In Mrs Tilschers Class Flashcards
In Mrs Tilschers class
The reader expects the classroom setting and the theme of childhood.
You could travel up the Blue Nile
with your finger, tracing the route
The use of the personal pronoun ‘you’ highlights how Duffy seems to be addressing herself and her own memories. The use of second person also reflects that the subject is universal which engages the reader and encourages them to remember their own experiences of childhood.
The poem is full of senses. The visual ‘Blue’ of the river and the sense of ‘touch’ in ‘tracing the route’ work together to show that the child if fully absorbed in the lesson.
while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery.
Tana. Ethiopia. Khartoum. Aswân.
‘Chanted has connotations of singing or a melody.
The series of mini sentences create a pause where the child can imagine the exotic nature of the place. This portrays the sense of wonder and engagement in the lesson.
That for an hour, then a skittle of milk
The word choice of ‘a skittle of milk’ refers to the shape of the bottle as well as a game. This adds to the playful tone and sense of wonder in the opening stanza of the poem.
The act of giving school children milk is now something that is lost. It portrays the classroom as a safe space with a loving teacher.
and the chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust.
The use of passive voice creates magical connotations.
The word choice of ‘dust’ also works in two ways. The images on the chalkboard are literally rubbed away while also referring to the desert and the erosion of the pyramid. The image hints at the passing of time and the sense of loss.
A window opened with a long pole.
A specific detail of school life - Cretes a sense of realism that juxtaposes with the magic of the geography lesson. Duffy also wins at the wider world here.
The laugh of a bell swung by a running child.
The personification of the bell through the description of its laugh creates a joyful and happy mood.
The engergetic actions of ‘swung’ and ‘running’ also adds to the carefree setting of the classroom.
This was better than home. Enthralling books.
The short sentence acts as n affirmation and tells the reader ow much she loves the classroom.
The word choice of ‘enthralling books’ creates a sense of magic and wonder that contrasts with the Childs home life. the minor sentence emphasises this further.
The classroom glowed like a sweet shop.
The similes compares the classroom to a sweet shop - a place full of colour and wonder for children.
The word choice of ‘glowed’ further enforces the magical nature of this image. The classroom is a place that capture the children’s interest and imagination.
Sugar paper. Coloured shapes.
The minor sentence continues the colourful and enchanting descriptions of the setting. This continues to portray the classroom as a positive and secure environment.
Brady and Hindley
faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake.
Duffy references the notorious serial killers who prayed on children in the 1960s. Their mention creates a shocking juxtaposition to the safe and secure classroom environment. At the time the newspapers printed pics of murderers in black and white, this image contrasts with the display of colour in the classroom.
Enjambment
The word choice of ‘faded’ illustrates how the horrors of the outside world are almost wiped away by Mrs Tilscher .
The simile demonstrates that the awareness of the outside world cannot be removed completely.
The word choice of ‘smudge’ highlights how the dangers continue to be a blemish on this otherwise joyful time.
Alliteration and soft assonance (a) lengthens the sentence, mirroring the way horror cannot be erased completely.
Mrs Tilscher loved you. Some mornings, you found
she’d left a good gold star by your name.
‘Mrs Tilscher’ loved you’ is a simple statement highlighting that she is confident in her knowledge of this.
The author goes on to provide evidence of Mrs Tilshcers love. The child finds the star in the mornings as though it had been left by a fairy. It shows the, at this point in the poem, Mrs Tilschers love is able to overshadow dangers of the outside world.
The scent of a pencil slowly, carefully, shaved.
Sensory description is used again. The adverbs prolong this line, mimicking the slow act of sharpening a pencil. this nostalgic memory is universal.
A xylophone’s nonsense heard from another form.
The personification and word choice of ‘nonsense’ creates a playful tone.
Over the Easter term, the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks.
This is a mixed metaphor.
The frogs development symbolises the quick growth of the children while also suggesting sexual reproduction.
‘Inky’, ‘commas’ and ‘exclamation marls’ are all example of classroom vocabulary and can symbolise the children’s growth as they move from small commas to bigger exclamation marks.
