Originally quotes Flashcards
What is the analyze of ‘We came from our own country’???
“We” - decision to
move affected all of
them. Assonance of
“our own” reinforces
her sense of belonging
to that place.
What is the analyze of ‘red room’???
Red has connotations of anger - how
she felt about being forced to leave
What is the analyze of ‘ fell through the fields’???
Alliteration draws attention to the lack of control she felt.
What is the analyze of ‘ mother singing
our father’s name to the turn of the wheels.’???
Mother is optimistic and happy about
move - clear contrast to Duffy’s
emotions - unsure if father is there
with them or at the new place.
What is the analyze of ‘My brothers cried, one of them bawling, Home,
Home,’???
Brothers share her feelings. Word
choice of “bawling” emphasises
how upset they are - repetition of
“home” reflects childish habit of
repeating one’s self
What is the analyze of ‘as the miles rushed back to the city’???
Personification - reflects her own
desire to run home - shows the
distance travelled to.
What is the analyze of ‘the street, the house, the vacant rooms
where we didn’t live any more’???
List focusing on
increasingly specific
details shows how much
she was thinking about it
and her memories there
What is the analyze of ‘blind toy’???
Reflects her uncertainty as they head to the unknown
What is the analyze of ‘holding its paw’???
Word choice emphasises her
innocence - like a child
seeking comfort.
What is the analyze of ‘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 uncertain.
What is the analyze of ‘Some are slow,
leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue
where no one you know stays.’???
Elongated, drawn out phrasing/
long sentence show slow
stages of childhood.
What is the analyze of ‘Others are sudden.
Your accent wrong’???
Short abrupt sentences
show how sudden the
changes were - accent
serves as another barrier
despite speaking the
same language.
What is the analyze of ‘Corners, which seem familiar,
leading to unimagined, pebble-dashed estates,’???
Emphasise her
confusion and feeling of
not belonging -
unfamiliar landscape/
culture.
What is the analyze of ‘big boys
eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.’???
Confronted by behaviour
and language that’s
alien to her. Plosives of
“big boys” shows she
finds them threatening
which emphasises her
youth.
What is the analyze of ‘My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
in my head’???
Simile - shows her parents are worried about them
not settling in - tooth comparison highlights idea of a
constant irritant or something you can’t ignore.
What is the analyze of ‘I want our own country’???
Autobiographical
element shows she still
hasn’t adjusted and
links back to the start.
What is the analyze of ‘you forget, or don’t recall, or change’???
Used 2nd person to involve
reader and make them reflect on
their childhood and the things
they adapted to.
What is the analyze of ‘ seeing your brother swallow a slug’???
Alliteration draws attention to the fact her
brother has become like
the other boys - he now
fits in to their new home.
What is the analyze of ‘ skelf of shame’???
Use of Scots language
reveals she still feels
attached to her Scottish
roots. “Skelf” means a
small bit - shows she is
starting to adjust now too.
What is the analyze of ‘ I remember my tongue
shedding its skin like a snake’???
Simile - she is finally
adopting to new
home - shows how
easy it has become
for her to lose her
accent
What is the analyze of ‘Do I only think
I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
and the right place?’???
Rhetorical question - She
questions what makes up self
and identity but can’t decide. She
lists some of the things she left
behind and wonders if these
things influence who she is now.
What is the analyze of ‘Now, Where do you come from?
strangers ask. Originally?’???
Poet struggles to define her identity
- acknowledges that she has
changed since she was young and
that lots of things make up her
identity
What is the analyze of ‘And I hesitate’???
Short sentence -
hesitation reveals that
she has mixed feelings
about her true origins -
wasn’t able to adapt as
well as her brothers but
feels included now.
