this is where it begins Merlinda Bobis quotes

Question 1

repeated throughout the poem
evidence 1

Answer 1

“under my skin.”

recurring motif and metaphor

This can be seen in the recurring motif and idiom of “under my skin.”
Immediate effect
representing the visceral effects of ancestral narratives told by family members to an individual’s sense of self.
Effect linking to topic: The persona’s strong emotional reaction displays the transformative impact the stories have, thus encouraging a gradual transitioning into her heritage.

Question 2

evidence 2 represents the ancestors which came before us and is carried down through stories

Answer 2

“‘lips’: how they make ghosts speak”

metonym
starting sentence
-Bobis reaffirms the timeless nature of language showcasing how they are able to preserve our ancestors in the metonym of “‘lips’: how they make ghosts speak”
Immediate effect

symbolically representing the ancestors which first told those stories suggesting that their heritage is able to persist beyond death through the stories that they told.

Effect leading to topic
Ultimately, this passage of knowledge pierces the persona’s sense of self, making her ‘shiver’ as she absorbs the cultural traditions contained within the stories.

Question 3

bridging the past and the present
evidence 3

Answer 3

‘they have never left, they who ‘storytold before us’

anaphora
Starting sentence
This leads to the persona understanding the true significance of these stories and why they are impactful to identity in the anaphora of ‘they have never left, they who ‘storytold before us.’
Immediate effect
The repetition of ‘they’ blur the divide between the past and the present, expressing ancestors as intertwined within the identity of descendants.

Effect of topic
It suggests that storytelling preserves heritage through generations by continuously affecting the identity of new individuals.

Question 4

circle of life
evidence 4

Answer 4

“eyes, lips, hands conjoined: the umbilical cord restored.”
metaphor

Starting sentence
Furthermore, through the personas understanding of the stories, the effect of language as a means of furthering ancestral heritage is shown in the metaphor of “eyes, lips, hands conjoined: the umbilical cord restored.”

Immediate effect
The metaphorical description evokes the idea of rebirth, illustrating the everlasting nature of culture as a cycle, with the persona’s embodiment of her heritage signaling its completion as it has affected her and now she has the capacity to further it down.

Effect of topic
This restores a lifeline to the past as she is now the ‘storyteller’ able to impact the identity of future generations to further her culture.