Objectives

• Analyse how Rumens uses light imagery across all three stanzas to present memory as a force that resists political oppression.
• Identify and explain the effect of personification in stanza three, where the city 'takes my hand' and walks beside the speaker.
• Explain how the poem's structure — three stanzas moving from past memory to present embodiment — shapes the speaker's growing sense of identity.
• Write a fully evidenced exam-style paragraph that embeds at least two quotations and links language choices to the theme of exile and belonging.
• Evaluate how Rumens's context — the post-Cold War displacement of millions — shapes the poem's refusal to name the city or the speaker's country of origin.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What the Light Does: Close Reading All Three Stanzas of 'The Emigrée'

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the entire poem quietly. Take your copy and circle each word or phrase related to light or brightness. After that, write one sentence about what you observe regarding the placement of those words — do they occur evenly throughout, or do they group together? Be prepared to share your thoughts in four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of stanza three, focusing on the lines "She has no passport now but mine" and "the city takes my hand." Think through this: the city shifts from being a mere memory to an active participant — it "takes" the speaker's hand, which implies intention. Consider: who usually takes whose hand at a border? Analyze how Rumens flips the power dynamic, allowing the oppressed city to become a guardian for the speaker. Finally, highlight how "white city" in the last line reflects the use of "white" in stanza one, creating a structural loop that envelops the entire poem in an enduring light.

   Independent task

   Students annotate the first two stanzas on their printed copies, working quietly. For stanza one, they need to: (a) identify the phrase "It may be sick with tyrants" and write two sentences explaining how the conditional "may be" distances the speaker from the current reality; (b) describe the effect of "sunlight-clear" as a compound adjective. For stanza two, they must: (a) analyze "the dark film of the present" as a metaphor and explain what it suggests about how oppression clouds perception; (b) write one sentence connecting the imagery of stanza two to that of stanza three. Students submit their annotated copies at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   In exactly two sentences, explain why Rumens makes the city the grammatical subject of the verb 'takes' in stanza three rather than making the speaker the one who reaches for the city — what does this choice tell us about where power and agency lie in the poem?

2. Lesson 2: Writing About Exile: Producing an Exam-Style Paragraph on Rumens's Presentation of Homeland

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without looking at your annotations, jot down from memory: one quote from each stanza of 'The Emigrée.' Next to each quote, write the most important word in it along with a brief explanation of why that word is significant. You have four minutes for this task, and please refrain from opening the poem until the teacher instructs you to do so.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of an exam-quality sentence using the quotation "my city hides behind me" from stanza two. Think aloud: embed the quotation grammatically (e.g., "Rumens writes that..."), then identify the technique (personification — suggesting the city can hide, an act associated with human self-preservation). Next, focus on the verb "hides," which conveys both vulnerability and agency. Finally, explicitly connect this to the theme of exile by arguing that the city and the speaker reflect one another, both feeling displaced. Write the complete model sentence on the board and annotate it in real-time, labeling: embed / technique / zoom / theme link.

   Independent task

   The speaker's relationship with her homeland in "The Emigrée" is characterized by a blend of nostalgia and resilience, reflecting the emotional complexities of displacement. In stanza three, the line “the city takes my hand” conveys a sense of intimacy and connection, as the personification of the city suggests a nurturing presence that guides the speaker. The word “takes” implies a gentle acceptance, emphasizing how the homeland remains a source of comfort despite the speaker's physical absence. Furthermore, the phrase “white city” symbolizes purity and idealization, a technique that illustrates how memory can transform a place into something almost utopian. The adjective “white” evokes notions of innocence and clarity, contrasting starkly with the darker realities of political unrest that have forced the speaker to leave. Through these quotations, Rumens captures the deep emotional ties that bind the speaker to her homeland, even when faced with the trauma of exile. This relationship serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles faced by those who are uprooted, underscoring the poem's exploration of themes related to political displacement and the longing for a place that feels like home.

   ---

   Changes made:

   • Adjusted sentence structure for a more natural flow.
   • Maintained all original details while enhancing readability.
   • Preserved the original intent and length.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your final sentence — the one connecting language to context. Does it name a specific detail from the poem AND a specific detail from the poem's context (post-Cold War displacement, statelessness, authoritarian regimes)? Write one sentence explaining what you would add or change to make that link more precise.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 do-now: teacher scans circled light words to check whether students can identify imagery patterns before instruction begins.
• Lesson 1 annotation of stanzas one and two: teacher checks that the comment on 'may be' addresses the conditional mood specifically, not just 'uncertainty' in general.
• Lesson 1 exit ticket: teacher checks whether students can attribute grammatical agency to the city rather than simply restating that the city is personified.
• Lesson 2 do-now retrieval: teacher checks that students can produce at least one quotation per stanza from memory, indicating retention from Lesson 1.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket: teacher checks whether the context sentence names a specific historical detail (statelessness, Cold War displacement, authoritarian regimes) rather than a vague reference to 'difficult times.'

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text and order events create specific effects.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and figurative language in a literary text.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain how a speaker's or character's perspective shapes the meaning of a text.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain how the arrangement of a text's parts contributes to its overall meaning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of personification and metaphor in conveying theme.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, using quotation and close reference to support interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse language, form and structure used by writers to shape meaning, using subject terminology.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.

Eduqas

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, selecting and using relevant quotation.
• AO2 — Analyse how language, structure and form contribute to writers' presentation of ideas, themes and settings.
• AO4 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.