The Way My Mother Speaks Flashcards
I say her phrases to myself
First person narration makes it personal
In my head
Word choice
Private experience alone
Shallows of my breath
Connotes anxiety
Longs to hear familiar words
Restful shapes moving
Oxymoron
Standing still but the world is moving
Confusion echoes speakers feelings
The day and ever.The day and ever.
Repetition mimics movements of the train
Emphasises loss and how the negative feelings will last
The train this slow evening
Broad vowels slow it down like the train journey
Transferred epithet- slow refers to train rather than evening
Tedious progress
Goes down England
Transition, change is present through symbolism of train journey
Browsing for the right sky
Word choice
Connotes searching
Too blue swapped for a cool grey
Word choice Blue- sun, warmth, comfort and happiness Cool grey- misery, cold, uncertainty Lack of perfection in both places Colours reflect change Transition from child to adult
“What like is it…..what like is it”
Repetition, her inner voice is her mother
Repeats her phrases to comfort herself
Scots dialect
“The way I say things when I think”
Contrasting identities
Her mother is a fundamental part of her thought process
Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent
Connotes negative feelings Loss hesitancy confusion Thoughts are silent but overwhelming Realisation she does not need to abandon her roots Short sentences
I am happy and sad/ like a child
Word choice Contrast/ confusion Simile, compares the speaker to child Suggests hope moving into adulthood Connected to past but embracing the present
Who stood at the end of summer
Symbolises a time of change/ growing up/ moving on
Transition of childhood to adulthood compared to change of seasons
And dipped a net
Word choice
Tentative, cautious
Green, erotic pond
Emerging sexuality
Word choice
Pond- new depths to explore
The day/ and ever. The day and ever
No matter what she has to confront she has her mothers words to comfort her
Repetition emphasises continuing journey
I am homesick, free, in love
List
Positive and negative emotions
Goes from negative to positive to echo her journey
With the way my mother speaks
Enjambent shows her mother has given her love for life
Echoes title
She is happy for this connection to her past
