📚 IGCSE Poetry Notes: Elizabeth Brewster, 'Where I Come From'

Hello, Literature Learners! This chapter dives into Elizabeth Brewster’s powerful poem, 'Where I Come From'. This isn’t just a poem about a geographical location; it’s a deep exploration of identity, memory, and the idea that our true 'home' might be internal rather than a spot on a map. Understanding this poem helps you explore how writers use setting and memory to define the self—a crucial skill for your exam!

Don't worry if place-based poetry seems tricky. We will break down how Brewster moves from talking about cold rivers to talking about the landscape of her own mind.


🌟 Section 1: Quick Overview and Context

The Poet: Elizabeth Brewster (1922-2010)
  • Brewster was a major Canadian poet. Her work often reflects her experience growing up in rural New Brunswick, which was marked by simplicity and, at times, hardship.
  • The poem is written in a free verse style and has a very conversational and reflective tone, making it feel like she is talking directly to the reader about her life.
The Big Idea (AO2: Themes)

This poem answers the fundamental question: "What makes me, me?"
Brewster discovers that where she physically grew up (the external facts) is less important than the internal landscape—the stories, the imagination, and the emotions she developed there.

Quick Takeaway: The poem is about shifting the definition of 'home' from a physical place to a state of mind.


🗺️ Section 2: Stanza-by-Stanza Breakdown (AO1: Content & AO2: Situations)

The poem can be divided into three parts: the setting, the people, and the imagination.

Stanzas 1 & 2: The Physical Setting (The Harsh Reality)

Brewster starts by describing where she was born—places that sound cold and slightly forbidding:

  • Imagery of Cold and Simplicity: She mentions the “stark, bare, purple hills” and the “cold, exactly precise, clear, and blue” rivers. This suggests a tough, uncompromising environment.
  • Lack of Glamour: She lists places like "Prince Edward Island" and "New Brunswick", which are specific Canadian locations, but she describes them using words that emphasize their lack of history or grandeur—they are just simple, everyday places.
  • Financial Hardship: The reference to “small farms, sometimes poor” subtly introduces the theme of struggle and modesty.

Key Method (AO3): The use of diction (word choice) like 'stark' and 'bare' establishes a mood that is realistic and slightly bleak.

Stanza 3: The People and the Past

Here, Brewster focuses on the people she came from, revealing a heritage tied to hard work and tradition.

  • The Grandparents: They had “a long tradition of farming, fishing, or being small merchants.” This shows her roots are in practical, humble trades.
  • The Storytelling Culture: Her ancestors tell stories (“tales of the sea”, “gossip of relatives”). These stories are crucial because they plant the seed of imagination.
Stanzas 4 & 5: The Contrast (Imagination vs. Reality)

This is the pivotal turn in the poem. The poet admits that the external reality wasn't enough, so she escaped through books and dreams.

  • Escapism: She mentions how she “couldn't stand too much reality” and preferred to read about other, more exciting, distant places (like England and France).
  • The Internal Landscape: She created her own world: “my first, best, deepest, truest home is in my head.” This line is the poem's central message. She defines her true 'where' as her mind.
  • The Analogy of the Tree: She says she is “like a tree, the roots are nowhere, or everywhere.” This metaphor is highly effective. If roots are everywhere, they are not tied to one specific spot. Her identity is not fixed by geography.

💡 Analogy Tip: Think of her identity like Wi-Fi. The physical house (New Brunswick) is where she plugged in, but her true connection (her stories and ideas) travels everywhere wirelessly.

Stanza 6: Conclusion—Reconciling Both Places

In the final stanza, she realizes that even her imagination was shaped by the harsh reality she tried to escape.

  • She notes that her dreams and poems are often about “small towns and thin-skinned people.”
  • She accepts the “dark, frozen water” (the reality) alongside the “bright, imagined country” (the dreams). Both are essential.

Quick Review: The journey moves from cold facts (St. 1-2) to imaginative freedom (St. 4-5) and finally to mature acceptance (St. 6).


🧠 Section 3: Deep Dive into Themes (AO2)

1. The Nature of Identity and Belonging

Brewster challenges the simple notion that 'where you come from' is purely geographical.

  • External vs. Internal Identity: She initially defines herself by external facts (province, simple background). But she concludes that these are secondary to the inner life built through reading and reflection.
  • Universal Roots: By claiming her roots are “everywhere”, she suggests that her identity is not limited by nationality or region. She belongs to the larger world of literature and human experience.
2. Place, Memory, and Imagination

The poem highlights the crucial role of imagination in transforming difficult reality.

  • The Power of Books: For the young Brewster, books were a lifeline. She imagined herself into histories and places far grander than her small farming community.
  • Memory's Clarity: She describes her childhood home with precise, clear details (“clear, and blue” rivers), showing how sharply these memories remain, even if they were challenging. Memory becomes the filter through which she understands her past.

✍️ Section 4: Writer’s Methods and Language (AO3)

Brewster uses several techniques to achieve her reflective and honest effect:

1. Conversational Tone and Free Verse
  • Free Verse: The poem does not follow a strict rhythm or rhyme scheme. This makes the language feel natural, like a personal conversation or a stream of thought, lending the poem sincerity.
  • Use of Lists: Listing geographical places or types of stories (“tales of the sea, the land, the air”) mimics how a person might ramble when sharing their life story, adding to the authenticity.
2. Contrasting Imagery

The poet deliberately contrasts two types of landscapes:

  • Realistic Imagery: Emphasizes coldness, hardship, and lack of color (“stark, bare, purple hills,” “frozen water”). This grounds the poem in a specific, tough reality.
  • Imaginative Imagery: Suggests warmth, history, and beauty (references to England, France, and her own “bright, imagined country”). This highlights the appeal of escapism.

Why this contrast matters: The whole poem is a struggle between these two worlds. She eventually accepts that the cold reality is what forced her imagination to become so strong.

3. Symbolism: The Tree and the Roots

The image of the rootless tree is the most important symbol.

“I am like a tree, the roots are nowhere, or everywhere.”

  • If roots are nowhere, she feels unmoored and disconnected from a single place.
  • If roots are everywhere, she is connected universally—to all human stories and intellectual history.

Did you know? Free verse poetry often relies heavily on line breaks to create rhythm and emphasis. Notice how Brewster sometimes breaks a line to isolate a key phrase, like placing "in my head" at the very end of a line for maximum impact.


✅ Section 5: Exam Focus and Quick Review (AO4: Personal Response)

How to Address the Question

When analyzing 'Where I Come From', remember to link the methods (AO3) directly to the message (AO2).

If the question asks: 'Explore how Brewster conveys her feelings about her childhood home.'

  1. Acknowledge the Difficulty: Show that the home was physically harsh (use 'stark, bare' imagery).
  2. Highlight the Escape: Discuss how this led to her reliance on imagination and books (her 'truest home').
  3. Show the Acceptance: Explain that she eventually respects the real place because it shaped her dreams and creativity (the union of 'frozen water' and 'imagined country').
Common Mistake to Avoid

Don't assume Brewster hates where she comes from. She doesn't. She is trying to understand it. The tone is reflective and accepting, not bitter or resentful. She honors the place by admitting its profound influence on her inner life.


🚀 Quick Review Box: 'Where I Come From'

Poetic Form: Free Verse, Conversational Tone.

Central Conflict: Harsh External Reality vs. Rich Internal Imagination.

Key Theme: Identity is defined by the contents of the mind, not just geography.

Key Quote for Analysis: "my first, best, deepest, truest home is in my head."


Keep practicing relating the imagery of the cold Canadian landscape to the warm world of her stories. You’ve got this!