Orginally Flashcards
Give a brief summary on Isolation in Originall?
Duffy feels isolated and lonely as she is moved from her native Scotland to England. She doesn’t know anyone and even the accents are unfamiliar with her.
State some quotes based on Isolation in Orginally?
- “Your accent wrong.” Word choice - proves as another barrier for Duffy despite them speaking the same language.
- “Big boys eat worms and shouting words you dont understand.” Confronted by behaviour and language that’s alien to her. Plosives of “big boys” suggests she feels threatened by them and highlights her youth.
- “unimagined pebble-dashed estates” Emphasise her confusion and feeling of not belonging - unfamiliar landscape/culture
Give a brief summary on Identity in Orginally?
Duffy feels that her move left her feeling without an identity for some time. She is also concerned to show us that whilst childhood is a rite of passage, it can be a lonely time
State some quotes based on Identity in Originally.
-“Originally” Word choice - Title of poem explored the importance of origins and how we define our identity.
- “Now where do you come from? Strangers ask. Originally?” Question - Poet struggles to define identity - she acknowledges she has changed since she was young and lots of things make up her identity.
- “Do I only think I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space and the right place?” Rhetorical question - speaker questions what makes up her identity, she lists some of the things she left behind and wonders if these things influence who she is now.
Give a brief summary on Childhood in Originally?
Duffy feels that her move left her feeling without an identity for some time. She is also concerned to show us whilst childhood is a rite of passage, it can also be a lonely time.
State some quotes based of Childhood in Originally.
- “All childhood is an emigration” Metaphor- childhood compared to a major uprooting - change and transitions that are outwit their control - moving from the comfortable to the uncomfortable.
- “You forget, or don’t recall, or change” Used 2nd person to involve reader and make them think about the things they adapted to.
- “Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned up an avenue where no one you know stays” Elongated drawn out phrases/long sentences to show slow stages of childhood.
Give a brief summary on Loss in Originally?
Duffy feels that her move left her feeling a sense of great loss and suffering as this life changing event was against her wishes.
State quotes on Loss in Originally.
- “We came from our own country” Word Choice of “We” decision to move affected them all. Assonance of “our own” reinforces their sense of belonging to that place.
- “my brothers cried, one of them bawling. home, home” Brothers share her feelings about moving. Word choice of “bawling” shows how upset they are about moving. Repetition of “home” reflects childish habit of repeating one’s self.
Give a brief summary of transition in Originally.
In ‘Originally’, we see Carol Ann Duffy reflect on her move with her family from Scotland to England, and how she learns to cope with this change whilst growing up.
State quotes based on transition from Originally.
- “All childhood is an emigration” Metaphor childhood compared to a major uprooting - change and transitions that are outwit their control - moving from the comfortable to the uncomfortable.
- “Others are sudden. Your accent wrong.” Short abrupt sentences show how fast the changes were - accents serving as another barrier despite them speaking the same language.
Give a brief summary on Powerful Memories in Originally.
In this poem, Duffy reflects on her move as a young girl from Scotland to England, and how traumatised she was given the move was against her wishes.
State quotes based on Powerful Memories from Originally.
- “fell through the fields” Alliteration draws attention to the lack of control she felt.
- “The street, the house, the vacant rooms where we didn’t live anymore” List focusing on increasingly specific details shows how much she was thinking about it and the memories there.
