Language

river

metaphor for winding/turbulent nature of relationships

My father’s in my fingers, but my mother’s in my palms. my father’s by my fingers, my mother’s by my palms

syntactic parallels - a child inherits equally from both parents, yet subtle differences e.g. ‘in’ and ‘by’ highlight how children are not carbon copies of their parents

extended metaphor of…

hands - symbolises inheritance, preservation of family connection, record of love and marriage, suggests continuity into future generations

‘my, ‘me’

personal pronouns - personal identity, immediate/personal tone, speaker’s parents are embedded within her