Originally Flashcards
We came from our own country in a red room/ which fell through the fields.
‘Red’ connotes a sense of anger, which may be seen to reflect the way she felt. Just as someone/ something falling has no control over their movement. This suggests the the speaker had no say in the decision to move to England.
I stared/at the eyes of a blind toy holding its paw
In many ways Duffy is bling in the sense that she is venturing into the unknown. The poet finished the stanza with a poignant image of Duffy holding the teddy bears paw. This tells us that she is seeking comfort.
Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays
The elongated drawn out nature of the sentence highlights that for some there is a gradual realisation that you are different and isolated from others in your community.
My parents anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head
Just as a loose tooth is unpleasant and worries you, Duffy parents anxiety is at a level which niggles away at them, like a loose tooth the suggestion is that the parents anxiety will subside.
‘I remember my tongue shedding it’s skin like a snake’
Just as a snake sheds its skin in order to reveal a new layer, this suggests that the speaker has had to give up her old accent in order to let a new one take its place, she now sounds the same as the people in her class. This is part of the speakers process of assimilation.
‘Originally? And I hesitate’
The poet induced a fairly straightforward question ‘where do you come from?’ When she is asked this she struggles to come up with an answer. This tells us that she has mixed feelings about her origin. The fact she hesitates suggests a sense of uncertainty and guilt of abandoning her roots.
