Structure and language

Structure

The poem is written in three sections:

• The poet expresses how hard it is for her to know two languages, but neglect the one she feels most belongs to her.
• She explains these ideas in Gujarati.
• She then translates her thoughts for us into English (so lines 31-38 mean something similar to lines 17-30), showing that although her 'mother tongue' dies during the day, it 'grows back' in her dreams at night, becoming strong and producing 'blossoms'.

Language

Now think about the language that is used in the poem.

How many meanings does the word 'tongue' have in the poem? Consider these:

• It is a part of the body - the part you speak with.
• It has also come to mean the language that you speak.
• The phrase 'lost my tongue' (line 2) is used in a colloquialcolloquial: Informal spoken language; slang sense to mean that someone is tongue-tied and does not know what to say.