In Mrs Tilscher's Class: Stanza Four

“In Mrs Tilscher’s Class: Stanza Four - Themes”

Innocence to Experience Transition

  • This stanza sees the speaker transitioning towards maturity, indicating a loss of innocence and the commencement of challenging adulthood struggles.
  • The stanza includes imagery associated with puberty and the emergence of sexual awareness, a clear departure from the previously childlike and innocent view of the world.

Education and Growth

  • It portrays the classroom as a space of both security and revelation where the speaker is introduced to the world’s realities. Education here is portrayed as the catalyst for growing up.
  • Mrs Tilscher represents a safe haven, a source of nurture and a guide to discovery, echoing the theme of the value of good teachers.

“In Mrs Tilscher’s Class: Stanza Four - Imagery & Symbolism”

Imagery of Change and Growth

  • Certain objects and apparitions, such as the “air filled with dust” and the “bold girl” who explains the reality of childbirth, carry implications of change and maturity.
  • The buzzing heard in the speaker’s ears is a metaphor for the inescapable reality and anxiety of growing up.

Fever Symbolism

  • The ‘fever’ the speaker experiences symbolises the internal and external changes occurring as they undergo puberty. It showcases the discomfort, confusion and urgency that accompanies adolescence.

“In Mrs Tilscher’s Class: Stanza Four - Tone”

Shift in Tone

  • The tone of the poem changes from excitement and curiosity to confusion and apprehension, mirroring the speaker’s shift from innocence to awareness.
  • While the first three stanzas are marked by an enthusiastic and optimistic tone, the fourth stanza is dominated by an undercurrent of anxiety and a sense of imminent change.

“In Mrs Tilscher’s Class: Stanza Four - Language”

Language Connoting Change

  • Duffy uses harder, rougher language in this stanza compared to the previous ones, reflecting the harsher realities the speaker is now aware of.
  • Words and phrases such as “uneasy,” “impudence,” “teasing,” and “bolder” suggest a growing understanding of the complexities of adulthood.