the way my mother speaks

• “in my head”

  word choice - denotations something personal and private suggesting the speaker does not want her feelings and thoughts to be seen
• “too blue swapped for a cool grey”

  word choice - blue denotations brightens and suggests sun and warmth, cool grey denotations dull and boring suggesting misery and uncertainty >
• ”nothing is silent, nothing is not silent”

  repetition - the use of nothing suggests feelings of loss confusion and hesitation and the sounds in their head are overwhelming.
• ”the day and ever. the day and ever”

  repetition - this mimics the movement of the train and emphasises the speakers feelings of loss d how long these negative feelings will last
• ”browsing for the right sky”


  word choice - browsing denotations looking for something and suggests the speaker is looking for where they belong
• “i am happy and sad”

  word choice and contrast - happy and sad denotates the speaker is having contrasting feelings and suggests confusion and excitement for adulthood.
• “i am homesick, free, in love”


  list - shows the variety of contradicting feelings the speaker is having as the journey ends.
• What does the narrator say about the way she speaks?

  It differs from how she thinks
• What does the paradox "Nothing is silent. Nothing is not silent" suggest?

  Everything has a voice, but not all is clear
• How does the narrator feel about her mixed emotions of being "happy and sad"?

  It reflects her complex feelings about her mother
• What does the simile "like a child who stood at the end of summer" imply?

  It symbolizes the end of childhood and innocence
• What does the narrator feel about her mother's speech?

  She is in love with the way it sounds