34,361+

Publication Instance Details #3159

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	Displacement/Forced Migration
Languages	English
Original Language	Greek
Original Poem	34,361+ (Greek)
Original Author	Natasha Remoundou
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Anthology
Paratext Text	* The figure 34,361 refers to the number of documented deaths of refugees and migrants due to the restrictive policies of 'Fortress Europe' as documented by the United Nations as of 5 May, 2018.
Notes	The paratext of this poem is instructive in interpreting this poem, whose title refers to the number of documented deaths of migrants and refugees as a result of harsh European immigration policies. The poem itself describes amphibious children diving to the bottom of the sea, salvaging rocks and pearls from the bottom of the ocean, as gifts for their 'sunburnt mothers' - who are implied to be above the water, travelling in boats to cross the Mediterranean. The 'paralysed oar' in the final line of the poem may be read as the failure of the journeys across the sea to safety, with the foreign names and surnamed mentioned perhaps in reference to the list of people killed by the journeys across the sea.