Homing

"Homing" by Liz Berry

Context

The poem deals with themes of identity, heritage, and the pressures to conform to societal norms. It reflects the personal and cultural conflicts faced by many individuals who feel the need to suppress aspects of their identity to fit in. The use of language connected to industry and manual labour also speaks to the working-class background of the mother, suggesting a deep connection to place and community that is at risk of being lost.

The Poem

For years you kept your accent in a box beneath the bed, the lock rusted shut by hours of elocution how now brown cow the teacher's ruler across your legs.

← Metaphor

← Imagery

We heard it escape sometimes, a guttural uh on the phone to your sister, saft or blart to a taxi driver unpacking your bags from his boot. I loved its thick drawl, g's that rang.

← Onomatopoeia

Clearing your house, the only thing I wanted was that box, jemmied open to let years of lost words spill out – bibble, fittle, tay, wum, vowels ferrous as nails, consonants

← Simile and imagery

you could lick the coal from. I wanted to swallow them all: the pits, railways, factories thunking and clanging the night shift, the red brick back-to-back you were born in.

I wanted to forge your voice in my mouth, a blacksmith's furnace; shout it from the roofs, send your words, like pigeons, fluttering for home.

← Metaphor

5 quotes + analysis to achieve a grade 9

1. Metaphor: "For years you kept your accent in a box beneath the bed"
2. Imagery: "The lock rusted shut by hours of elocution"

• Analysis: The "rusted" lock serves as a powerful metaphor for how the mother's original accent has been locked away and neglected over time. The rust suggests that the lock, much like the accent, has been unused and perhaps forgotten. "Elocution" refers to the practice of speaking in a clear and formal manner, often associated with losing regional accents to sound more 'proper' or socially acceptable. The imagery of the rusted lock suggests that the mother's true voice has been sealed away due to societal pressures to conform, and time passing has made it difficult to unlock and reclaim.

3. Onomatopoeia: "We heard it escape sometimes, a guttural uh on the phone to your sister"

• Analysis: The use of onomatopoeia in "uh" vividly captures the raw sound of the mother's accent slipping out, which had been hidden for so long. The word "escape" suggests that despite attempts to suppress it, her natural accent still emerges involuntarily, highlighting the tension between her true identity and the persona she has adopted. This moment of accidental revelation underscores the struggle between authenticity and the pressure to fit in.

4. Simile and imagery: "Vowels ferrous as nails, consonants you could lick the coal from"

• Analysis: This vivid simile and metaphor highlight the strength and resilience of the mother's original accent. "Ferrous as nails" suggests the vowels in her speech are strong and unyielding, much like the industrial environment she came from. The imagery of "lick the coal from" directly to her working-class roots, particularly in areas like the coal mines. This language creates a powerful connection between her voice and her heritage, suggesting that her accent is as much a part of her identity as the physical environment she grew up in.

5. Metaphor: "I wanted to forge your voice in my mouth, a blacksmith's furnace"

• Analysis: The speaker's desire to "forge" their mother's voice in their own mouth uses the metaphor of a blacksmith's furnace to depict a transformative process. Just as metal is shaped and strengthened in a furnace, the speaker wishes to mould and solidify their connection to their heritage by adopting their mother's accent. The blacksmith imagery is particularly strong, evoking ideas of craftsmanship, heritage, and the passing down of traditions. This line conveys a deep yearning to reconnect with their roots and reclaim their cultural identity that has been suppressed.

Form & Structure Points

• Free Verse: Allows for flexibility and a conversational tone.
• Imagery: Rich descriptions evoke sensory and emotional connections.
• Metaphor: Explores complex ideas of identity and belonging through relatable comparisons.

Example Paragraph for a Grade 9 Answer:

In the poem, the poet explores the theme of identity through the metaphor of the mother's accent being "kept in a box beneath the bed". This suggests that her accent, and by extension her cultural identity, has been hidden away, perhaps due to societal pressures to conform. The imagery of the "rusted" lock further emphasises how this aspect of her identity has been neglected over time, as she has attempted to suppress it through "hours of elocution". The speaker's observation that the accent occasionally "escaped" shows that, despite these efforts, it remains an intrinsic part of her, revealing the tension between her public and private selves. This struggle reflects the broader experience of individuals who feel compelled to hide their true identities in order to be accepted by society.