The Way My Mother Speaks: Themes; Change/Growing Up

Overview of “The Way My Mother Speaks: Themes; Change/Growing Up”

This poem centres around the theme of change and growing up with the speaker undergoing a journey; both physically as they travel on a train, and metaphorically, growing up and moving away from their mother’s influence.

Analysis of “The Way My Mother Speaks: Themes; Change/Growing Up”

• The lines, “I am listening, hearing the old voice”, suggest a nostalgic longing for the past, hinting at a significant transitional period the speaker is currently experiencing.

• Speech often unconsciously manifests one’s underlying thoughts and feelings. In the poem, the speaker, possibly unintentionally, uses phrases that their mother used extensively. This could symbolise the everlasting mother’s impact in shaping the child’s identity.

• The use of the phrase, “distance is a foreshortened view”, indicates the speaker’s coming to terms with their growth and changes. As the speaker becomes more matured, they are contemplate their past in a broader perspective.

Themes in “The Way My Mother Speaks: Themes; Change/Growing Up”

• The theme of personal growth is core to the poem depicting a significant phase of the speaker’s life. The speaker experiences changes within and irons out apprehensions to accept the ‘new self’.

• The theme of the passage of time is evidenced in the speaker’s reminiscing about the past and accentuates their development into adulthood.

• The theme of influences and identity is critical to understanding the profound effects the mother’s speech patterns have on the speaker’s shaping of their self.

Poetic Techniques in “The Way My Mother Speaks: Themes; Change/Growing Up”

• Flashback in the poem provides deeper insight into the speaker’s childhood memories and their mother’s influence, emphasising the theme of growth and change.

• Imagery is employed effectively to produce a mental picture of the speaker’s past and their emotional journey associated with growing up.

• Direct speech used for the words of mother evokes a real-life conversational tone, engaging the reader more closely with the speaker’s internal transitions.

“The Way My Mother Speaks” explores the profound psychology of growing up and the lasting influences parents have on one’s personality. The themes of change, influence, and identity are intermingled in an intimate portrayal of maturation.