Search for My Tongue

The opening line is:

You ask me what I mean

What is the effect of starting the poem by addressing the reader?

• The reader considers questions they have asked.

• It hooks the reader by speaking to him/her.

• It confuses the reader.

• The reader makes a connection to the poet.

What does the poet mean when she says, "I have lost my tongue."

• Someone cut out her tongue and she just can't find it anywhere.

• She is at a loss for words and doesn't know what to say.

• She is afraid she has lost her native language and thus part of her identity.

• She is shy when speaking English because it is not her native language.

The poet comparing knowing two languages to having two tongues in her mouth is an example of which literary device?

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Alliteration

• Simile

Read the following excerpt from the poem:

your mother tongue would rot,

rot and die in your mouth

What is the effect of the placement and repetition of the word "rot"in these lines?

• By placing the word both at the end and the beginning of a line, it's importance is stressed.

• It emphasizes the decay of the native language and creates a bitter tone towards it's loss.

• Both of the above

What is suggested by the poet continuing to dream in her native language?

• People can not control their dreams.

• No one really understands where dreams come from.

• Her language and cultural identity are still inside of her.

• She no longer understands the language spoken in her dreams.

Why might the poet have structured her poem with her native language in the center?

• It is her core and the base of her identity.

• It is more symmetrical that way.

• She dreams in the middle of the poem.

Why do you think the poet included her native language in the poem even though most readers will not understand it?

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What is the effect of the metaphor comparing the poet's first language to a blossoming flower in the last stanza?

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How many languages do you speak fluently?

• 1

• 2

• 3+

What do you think are advantages and disadvantages of knowing more than one language?

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