The central tension
The central tension
The title, In Wales, Wanting to be Italian, places the speaker's present location beside an imagined identity. The word “wanting” suggests that being Italian is a desire rather than the speaker's reality, creating a tension between where they are and who they wish to be.
Step-by-step lessons on Edexcel GCSE English Literature 2.4.11 In Wales, Wanting to be Italian by Imtiaz Dharker. Each one builds up to exam-style questions. Work through your set texts (Shakespeare, the post-1914 text, the 19th-century novel, and the poetry anthology) alongside regular unseen-poetry practice, since the unseen and comparison sections are usually the most time-pressured on exam day.