originally

• "red room"

  Red has connotations of anger - how she felt about being forced to leave.
• "mother singing our father’s name"

  Mother is optimistic and happy about move - clear contrast to Duffy’s

  emotions - unsure if father is there with them or at the new place.
• "My brothers cried, one of them bawling, Home, Home"

  Brothers share her feelings. Word choice of “bawling” emphasises

  how upset they are - repetition of “home” reflects childish habit of

  repeating one’s self.
• "All childhood is an emigration."

  Metaphor - childhood compared to a major uprooting - change and

  transitions that are outwit their control - moving from the comfortable to the uncertain.
• "My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head."

  shows her parents are worried about them not settling in - tooth comparison highlights idea of a constant irritant or something you can’t ignore.
• "I want our own country"

  Autobiographical element shows she still hasn’t adjusted and links back to the start.
• "Others are sudden. Your accent wrong."

  Short abrupt sentences show how sudden the changes were - accent

  serves as another barrier despite speaking the same language.
• "Now, Where do you come from? strangers ask. Originally?"

  "Poet struggles to define her identity acknowledges that she has

  changed since she was young and that lots of things make up her

  identity."
• “self of shame”

  The use of scot’s language suggests she still feels attached to her scottish roots.
• What tone is used in "Originally"?

  Reflective, resigned, portentous, wise, doubtful
• What language features are prominent in "Originally"?

  • 1st person
  • 2nd person
  • Simile
  • Minor sentence
  • Contrast
  • Metaphor
• What does the phrase "We came from our own country in a red room" suggest?

  It implies a novel experience during travel.
• How does the narrator describe her brother's distress in "Originally"?

  He is "bawling" for home, indicating great distress.
• What does the phrase "All childhood is an emigration" imply?

  It suggests childhood involves significant transitions.
• What does the metaphor "my tongue shedding its skin like a snake" signify?

  It signifies changing accents and identity.
• How does the narrator feel when asked "Where do you come from?"

  She hesitates, indicating uncertainty about her identity.
• What does the narrator cling to for comfort?

  A teddy bear
• What does the term "blind toy" suggest about the teddy bear?

  It may have missing eyes and lacks understanding
• What does the phrase "But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change" indicate in the poem?

  It signals a change in the narrator's thinking
• How does the brother swallowing a slug relate to the narrator's experience?

  It shows he is adapting to the new culture
• What metaphor is used to describe the narrator's tongue?

  Shedding its skin like a snake
• What does the metaphor of the tongue imply about identity?

  Accent and identity can change over time
• What does the list of things the narrator feels she has lost suggest?

  These losses may not be as important as they seem
• Why does the narrator hesitate when asked where she is originally from?

  She is unsure of her identity's origin
• How is childhood compared in the poem?

  To an emigration journey
• What does the phrase "Some are slow, leaving you standing" imply about change?

  Change can happen gradually or suddenly
• How does the narrator feel about her parents' anxiety?

  It feels like a nagging pain in her head
• What does the narrator mean by wanting "our own country"?

  She feels out of place after moving