Poetry: Papa T Flashcards
author
papa t
Fred D’Aguiar
Type of Conflict
papa t
Suppression of Culture
Almost a rebellion against the British Empire
Generational differences
Message
papa t
how different perspectives warp narratives
perspectival narrative used to reinforce that what is told is not fact but a story/glorified version of the truth
oral tradition – in order to understand, you must be told from that perspective
Themes
papa t
colonialism vs culture
Structure
papa t
1st stanza is one sentence = spoken like a recital
atmosphere/tone
papa t
Title
papa t
“Papa T”
intertextuality > name of grandad and name of Tennyson
Quote 1
papa t
“tin-solidering… popping cannons”
extended metaphor > toys: childs imagines this through own experience
Quote 2
papa t
“sen yu to bed”
eye dialect > native accent as a juxtaposition to the British one that symbolises a colonial Tennyson recital
> > colonial suppression of local culture: in order to tell a story convincingly, it must be done in ‘British English’
Quote 3
papa t
“consonants stretched past recall”
hyperbolic language > taking forever to finish the story/ its a long retelling/ hard to follow
> > people would rather listen to an easier, glorified colonial narrative that that of the colonized nations that are perhaps less elegant
Quote 4
papa t
“has me itching to bring him reeling-off in that tongue”
“itiching” = metaphor > urgency
» excitement to hear his grandfather; if he does not listen, he loses the story/narrative of his grandad & part of his culture
“that tongue” > loves hearing his grandfather speaking his native language/in his normal accent and finds it much more interesting than the colonial facade he puts on for the poem
Quote 5
papa t
“to hear, disobey”
about “honor(ing) the light brigade”
infinitives > potential to change into another word/something else
» not honouring the light brigade; it helped to destroy his culture
» disregard/disrespect for the militaristic colonialism of Tennyson’s (and his Grandfather’s) ideal Britain
» generational growth — reject past to reshape a new narrative and move on
