English Module A

Ten adopts her anglicised name over her original Chinese name, demonstrating the power language has to shape identity.

"My grandfather made me a gift when I was born./I used it for a while until another gift, my Mother's/flashed in view... her gift sparked and sang, replaced the other"

Bobis explore how these stories have the power to connect us to people and culture across time and place

"No storytelling is not lonely, not as we claim" ... "they have never left, those who storytold before us, they who are under our skin."

Movement between past and present tense in 'Mother' takes readers to alternative places to consider hardships and sacrifices of Asian immigrants and impact on children.

"So I could learn to spell 'persistent' correctly/praying that I might speak an unbroken English tongue/and never be confined/to the labours of factories"

Ten displays conflicting nature of identity through feelings about her name.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own."

With his mother's answer, he discovers a new understanding of his past and how his upbringing contributed to his current identity as a teacher himself.

"Teaching was my passion, 'high school'/I smile in agreement. And as I do/jigsaw puzzle pieces of memory/lock together, my past made whole."

Bobis questions where she truly began to form her own identity.

"This is where it begins/story, word, gesture/all under my skin. At six years old, perhaps five."

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *Anaphora

- Anaphora of 'sometimes' emphases the conflicted feeling.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *Imposter

- Negative connotation of imposter allows readers to reflect on Ten's inner conflict of culture in shaping identity.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *Clauses/Enjambment

- Use of clauses over enjambment reflects how her feelings changed toward her name, highlighting the two separate moments that are juxtaposed to show her changed feelings.

"Teaching was my passion, 'high school'/I smile in agreement. And as I do/jigsaw puzzle pieces of memory/lock together, my past made whole." *Puzzle

A metaphor of how one piece of information can change the overall picture.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *'Flashed in view,' 'sparkled'

Bright visual imagery

"So I could learn to spell 'persistent' correctly/praying that I might speak an unbroken English tongue/and never be confined/to the labours of factories" *Enjambment/Sentence length

Enjambment with long sentence both make it uncomfortable for readers to articulate, representing the uncomfortable hardships faced by his mother.

"No storytelling is not lonely, not as we claim" ... "they have never left, those who storytold before us, they who are under our skin." *'They'

Explores the representation of loved ones and their impact on culture/identity.

This is Where it Begins, Merlinda Bobis

Explores the role of storytelling and language to construct our identity.

"This is where it begins/story, word, gesture/all under my skin. At six years old, perhaps five." *Role of storytelling

Explores the role of storytelling in shaping her identity at a young age.

"Teaching was my passion, 'high school'/I smile in agreement. And as I do/jigsaw puzzle pieces of memory/lock together, my past made whole." *Readers

Invites readers to empathise and understand the migrant experience as language solidifies identity.

"So I could learn to spell 'persistent' correctly/praying that I might speak an unbroken English tongue/and never be confined/to the labours of factories" *'Persistent'

Irony: reflects his mother's persistent attitude toward providing for her children.

"No storytelling is not lonely, not as we claim" ... "they have never left, those who storytold before us, they who are under our skin." *Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition of 'lonely' and 'our' explores the power of language as stories have the ability to connect an individual to the collective, even if we read alone.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *Gift

Marked her arrival.

Mother, Vuong Pham

Persona asks Mother about her passion in life and is surprised by her answer, contradicting what he thought he knew about her.

"Teaching was my passion, 'high school'/I smile in agreement. And as I do/jigsaw puzzle pieces of memory/lock together, my past made whole." *Impact on reader

Reader's come to greatly appreciate the sacrifices of all migrants who sacrificed their own passions for hope of providing their children with every opportunity to succeed.

"Teaching was my passion, 'high school'/I smile in agreement. And as I do/jigsaw puzzle pieces of memory/lock together, my past made whole." *Impact on identity

Readers understand Pham's experience as a foreigner and how his mother's sacrifices shaped his identity.

"This is where it begins/story, word, gesture/all under my skin. At six years old, perhaps five." *Repetition

Repetition of 'This is where it begins' suggests there are several places that contribute to identity in life.

Translucent Jade - Maureen Ten

Represents the thin veil between a life lived and the poets true Chinese ethnicity, which over time slipped away only to be retrieved through the conscious reckoning of her Chinese birth name.

"So I could learn to spell 'persistent' correctly/praying that I might speak an unbroken English tongue/and never be confined/to the labours of factories" *Short line

Short line at the end emphasises the harsh reality of what life could be without his mother's sacrifices.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *'Sparkled and sang'

Sibilance: emphasises the physicality of the gift.

"Sometimes I felt an imposter./Sometimes I thought I reflected hidden aspects I could own." *Language and excitement

Use of language displays the excitement toward her new name and the dismissal of her 'old' name, ignoring her cultural identity.