Search For My Tongue Flashcards

1
Q

You ask me what I mean

A

Direct address
Challenging the reader from the start

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2
Q

I have lost my tongue

A

Something that is normally said to quiet/shy people - in this case she means it in a more literal way

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3
Q

I ask you, what would you do

A

Redirects the question back to the reader - appears defensive, also wants reader to understand how she feels
Tries to create empathy for those who are bilingual by encouraging the reader to put themself in her position

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4
Q

Two tongues in your mouth

A

Shocking idea to reader, creates an unpleasant image
Two physical tongues is impossible - creates the idea that one will win

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5
Q

The mother tongue

A

Suggests a deep personal connection to the language she was brought up knowing
Tongue - used as a metonym throughout for language

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6
Q

What is the word for a term used in place of a closely related term

A

Metonym

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7
Q

Could not really know the other, the foreign tongue

A

Lacks the familiarity of the “mother tongue”
Emphasises that she doesn’t feel like it belongs to her - that the language isn’t part of who she is

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8
Q

Your mother tongue would rot,
Rot and die in your mouth

A

Unpleasant, shocking image
Idea of decay - slow loss of her native language

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9
Q

You had to spit it out

A

Idea of rejecting something - speaker has to discard/reject her mother tongue to assimilate
Previous idea of decay - suggests a vital part of the speaker has died with her mother tongue
Phrase is also used to tell someone to just say something confidently/quickly

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10
Q

But overnight while I dream

A

“But” - indicates a shift in tone
“While I dream” - shows it is subconscious, she can’t control it, only place she can speak her mother tongue is in her dreams
This is a bittersweet idea - reassuring because she hasn’t forgotten her native language, sad because it is suppressed in her mind, she can only speak it subconsciously

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11
Q

Middle section in gujarati

A

Gujarati = her native tongue
Forces the reader to experience the difficulties of interacting with a foreign language
Pronunciation written - allows reader to experience the language even if they don’t know it

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12
Q

It grows back, a stump of a shoot

A

This sentence is a continuation of the one from before the gujarati section - suggests gujarati is happening on a separate plane of consciousness
“Stump of a shoot” - natural imagery - suggests this is completely natural

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13
Q

Grows longer, grows moist, grows strong veins

A

Contrasts with image of “rot” and decay from earlier
Repetition of “grow” - suggests the tongue is becoming stronger and healthier
Unpleasant imagery (“moist… strong veins”) - suggests the process is not easy and simple, but difficult to regain your native language

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14
Q

It ties the other tongue in knots

A

Although at the beginning it seemed like the foreign tongue would win, it is now clear the mother tongue will always defeat the foreign tongue

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15
Q

A stump of a shoot… the bud opens

A

Continued plant imagery - natural, positive connotations, suggestion of roots (symbolic)
“Bud” - tiny, fragile, but with great potential

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16
Q

It blossoms out of my mouth (ending)

A

Ends with realisation that the mother tongue is still a vital part of the speaker - added emphasis since it is at the end, shows it is the main message of the poem
“Blossoms” - connotations of beauty, shows regaining mother tongue is natural and beautiful

17
Q

Structure

A

Gujarati in centre of poem - shows it is central to her life
Alternates between end-stopping and enjambment throughout - reflecting the tension between the two tongues
Free verse - like a stream of consciousness, allows the language to flow naturally and organically throughout the poem