Originally: Stanza One

Overview of “Originally: Stanza One”

• The first stanza of “Originally” focuses on the immediate, jarring impact felt upon leaving a familiar place, emphasizing the suddenness of the move.

Analysis of “Originally: Stanza One”

• The poem starts with “We came from our own country in a red room”, instantly communicating their departure from their homeland. The ‘red room’ could signify the family car but also conjures up images of warmth, safety and familiarity which they are leaving behind.

• The speaker’s confusion and fear is made evident through the line “Which fell through the fields”. The metaphor gives a sense of the pace and unexpectedness of the move, it reflects a feeling of having the ground fall away beneath you.

• Duffy uses the phrase “our mother singing” to evoke a calming influence amidst the chaotic move, reassuring the children and trying to preserve some sense of normality.

• Feelings of uncertainty and anxiety are depicted as the poet writes “our father’s driving, our brother’s crying”. Every family member is experiencing the upheaval in a different way.

Themes in “Originally: Stanza One”

• The theme of displacement is introduced with immediate effect, with the mention of leaving ‘our own country’ and the familiarity of the ‘red room’.

• Duffy introduces loss and grief with the word ‘crying’, suggesting an emotional distress caused by the departure from what is familiar and known.

Poetic Techniques in “Originally: Stanza One”

• Metaphor is used effectively to signify their drastic life change. The seemingly normal event of a drive is portrayed as ‘a journey which fell through the fields’.

• The juxtaposition of the mother’s singing against the brother’s crying further accentuates the emotional roller coaster experienced by the family members, reflecting their individual ways of coping.

• Duffy’s use of alliteration, ‘our father’s…our brother’s’, gives emphasis to their displacement - the disharmony in actions links to the disruption the family is going through.

The first stanza of “Originally” sets the tone for the rest of the poem, preparing the reader for the narrator’s unfolding journey of displacement, adaptation, and self-discovery.