'The Way My Mother Speaks' - Carol Ann Duffy Flashcards
How does Duffy show the deep and personal bond between the speaker and her mother at the start of the poem?
Use of first person speaker immediately helps to create a reflective tone. “her” is possessive, showing us the words belong to her mother. Linking “her phrases” to “my head” emphasises the connection between the mother’s words and the speakers thoughts shows a deep and personal bond between mother and daughter.
“under the shallows of my breath”
Word choice of “shallows” suggests shallow breathing and anxiety – she is nervous on this journey, suggesting she is repeating her mother’s word to comfort herself.
How does Duffy show that the speaker’s mother soothes her in this time of confusion?
Word choice of “restful” suggests that the speaker is soothed by her mother’s words.
“Restful” and “moving” are contradictions, linking the line to the train journey as scenes and landscapes that are still or resting seem to move when viewed from a train or the fact that on a train you seem to be still while the rest of the world races past you.
She is still in this moment of reflection while the world around her moves. This could also suggest her confusion.
“The day and ever. The day and ever.”
The repetition mimics the rhythm of the travelling train. It also suggests the poet repeating the words to herself, calming herself by reminding herself of the comfort of her childhood. Italics stress the importance of the phrase and show that this is a direct quotation - one of the mother’s phrases. The use of ”ever” at the end of phrase refers to eternity, as if this journey will last her whole life and this connection with her mother will always be there.
How does Duffy slow down the pace of the poem in stanza 2?
Long vowel sounds in ”slow”, ”goes down” and ”browsing” slows the pace of the words adding to the unhurried mood.
“browsing”
Word choice of “browsing” also has an unrushed, leisurely feel to it. “Browsing” suggests that the train hasn’t quite decided where it is going - the poet is not sure of her destination. This could reflect the idea of a young person leaving home, trying things out and looking for a new place in life without a definite plan.
“the right sky”
Contrast between colours links to the experience of growing up. “too blue” has connotations of sunshine and happiness, often linked with the nostalgia of a happy childhood. “cool grey” suggests uncertainty and dark weather, suggesting the uncertainty of becoming an adult.
“What like is it?”
Again, in this stanza, her mother’s voice emerges. Duffy introduces another of her phrases and again the use of italics tells us this is her mother speaking. As before, the phrase repeats and suggests the sounds of the train – as if her mother’s speech patterns have the same rhythm.
How does Duffy convey the influence the speaker’s mother still has over her in stanza 2?
“The way I say things when I think.”
“Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent.”
Contrasting short sentences are connected by the repetition of the “nothing is” construction. The double negative in the second implies that what doesn’t exist in the here and now (i.e. her memories, her past) still has influence over her, suggesting the powerful, inescapable influence of her mother.
How does Duffy use contrast or contradictory word choice to show the speaker’s uncertain, contradictory emotions at the beginning of stanza 3?
“Only tonight
I am happy and sad”
“Like a child
who stood at the end of summer”
Simile compares her feelings of moving from childhood to adulthood to the change of seasons, suggesting moving from a time of warmth and happiness to a time of change and decay.
“Green, erotic pond”
The delight and innocence of childhood is ending.
She alludes to the archetypal image of a child by the frog pond, but this time it is a “green, erotic pond”.
There is a slight contradiction here as “green” has connotations of naivety while “erotic” connotes a more adult theme. This juxtaposition could reflect the innocent child tentatively (“dipped”) coming face to face with the wider world.
“I am homesick, free, in love”
Contrasting word choice emphasises some of the contradictions from earlier in the poem and emphasises the conflicting emotions brought on by change. “homesick, free” suggests mixed emotions between longing for the security of the past and enthusiasm for the future
How does Duffy effectively conclude the poem, linking to the title and to the comfort the speaker find
“with the way my mother speaks.”
