, these children belonging of various ages and heights create a musical chime. After describing the children’s physical appearances, the speaker compares them with other children of the world. She wonders how these children are absorbed in their work, whereas in children from Western countries enjoy sports. She believes that these innocent minds perform an extraordinary task while arguing that their efforts will contribute to the spread of Islam to illuminate the dark corners of the world. After completion, these carpets are going to be used in mosques. Although the children in Morocco perform a praise-worthy task, their whole lives revolve around this duty. They do not experience a life of innocence and comfort.
- Major Themes in “Carpet-weavers, Morocco”: The exploitation of children, the world of work, and cultural practices are the major themes of the poem. Throughout the poem, the speaker focuses on the children involved in a skillful job. She brilliantly describes her observation and the mastery of their art while feeling sorry for their poor souls. She admires how they are devoted, sincere, and committed to their work, yet they miss many things in their lives. Their work marks the center of their lives, making them unaware of the other necessities of a better living. The speaker also compares them with children living in developed countries with more opportunities.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Carpet-weavers, Morocco
literary devices are tools that can transform simple poems into enchanting poetic pieces. Carol Rumens used various literary devices in the poem. The analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer” and the sound of /uh/ in “The children are at the loom of another world.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “the tree-tops.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly” and the sound of /f/ in “and freeze into the frame of all-that-was.”
- 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;
“From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly
and freeze into the frame of all-that-was.”
- 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. The writer used this device in the opening line of the poem while talking about the working children, such as “The children are at the loom of another world.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “The carpet will travel in the merchant’s truck”, “Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright” and “Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer.”
- Simile: It is a device used to compare a person or an object with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. For example, “They watch their flickering knots like television.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Carpet-weavers, Morocco”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is 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.
- Tercet: A tercet is a three-lined stanza borrowed from Biblical Hebrew poetry. Here, each stanza is tercet.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising three lines/verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines are useful when talking about the issue of child labor. These can be used in speeches to highlight this grave issue.
“The children are hard at work in the school of days.
From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly
and freeze into the frame of all-that-was.”
