The Importance of Elsewhere

This poem talks about the way that seeing what we are not, allows us to understand more about who we are, in the case of the persona going to somewhere new, ireland, allows him to see he belongs in england. The poem is short with an ABAB rhyme scheme. 

Stanza 1:

• 'Lonely in Ireland' shows how he feels isolated in new places, where you dont know people. 
• 'salt rebuff of speech' shows how the accent sounds completely alien to him, like a different langauge, 'salt' enforcing how harsh this change seems. 
• 'made me welcome:once that was recognised' shows his happiness with the known, he misses it. 

Stanza 2:

• Uses degrading language to describe Ireland- 'draughty' 'archaic smell' 'like a stable'. 
• 'like a stable' shows he is looking down on them, haughty attitude, but also it is a home for someone else but not humans, showing how uncomfortable he feels in this place. 
• 'herring-hawkers cry' a hawker is a salesman, compared to an animal showing the people seem like a different species to him.
• 'dwindling' shows he can't shake feeling uncomfortable there.
• 'prove me seperate' reinforces his isolation, and showing going somewhere you are uncomfortable shows where you are comfortable. 

Stanza 3:

• 'my customs and establishments' shows where you live it part of you, belongs to you. 
• 'here no elsewhere underwrites my existence' could suggest the he knows this is home, because he feels no doubt about it, because when he is in other places nothing questions the way he lives. Also it could mean when he is elsewhere he feels himself and who he is being questions, who he should be, but he knows he is home when he is comfortable with himself and what he does.