1. ‘Originally’ Carol Anne Duffy

2. Overview
In 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.

3. Overview
As 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.

4. Overview
Perhaps 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.

5. Form and structure
Like 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.

6. Form and structure
However, 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.

7. Form and structure
The 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.

8. Plural pronouns suggest shared experience
Assonance – highlights sense of ownership / belonging
Alliteration / metaphor – childlike impression of car / train
Past tense
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.
We came from our own country in a red room which fell through the fields, our mother singing our 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 rooms where we didn’t live any more. I stared at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.
Ambiguous – is she praying or is the children’s father missing? Or is he there with them?
Mother’s optimistic mood contrasts with the obvious negativity of Duffy
Word choice and alliteration - sense of speed / things happening out-with her control…
also conveyed by personification

9. We came from our own country in a red room
Enjambment / italics used for emphasis
The repetition and capitalisation reinforces the misery and overwhelming sense of loss and separation that she associates with this time.
Effective word choice to convey strength of feeling
She wants to go back
We came from our own country in a red room
which fell through the fields, our mother singing
our 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 rooms
where we didn’t live any more. I stared
at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.
Use of a list to convey how much has been left behind
First few lines create an upbeat atmosphere / mood which is contrasted later on when the children’s reactions are described
Symbolic of the situation they are in – heading into the unknown
Poet’s reaction contrasts with her brothers’ – they are vocal and obviously upset, while she is quiet/withdrawn

10. All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow,
Metaphor – idea of journey / different changes and stages of life
Key idea explored by Duffy in this poem: childhood is equated with changes and transitions that are often beyond our control.
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 boys
eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.
15My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
in my head. I want our own country, I said.
Sentence structure relates to idea of slow change
Short abrupt sentences relate to this type of change
‘Your accent wrong’ - communication and acceptance is much more complex than merely speaking the same language.
Her sense of confusion and not belonging is again reinforced

11. All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow,
However, her parents’ fears are not enough to provoke a strong reaction-
Simile conveys idea of something irritating – always there and you can’t ignore it; her whole family are affected by the move
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 boys
eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.
15My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
in my head. I want our own country, I said.
a loose tooth can easily fall out of its own accord or be quickly extracted
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

12. All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow,
Repeats idea from the opening line, emphasising the idea of belonging / origins
Italics again used to indicate direct speech
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 boys
eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.
15My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
in my head. I want our own country, I said.
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

13. But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
Conjunction starts the stanza and indicates a change in line of thought -
she meditates on the inevitability of change and adaptation
The speaker in this stanza is older and more reflective as she considers her own gradual transition.
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only
a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue
20 shedding its skin like a snake, my voice
in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think
I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
and the right place? Now, Where do you come from?
strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
Second person directly exposes the often fragile nature of childhood memory
Lists same idea for emphasis of change being difficult to pinpoint/define
Echoes the idea of actions of ‘big boys’ in previous stanza, showing the brothers now fit in well
Simple alliteration indicating that this was an easy process for him

14. But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
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
Enjambment – emphasises sense of uncertainty
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only
a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue
20 shedding its skin like a snake, my voice
in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think
I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
and the right place? Now, Where do you come from?
strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
Simile to convey the idea of change again, leaving the old behind and adapting to suit the new
Despite these outward signs she has adapted, it is implied that she continues to feel out of place.
Lists all the things she thinks she may have lost – but poses it as a question again highlighting uncertainty

15. But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
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 only
a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue
20 shedding its skin like a snake, my voice
in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think
I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
and the right place? Now, Where do you come from?
strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
Two very different questions – is where you come from the same as your original home?
The deliberate inversion of ‘I only’ again emphasises her feelings of isolation and separateness from her family

16. But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
By the end of the poem it is clear that the poet is no closer to defining her identity.
Final abrupt sentence again emphasises the poet’s uncertainty about her identity and where she belongs
When asked the question ‘Where do you come from?’ she still has to qualify and clarify this simple query with the response ‘Originally?’
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change,
and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only
a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue
shedding its skin like a snake, my voice
in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think
I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
and the right place? Now, Where do you come from?
strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
This momentary hesitation reveals that even though she is older, the speaker continues to have mixed feeling about her true origins.

17. Themes
In 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.

18. Themes
However, 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.