Originally Explanations Flashcards
- “red room which fell through the fields”
‘fell’ shows her lack of control of the situation and uncertainty. ‘red room’ - childish alliteration to refer to what they are travelling in. Red has connotations of danger and anger, reflecting on her feelings.
“one of them bawling”
shows deep and uncontrollable sadness of move and how it’s affecting her family.
“there, there”
repetition + enjambment shows sense of belonging
“the vacant rooms”
shows the emptiness she feels and what they’re leaving behind.
“eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw”
shows she can’t see herself living in England. seeking comfort: innocence and naivety
“All childhood is an emigration”
shows childhood is a time of change and uncertainty, like emigration
“Your accent wrong.”
shows its more complicated than just knowing the language. shows she doesn’t fit in with the others.
“My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth”
something you can’t ignore, she has internalised her parents anxiety in the move.
“you forget, or don’t recall, or change”
highlights the inevitability of change. list shows different ways a person can accept change.
“feel only a skelf of shame”
contrasts to previous stanza, which made her feel a lot more. ‘skelf’ Scottish slang showing a part of her past home is with her
“my tongue shedding its skin like a snake”
her accent is fading, shows her leaving her old identity behind
“Originally? And I hesitate”
even though she’s older, she still has mixed feelings on origins. hesitations shows uncertainty and unsure of identity - abrupt sentences.
