Originally Flashcards
We came from our own country 3
- ‘we’ is inclusive, suggesting a sense of togetherness.
-Own is possessive, emphasising the idea of identity, feeling she belongs in Scotland.
-Highlights her sense of belonging and possession to Scotland.
in a red room 2
-suggests she still wants a belonging.
-Red connotes anger and passion which mirrors the speaker’s feelings of having to leave her home.
which fell through the fields 2
-Fell connotes sudden and fast pain which emphasises the idea of shock and pain, suggesting it is difficult.
-Alliteration reflects the lack of control she had.
our mother singing our father’s name to the turn of the wheels. 4
-suggests she is joyful, relaxed and happy. She is happy about the move.
-Creates a happy atmosphere.
-Singing suggests happiness and implies mother is pleased with the move and is trying to help the others feel the same.
-Enjambment draws our attention to bawling.
My brothers cried, one of them bawling 4
-emphasises the fact they are traumatised, they are crying very loudly.
-Emphasising how difficult they are finding the move. They are very distressed.
-Bawling holds connotations of howling in sadness.
-Harsh b sound emphasises the crying sounds.
Home, Home 4
-repetition and enjambment emphasises the sense of belonging and togetherness, feeling as though somewhere is your own which upsets them.
-Reinforces the idea of distress and misery.
-enjambement, repetition and italics emphasise the source of the problem.
-Home has connotations of identity, security and sense of comfort or belonging.
-Duffy suggests boys are upset for more than just moving as they are losing a sense of belonging.
as the miles rushed back to the city 1
-Emphasises how much they have travelled, remembering their sense of home and belonging.
the street, the house, the vacant rooms 4
-emphasises scale and variety of everything she feels she is losing.
-Losing her sense of belonging, not just her home.
-Emphasises the idea that their home is gone and empty of all of their possessions and memories.
-She is struggling to accept the loss.
I stared at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw. 5
-holding in the emotions, in a daze, different coping mechanisms.
-Shows vulnerability and innocence.
-Connotes uncertainty, anxiety and heading towards something unfamiliar.
-Toy connotes youth and innocence, since she needs the soft animals comfort.
-Reminds us of holding parents hand as she feels vulnerable.
All childhood is an emigration. 1
just as emigration is a new experience that can be stressful and exciting so too does she have a mixture of emotions going into the move.
resigned, up an avenue
where no one you know stays. 1
commas slow the pace, emphasising her alone she feels, she feels unfamiliar and awkward.
Your accent wrong. 3
-The short sentence emphasises the way she feels the way she talks is incorrect.
-The word choice of wrong suggests a sense of judgement for the way she talks.
-emphasises the idea of due to the way she speaks she feels as though she doesn’t belong and feels awkward.
leading to unimagined pebble-dashed estates 2
-unimagined suggests she feels overwhelmed as everything looks and feels so different.
-Houses are foreign and strange to her leading to vulnerability and feeling out of place.
big boys eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand. 3
-big boys alliteration of harsh b sound suggests she feels intimidated, shouting suggests they are aggressive and she is frightened.
-Shouting is anger and threat.
-Implies she is vulnerable in this situation
My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head. 1
Just as a loose tooth is nagging and irritating, yet mildly painful, so too does she want to get rid of the burden of her parents’ worry.
