Page 2: Childhood as Emigration

The second page delves deeper into the theme of change, comparing childhood to emigration.

Quote: "All childhood is an emigration."

This powerful metaphor suggests that growing up is a universal experience of change, fear, and journeying into the unknown.

Duffy explores different paces of change:

1. Slow changes: "Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays."
2. Sudden changes: "Others are sudden. Your accent wrong."

Highlight: The contrast between slow and sudden changes reflects the varied experiences of adapting to a new environment.

The poem touches on the challenges of fitting in:

Quote: "Corners, which seem familiar, leading to unimagined pebble-dashed estates"

This line emphasizes the confusion and uncertainty of navigating a new, unfamiliar landscape.

Page 3: Adapting and Remembering

The third page of Carol Ann Duffy's "Originally" focuses on the process of adaptation and the lingering connection to one's origins.

Quote: "My parents' anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head."

This simile vividly portrays the unsettling feeling of worry shared by the family as they try to settle in their new home.

The poem then shifts to the gradual process of forgetting and changing:

Quote: "But then you forget, or don't recall, or change,"

This line suggests that adaptation is inevitable, even if it comes with a sense of loss.

Highlight: The image of a brother "swallowing a slug" symbolizes the process of conforming to new cultural norms, albeit with "a skelf of shame."

The speaker reflects on her enduring connection to her original home:

Quote: "I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake"

This powerful simile represents the transformation of language and accent as the speaker adapts to her new environment.

Page 4: Questioning Identity

The final page of Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Originally" grapples with questions of identity and belonging.

Quote: "Do I only think I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space and the right place?"

This rhetorical question encapsulates the speaker's uncertainty about what has truly been lost in the process of migration and growing up.

The poem concludes with another poignant question:

Quote: "Now, where do you come from? strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate."

This ending highlights the complexity of identity for those who have experienced migration. The hesitation suggests that the answer is not straightforward, as the speaker's sense of self is shaped by both her original home and her adopted country.

Highlight: The poem's conclusion invites readers to reflect on their own sense of origin and belonging, making it a powerful piece for studying themes of identity in Carol Ann Duffy's poetry.

Through its exploration of childhood, migration, and identity, "Originally" stands as a significant work in Carol Ann Duffy's collection of poems, particularly relevant for students studying Higher English Carol Ann Duffy revision or Carol Ann Duffy poems for GCSE.

Page 1: The Journey Begins

The opening stanza of Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Originally" sets the scene for a family's migration. The poet uses vivid imagery and metaphors to convey the emotional weight of leaving one's homeland.

Quote: "We came from our own country in a red room which fell through the fields"

This line introduces the first-person plural perspective, suggesting a shared experience. The use of past tense implies a sense of ownership and belonging to the place left behind.

Highlight: The metaphor of the "red room" falling through fields creates a childlike impression of a train journey, emphasizing the speaker's youth and vulnerability.

The poem continues to describe the family's emotional state during the journey:

Quote: "My brothers cried, one of them bawling, Home, Home"

This line underscores the distress of leaving home, particularly for the children. The repetition and capitalization of "Home" reinforce the sense of loss and longing.

Vocabulary: Enjambment - The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.

Duffy employs enjambment throughout the stanza, mimicking the continuous motion of the journey and the rush of emotions.