My Polish Teacher's Tie

‘I am half Polish. They don’t know that here.’ The simple sentences show that Carla is not confident in writing or speaking her story. As the narrative progresses, she uses more sophisticated sentence structures and imagery, to show her increased intelligence. The ‘they’ suggests the people in school and everyone around her, the pro-noun shows that she feels isolated from them. ‘Oh – er – Miss – er - Carter? Is there a problem?’ Again this shows how the Head isn’t sure who she is, and illustrates her lack of status. The dashes here show pauses in speech where he is trying to decide who she is. It breaks up the speech and makes the words seem awkward. ‘He was as tense as a guitar string.’ In this simile, the narrator describes Steve. Comparing him to a guitar string seems appropriate because he is a creative person, so the simile helps us to understand his character. ‘It was a flag from another country, a better country than the ones either of us lived in.’ This metaphor compares Steve’s outrageous coloured tie to a flag. This brings home the message of the story, which is about not hiding your identity. Carla and Steve have created a better place through their relationship, where it is ok to be themselves. The tie is a symbol for this country.