The Way My Mother Speaks Flashcards
I say her phrases to myself
in my head
Shes trying to keep the memories of her mother in her head, the link between them. It is her identity, her mother is a constant companion
“I” - The first person, we are drawen into her thoughts and feelings
“her” - The phrases belong to her mother
or under the shallows of my breath,
Shes saying the words quietly to herself ‘shallows’ suggests anexity. The wirds comfort her
“Shallow” - The water imagery suggests fluidity (flowing) and change.
- ‘Shallow’
restful shapes moving.
The view from the train is soothing. The contridiction (opposites) is that she is unmoving on a train which is moving
The day and ever. The day and ever.
- This reflects the rhythm of the train moving, the repition is calming
- ‘ever’ suggests she will always be connected to her mother
The train this slow evening
“This slow evening” - Its a spafific time and a spefific journey
“This slow evening” - Personification which shows that the time has streched, theres no rush
goes down England
browsing for the right sky,
“g(oe)s d(ow)n / br(ow)sing” - Assornance (sound) shows the slow pace of the jounrey
“the right sky,” - Shes searching -and underain - for a new place
too blue swapped for a cool grey.
“too blue” - This is the sunshine and happiness of childhood
“cool grey” - The darkr colour shows the murky, uncertain life as an adult
For miles i have been saying
What like is it
“What like is it” - This is another of her mothers phrases and the repition reflects the rhythm of the train
Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent.
What like is it
“Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent.” - The double negative emphises her transitional state
Only tonight
This will pass, it is part of the journey
I am happy and sad
“happy and sad” - Contreadicting emotions in her childlike language
like a child
Childhood is compared to the changing seasons, growing up is natural, inevitable (unavoidable)
who stood at the end of summer
and dipped a net
“at the end of summer” - The delight of innocents of childhood is ending
in a green, erotic pond. The day
and ever. The day and ever.
“in a green, erotic pond.” - It makes us think of children by a frog pond but the word ‘erotic’ makes it more adult. The justaposition (putting them next to eachother) shows the child coming to terms with the adult world
“The day / and ever. The day and ever.” - This is a comfrating phrase that she repeats over and over to herself - its her mums phrase
I am homesick, free, in love
with the way my mother speaks.
Contradicting emotions: shes full of hope for the future, shes longing for whats left behind, abd glad of the anchor of her mother
