singh song

Question 1

Themes?

Answer 1

Passionate Love, Marriage, Parental relationships

Question 2

Tones?

Answer 2

Cheerful, Proud, Rebellious

Question 3

Context

Answer 3

-Nagra is a British poet of Indian descent. He was born
in Bradford in 1966.
-Much of his poetry charts the experiences of firstgeneration Indian immigrants, and their families.
-This poem creates a rich blend of cultural contrasts
(Indian and Western) and generational differences (his
parents’ disciplined attitude to business versus his
carefree, romantic outlook).

Question 4

Content, Meaning and Purpose

Answer 4

-The speaker is a young British Indian man who works
in his parent’s shop. He is smitten with his new bride,
and begins to disregard his responsibilities in the shop
in order to spend more time with her.
-His wife’s modern, British outlook creates a contrast
with the traditional Indian values of his parents: she is
changing his life, his outlook and his priorities.
-Big message: love/romance beats money/business

Question 5

Language

Answer 5

-“made love like vee rowing through Putney”:
humorous simile for sex conveys child-like excitement.
-“high heel tap di ground” conveys blend of Indian and
Western culture. Monosyllabic words create rhythm.
-Images od rebellion: “vid my pinnie untied”, “she
effing at my mum”, “making fun at my daddy”. She is
fun and influences him to be more rebellious.
-“vee cum down whispering stairs”: their romance has
a sense of a forbidden thrill. Personification of stairs
adds yet another voice: everyone watches their love.
-“Is priceless baby”: final line sums up message of
poem – love means more than money or business.

Question 6

Form and Structure

Answer 6

-Multiple voices (speaker, shoppers, wife) create sense
of a rich community, reflecting his emotions.
-Loosely arranged in the form of a song, with a chorus
(“Hey Sing, ver yoo bin?”) which creates a joyous tone.
-No regular rhythm or rhyme scheme, reflecting his
new carefree and light-hearted attitude to life.
-Contrasts (upstairs vs shop; wife is both a “gun” and
“teddy”; “effing” vs Punjabi) reflect the blend of
cultures, and of his old and new life.
-Repetition of “my bride” conveys his pride and
excitement over his recent marriage.