search for my tongue Flashcards
the writer is from
india, she moved to england at age 12 and tells us of the problem of having two languages
she speaks Gujarati.
the title ‘search for my tounge’
shows us that she is trying to make sure she doesn’t lose her ‘mother tounge’
whole poem is a…
synedoche
the tongue represents her voice
her ‘losing her voice’ could metaphorically be a reference to the fact that she feels she has no say in society and is being stripped of her rights. This is symbolising the girls fear she won’t have equality or the ability to be heard.
‘your mother tongue would rot, rot and die in your mouth’
horrific image is conveyed to show her fear of losing her mother tongue
significane of the section in Gujarati
allows us to see the language visually in our minds, it shows how different it is to english and also confuses us, which is a reference to the same sense the poet felt when she first started to learn english.
why was the foreign section included
because it shows her mother tongue will always be there and always be the most important part of her
the fact that she is described as dreaming in this language shows that it is her first language, as when you are asleep, your sub conscious takes over and she dreams in that language because that is when she is most herself.
when she dreams she is atavistic (belonging to her basic self)
‘it grows back’
metaphor- comparing her voice to a plant to show that it always comes back.
uses nature imagery- plants are natural- reference to the fact that her mother tongue is her natural language, and the one she feels most connected to.
‘grows longer, grows moist, grows strong veins’
emphasises how strong and robust her mother language is
‘it blossoms out of my mouth’
beauty, assocsiant her first language with beauty, she looks upon it fondly
message of the poem
1) your background and roots will always stay with you, even as you grow up, you won’t forget where you came from.
2) A persons language is very important to them
3) It is very difficult to fit into one culture, when you have come from another.
