Originally Flashcards
We came from our own country
First person plural pronouns
“We” “our own” - suggests that the decision to move has impact her entire family. Also creates a sense of belonging to their native roots.
red room
Symbolism
“Red” symbolises anger which reflects how Duffy felt about having to move. It could also symbolise the danger as she doesn’t know what could happen when she moves.
A “Room” can be empty which suggests that Duffy was feeling lonley as they moved.
fell through the fields
Word Choice/Alliteration
Suggests that Duffy was feeling out of control as she couldn’t do anything to change the fact that they were moving. Also suggests that she was feeling lost.
our mother singing
Contrast
“singing” suggests that her mother was excited to move which contrast Duffy’s and her brothers negative attitude towards the move.
What does the enjambement in the first three lines suggest?
That this was a long jounrey.
bawling, Home, Home
Word choice/Repetition
“bawling” suggests that her brothers were distraught about moving.
“Home, Home” the repetition emphasises that this is something they all really wanted. The capitalisation of “Home” suggests the importance that it had to them.
The fact that her brothers are being vocal about their unhappiness contrasts Duffy’s approach who just “stared”.
as the miles rushed back to the city
Emphasises that Duffy felt out of control as she couldn’t control where they were moving and she was not happy about this. She wanted to go back home.
to the city, the streets, the house, the vacant rooms where we didn’t live any more.
The list is getting smaller as it goes which emphasises how much they have left behind and it is bringing as sense of loss to Duffy.
I stared
Contrast
A contrast to the way how her brothers have been about the move - very vocal - whereas, Duffy is being silent about it.
at the eyes of a blind toy, holding it paw.
Symbolism
“Blind” symbolises and reflects how Duffy herself is unaware of the future in the new place where they are moving to.
She is “holding its paw” as this is one of the few things that are familiar to her and thus, she can use it to comfort her which her “singing” mother is not doing.
All childhood is an emigration.
Metaphor
Just as the journey from childhood into adulthood is stressful and people don’t know what to expect from it, so too is the journey from one country to another as you people have to leave the comfort of their own country and move somewhere else which they might not know much about either.
Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays.
The long sentence is full of commas to slow the sentence down which mirrors how some transitions can take some time.
Others are sudden. Your accent wrong.
Short sentences show how some changes happen too quickly which is mirrored by the short sentences. “You accent wrong” shows that Duffy found it hard to assimilate into the new society at first.
Big boys eating worms
Creates a tense environment as the boys seem weird and threatening to Duffy.
My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
Simile
Just as loose tooth causes people to worry and keep the thought that their tooth might fall out at any moment, so too were the parents uncertain about how at any moment their lives could fall apart because of this emigration.
I want our own country, I said
Typography
Emphasises that Duffy wants to go back home and as she does not feel like she belongs in England.
What happens in stanza 3?
What are the themes in the poem overall?
Turning point as Duffy begins to accept the move.
Change, Transitioning from a different country, past & present, isolation, memories, loss
But…
Conjuctive
Reflects a change in the writer’s line of thought as she begins to assimilate better into society.
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change
Second person
Shows how Duffy distances herself from her memories and how she fails to recognise herself as she has changed so much due to the emigration.
Seeing your brother swallow a slug
Sibilance
The simple sibilance shows that her brothers have easily managed to assimilate into the new society.
skelf of shame
Scottish dialect
Shows that Duffy is still tied to her Scottish roots and does not want to let them go.
my tongue shedding its skin like a snake
simile
Just as a snake shedds its skin and has new skin so too, did Duffy leave behind her scottish accent and has developed a new english accent.
The symbolism of “snake” has connotations of evil and betrayal which suggests that Duffy felt guilty about this change.
Do I only think
Inversion sentence
Emphasises Duffy’s confusion about where she truly comes from and how she doubts herself.
I lost a river, culture, speech, the sense of first space and the right place?
List
As the list proceeds, it becomees more personal which shows how the emigration has affected her and how she still feels loss to a certain extent.
Now, where do you come from?
Question
It is this question that Duffy has tried to answer for the entire poem and she still doesn’t know the answer to that question. By doing so, she challenges readers to question ourselves about how we identify ourselves and our roots.
Originally? And I hesitate.
Question
Reveals that Duffy is still not sure about where she truly comes from as on the one hand she feels tied to her scottish roots but on the other hand, she pretty much grew up in England. She doesn’t want to neglect either of these countries as they both are very important to her which is why she can’t make up her mind about where she truly comes from.