Dawish's Poetry Research Paper

Darwish was mentally battling his pride when he found out that he, and along with other Palestinians, was casted out of the name “Palestinian”. Themes like exile and homeland are repeated throughout his poetry. His three poems that present the theme homeland are The Strangers’ Picnic, The Dreamers Pass From One Sky to Another, and Who Am I, Without Exile? These poems express his desire to return to his homeland, to restore his identity. It is shown through symbolism and nature. In writing about his desire, he is also writing in the voice of his Palestinian kins.
The symbolic meaning of a butterfly in The Dreamers Pass From One Sky to Another shows Darwish’s dream of returning to his homeland. Symbolically, a butterfly represents the transformation
Darwish uses nature to illustrate his desire of going back to his homeland. He wrote “Nothing brings me back from my faraway to my palm tree; not peace and not war.” Being exiled Darwish’s only memories was of his homeland. When he says that nothing can bring him back to his palm tree he is basically saying that nothing can be compared to his homeland. Not even when he was having the moment of his life, or not even when he becomes popular. This is how much he desires to see his homeland. He also uses water to further illustrate his wish when he repeats “water binds me to your name.” Water is a life saving element and a form of hope. For Darwish and the Palestinians it seems to be more of something that states they are forever encased in a prison. Just like water that takes the shape of the medium it is in the Palestinians take the horrible end result of the war. They do not have the authority to change what is going on, like water that cannot burn the medium it is encased in. The Palestinians are “massaging his (their) stranger’s thigh.” This life that they receive makes them dream of going to their homeland, where they will not feel like prisoners, but like humans. A person is used to something when they are continually being exposed to that thing. Darwish feels like without exile he is nobody because he asks “what will we do without exile?” Darwish has his identity ripped off and his country taken. This is something that nobody wants to happen to them. If everything you have is gone, what good is it that you are alive? It will make you sad and angry and worthless all at once. Since, Darwish has nothing left, he feels like if he is not exiled then nobody would know him anymore. At least when he is exiled, people can recognize that he is the victim from this war. As long as he is a victim of this war, he will still have the right to think about returning to his