The Way My Mother Speaks Flashcards
“I say her phrases to myself”
“Her” and “myself” are possessive and has connotations of something personal and intimate. Suggests a close connection
“or under the shallows of my breath”
“Shallow” Connotating anxiety and panic, suggests she is nervous on this journey and repeating these words to comfort herself
“Restful shapes moving”
“restful” connotates calm, suggesting her mother’s words are comforting her
“moving” connotates change and adapting, speaker leaving home and becoming independent
“Browsing for the right sky”
“Browsing” connotates search, uncertainty, lacking focus, unhurried. Suggests she is looking for something - independence? her own identity? But is in now hurry about it
“What like is it”
Scottish phrase, links to her mothers roots
“Green erotic pond”
Youthful image by using the colour “green” connotations of naivety and nature
- Contrasts with “erotic” which connotates sexual awakening, suggests she is becoming independent and growing up
“I am homesick”
Connotates dissatisfaction & fear. Suggests she is nostalgic for her childhood and her mother
“Nothing is silent”
Contrast / Sentence Structure “nothing” implies loneliness & nothing is literally silent
However everything that is silent are only present in out head and still have an influence in life. EG: Her mother
“I am happy and sad”
“happy…sad” – contradiction, showing complexity of emotions – optimistic about growing up/ independence. Anxiety about leaving childhood/ closeness of her mother.
Simplicity of language – ‘happy…sad’ shows that while emotions
are complex
childhood to adulthood.
“The day and ever”
repetition of ‘the day and after’ over and over to soothe herself
the rhythm of this phase mimics the sound the train engine makes on her journey.
the repeating rhythm comforts her
“restful shapes moving”
“restful” connotates calm, suggesting that her mothers words are bringing her comfort
“moving” connotafes change and adaption - the speaker is leaving and becoming independent and uses her mothers words to comfort her during this transition
“Only tonight”
‘only tonight’ suggests that this transition, this journey is unique and not a everyday experience
“in love with the way my mother speaks”
Final line confirms that she has an eternal bond with her past on this slow evening, she’s happy and comforted by her mother’s words.
She’s free but still connected to her family
“For miles I have been saying”
‘miles’ connotations of distance & movement suggests she’s come a long way both metaphorically and literally. Her mothers words have stayed with her
