‘Originally’ Carol Anne Duffy. Overview In this autobiographical poem, Duffy considers and explores the sense of isolation and confusion she felt as a

‘Originally’Carol Anne Duffy

OverviewIn this autobiographical poem, Duffy considers and explores the sense of isolation and confusion she felt as a child when her family moved from the Gorbals in Glasgow to England.

She describes both the literal details of the journey and the move as well as the deeper, metaphorical journey that she and her family experienced as a result of this decision.

OverviewAs the title suggests, she considers to what extent our identity is shaped and defined not only by our environment but by changes in dialect and culture.

The initial catalyst for the poem, the memories of the move and her gradual assimilation into her new home, provokes a bigger, more philosophical meditation on the subject of childhood itself.

OverviewPerhaps the most significant line in the poem comes at the start of stanza two when she asserts that ‘All childhood is an emigration,’ revealing clearly the universal truth that the process of growing up is always synonymous with change.

Form and structureLike much of Duffy’s work, the poem has a regular structure and the three stanzas of eight lines help to divide the poem into a straightforward chronology:

• Stanza one recalls the journey from Glasgow towards her new home;

• Stanza two explores her initial sense of not fitting in to this new landscape;

• Stanza three considers the larger question about how our sense of identity is formed, shaped and affected by such transitions.

Form and structureHowever, underneath this apparently ordered structure, the poet’s anxiety and uncertainty is revealed through the lack of a regular rhythm or rhyme scheme which reinforces the lack of order in her own life at this time.

Form and structureThe fact that the poem is mainly composed of a series of fragmented memories, occasionally using deliberately childish words or phrases, is reminiscent of the way most of us recall our own childhood and adds to the authenticity of the poem.

We came from our own country in a red roomwhich fell through the fields, our mother singingour father’s name to the turn of the wheels.My brothers cried, one of them bawling, Home,

5Home, as the miles rushed back to the city,the street, the house, the vacant roomswhere we didn’t live any more. I staredat the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.

Plural pronouns suggest shared experience

Past tense

Assonance – highlights sense of ownership / belonging

Alliteration / metaphor – childlike impression of car / train

Word choice and alliteration - sense of speed / things happening out-with her control…

Ambiguous – is she praying or is the children’s father missing? Or is he there with them?

Red has connotations of passion or anger, perhaps reflecting her own feelings about being forced to leave the city of her birth and early childhood.

also conveyed by personification

Mother’s optimistic mood contrasts with the obvious negativity of Duffy

We came from our own country in a red roomwhich fell through the fields, our mother singingour father’s name to the turn of the wheels.My brothers cried, one of them bawling, Home,

5 Home, as the miles rushed back to the city,the street, the house, the vacant roomswhere we didn’t live any more. I staredat the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.

Use of a list to convey how much has been left behind

Enjambment / italics used for emphasis

Symbolic of the situation they are in – heading into the unknown

First few lines create an upbeat atmosphere / mood which is contrasted later on when the children’s reactions are described

Poet’s reaction contrasts with her brothers’ – they are vocal and obviously upset, while she is quiet/withdrawn

Effective word choice to convey strength of feeling

The repetition and capitalisation reinforces the misery and overwhelming sense of loss and separation that she associates with this time.

She wants to go back

All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow,10leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue

where no one you know stays. Others are sudden.Your accent wrong. Corners, which seem familiar,leading to unimagined pebble-dashed estates, big boyseating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.

15My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose toothin my head. I want our own country, I said.

Sentence structure relates to idea of slow change

Metaphor – idea of journey / different changes and stages of life

Short abrupt sentences relate to this type of change

Her sense of confusion and not belonging is again reinforced

Key idea explored by Duffy in this poem: childhood is equated with changes and transitions that are often beyond our control.

‘Your accent wrong’ - communication and acceptance is much more complex than merely speaking the same language.




Simile conveys idea of something irritating – always there and you can’t ignore it; her whole family are affected by the move

Aggressive impression of the strange boys

Word choice conveys sense of confusion / uncertainty / not knowing and not fitting in – she cannot negotiate her way successfully through this new, strange and unfamiliar landscape

She is confronted by behaviour and language that is alien to her

However, her parents’ fears are not enough to provoke a strong reaction-

a loose tooth can easily fall out of its own accord or be quickly extracted




Italics again used to indicate direct speech

Repeats idea from the opening line, emphasising the idea of belonging / origins

Reminds us again of the autobio-graphical nature of the poem

It acts almost as a childish lament, perhaps one that was constantly repeated during this upsetting transition and reminds us, like the words ‘big boys’ used earlier, how young Duffy was when this event occurred

But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel onlya skelf of shame. I remember my tongue

20 shedding its skin like a snake, my voicein the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only

thinkI lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first spaceand the right place? Now, Where do you come from?strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.

Lists same idea for emphasis of change being difficult to pinpoint/define

Conjunction starts the stanza and indicates a change in line of thought -

Echoes the idea of actions of ‘big boys’ in previous stanza, showing the brothers now fit in well

she meditates on the inevitability of change and adaptation

Second person directly exposes the often fragile nature of childhood memory

The speaker in this stanza is older and more reflective as she considers her own gradual transition.

Simple alliteration indicating that this was an easy process for him




Enjambment – emphasises sense of uncertainty

Lists all the things she thinks she may have lost – but poses it as a question again highlighting uncertainty

Simile to convey the idea of change again, leaving the old behind and adapting to suit the new

Scottish dialect – it is still with her, just like a splinter, something small but it sticks under your skin, just as…

memories of her former life continue to trouble her

Despite these outward signs she has adapted, it is implied that she continues to feel out of place.




The deliberate inversion of ‘I only’ again emphasises her feelings of isolation and separateness from her family

Two very different questions – is where you come from the same as your original home?

It is this question that the poet has been attempting to answer throughout the entire poem and yet still by the end she is nowhere nearer to a resolution.

In asking this, she challenges both herself and us to consider our own notions of self and identity.

But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel onlya skelf of shame. I remember my tongueshedding its skin like a snake, my voicein the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only


Final abrupt sentence again emphasises the poet’s uncertainty about her identity and where she belongs

By the end of the poem it is clear that the poet is no closer to defining her identity.

When asked the question ‘Where do you come from?’ she still has to qualify and clarify this simple query with the response ‘Originally?’

This momentary hesitation reveals that even though she is older, the speaker continues to have mixed feeling about her true origins.

ThemesIn this poem, Duffy reveals the importance of early childhood memories and experiences in shaping identity and also considers the impact of significant domestic changes during the formative years.

It is clear that even though Duffy was only six when she moved to England, her sense of Scottishness has stayed with her.

ThemesHowever, this affinity has resulted in a sense of confusion about her own identity and where she belongs and the poem is her own attempt to define more precisely where her true origins lie.

Although asserting that all childhoods involve change and transition, she feels a distinct pull towards this country that she left so young and there is a definite feeling of loss running through the poem.

In recalling how easily her brothers were able to adapt she emphasises her own sense of separateness.

Documents

‘Originally’ Carol Anne Duffy. Overview In this autobiographical poem, Duffy considers and explores the sense of isolation and confusion she felt as a