How Does The Speaker In 'I Come From' Create A Sense Of Identity?

       How Does The Speaker In I Come From Create A Sense Of Identity?


In the poem 'I come from' the speaker has no fixed identity. This is first shown by the form of the poem. The poem is free verse, this indicates the fluidity of the speaker. The form also shows a clear stream of consciousness, because of this we cannot be sure of the identity of the speaker. The stream of consciousness is highlighted by the clear link of 'trains at the start of the poem and the end, they're 'waiting forever for the train to London.' This links to the end of the poem 'trains, trains, trains' This shows the stream of consciousness; it shows that he almost daydreams and his thoughts are all interconnected. The link back to 'trains' indicates the end of the day dream, therefore the end of the poem.
      The speaker uses stereotypical language to describe them, such as 'clean handkerchiefs' this is very stereotypical and gives the reader a sense that the speaker is from a very stereotypical posh family. This juxtaposes 'skinheads' which leads us to think of a scary unsafe environment, different to the atmosphere created by 'clean handkerchiefs' which creates the image of conventional living. There is also enjambment throughout the poem. This is show by 'if you look the wrong way' this creates a vision of a scary situation which the speaker is finding themselves in; as well as letting the reader think about the meaning of what the speaker has said. The poet also uses the anaphora 'i come from' to emphasize different aspects of the speakers life which contribute to there identity. However the speaker never says who they are, the poet allows the reader to use there imagination to invent the speaker. The poem is very ambiguous about who the speaker is.
    Throughout the poem there is a lot  of contrasting imagery such as 'i come from a garden' and 'i come from silence.' 'Garden' which symbolizes peace and serenity and gives off a calm image of a garden. This  contrasts to 'silence' which gives the reader a  sinister image of his life. The juxtaposition the writer uses leads to a more obscure view of the speaker. The contrast gives the speaker no real identity.
      Throughout the poem the tone of the poem changes drastically from sinister, to conventional and calm. The speaker says 'fog on the platform' this gives a sinister tone to the start of the poem. This may reflect the speakers identity. Are they from a sinister background? However he speaker then goes on to say 'i come from a garden' this gives an entirely different tone to the poem; 'garden' represents calm and serenity and is not sinister at all.

Overall the poet just hints at the identity of the speaker and is not clear about who they are.