Singh song Flashcards
Context
Dalit nagar is a British poet of Indian descent born in 1966 his middle name is Singh and he is a Sikh.
His poetry explores thee experiences of first generation immigrants to Britain and those of their children and grandchildren.
He says most of his relatives saved up enough money to buy their own shop by the 1980s
He wrote this song because he says it describes an important part of the British story-the Indian corner shop.
What does the use of the word “daddy” suggest about the speaker in relationship to his father?
L-immature infantile diction. His father still treats him like a child.
Shows an imbalance of power between them.
What is the effect of the pronoun “you”?
R-makes the reader feel as if they are the customers
What do the first four lines suggest?
D- he locks up the shop to spend time alone with his wife. Shows he cares about his wife much more than running the shop
The poem is written in a mixture of Punjabi and English, which the poet calls “Punglish”. Why?
This poem is written in Punglish to show the reader that the speaker is both English and Indian and is a mix of both cultures.
‘After we hav made luv like vee rowing through Putney’
This represents the culture as the word Putney refers to the English boat race however it is also the name for wife in Punjabi
Different moods
Rebellious- “she effing at my mum”
Affectionate-“tummy of a teddy”
Romantic-“after vee hav made luv”
What is the key message of this poem
Love is more important than money.
What are the father’s expectations of the speaker?
“from 9 o’clock to 9 o’clock”
The speaker has to work twelve hours with no breaks.
However, when no-one is in the shop, he locks up and goes to his wife.
“Yor lemons are limes”
“yor bananas are plantain”
D - poet shows cultural differences by contrasting the Indian products and the things the British customers want
“tiny eyes ov a gun and di tummy ov a teddy”
L - metaphor - mean on the outside but soft on the inside.
“red crew cut”
“Tartan sari”
“Donkey jacket”
They don’t follow traditional conventions.
C - Sikh belief - Kesh - hair is sacred and shouldn’t be cut
D - influenced by British culture
Use of the pronoun “we” suggest about the couples relationship?
It shows they are an emotionally close couple. The reader envisions them as one.
Repetition of the lines:
“Ven I return”
“In di worst Indian shop on di whole Indian road”
L - Repetition
D - Emphasises the speaker is more interested in his marital relationship than buisisness.
How does the speaker wearing a “pinnie” gender him and who is dominant in the relationship.
She occupies the dominant position. He neglects the business, while she’s the entrepreneur.
D - contrasts to the pronoun “we” because there is a slight imbalance of power as the women is dominant.
C - women were considered supposed to cook and tend the house in the Sikhs religion, it portrays him as weak and feminine.
