Send This (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Send this
Overview
In "Send this", the speaker addresses someone who is visiting Lahore in Pakistan, a city that was once the speaker's home. Throughout the poem, the speaker delivers a series of instructions connected to their own memories of the place.
The poem carries emotional weight as the speaker recalls features of the city that have disappeared or changed beyond recognition. However, the speaker resists viewing the city through a sentimental or romantic lens, instead demanding truth and authenticity.
The speaker accepts that change is inevitable and insists on truth rather than nostalgia. Lahore remains integral to the speaker's identity, but they acknowledge that, like life itself, the city is constantly evolving and transforming.
The poem explores three main themes:
- Change and memory
- Humanity and the environment
- The power of emotions and human experience
Context
Understanding the setting of the poem helps readers appreciate its deeper meanings.
Lahore is an ancient city in Pakistan with a rich and complex history. It serves as the capital of Punjab state and is Pakistan's second largest city, with approximately 14 million residents today. The city has existed for 2000 years and is renowned for its heritage as a former capital of empires.
During the 1940s, Lahore played a central role in the movement for independence from British colonial rule and in the establishment of Pakistan as an independent nation. The city is celebrated for its heritage of beautiful historic buildings. Today, it functions as a major centre for culture, finance and banking, with numerous modern structures being constructed alongside the old architecture.
About the Poet
Imtiaz Dharker was born in Lahore in 1954. Her family relocated to Scotland before her first birthday. Whilst "Send this" may reflect the poet's personal connection to her birthplace, readers can interpret the speaker's voice as separate from the poet herself.
The poem contributes to wider discussions about memory, place, identity and change.
Form and structure
The poem consists of five stanzas, each containing six lines. This regular structure creates a sense of order and control.
In each stanza, the final line is noticeably shorter than the preceding lines. This creates a sort of poetic 'punchline' that ends each stanza with dramatic emphasis, often with a poignant tone. There is only one example of enjambment that runs between stanzas, occurring at the end of stanza five.
The poem uses first person throughout ("me", "I", "my"), which allows the speaker's voice to come through directly. The reader gains access to the speaker's regrets, memories and sense of urgency.
Sound Effects Instead of Rhyme
There is no regular rhyme scheme, but Dharker employs various sound effects to connect ideas and create cohesion:
- Internal rhyme: "mock it" / "lock it" / "pocket"
- Assonance: "domes" / "show" / "home"
- Onomatopoeia: "rattle and spit"
The rhythm varies throughout the poem, following the patterns of natural speech as the speaker addresses their companion. This includes short, direct sentences of instruction or definite statement, alongside longer, more flowing thoughts and reflections.
Structure summary
Stanza one introduces the speaker's instruction not to send a postcard from Lahore, as it cannot capture the sense of the city as home.
Stanza two extends this by listing typical tourist mementoes and stories the speaker does not want to hear about.
The Turning Point
Stanza three marks the poem's turning point with the definitive statement "Everything changes". This stanza suggests that Lahore is continually transforming. There is a sceptical note about "the truth retold and sold" alongside the sense of constant construction and everything remaining incomplete.
Stanza four reveals the speaker's sense of disconnection. They no longer fully understand the city because of all the changes, but the people who still live there are trying to adapt and make sense of it.
Stanza five expresses respect for those who have chosen the city and are making the most of it. The speaker realises that we all create our own cities and our own lives. They resolve to carry "the unfinished walls of my city" in their pocket, symbolising both their memories and the ongoing change happening there.
Stanza one
The poem opens with a firm, direct command to the person visiting Lahore:
"Do not send me a postcard"
A postcard would not be welcome. The city has changed so dramatically from the speaker's memory that receiving news of how it is now might prove upsetting or disturbing.
Personification Analysis
The speaker uses an unusual expression: "The city that once lived here".
This personification makes it seem as though the city itself has moved away, rather than the speaker leaving. This technique emphasises how complete and absolute the change has been - it's not just that buildings have changed, but the entire essence and character of the city has transformed.
The description of Lahore in the past – "water courses and domes" – conjures a picture of the city as it was. By referencing these architectural features, the speaker helps us imagine the conventional, picturesque view that tourists hope to see. The speaker then rejects this romanticised image.
A thread of assonance runs through lines three to five. The repeated vowel sounds in "courses", "domes", "photograph" and two instances of "home" create flow and rhythm. The central concept of home receives emphasis through repetition and enjambment:
"was once home, and that home / is long gone"
In the short final line "is long gone", a new repeated vowel sound gives emphasis to this emphatic statement. A spondee (two stressed syllables together) finishes the stanza. This stresses the finality of the message: when a person moves away, their old home stops being home at all and changes without them.
Stanza two
Stanza two opens with a repetition of the beginning of stanza one, reinforcing the speaker's command:
"Do not send me a miniature"
The repeated commands – "Do not send" […] "or tell me" […] "or say" – list the things the visitor must not do. This underlines the speaker's rejection of tourist representations of their old home city. The speaker mentions several examples of conventional tourist items, then undermines the value of each one.
Tourist Authenticity
The picture "drawn with a camel's-hair brush" sounds authentic. Whilst such brushes do exist, they are generally less suitable for the delicate work seen in miniatures. Modern brushes for this purpose made from genuine hair typically use squirrel or sable. Using camel hair, or claiming to, for delicate painting could be seen as an affectation designed to attract tourists – an attempt to appear exotic and authentic.
The Anarkali Bazaar is a famous world heritage site with lively atmosphere, wonderful architecture and shopping. However, nowadays the buildings often suffer from neglect and run-down conditions, and the area can become overcrowded with tourists.
Gulmohar trees grow throughout Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and other tropical climates. Local people value them because they provide welcome shelter from the heat, and they produce bright red blossoms in summer. The expression "were aflame" represents a tourist cliché (they are also known as flame trees in English). The speaker rejects this romanticised language.
The speaker also does not want to hear that "koels sang there". These local birds (a species of cuckoo) have an exotic cry that delights tourists. However, people who live there sometimes consider their calls a nuisance.
Rejecting the Tourist Gaze
Repeatedly, iconic sights and sounds enjoyed by tourists are dismissed because they lack authenticity. They represent a superficial, commercialised view of the city rather than a genuine connection.
Stanza three
The opening words of stanza three – "Everything changes" – are central to the entire poem.
This emphatic, short sentence at the start of the stanza marks a turning point. After two stanzas of similar tone and content, the tone of the poem itself shifts, just like the city it depicts. Everything does then change as the speaker moves on to a positive command:
"Remind me/of this"
Rather than trying to capture the timeless quality of Lahore or present a tourist view, the speaker becomes interested in the reality of the city now. The city is literally a work in progress, with "things not quite made, girders laid" and "half-drawn plans, haggled over".
Internal Rhyme and Rhythm
The internal rhyme of "made" […] "laid" […] "paid", with strong stresses on these words, creates a feeling of repetitive, ongoing hard work and lively negotiations.
This rhythmic pattern mimics the sound of construction work itself - steady, persistent, and continuous.
The business of building appears energetic but not attractive. "Girders" are structural elements but they are uniform and plain, replacing the "domes" and "water courses" of the past that were referenced in the first stanza.
The speaker comments on "truth retold and sold", which introduces a note of caution and scepticism. This suggests corruption in the modern business world, where truth becomes a commodity.
The "new built malls" of modern times contrast directly with the "Anarkali Bazaar" mentioned earlier. The implication is that the city's true heritage and authentic life are being replaced by a future that seems ordinary, possibly soulless, and founded on consumerism rather than culture.
Stanza four
Stanza four presents the speaker interacting with the city directly:
"With the wrong key, I come/ to this place and try to unlock it"
The Metaphor of the Wrong Key
The speaker, who no longer lives in the city, wants to "unlock" it, but possesses the "wrong key".
The metaphor of the lock and key suggests:
- The speaker's desire to understand the real city and the lives that take place behind closed doors
- Their lack of access to the city's inner life
- The recognition that so much has changed during their absence that they have lost their connection
The speaker observes "air conditioners" in the suburbs. These represent progress and would be very welcome in a hot, modern city. However, the onomatopoeia of "rattle and spit" suggests the equipment does not run smoothly. This hints at the limitations and imperfections of progress.
The speaker notices how a hopeful person has "built a room". Clearly this is not a complete house. They have "left space for a window" which has not yet been installed. The place remains unfinished and uninhabitable, lacking even the basics. This suggests there are limits to the apparent progress occurring in the city, and everything is very much ongoing and incomplete.
Stanza five
Enjambment takes us straight into a change of tone with "opened a door, a desire". This represents a positive shift, with the open door suggesting looking towards the future. The door here stands open, in contrast to the opening of stanza four where the speaker had the "wrong key" and could not gain entry.
No matter how uncomfortable or incomplete the building is, the "desire" to build it shows that people are trying to move forward and create something for themselves. The command "Do not mock it" is a new type of instruction. The speaker shows appreciation for this genuine attempt to create a home and make the city their own.
The "Almost-Done World"
The "almost-done/world" is an ambiguous description. It might mean the world is not finished yet, or it might suggest that it will never be complete. The word "world" expands the scope beyond Lahore alone, suggesting that everywhere, people are trying to make a real future for themselves rather than living in a picturesque or romanticised past.
The speaker's final instruction is "send me this". This is the first time in the poem that the speaker has found something they would like to receive. It echoes the title of the poem. The speaker realises that nothing is ever fixed. Human life is always about change – it is always messy and never sorted or complete.
The poem ends on this pledge:
"I will carry the unfinished walls of my city"
This refers not only to Lahore and its ongoing changes, but to the symbolic city we build around ourselves and the life we create for ourselves, made of memories, connections and things still in progress. The final flourish "with me, in my pocket" suggests that the speaker, like all humanity, carries their own 'city' with them wherever they go. This is the reality of life the speaker has been asking for: not a romantic gloss or tourist fantasy but a genuine connection with a place as it really is, accepting its imperfections and incompleteness.
Commands and statements
The title of the poem – "Send this" – functions as a command. The repeated negative commands throughout the poem, until the positive "send me this" in the last stanza, make commands a key structural and thematic feature.
The Power of Commands
Commands tell someone to do something. In this poem, the commands create a direct, urgent tone. They reveal the speaker's strong feelings about how they want to relate to their former home.
- The negative commands ("Do not send", "or tell me", "or say") show what the speaker rejects
- The final positive command ("send me this") reveals what they truly value
Statements make definite declarations. The statement "Everything changes" at the start of stanza three functions as the poem's central message and turning point.
Themes
Change and memory
Change and memory lie at the heart of "Send this". The picture of the city as an ancient, beautiful place with traditional architecture may please visitors, but it does not represent a full and realistic picture of the modern city.
Change appears everywhere in the poem: construction of new houses and shopping centres; people attempting to make futures for themselves, even if the buildings they create are unfinished and uncomfortable. The poem makes clear that beautiful memories are less important than a living, breathing reality.
The speaker acknowledges that their own memory provides only a partial view of the city, just like the tourist perspectives they undermine in the first two stanzas. In stanza four, the lines:
"With the wrong key, I come/ to this place and try to unlock it"
show that the speaker has also become an outsider. Their romantic view of the place was built on memories rather than tourist ideals, but the result is similar. The city has changed, by necessity, into something completely different whilst the speaker has been living elsewhere.
Key Insight: Accepting Change
The acceptance of this change demonstrates emotional maturity. The speaker learns to let go of fixed memories and embrace the dynamic, evolving nature of both the city and life itself.
Humanity and the environment
"Send this" explores how important it is for people to have a meaningful relationship with their environment.
The speaker rejects the sentimentalised view of Lahore that has been popularised for the benefit of tourists. They recognise the value of a functional city as we move into the future, even if it appears less picturesque than the historic one. This means the speaker must put aside their cherished memories of a city they love.
Symbolically, the cities we 'build' represent the lives we create for ourselves. The phrase "nothing is ever fixed" suggests that life is always changing, always in flux.
The final lines suggest the unfinished city – which is both the literal, changing city the speaker has come to accept, and the symbolic one we all construct through our lives – is something the speaker will cherish. The intimacy of the phrase "in my pocket" keeps it close to them, suggesting that our relationship with place remains deeply personal even when we cannot return.
Theme Takeaway
The poem argues that authentic connection matters more than superficial beauty. People need to relate to their environments honestly, accepting change and imperfection rather than clinging to idealised versions of the past.
The power of emotions and human experience
The speaker's vehement insistence on rejecting the romanticised view of Lahore demonstrates how important authentic emotions are. The shallow, touristy view is not good enough – the speaker demands truth.
When the speaker realises that they, too, no longer fully understand the city because it has changed so much, they prove open-minded enough to accept this new aspect of a place they love:
"send me this, knowing/nothing is ever fixed"
The city under construction may appear unfinished and unlovely, but the speaker expresses admiration for the people who are trying to create futures for themselves. The desire to open a door to the future, a longing for something better, is what makes us all human.
What Makes Us Human
The poem suggests that genuine human experience involves:
- Accepting imperfection
- Embracing change
- Connecting authentically with places and people rather than through romanticised or commercialised lenses
Comparisons with other poems by Imtiaz Dharker
In "Send this", the romanticised picture of the city is contrasted with the more functional present and dynamic future of the city under construction. In "Letters to Glasgow", past, present and future are also important elements in the journey. The old lady's precious memories coexist with the here and now, as passengers work away on their computers, heading into the future. These elements are all parts of what makes us human, just like the people attempting to build houses to create a future for themselves. Both poems express notes of caution about 'progress', but ultimately, human connection and emotion prevails.
Change and memory are fundamental to "Send this" as the city inevitably progresses and renews itself. Similarly, change in human relationships appears in "The Knot" and "Stitch", both based on childhood memories reflected upon from adulthood. Growing up and moving away from childhood to the real adult world proves difficult but necessary, just as the civilisation of Lahore must evolve from its picturesque past into a more functional future.
Dharker's Recurring Technique: The Universal from the Personal
The poems "Bairn" and "Bloom" again highlight human connection and emotion. "Bloom" presents a new mother reflecting on her baby, who is just a small infant but has changed her perspective on the world.
Dharker repeatedly uses a technique where the entire world becomes connected:
- In "Send this", the unfinished room becomes an "almost-done world"
- In "Bloom", the speaker says "Holding you, I hold the world"
- In "Letters to Glasgow", the "blue dot" of the train tracked on GPS becomes like a small planet where all of life is present and connected
Remember!
Key Points to Remember
- The speaker addresses someone visiting Lahore, their former home, and gives them instructions about what not to send
- The poem rejects romanticised, tourist views of the city in favour of authentic, truthful representations
- The central statement "Everything changes" marks a turning point where the speaker accepts the city's transformation
- The metaphor of having the "wrong key" shows how the speaker has become an outsider to the changed city
- The final image of carrying "the unfinished walls of my city" "in my pocket" symbolises how we all carry our own incomplete, ever-changing 'cities' with us throughout life
- The poem ultimately celebrates authentic human experience over romanticised memories