Carol Ann Duffy - IMTC

Question 1

“You could travel up the Blue Nile”

Answer 1

• ‘travel’ has connotations of movement, exploration, etc. showing that the class was energetic and kept the kids busy
• Also suggests that the lessons were very engaging and immersive, the children felt like they could actually go to these places

Question 2

“This was better than home”

Answer 2

• Home is usually a safe place for a child, it as connotations of comfort, warmth and familiarity
• So, saying that Mrs Tilscher’s class was ‘better’ than home is like saying she provided the same safety and warmth as a mother/parent could
• Possibly their teacher felt like a protective guardian, almost like a real family member

Question 3

“Brady and Hindley
faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake”

Answer 3

• Brady and Hindley were two infamous child murderers, and many people would have been aware of them and scared
• However saying they could ‘fade’ away within the walls of the classroom shows that it was such a happy place that even the most horrible of outside fears could be forgotten/soothed

Question 4

“the inky tadpoles changed
from commas into exclamation marks”

Answer 4

• The tadpoles are symbolic of the children, and how they are growing and maturing into bigger, stronger versions of themselves
• ‘commas into exclamation marks’ is a metaphor for how they are literally growing - just as an (!) is bigger/bolder than a (,), so too are the tadpoles/kids bolder and becoming individuals

Question 5

“You kicked him”

Answer 5

• The narrator’s first reaction to the boy telling her this is anger, and so she retaliates physically
• Shows how the blissful innocence of her childhood is suddenly shattered, and the uncomfortable truths revealed when growing up can come in crude forms

Question 6

“how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled, then turned away”

Answer 6

• The teacher smiling shows that she understands the kids are growing up and recognises her time in their life is coming to an end
• When she turns away, this shows that it isn’t her place to inform them about this new stage, her role in their earlier years is complete

Question 7

“impatient to be grown”

Answer 7

• The children rushing out of the school gates shows that they are excited to move to the next stage in their life, they already want to grow and experience the world, relationships, highschool, etc.
• This is a bittersweet ending as the kids are rushing yet they are leaving behind their beloved classroom, it has to become a memory in order for them to move to a new time in their young lives
• Creates a sense of nostalgia