Sunlight on the Grass Flashcards
Who wrote My Polish Teacher’s Tie?
Helen Dunmore
What is the main theme in MPTT?
Loss of identity
What is the narrative in MPTT?
First person
Who is the narrator in MPTT?
Carla
What does the *My *in MPTT’s title suggest?
- first person
- possessive pronoun
- special
What does the *Polish *in MPTT’s title suggest?
different culture
What does *Teacher’s Tie *in MPTT’s title suggest?
- it is about Stefan/ Steve
- he ‘teaches’ her to find her culture
- tie- emotional, physical, cultural
What job does Carla have?
“Part-time catering staff”
How does Carla feel about her colleagues?
She doesn’t feel like a part of the staff and she’s used to being ignored “used to getting out of the way”
What is her culture?
“I am half Polish”
Do Carla’s colleagues know her culture?
No “they don’t know that here”
How did Carla’s identity get ‘lost’?
Her mother taught her Polish, but her “father put a stop to it” when her mother died
How did the Head react to Carla wanting to write to the Polish teacher?
“He paused, looking at me as if it might be a trick question” showing how he didn’t see her as a teacher, so he found it unusual
What does the canary symbolise in MPTT?
- prejudice in society
- danger “coal mine”
- “sang and sang until it died”- her culture dying
- links to ending
What does “colleagues don’t wear blue overalls and white caps and work for £3.89 an hour” suggest?
Carla is isolated from her job and she doesn’t feel that she doesn’t feel that Stefan will accept her as she is not a teacher
