poem quote and explain

Question 1

originally? and i hesitate

Answer 1

creates an effective ending with the title as a conclusive end
she is unsure how to answer and due to her self doubt she doesnt know wether she should count as scottish and english

Question 2

my parents anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head

Answer 2

simile that shows uneasiness and the worries they have about their daughter fitting in

Question 3

all childhood is an emigration

Answer 3

metaphor-makes clear the universal experience of growing up and changing
childhood involves leaving things behind in order to grow up the same way you have to when leaving a country

Question 4

my voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest

Answer 4

shows her now feeling a snese of fitting in with her classmates but only after a big change and a lot of time passing

Question 5

my tongue shedding its skin like a snake

Answer 5

simile that shows her change of accent and therefor change of identity

Question 6

i give you an onion

Answer 6

statement
direct and to the point
by giving an onion as a gift duffy is rejecting the traditional ideas of romantic gifts and instead justifying why she has gifted the onion

Question 7

not a red rose or satin heart

Answer 7

she believes that her gift of an onion is more meaningful than a traditional gift, an onion is much less superficial and shows her love for her valentine

Question 8

i am trying to be truthful

Answer 8

duffy is highlighting that she values honesty and trust in a relationship possibly because of bad past experiences and believes that she is showing her sincerity through this gift and the justification that comes with it

Question 9

its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife

Answer 9

the word scent is positive and not offputting like an onion would stink
cling is an embrace and a lingering one which means she is entrapped by the smell

the idea of the knife shows
-love is dangerous and difficult to forget
-love can cut through nonsense to reveal the truth-what duffy is trying to do by gifting something unconventional

Question 10

lethal

Answer 10

connotations of death and passion
speaker believes love can be intoxicating and intense

Question 11

children running from nightmare heat

Answer 11

shows the contrast between the safety of home and vs danger of a war zone
unpredictability of war

Question 12

spools of suffering

Answer 12

alliteration
films of horror, the cyclical shape suggests the ongoing suffering of people living in warzones

Question 13

ordered rows

Answer 13

relates to the rows of bodies that come from a war or the gravestones
sense of chaos and order out of it

Question 14

preparing to intone a mass

Answer 14

metaphor
he takes his work very seriously and believes what hes doing is very important
means a lot to him
moves very methodically and ritualistically
also gives the impression of somebody preaching and spreading the word like he wants to about the seriousness of war

Question 15

impassively… they dont care

Answer 15

no feeling for home
monosyllabic statement shows futility of his job and the attempts to raise awareness

Question 16

eyeballs prick with tears…pre-lunch beers

Answer 16

‘prick’
short and sharp but no lasting effect
even though his work might temporarily upset the people who see it, it doesnt make any real change since they dont pay lots of attention to the war photographers work

Question 17

the day and ever, the day and ever

Answer 17

traditional phrase that her mum probably says
the repetition shows the train moving and the fact she remembers specific stuff shows her closeness with her mum

Question 18

i am homesick, free

Answer 18

while she does miss home and her family and has worries about moving away she is excited to have a new sense of independence and
shows her contrasting feelings about the move to uni

Question 19

in love with the way my mother speaks

Answer 19

constant repeated that she is in love with the way her mother speaks.
no matter where she goes her mums accent and phrases will always comfort and calm her wherever she is

Question 20

a rough boy told you how you were born

Answer 20

duffy is exposed to sex by a ruder older boy who possibly told her details about her parents conceiving her
duffy is disgusted by him but is aware this is a part of growing up

Question 21

the classroom glowed like a sweetshop

Answer 21

mrs tilchers class is a place of wonderment and joy for children the same way they feel towards sweets as a kid
simile that shows its a bright tempting environment for duffy because mrs tilcher is the incentive for the attending her class because she makes it so fun

Question 22

heavy sexy sky

Answer 22

shows that duffy is growing into puberty and might be away to have sexual experiences
pathetic fallacy which represents the heavy burden of new things and changes

Question 23

impatient to be grown

Answer 23

duffy is ready to move on from primary and leave mrs tilcher behind as she starts experiencing new things and growing up as a person

Question 24

turning the spare room in to the tomb of Tutankhamen

Answer 24

mrs midas doesnt want to share a room with mr midas because she belives he is the downfall of himself and will seal himself away because of the niave wish he made

Question 25

strange wild vain

Answer 25

she criticizes his character when she realizes that his power makes him feel above everyone else

Question 26

we were affectionate then

Answer 26

shows that before his wish they were infatuated with each other and she believes his wish will be the downfall of their relationship

Question 27

we all have wishes, granted. but who has wishes granted?

Answer 27

rhetorical question shows that dreams should not be realized they should stay in fantasy and should not be granted

Question 28

i miss most even now his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch

Answer 28

his touch was once a symbol of their intimacy is now lost forever the warmth of human contact cannot be replaces by material things