Originally

?
STYLE
Autobiographical and first person.
1 of 25
STRUCTURE
Regular structure, 3 stanzas and 8 lines to divide the poem into straightforward chronology, lack of rhyme and rhythm reinforces the poet's lack of control and anxiety at the time.
2 of 25
We came from our own country.
The decision to move impacted the whole family which is shown trough the first person plural.
3 of 25
red room
"Red" has connotations of passion and anger which may be how the poet feels about being forced to leave the city of her birth and early childhood.
4 of 25
fell through the fields
"Fell" shows the poet feels out of control regarding her move.
5 of 25
our mother singing /our father's name to the turn of the wheels
The mother's optimistic mood contrasts with Duffy's anxious one.
6 of 25
cried - bawling
Her brothers emotions reflect her own.
7 of 25
Home /Home
Repetition and capitalisation of "Home" reinforces the poets misery and overwhelming sense of loss about moving.
8 of 25
the miles rushed back to the city - the street, the house, the vacant rooms
The trip away from her house and towards her new one is reversed to show how she wants to return to Glasgow.
9 of 25
where we didn't live anymore
The first person plural "we" emphasis that the move doesn't only impact her individually, it impacts her family.
10 of 25
stared /at the blind eyes of a toy
Duffy's silence contrasts with her brothers noise. "Blind" exposes her uncertainty and anxiety about heading towards the unknown and unfamiliar.
11 of 25
All childhood is an emigration.
Childhood is similar to moving house as both are beyond our control.
12 of 25
other are sudden. /Your accent wrong.
The longer sentences at the start of the stanza about the slow stages of childhood, contrast with these short, abrupt sentences.
13 of 25
Your accent wrong.
"Wrong" conveys how communication and acceptance is much more complex than merely speaking the same language.
14 of 25
Corners, which seem familiar, /leading to unimagined pebble-dashed estates
"Seem" and "unimagined" exposes her inability to successfully negotiate though the new, strange and unfamiliar landscape.
15 of 25
big boys/ eating worms and shouting words you don't understand
Underpins her sense of confusion as she is confronted by behaviour and language which is alien to her.
16 of 25
My parents' anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
Although her parents were optimistic, their worry is now in contrast although their worries are not enough to heavily concern her as a loose tooth can be easily removed.
17 of 25
I want our own country
Reminds us of the autobiographical nature of the poem. Is a childish lament which is seemingly repeated throughout her transition.
18 of 25
But
Indicates the writers change of thought as she introduces the inevitability of change and adaptation.
19 of 25
swallow a slug
The poet can see that her brother has fully assimilated into his new home as he is eating bugs like the other boys. She is older in this stanza and is reflecting.
20 of 25
a skelf of shame
The deliberate use of a Scottish word show that although her brother has fully assimilated, she still feels out of place like a splinter as she is still attached to her life in Scotland.
21 of 25
tongue shedding its skin like a snake, my voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest
Despite these outward signs of assimilation, she continues to feel out of place.
22 of 25
Do I only think /I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space /and the right place?
The poet tries to answer the question which is apparent throughout the poem, yet she still hasn't come to a resolution. In asking this she challenges her's and the reader's notions of self and identity.
23 of 25
I only
Emphasis her feelings of isolation and separateness from her family members.
24 of 25
Where do you come from? /strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
At the end of the poem the poet still can't define her identity as she has to clarify the question with "originally". This momentary hesitation shows that although she's older, she has mixed feelings about her true origins.
25 of 25

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Regular structure, 3 stanzas and 8 lines to divide the poem into straightforward chronology, lack of rhyme and rhythm reinforces the poet's lack of control and anxiety at the time.

Back

STRUCTURE

Card 3

Front

The decision to move impacted the whole family which is shown trough the first person plural.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

"Red" has connotations of passion and anger which may be how the poet feels about being forced to leave the city of her birth and early childhood.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

"Fell" shows the poet feels out of control regarding her move.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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