stanza 2

• • "All childhood is an emigration."
  • Metaphor
  • Whilst a few might undergo a physical emigration, childhood in general is all about changes and transitions that are often beyond our control. We are products of our shared and individual experiences. Things that happen shape our identity and lives: we are not one fixed being.
• • "Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays."
  • Metaphor
  • The phrase, ‘no one you know’ emphasises the loneliness the speaker feels and the assonance underlines this . The word, ‘resigned’ suggests being forced to accept it and being unable to change it.
• • "Your accent wrong."
  • shows that it isn’t just language that can be a barrier: her Glaswegian accent makes the speaker an outsider.
• • "Corners, which seem familiar, leading to unimagined pebble-dashed estates,"
  • The words, ‘seem’ and ‘unimagined’ reinforce her confusion: there are similarities in the buildings, but they never lead to where she thinks they will.
• • "big boys eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand."
  • The phrases ‘eating worms’ and ‘words you don’t understand’ effectively help the reader to appreciate some of the root causes of isolation – change in place, change of accent and unusual behaviour of her new peers.
• • "My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head."
  • Simile
  • Compares her parents’ anxiety to having a loose tooth in your mouth, effectively suggesting something which worries you, and which you keep on going back to, until in some way it is fixed.
  • You have to lose your baby teeth to attain your adult set - the natural pain associated with change.
• • "I want our own country,"
  • The italics indicate direct speech, but it is a childish lament. It adds to the authenticity of the speaker.