POETRY: the way my mother speaks Flashcards
“Restful shapes moving”
ambiguous, suggests she is soothed by the words. Restful and moving are contradictory, a moment of silence and reflection whilst the world changes around her. Just as the words begin to stir memories and other phrases, so too do the previously still shapes begin to stir. moving suggests emotional impact
“The day and ever. The day and ever.”
italics show quotation, repetition captures rhythm of the train as the speaker chants/recites the colloquial phrase. “Ever” suggests eternity/connection will always be there.
“This slow evening”
transferred epithet, evening feels slow because of the train’s tedious progress. Time has seemed to stretch, allowing her time to reflect. Lethargic, dragging on.
“Slow” ,“Goes” , “down” and “browsing”
uses broad vowels to slow reading pace, adding a leisurely and unhurried mood.
“Browsing for the right sky”
suggests train hasn’t fully made up it’s mind on where it wants to go, like the speaker who is unsure of her destination. The right sky suggests she is searching for a place or way of life that suits her.
“Too blue swapped for a cool grey”
contrast of colour reflects both real and metaphorical change, from day to night and childhood to adulthood. Too blue has connotations of sunshine, clear days and childhood optimism. Cool grey has connotations of dullness, threat and uncertainty.
“The train…grey.”
long sentence emphasises the steady pace of the train
“What like is it”
the phrases are like a refrain in her head, showing how much her mother has influenced her development.
“Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent”
ambiguous, contradictory, can mean there is noise in everything, silence of the mind can be quiet, could convey worry and noise in speaker’s head. Suggests inner voices exert influence over you. Double negative suggests this. Pair of short sentences.
“What like is it”
colloquial scottish phrase, unusual word order (syntax) speaker claims these phrases come when “I think” which connects the speaker’s voice with their mother’s voice
“Only tonight”
asserts this is a one-off occasion, this transition is singular.
“I am happy and sad/like a child”
simile, compares conflicting emotions to a time in childhood. Confused and thoughtful yet excited. (the following is my opinion lol) the childlike way of describing conflicting and bittersweet emotions shows the speaker’s awareness of their dependency on their mother and their relative youth.
“End of summer”
suggests end of childhood, wistful and nostalgic tone as childhood is compared with summer and carefree days. Word choice compares her feelings of the transition from childhood to adulthood to the changing of seasons.
“Dipped”
conveys speaker’s coyness and wariness
“Green, erotic pond”
slight contradiction, ‘green’ has connotations of freshness, newness and naivety whereas ‘erotic’ introduces adult themes and suggests sexual desire. Erotic pond is also a transferred epithet, suggesting richness of life and potential for creation and reflects her facing this.
“The day/and ever. The day and ever.”
repetition, link back to stanza one, repeated line like a mantra, no matter what she must confront she has her mother’s voice within
“Homesick, free, in love/with”
homesick suggests the loss of childhood, past and her mother. Free suggests she is embracing her new identity and independence. Enjambement leaves the phrase hanging for a moment, as if she is in love with a person or life, but goes on to express her love for her past and identity
“With the way my mother speaks”
refers back to the title and emphasises her fondness for her roots and her mother’s voice in her head, the use of enjambement emphasises her sentimentality and conveys change/rhythm.
