On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955 (AQA GCSE English Literature)

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955'

Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another from the anthology. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem

• The ideas and messages of the poet 

• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods

• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to James Berry’s poem 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955', from the Worlds and Lives anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods

• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes

• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Overview

In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell

• A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining James Berry’s intention and message

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' in a nutshell

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' is written by the poet James Berry, a Jamaican poet who was part of the Windrush Generation who settled in England in the 1940s. Berry explores individuals’ lives and relationships in 1950s England by depicting a conversation on a train. 

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' breakdown

Lines 1–2

“Hello, she said, and startled me.

Nice day. Nice day I agreed.” 

Translation

• The lines introduce a conversation between two individuals on a train

• The pair greet each other and discuss the weather

Berry’s intention

• Berry introduces a polite meeting between two strangers on the train 

• He presents typical English small talk to represent cultural traditions

Lines 3–6

“I am a Quaker she said and Sunday

I was moved in silence

to speak a poem loudly

for racial brotherhood.”

Translation

• The poem introduces the first speaker as a Quaker, a member of a religious group

• The speaker refers to church on Sunday and how they were emotionally stirred

Berry’s intention

• Berry introduces ideas about differences in individuals’ lives

• The speaker is a Quaker (a form of Protestantism which began in England in the 17th century):

  • They allude to Christian values about “brotherhood” and equality 

Lines 7–10

“I was thoughtful, then said

what poem came on like that?

One the moment inspired she said.

I was again thoughtful.”

Translation

• The second speaker, the narrator, replies after some thought

• They ask the woman what poem she recited

• The woman, however, does not name a poem:

  • She says that it was “one” that she was inspired to recite

  • This leads the narrator to further reflect

Berry’s intention

• Berry’s speaker is a thoughtful listener, implying his intelligence

• The woman’s vague reply seems dubious to the narrator:

  • Berry suggests the woman may not have recited a poem or, at least, cannot remember it enough to discuss it properly 

Lines 11–15

“Inexplicably I saw

empty city streets lit dimly

in a day’s first hours.

Alongside in darkness

was my father’s big banana field.”

Translation

• The speaker is not sure why but they turn introspective, imagining two contrasting scenes

• They see the streets of England as well as a banana field from their childhood

Berry’s intention

• Berry highlights the different lives of the narrator and the woman

• He contrasts a rural and urban environment to show how the narrator notices stark differences between their childhood home and this one

Lines 16–17

“Where are you from? she said.

Jamaica I said.”

Translation

• The narrator is asked a question about his heritage

• He replies that he is originally from Jamaica

Berry’s intention

• Berry draws attention to the way natives are motivated to ask where migrants are from

• Berry hints at the way this draws attention to differences, which is ironic having just mentioned “racial brotherhood”

• It is implied the woman asks the question based on the colour of the narrator’s skin: 

  • This is made clearer by the similar language of the narrator and woman 

Lines 18–19 

“What part of Africa is Jamaica? she said.

Where Ireland is near Lapland I said.”

Translation 

• The woman asks the narrator a question about their homeland:

  • The woman makes a mistake, showing a lack of knowledge about other parts of the world 

• The narrator replies with sarcasm : they allude to the way Lapland may share similarities with Ireland although they are different countries

Berry’s intention

• Berry implies the narrator’s superior knowledge about the world

• Berry draws attention to the narrator’s bitter tone, implying their frustration at the unintentional discrimination

Lines 20–22 

“Hard to see why you leave

such sunny country she said.

Snow falls elsewhere I said.”

Translation 

• The woman makes a vague comment about the warmer climate of the narrator’s homeland

• The narrator’s reply informs the woman that snow falls in other countries too

Berry’s intention

• Berry’s conversation is presented as a typical conversation on a train:

  • The narrator’s lack of emotion as they give the woman information implies this is a predictable conversation

  • Berry presents a native’s ignorance about the world outside as pervasive

• Berry draws attention to the woman’s thoughtless comment about the motives of migrants, as well as a lack of knowledge about other climates:

  • He shows the migrant’s superior knowledge about the world

Lines 23–24

“So sincere she was beautiful

as people sat down around us.”

Translation 

• The narrator comments on how he sees that the woman thinks she has been sincere:

  • Perhaps she smiles as she sits down next to them, which makes her “beautiful”

• The poem ends suggesting the conversation and small talk is over when other people sit down

Berry’s intention

• Berry’s narrator notices how everyday conversations may leave a native feeling virtuous yet none the wiser 

• He highlights the sense of frustration an individual feels when their heritage is misunderstood

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the sections below, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes James Berry’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

The poem’s form contributes to the nature of a real conversation. James Berry breaks the poem into sections that explore the narrator’s responses to the conversation, as well as depict events as a lively anecdote.  

Structure

Berry shifts the rhythm of the poem to reflect the speaker’s emotions and responses in his depiction of a conversation between a migrant and a native on an afternoon train in England in 1955.

Language

The poem explores a migrant’s sense of displacement that arises from typical misunderstandings between well-intentioned yet ignorant native individuals.

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information but connected to your analysis. Examiners ask for sophisticated contextual connections that are linked to the theme in the question. In this case, it is not biographical information about James Berry that is unrelated to the ideas in 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955'. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Berry in the poem which relate to worlds and lives. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Berry explores:

• Belonging and heritage

• Disconnected relationships   

Belonging and heritage 

• Berry was the first West Indian poet to win the Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition in 1981:

  • His work explores his Jamaican roots and the experiences of the West Indian community in England

  • 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' specifically depicts a typical conversation between a Jamaican and an English woman in 1955

• James Berry was born in Jamaica and travelled to England in 1948:

  • Berry moved to further his education and achieve his ambitions to be a writer

  • His poetry often recalls elements of his homeland:

    • In this poem, Berry imagines his “father’s big banana field”

• James Berry is part of the Windrush Generation:

  • In order to strengthen a weakened workforce after World War II, the British government asked Jamaicans to relocate to England

  • Berry’s poetry conveys alternative perspectives about cultural heritage:

    • He sees the banana field alongside the “empty city streets”

• This poem conveys the sense of displacement experienced by a West Indian migrant:

  • He implies that, even on a train, a migrant is reminded of differences between them and the native:

    • The woman “startles” him and brings up “racial brotherhood” immediately

    • This draws attention to his race, and reduces his individuality

• In the poem, Berry uses a wry narrator to subtly criticise unintentional racism:

  • The narrator suggests the woman is oblivious to the fact she may have been offensive

  • This is shown with the ironic line: “So sincere she was beautiful”

Disconnected relationships  

• The poem examines misunderstandings between individuals, particularly between a migrant and a native:

  • Berry depicts an everyday train journey to present the conversation as typical

• The setting of the poem, an afternoon train, draws attention to the way public transport brings different people together:

  • Nevertheless, Berry describes how pleasant small talk can lead an individual to feel more disconnected: 

    • The conversation (and the poem) ends “as people sat down around us”

    • This implies the small talk was simply a brief and superficial exchange:

      • The woman has learned nothing new about the narrator, the world or migration

• Berry’s poem focuses on the way individuals attempt to connect and find a commonality:

  • The polite exchange represents a cultural tradition that the narrator has adopted in order to relate to others and form bonds: “Nice day I agreed”

• Nevertheless, Berry shows miscommunication between the pair:

  • The narrator’s replies are not understood or heard

• Though apparently pleasant, the conversation reminds the narrator of the differences between a native and a migrant:

  • She is unclear of the difference between Africa and Jamaica

  • Her frame of reference for migration is the weather

• Berry’s poem subtly criticises superficial religious attitudes that unintentionally result in disconnected relationships:

  • The Quaker is keen to share an example of her virtue

  • Her reference to race makes the narrator “thoughtful”

  • The narrator’s doubt about her sincerity is conveyed by his probing: “what poem came on like that?”

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about worlds and lives in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' explores the ideas of disconnected relationships and differences between individual lives, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

• 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955'  and 'Name Journeys' 

• 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and 'Thirteen'

• 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and 'Homing' 

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell

• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem

• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem

• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and 'Name Journeys'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both James Berry’s 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and Raman Mundair’s 'Name Journeys' employ speakers who explore fitting in and integrating in England. Both examine a disconnection from their world in terms of their cultural heritage. However, while Berry’s poem describes a polite yet stilted conversation on a train, Mundair uses a vibrant monologue to express her identity. 

Similarities:

Differences:

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and 'Thirteen'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both James Berry and Caleb Femi use cynical narrators to examine individuals who feel singled out because of their identity. The poems both depict speakers facing discrimination while going about everyday activities. However, while Berry’s 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' presents an adult resigned to their experiences, Femi shows a young boy’s growing sense of hopelessness. 

Similarities:

 Differences:

'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' and 'Homing'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both James Berry’s poem and Liz Berry’s 'Homing' consider the significance of language as individuals attempt to form relationships in new areas. However, James Berry’s speaker appears to have adapted in their new home, while Liz Berry’s speaker expresses an individual’s struggles as they try to integrate. 

Similarities:

Differences: