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Search For My Tongue
Poems from Different Cultures
Slide Contents
Author
What is it About?
Structure
Language
Examination Preparation
Links
The Author
Sujata Bhatt
Sujata Bhatt was born in 1956 in
India but later lived in the USA and
Germany. She writes in both
English and Gujarati, which she
describes as her ‘mother tongue’.
This poem was written when she
was at university in America. She
was worried she might forget her
original language. She writes
about being stuck between two
cultures: "I have always thought of
myself as an Indian who is outside
India."
What is it
About?
Search For My Tongue
Click the link below for a reading of the poem:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english/poe
mscult/searchrev2.shtml
Tongue Tied
Think about the word tongue. It can have a number of different
meanings. Brainstorm as many meanings of the word as you can think
of.
Tongue Tied
Did you consider the following meanings?
a part of the
body
Lost your
tongue
tongue-tied
the language
that you
speak
What Happens?
Search For My Tongue explores the conflict between the poet’s
‘mother tongue’ and the foreign language she also uses. There are
three main parts to the poem but do you know what they are? The
first one has been done for you
Lines
What is happening?
1 - 15
The poet explains that she is fluent in
two languages. She uses the image of
having “two tongues in your mouth” to
convey the idea.
16 - 30
31 - 38
What Happens?
Search For My Tongue explores the conflict between the poet’s
‘mother tongue’ and the foreign language she also uses. There are
three main parts to the poem but do you know what they are? The
first one has been done for you
Lines
What is happening?
1 - 15
The poet explains that she is fluent in
two languages but she is worried that she
might lose her mother tongue.
16 - 30
When she dreams it is in her mother
tongue (this section is written in Gujarati
– the poet’s mother tongue).
31 - 38
She describes how her mother tongue
‘grows back’ just when she thinks she has
lost it.
Structure
Structure
As we have seen the poem is
written in three sections. In the
first part Sujata Bhatt explains
how difficult it is to speak two
languages and conveys her fear
that she may forget the language
she grew up with.
In the middle section (the centre
of the conflict) she writes these
ideas in Gujarati (lines 17 – 30).
Then in the third section she
translates these thoughts into
English (lines 17-30). Here she
concludes that that although her
'mother tongue' dies during the
day, it 'grows back' in her dreams
at night, remaining strong,
healthy and robust.
Language
Imagery
In Search For My Tongue Sujata Bhatt says that
knowing two languages is like having 'two tongues
in your mouth’.
The poet uses an extended metaphor to express
her thoughts and feelings about speaking two
languages. In the third section she compares her
tongue to a plant.
Why is this an effective image?
Imagery
Look at the following images from the poem.
What effect do the images create?
Image
'would rot / rot and die'
'it grows back'
'grows strong veins'
‘it blossoms out of my
mouth’
Effect created
Imagery
Look at the following images from the poem.
What effect do the images create?
Image
Effect created
'would rot / rot and die in
your mouth'
Horrible image conveys her fear
and horror at the thought of
losing her mother tongue
'it grows back'
The tongue is like a growing
plant
'grows strong veins'
Sounds strong, healthy and
robust
‘it blossoms out of my
mouth’
Image of beauty - the plant
bursts into flower
Why compare the tongue to a
plant?
A plant is a living organism which needs nurturing
like the poet’s original language. Plants die in the
wrong environment – Sujata Bhatt wrote this poem
when she was living in the USA, where she spoke
and wrote English the majority of the time, this
environment made her fear that she would forget
her mother tongue.
Like a plant she thinks that her mother tongue will
die of neglect but it starts to bud and grow strong
and beautiful ('blossoms') again.
Poetic Techniques
Match the technique with the correct definition.
Technique
Definition
Metaphor
the act or process of saying or writing
something again
Personal pronouns
A figure of speech not meant literally
Repetition
attributing human qualities to objects
personification
a word that substitutes for a noun or a noun
phrase, e.g. 'I', 'you
Poetic Techniques
Match the technique with the correct definition.
Technique
Definition
Metaphor
the act or process of saying or writing
something again
Personal pronouns
A figure of speech not meant literally
Repetition
attributing human qualities to objects
personification
a word that substitutes for a noun or a noun
phrase, e.g. 'I', 'you’
Poetic Techniques
Think about the poetic techniques discussed on the last slide.
Copy down the chart below. Find examples in the poem and
write down the effect created.
Technique
Evidence Effect
metaphor
Rot and die
in your
mouth
Personification
pronouns
repetition
Horrible image conveys her fear
and horror at the thought of losing
her mother tongue
Feelings and Attitudes
The poet tries to make the reader
understand what it is like to fear
losing your mother tongue. The
fear of the loss of her first language
represents a anxiety about losing
her Indian identity. She is
concerned that she is caught
between two cultures. However
the poem ends happily when she
realises that her mother tongue
won’t die away but will always be a
part of her.
Examination
Preparation
The Examination Paper
• You will have 45 minutes to answer the
question.
• You will be asked to compare two poems.
• You should begin by annotating the question for
the key words. This will help you to understand
what you are being asked to do.
E.g. Compare Search For My Tongue with one
other poem, showing how the poets reveal
ideas and feelings about their identity.
Planning
• Spend between 5 and 10 minutes making
a plan. This will help you to order your
essay logically.
• Make a note of any key ideas you are
going to include.
• Leave at least 5 minutes at the end to
read through your work and check for
any basic errors.
Structure
A good answer should:
•
•
•
Write in paragraphs.
Don’t forget to P.E.E! Using a range of quotes that
are properly embedded within your answer.
Begin with an introduction and end with a
conclusion.
The main body of the essay should follow these five
steps to make a good answer:
•
•
•
•
•
Write a bit about the theme
Compare the structures of each poem
Compare the use of language in each poem
Compare the feelings of the poets
Write about how the poems make you feel.
Making Connections
Use a series of comparisons, using connectives
to link ideas, both within paragraphs and
between paragraphs.
Similarity Connectives Contrast Connectives
• Equally
• In contrast
• In the same way
• However
• Similarly
• Whereas (best used in
the middle of a
• Likewise
sentence)
• Just as…also
• On the other hand
Refer back to the question repeating the
key words from it.
Analysis
Use the following words to link your Point -> Evidence ->
Explain sentences. The use of these words will also help to
ensure that your response is analytical.
suggests
implies
gives the impression that
shows
highlights
indicates
To make the same point using a different example, try one
of these:
furthers
emphasises
reinforces
Recap
1. When you are comparing poems you will be
asked to look for the similarities and the
differences.
2. You should comment on the language they
use. What poetic devices are present?
Imagery, similes, metaphors, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme etc.
What effect do they have on the reader?
3. You will need to comment on the structure of
the poems. How are they set out? Does this
add to their overall effect/meaning?
4. Consider the tone of the poems. What mood
has the author created?
Links
Useful Stuff
BBC Bitesize Poems From Other Cultures:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/e
nglish/poemscult/searchrev1.shtml
Brief Biography and additional links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujata_Bhatt