Tilschers Class The poem “In Mrs Tilschers Class” by carol Ann Duffy deals with childhood throughout. The theme of the poem is that childhood is a time of fun and learning but also change as we reach adolescence. The poem is about the poets memories of primary as she takes the reader on a journey through being in a classroom to eventually being ready tot go to high school. The readers understanding of childhood is deepened by the use of techniques such as the word choice, imagery and structure.
At the end of the first stanza, Duffy demonstrates the fun and joy of being a child. This is depicted in the lines “A window opened with a long pole. The laugh of a school bell swung by a running child. ” Duffy uses the word “laugh” to suggest a human action which is full of joy and shows the fun of being a child. The words “running child” shows the freedom of being a child and how it is a time of happiness as children have no worries. Duffy uses quite short sentences to emphasis the happiness of a child.
The readers understanding of the poem is deepened further as they realise that childhood is a time where you are care free and have a magical time having fun and learning at the same time. In the second stanza, Duffy demonstrates the attitude of a child and how they are easy to excite and please. This is shown in the lines: “Mrs Tilscher loved you. Some mornings, You found she’d left a gold star by your name. ” The word “loved” shows the child’s attitude and how they enjoy the feeling of knowing that they are liked and loved by their teacher.
The Homework on Considerations for Child Development – Middle Childhood
Physical development is concerned with the biological changes of the body and the brain. It includes genetics, a foetus’s growth in the mother’s womb, the birth process, brain development and the acquisition of fine motor skills; it also encompasses behaviours that promote and impede health and environmental factors that influence physical growth. (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 5). I have chosen ...
When Duffy uses the words “gold star” it instantly draws the reader in closer as it is something they can relate to as it brings back memories of being a child and feeling proud whenever you got rewarded. The memories and feelings off primary school are emphasised to show how good it felt as a child. The third stanza starts to show the changes as you get older, as you start to realise that things aren’t as simple as they used to be. The lines that show this are: “A rough boy told you how you were born. You kicked him, but stared at your parents, appalled, when you got back home. Duffy uses “A rough boy” to show how she thinks boys are disgusting and isn’t interested in them yet. The last sentence shows that now that she knows this, she has lost all her innocence. The reader becomes aware of the changes we go through from being a innocent child and thinking that everything is sugar ‘N’ spice and everything nice, to learning things about ourselves and the world that seems so wrong and out of place from what we are used to. The final stanza shows the changes in ourselves as we reach adolescence and how we cant wait to grow up.
This is depicted in the lines: “You ran through the gates, impatient To be grown, as the sky split open into A thunderstorm. Duffy illustrates the impatience and desire to grow up into a teenager. The word “ thunderstorm” is used as a metaphor to show adolescence as it wont be a smooth ride, it will be full of bumps along the way. The readers understanding of growing up is deepened in this final stanza as it shows how we all want to grow up and how it is an amazing time for us. Megan Mackie
