Search for My Tongue: Identity and Language

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Questions and Answers

What central conflict does Sujata Bhatt explore in 'Search for My Tongue'?

  • The challenge of living in a foreign country with unfamiliar customs.
  • The difficulty of translating Gujarati poetry into English.
  • The struggle to learn a new language and abandon her native tongue.
  • The tension between preserving her Gujarati identity and assimilating into an English-speaking world. (correct)

What does the phrase 'lost my tongue' metaphorically represent in the poem?

  • A physical loss of the ability to speak.
  • A decline in her fluency and connection to her Gujarati language and cultural identity. (correct)
  • The poet's frustration with her English pronunciation.
  • The poet's feeling of alienation from her Gujarati heritage.

How does the structure of 'Search for My Tongue' contribute to its meaning?

  • The division into distinct stanzas highlights the separation between her Indian and American identities.
  • The use of quatrains emphasizes the poem's themes of order and control.
  • The free verse structure mirrors the poet's feelings of displacement and uncertainty. (correct)
  • The consistent rhyme scheme creates a sense of harmony between the two languages.

In the first part of the poem, what is the effect of Bhatt's use of the pronoun 'you'?

<p>It fosters a confrontational tone, challenging the reader to understand her experience. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the extended metaphor of the rotting tongue in the poem?

<p>It symbolizes the poet's fear that her Gujarati language and identity will be lost or destroyed. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What shift in tone occurs in the poem when Bhatt describes her dreams?

<p>From despairing to hopeful. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the inclusion of Gujarati phrases in the poem achieve?

<p>It allows the reader to experience the sound and rhythm of the language, fostering a deeper appreciation for the poet's cultural heritage. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the image of the tongue transforming into a flower symbolize?

<p>The resilience and rebirth of the poet's mother tongue. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the poet use sensory language to convey the experience of having 'two tongues'?

<p>By emphasizing tactile and gustatory sensations, such as the feeling and taste of the rotting tongue. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the overall message that Bhatt conveys in 'Search for My Tongue'?

<p>The enduring power of one's native language and cultural identity, even when suppressed by external forces. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why might Bhatt have chosen to write this poem in English, despite its focus on the Gujarati language?

<p>To reach a wider audience and share her experience of linguistic and cultural identity with those unfamiliar with Gujarati. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the poem's title, 'Search for My Tongue,' relate to Bhatt's personal background?

<p>It represents her internal quest to reclaim her cultural identity after living in America. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What effect does the repetition of 'grows' have in the lines describing the tongue's revival?

<p>It emphasizes the rapid and vigorous growth of the poet's mother tongue. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The line 'Every time I think I've forgotten' suggests what about the poet's relationship with her mother tongue?

<p>Her Gujarati language is a constant presence that resurfaces unexpectedly, despite her efforts to suppress it. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the poem ending with the image of the bud 'blossoming'?

<p>It symbolizes the beauty and hope that come with the renewed strength and vitality of her Gujarati language. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the overall tone of the poem?

<p>Conflicted, but ultimately hopeful and celebratory. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Bhatt use the concept of dreaming to explore her relationship with Gujarati?

<p>Dreams serve as a space where her Gujarati language and identity can resurface and thrive, even when suppressed in her waking life. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which literary device is most prominent in the lines describing the tongue as rotting meat and then as a blossoming flower?

<p>Metaphor. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What can be inferred about Bhatt's attitude toward the English language based on this poem?

<p>She recognizes the importance of English but also feels a sense of loss and alienation from her native language because of it. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the poem address the experience of being bilingual or multilingual?

<p>It highlights the challenges and anxieties associated with balancing multiple languages and cultural identities. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of Bhatt's decision to translate the Gujarati phrase into English?

<p>It makes the poem accessible to a wider audience while also highlighting the beauty and significance of her mother tongue. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following themes is NOT explored in 'Search for My Tongue'?

<p>Nostalgia for a lost romance. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Bhatt including the phonetic spelling of the Gujarati?

<p>To allow the reader to almost 'speak' the language, including them in her experience. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the most likely reason Bhatt says, 'You ask me what I mean by saying I have lost my tongue'?

<p>To suggest her audience does not naturally understand her experience. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Bhatt repeat 'spit it out'?

<p>To emphasize that it is something she didn't want to do. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Mother Tongue

The language a person learns as a baby, often compared to a parent.

Embodiment of Language

A figure of speech comparing language to a physical part of the body.

Search for True Voice

The poet's personal quest to discover her authentic voice and identity.

Interlocutor

A person to whom someone is speaking. In the poem, that person does not understand.

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Empathy

The feeling of sharing and understanding another's experiences and emotions.

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Distress

A feeling of great unhappiness or suffering.

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Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a poem.

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Evoking Disgust

A literary device that uses something disgusting to enhance feelings.

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Personification

Giving a non-human thing, such as language, human characteristics.

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Resurrection

The process of bringing something back to life or restoring it.

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Blossom

The most beautiful part of a tree, symbolizing new life, and hopefulness.

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Language Loss Anxiety

The poet's anxiety that she is losing fluency in her native language due to living in an English-speaking environment.

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Language Alienation

The feeling of not truly belonging or fitting in with the English Language, despite speaking it.

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Mother Tongue Significance

Emphasis on the personal and comforting nature of one's first language.

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Language Prioritization

The speaker's feeling that she is forced to choose between her languages.

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Phonetic Celebration

The use of sound to convey the beauty and musicality of the Gujarati language.

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Enduring Identity

A viewpoint where cultural identity is seen as something that persists despite external influences.

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Rotting Metaphor

A vivid and unpleasant image used to convey strong negative emotions.

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Direct Address

The use of a personal and conversational tone to engage the reader.

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Repetition for Emphasis

A literary device where a word is repeated to emphasize a feeling.

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Rhetorical Question

The use of a question to involve the reader and make them think.

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Free Verse

Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.

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Language Fusion

Combining Gujarati and English languages in one's poetry.

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Metaphor

A word or phrase for something is not literally applicable to better explain the term.

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Pronoun Repetition

The use of 'you' and 'your', making the tone quite confrontational.

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Study Notes

  • Sujata Bhatt, born in Gujarat, India, in 1956, emigrated to America in 1968.
  • She is an award-winning poet known for blending Gujarati and English in her work.
  • In 2013, she became the Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University.
  • The poem "Search for my Tongue" explores Bhatt's fear of losing her Indian identity and Gujarati language.
  • The poem expresses the idea that one's original identity always returns, despite experiences that may make us feel like it is lost.
  • The title refers to the colloquial phrase "mother tongue."
  • "Mother tongue" describes one's first language and connects language to personal identity.
  • The poem is written as a single, long stanza in free verse, emphasizing the importance of the topic.
  • The poem starts with the line "You ask me what I mean by saying I have lost my tongue," suggesting an ongoing conversation and a need to explain her feelings.
  • The poem uses the pronouns "you" and "your" to create a confrontational tone, inviting the reader to empathize with the poet's situation.
  • The speaker asks the reader to imagine having "two tongues in your mouth" to convey the uncomfortable feeling of being overwhelmed by languages.
  • The speaker highlights the personal connection to her "mother tongue," emphasizing the pain of losing it.
  • Emphasizes the feeling of not fully belonging in the English language.
  • It is difficult to use two languages simultaneously, forcing the speaker to make a choice between them.
  • The conjunction "And" creates a sense of urgency and anxiousness in the speaker's voice.
  • The extended metaphor of the tongue as rotting meat conveys the poet's disgust and fear of losing her native language.
  • This horror is emphasized through the repetition of the word "rot."
  • The poet feels forced to reject her mother tongue, which leads to feelings of distress.
  • The poem shifts from horror to a more mystical tone as the poet's Gujarati returns in her dreams.
  • The word "dream" represents both the act of imagining during sleep and the poet's desire to retain her mother tongue.
  • The inclusion of Gujarati words and their phonetic spellings allows the reader to experience the language and appreciate its sound.
  • The translation of the Gujarati words reveals the tongue as a beautiful flower rather than rotting meat.
  • The image of the language "grow[ing] back" symbolizes resurrection and the revival of her mother tongue.
  • The repetition of "grows" emphasizes the plant's healthy development, full of life.
  • The tongue is compared to a "bud," a closed flower, representing a vivid image.
  • The "bud opens in my mouth" represents the mother tongue re-establishing itself.
  • Her mother tongue returns, even when she believes she has forgotten it.
  • The final image of the "bud opening" and "blossoming" symbolizes new life, hope, and the indestructible nature of language and cultural identity.

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