Daljit Nagra - Singh Song! Flashcards
1
Q
What is the poem about?
A
- ‘Singh Song’ is a poem focused on the love a shop-worker has for his wife, he how he abandons his duties in the shop to make love to her when no one is noticing.
- It uses comedy to enhance the relationships between husband and wife, but also the secondary relationship between the speaker and his parents.
2
Q
Give a brief synopsis of the poem
A
- Introduces the speaker, who works running one of his father’s shops.
- When no one is in the shop, he locks the door and goes upstairs to see his wife.
- They share food and make love. * The speaker mentions that people complain about the way he runs the shop and the things he sells, describing it as the “worst Indian shop”.
- He can hear his wife in the flat above the shop, and she runs a dating website.
- Suggests his wife doesn’t get on well with his parents, but he finds it funny. * Describes as his wife flits between different cultures.
- Goes back to referencing how his customers complain about his shop.
3
Q
Context regarding Daljit Nagra
A
- Nagra has Punjabi Sikh Indian parents who moved to Britain in the late 1950s, he was born in 1966.
- The concept of “Britishness” is a central theme to his work, and he has previously said he uses traditionally English formats in his poetry.
- His parents owned a shop in Sheffield in 1982, and his family repeated experienced attacks motivated by race, as well as burglaries.
- Nagra didn’t start writing poetry until he was 30, but did a BA & MA in English at Royal Holloway University.
- After these degrees, he became an English teacher. When he started submitting work to magazines he did so under the pseudonym ‘Khan Singh Kumar’, because he didn’t actually expect to get anything published.
- He teaches at Brunel University in London, is the poet in Residence at Radio 4 and 4 Extra, as well as having won the Forward poetry prize.
4
Q
“I run just one ov my daddy’s shops”
A
- Adverb “just” creates a sense of insecurity and lacking - implies there is a family pressure for him to work here
- Takes away responsibility and ownership over his work by referencing that the shop belongs to his “daddy” - sets up another relationship secondary to the romantic and sexual relationship between Singh and his wife - this being nearly strained father-son relationship
5
Q
“from 9 o’clock to 9 o’clock”
A
6
Q
“and he vunt me not to hav a break”
A
- Displays displeasure towards his father for working him too hard
7
Q
“but ven nobody in, I do di lock –”
A
- Shows that whilst he has been resigned to the hard time-consuming work of running the shop, which shows he has some respect at least for his father, he will still go against his wishes because he potentially values his wife more than his work
8
Q
“cos up di stairs is my newly bride”
A
- Introduces his wife, who he is clearly devoted too - but is also seen as another responsibility Singh has to fulfil alongside running the shop - he has a conflict of responsibilities
- “New” emphasises the novelty of having a wife - could suggest they have a good relationship, reflecting honeymoon phase of relationship
- However, pronoun “my” is very possessive and implies an imbalance between the speaker and his wife
9
Q
“vee share in chapatti”
“vee share in di chutney”
“after vee hav made luv”
A
- Repeated collective pronoun “vee” creates a sense of unity within the relationship alongside with the verb “share”
- Repetition of this emphasises closeness of the couple
10
Q
“like vee rowing through Putney –”
A
- Strange simile provides comedy and humour to stanza
11
Q
“Ven I return vid my pinnie untied’”
A
- Humorous image to reflect his disobedient behaviour
- Creates a lack of professionalism which may suggest that he places a priority on his wife and their relationship rather than his work
12
Q
“di shoppers always point and cry:”
“Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
A
13
Q
“Yor lemons are limes”
“yor bananas are plantain,”
A
- Humorous exaggeration to juxtapose the commitment he feels for his wife
14
Q
“dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop”
A
15
Q
“in di worst Indian shop”
“on di whole Indian road –”
A
- Hyperbole adds humour to the poem, highlights difference in care he has towards the shop and then towards his wife
16
Q
“Above my head high heel tap di ground”
A
- Constant reminder of his wife above him
- High heels as a symbol of temptation and femininity? - influence of western culture?
17
Q
“as my vife on di web is playing wid di mouse”
“ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site”
“she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price –”
A
- Ambiguous but may mean that she runs a dating website - very modern approach to relationships
- Possessive pronoun “her” suggest she’s accomplished as she owns the site
18
Q
“my bride”
A
- Possessive pronoun - perhaps to suggest pride for her?
- Taking her accomplishments as his own
19
Q
“she effing at my mum”
“in all di colours of Punjabi”
“den stumble like a drunk”
“making fun at my daddy”
A
- Mentioning how his wife mocks his parents in a humorous way - suggests he finds it comical, and perhaps emphasise how he doesn’t have a very positive relationship with his parents
20
Q
“my bride”
“tiny eyes ov a gun”
“and di tummy ov a teddy”
A
- Juxtaposing description of his wife as both fierce and sweet - she is multifaceted and he appreciates these different parts of her personally
21
Q
“my bride”
“she hav a red crew cut”
“and she wear a Tartan sari”
“a donkey jacket and some pumps”
“on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching my sweeties –”
A
- Repeating “my bride” through three stanzas suggest he cannot get her off his mind
- His wife is wearing a mix of clothes from different cultures and he seems to accept, if not embrace, the element of his wife
22
Q
“Ven I return from di tickle ov my bride”
A
- Opens stanza to a sweet and affectionate comment on his relationship with his wife, and then immediately contrasts this with the difficulties he faces whilst running the shop.
- “Tickle” is quite childish and innocent which further suggests they are newly-wed and enjoying the honeymoon period of their marriage
23
Q
“di shoppers always point and cry:”
“Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
A
24
Q
“Di milk is out ov date”
“and di bread is alvays stale,”
“di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock”
“in di worst Indian shop”
“on di whole Indian road –”
A
- Repeated throughout the poem, using hyperbole to compare his good relationship with his terrible work
25
"Late in di midnight hour"
* References time again to justify himself spending time for his own pleasure
26
"ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet"
"ven di precinct is concrete-cool"
* Directing this at the reader "yoo" suggesting we are a part of this issue
27
"vee cum down whispering stairs"
"and sit on my silver stool,"
"from behind di chocolate bars"
* Silver is a precious metal, and seen as connoting modernism and sophistication
* Sibilance of "sit" and "silver stool" mirrors the calming language used in this stanza to emphasise how the shop is now void of customers
28
"vee stare past di half-price window signs"
* Reference to money makes reader consider how much he actually values his work and suggesting he values his wife and spending time with her aa lot more
29
"at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –"
* "Brightey" - fictional language to represent the blending of cultures
30
"from di stool each night she say,"
"How much do yoo charge for dat moon baby?"
* Baby is an affectionate term typically considered part of English slang - demonstrates a melding of cultures
31
"from di stool each night I say,"
"Is half di cost ov yoo baby,"
* "Baby" - repeated, affectionate pet names hints the have a good relationship
32
"from di stool each night she say,"
"How much does dat come to baby?"
33
"from di stool each night I say,"
"Is priceless baby -"
* Choosing to neglect material goods and suggests that immaterial things such as spending time together, or nature, are much more important than the work he demo in his father's shop
34
Explain the importance of the title of the poem
* Alternative phrase provides a jovial, familiar quality with good rhythm
* Excalmative punctuation
* Pun using the traditional Indian surname 'Sing' which is popular amongst Sikhs, and inserting it into the phrase "sing song" which connotes a peaceful song - this initially situates the poem in a very specific community within the larger society
35
Describe the perspective that the poem uses
* The speaker is a recently married man who works in one of his father’s shops.
* He complains about how much he is made to work, and disobeys his father’s wishes and often leaves the shop unattended.
* He narrates the poem with a humorous tone.
* It is written in a first-person narrative, and he talks about his wife instead of directly addressing her
36
Describe the opening
* The poem opens on a focus on the speaker’s work, his wife isn’t introduced until later in the poem. This may reflect how he finds obstructions when trying to spend time with his wife.
* Takes away responsibility and ownership over his work by referencing that the shop belongs to his “daddy” - the implications of his work on his relationship may also imply that it feels like his father also owns his marriage, or has control over it to some extent. * Using the adverb “just” Nagra creates a sense of insecurity and lacking.
* This implies there is a family pressure for him to work here.
* This sets up another relationship, secondary to the romantic and sexual relationship between Singh and his wife, of a strained father-son relationship.
* The speaker displays displeasure towards his father for working him too hard, and references that he has resigned to the hard, time-consuming work of running the shop.
* This shows he has some respect at least for his father, he will still go against his wishes because he potentially values his wife more than his work.
37
Describe the structure of the poem regarding refrains & repetitions
* To reflect the title of the poem, there is a melodic form to the poem with a stable rhythm and song-esque pace.
* Refrains such as “in di worst Indian shop // on di whole Indian road -”, and “my wife”, somewhat mimic the chorus of a song.
* Using the repeated format of “she say // // I say” in the final four couplets sets up a sense of dialogue and connection between the couple.
* Alternatively, it could be argued that because they are separated stanzas the structure reflects the adversity the couple faces when trying to spend time together.
* The Nagra’s use of couplets which are typical of a love poem structure reaffirms the idea that the couple have a loving relationship.
38
Describe the use of language about dialect & colloquialism
* The dialect and colloquial language used in the poem reflects the typical language used by Indians living in Britain, again to situate the poem in the context of a specific community.
* For example, using “di” rather than “the”, “ver” instead of “where”, and “ov” not “of”.
39
Describe the use of language about contrasts
* Juxtaposing language such as “tiny eyes ov a gun // and di tummy ov a teddy”
* suggests that Singh is aware he has a multifaceted and complex wife but finds this combination positive in their relationship.
40
Describe the use of language about time markers & referencing
* The speaker often references time such as “midnight hour” and “9 o’clock to 9 o’clock” to highlight the time pressure he faces and how he struggles to schedule in time for himself, time with his wife and time for the shop
41
Describe the use of language about immature language
* Nagra uses a range of upbeat, childish language, such as “red”, “silver”, “lemon”, “lime”, and these reflect both the new nature of the couple’s marriage and the immature tone of the poem.
42
Compare with:
- Sonnet 29
- Before You Were Mine
