poetry - mrs tilscher's class Flashcards
“You could travel up the Blue Nile”
“could” and “Blue Nile” suggest the limitless possibilities of imagination
“with your finger”
simplicity of statement suggests the childish thrill of this experience
“chanted”
suggests magic / casting a spell
“Tana… Aswan”
this list of faraway names suggests the speaker is sharing the experience of the journey through hearing the names in sequence
“chalky… dust”
suggests the magical evocation of reality in the blackboard drawings, as perceived by the speaker
“laugh… child”
suggests sheer, spontaneous fun and exuberance of the speaker’s school day’s routine
“This was… home”
simple, emphatic statement of comparison suggests just how special the classroom experience is
“glowed”
suggests attractive / sparkling / a joyous atmosphere
“classroom… sweet shop”
comparison suggests abundance of treats which Mrs Tilscher’s teaching offered
“Sugar… shapes”
short statements combine to evoke the range of inventice activities enjoyed
“a good gold star”
build-up of positive vocabulary suggests the thrill of being valued, tangibly conveyed by Mrs Tilscher
“scent of a pencil”
references to sense of smell evokes strong sense of childhood
“slowly, carefully shaved”
use of two adverbs suggests time taken over the task and lingering pleasure in its memory now
“inky tadpoles” “frogs”
the tadpoles changing to frogs suggests the children’s physical journey to maturity
“commas into exclamation marks”
suggests development from childish acceptance to heightened sense of emotion/ refusal to conform to adult expectations
“jumping and croaking”
suggests the awkward and inarticulare self-consciousness of developing maturity
“away from the lunch queue”
suggests the children’s movement away from accepted rules of behaviour as they grow older
“a rough boy”
suggests the brutality of the knowledge of the adult world which destroys the speaker’s innocence
“told you how you were born”
childish vocabulary is used, ironically, to convey the unsettling nature of the knowledge of sex
“You kicked him”
simple statement suggests the speaker’s absolute rejection of the boy’s horrible information
“stared, appalled”
conveys the shock felt by the speaker as she sees her parents, previously representative of security, in a new light
“feverish”
suggests out of control, highly charged experiences
“air tasted of electricity”
suggests strong, elemental forces at work whcih the speaker could not contain
“always untidy, hot / fractious”
list suggests uncomfortable qualities build up a pressure cooker feeling of lack of self-control
“heavy, sexy sky”
suggests an oppressive / restrictive atmosphere / anxiety created by awakening sexual awareness
“Mrs Tilscher… away”
suggests that even Mrs Tilscher fails to reassure in the relentless face of adult knowledge
“thunderstorm”
suggests ominous / threatening power
