The emigree

Question 1

“There once was a country … I left it as a child.”

Answer 1

Analysis:
This opening line establishes a nostalgic and almost fairy-tale tone, suggesting the speaker’s idealized memory of her homeland. The ellipsis implies something unspeakable or lost — perhaps due to political turmoil or personal trauma. Even though she left the country as a child, her identity is deeply rooted in that early connection. The quote reflects how identity can be shaped by memory and place, even when the physical connection is severed.

Question 2

“It may be at war it may be sick with tyrants.”

Answer 2

Contrast to the speakers idealized vision of the homeland with its current pollitical reality. The repeated “it may be” indicates uncertainty or denial, showing the tension between the internal identity formed by childhood memories and the external identity of the place as it is now. This conflict suggests how identity can be both personal and political, and how exile can complicate the way one sees their origins.

Question 3

“My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight.”

Answer 3

This closing line powerfully shows the speaker protecting her city from external judgement — “my city hides behind me.” It implies she’s become a guardian of its memory and identity, carrying its image with her. The “shadow” falling as “evidence of sunlight” is a paradox: the shadow (often symbolic of darkness or loss) proves that light (hope, memory, truth) exists. This shows how the speaker’s identity is a blend of exile and memory, with pain (“shadow”) validating the love and pride she still feels for her home.

Question 4

Quotes

Answer 4

“There once was a country … I left it as a child.”
“My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight.”
“It may be at war it may be sick with tyrants.”