Comparison of In Mrs. Tilschers Class and Originally Essay examples --

Comparison of In Mrs. Tilscher's Class and Originally ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s class’ and ‘Originally’ are poems about the journey of life and the change from childhood into adulthood. Although ‘Originally’ is more traumatic there are many similarities between the two poems. They are both about moving on both spiritually and mentally, and explore ideas about identity and emigration. ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s Class’ is a poem about the metaphorical journey throughout a young child’s school year. The first verse of the poem has a joyful tone; the narrator of the poem seems happy and full of delight. It is written from a young girl’s perspective on the things that take place in the course of the school year. The young girl who is narrating the poem explains to the reader both the things that she liked and disliked. The poem is written in chronological order and the different verses of the poem represent different periods throughout the school year. The first verse of the poem starts with: ‘You could travel up the Blue Nile with your finger, tracing the route while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery’. This creates a vivid picture of the children tracing the route of the Nile on a map while Mrs Tilscher described the scenery and surroundings to the children. After learning about the Nile and its surroundings for an hour the children paused for a break to drink a ‘skittle of milk’. A skittle of milk was a small glass bottle containing 1/3 pint of milk. Children used to refer to it as a ‘skittle’ because that is what it looked like. This shows the children’s innocence and immaturity. Verse two describes how much the narrator loved being in Mrs Tilscher’s class. It is described as being ‘better than home’. ‘The .. ... used is very clear as it explains how the parents are feeling. ‘I want my own country, I said’ This line sums up just how young and immature the narrator is. It is written in italics to give effect, to make it stand out because this line has great meaning to it. The third verse describes the girl reminiscing on how she felt adapting to the changes. ‘You forget, or don’t recall, or change, and seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only a skelf of shame.’ She is now starting to fit in but still feels a sense of loss. ‘I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake’. This simile is very descriptive and you can vividly picture a snake shedding its skin. This corresponds to the changes the narrator is going through. I think she now feels embarrassed about the way she used to speak. She hesitates when asked where she originally came from.