Feminine Gospels

Structure of Tall

- 17 short stanzas (3-4 lines) with no rhyme scheme - many of the lines are enjambed, creating metrical flow. It could be suggested that the poem as a whole, 17 stanzas long, represents the Tall woman. By contrast, the individual stanzas represent the normal-sized characters of the poem - small stanzas making up a larger whole could also be understood as a representation of the feminist movement, many people binding together into a cohesive whole to fight against inequality

Structure of Death and the Moon

- 3 stanzas, 8 lines - free form - Duffy uses enjambment on many of the lines. Enjambment creates a sense of flow throughout the poem, perhaps focusing on the passing of time after Henri's death - structural flow within the poem further creates a haunting atmosphere, images blurring into one another in ghostly silence

Structure of White Writing

- 6 stanzas with 4 lines each - regularity of the poem could be understood as the permanence of the relationship between Duffy and Kay, lasting 15 years. There is no rhyme scheme within the poem, but there are many cases of anaphora and repetition, adding to the sense of continuity

Structure of Gambler

- 6 stanzas, each 3 lines, often ending in enjambment - gambling is often seen as a precarious act, with this idea being the opposite of the regularity of Duffy's structure. Through this, Duffy could show the woman, 'she', going against the common notion - this regularity in structure could then be a reflection of this certainty, 'she' knowing exactly what she would like to bet on

Structure of The Cord

- 6 stanzas, each 6 lines - no rhyme scheme, although Duffy's use of enjambment allows the poem to flow rhythmically from one line to another. The quick pace of the poem due to enjambment could also reflect the process of Duffy's daughter

Structure of Sub

- 7 stanzas, 10 lines - no rhyme scheme within the poem, Duffy instead of creating a metrical rhythm through the use of enjambment and internal rhyme - complete regularity within the poem could be a reflection of how women have been excluded from these historic events, the monotony of form reflecting the unchanging exclusion - one could argue that using a 7 stanza structure bears reference to the 7 days of the week, Duffy using this idea to suggest that the female exclusion from history is an occurrence that happens every day

Structure of History

- 7 stanzas, 6 lines - no rhyme scheme within the poem. However, there are several cases of internal rhyme. In using this more subtle form of rhyme, Duffy is pointing to the subtextual or hidden history of women, often not remembered but absolutely important - internal rhyme creates a connection between lines, the subtle ringing of syllables reflecting the connected nature of history. The rhyme creates a link between words, emblematic of the connection between women that spans across history, women present at every major historical event

Structure of A Dreaming Week

- 7 stanzas, each representing one day of the week, each stanza has 6 lines - first line of each stanza begins with a temporal location, 'tonight', 'tomorrow', 'night after that' and on - there is no consistent rhyme scheme throughout the poem. Yet, in the first, fourth, and sixth stanzas, there is a rhyme across the second, fourth and sixth lines - Duffy also uses moments of internal rhyme within the poem. Both these forms of rhyme push the poem gently onward, helping to construct a soothing rhythm

Structure of Loud

- 8 stanzas, 5 lines with no rhyme scheme but internal rhyme - moments serve to propel the poem forward, increasing the speed of reading. This acceleration goes hand in hand with the explosive voice of the poem - fifth line of each stanza is shorter than the rest. In doing this, the final line becomes jarring to read. This disruption is emblematic of the woman's voice finally breaking free. This could represent the ability of women to transcend the imposition placed on their voices, speaking out about the horrors of the world

Context of The Woman Who Shopped

- Capitalism is the defining ideology is the modern-day, some of the most powerful countries' economies based upon this. Duffy discusses how people believe women fit into our capitalist societies - stereotype of a shopaholic woman to define her central character. Duffy laughs at this ridiculous depiction, exaggerating a satirizing its creation. The constant process of buying reflects on consumerism, how people always desire the next best thing - Duffy also comments on women's bodies, how they are seen as a commodity that is bought and displayed like trophies

Summary of The Light Gatherer

- Carol Ann Duffy begins The Light Gatherer by focusing on her daughter as a baby, 'When you were small' using the second-person personal pronoun in order to direct this poem towards her daughter - Duffy moves through images, all using a shared semantic of light, attributing beautiful and luxurious imagery to the daughter. She is the titular character, starting with 'a candles worth' of light and gaining more and more. By the end of the poem, the daughter has captured the brilliant light of the 'moon', her shine lighting up Duffy's world - final stanza focuses on the promise of a bright future, the use of light representing the joy that her daughter brings Duffy, and the promise she holds for the future

Summary of The Woman Who Shopped

- Duffy begins with the character of the nameless shopaholic, exaggerating her traits until every moment of her life is consumed by shopping - clear break in the middle of the poem, with Duffy using the pause to move from a realistic depiction of the woman's life, towards an extended metaphor of the woman actually embodying the shop - divide is marked with a '***' break. By the end of the poem, Duffy uses euphemism to suggest that the woman has become a prostitute to pay for her expensive tastes

Context of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

- Duffy centers The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High around the location of Stafford Girls' High. Duffy attended this school between 1970-1974, spending her formative years here - Duffy's location for the mock-epic coincides with her own experiences, immortalizing her school days in the poem - one of the English teachers that inspired Duffy was Jim Walker, a teacher at Stafford Girls' High

Poetic Techniques of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

- Duffy creates asyndetic lists to display the rigidity of the school curriculum. Each list is boring, split grammatically by the commas, and monotonously slow. Duffy indicates her distaste for rote memorization through the construction of these asyndetic lists - semantics of water constantly referenced when describing laughter, Duffy creates a sense of movement and freedom

Poetic Techniques of The Cord

- Duffy draws upon the semantics of myth within the poem to depict Ella's young age and rampant imagination. Throughout the poem, Ella is portrayed as thinking of the outside world using mythical proportions - mythical semantics also plays into the idea of a fairytale, Ella's young age being suggested through these linguistics - imagery: throughout the poem are beautiful images of the forest, the cord, and Duffy herself represented by the 'stars'. Duffy conjures a poem that treads the line of fantasy and realism, allowing Ella's imagination to run wild while also acting as the governing voice of the poem

Context of A Dreaming Week

- Duffy ended a 15-year relationship with Jackie Kay a few years before this poem was written. One could perhaps extrapolate that this poem was written about the last week of their relationship. Yet, considering there is no direct reference to Kay within this poem, this cannot be proved

Themes in Gambler + FG poems with similar themes

- Duffy explores the art of writing poetry, as well as using a female perspective. Duffy continues the central theme of Feminine Gospels, rephrasing typically masculine environments through the prism of a female voice - horse racing is then extended into a metaphor for writing poetry, Duffy suggesting both are equally a form of gambling - while horse racing discerns betting money, poetry is instead a form of picking the most successful words. Duffy explores language as a function, balancing names based on their metrical weight and syllable count in sentences - Sub, White Writing and A Dreaming Week

Summary of Tall

- Duffy exposes how men often treat women unfairly, especially in regard to workplace environments and fitting into society - the woman is able to use her size to rebel against the catcalling and gain elements of power in society. Yet, eventually, people lose interest in the incredible woman, relegating her to a weatherwoman. Even though scorned by society, the woman still tries to fit in and help out - Duffy could be suggesting that women try their best, even if they are not appreciated by society. The fact the woman has to be tall to gain power also reveals a gender stereotype

Context in North-West

- Duffy grew up in Liverpool - Duffy experienced the rise of the Beatles (1960-70) first hand, the band representing her childhood. This is why she references them in the penultimate line of the poem, calling back to that time - Due to the incredible modernization of Liverpool that has happened over the last 50 years, the current Liverpool is very different from the city that Duffy grew up in. This change is central to North-West, leading Duffy to feel lost in the place she knows best

Context for Death and the Moon

- Duffy had a 10-year relationship with Adrian Henri, the person this elegy is written about - the dedication is to Catherine Marcangeli. Marcangeli was a long term friend of Duffy and also Henri's partner. In this poem, Duffy consoles her friend while also remembering her past lover

Summary of Loud

- begins with an epigraph from a news report. Responding to this news, the central character of the poem 'shout[s]'. Her voice gets louder and louder, leaving her body - voice is personified and intensified, escaping and being heard across the world. Duffy suggests the importance of female voices, while also featuring the devastating horror of world news

Poetic Techniques in Beautiful

- Duffy makes allusion to the lives of past women to exemplify her argument. Although not actually saying the names of these four women, Duffy alludes to key moments or ideas from their lives. In doing this, especially when taking women from such a wide arch of time, Duffy suggests that this exploitation has been a part of society for a huge period of time - caesura creates a slight metrical pause within the line. This pause then places emphasis on what comes before or after the caesura. In doing this, Duffy can focus the poem on key ideas without disrupting the rhythm of reading. In many places, this caesura appears incredibly blunt, such as 'Beauty is fame.', emphasizing the harshness of this statement

Context in History + FG poems with similar themes

- Duffy references many events within history during the poem: The events begin with Jesus being taken off the cross: 'ease him down/from the cross'. The shaming of Jesus (Matthew 26.67): 'the soldiers spitting' Jesus' resurrection: 'fisherman swore he was back' The rise and fall of the Roman Empire: 'basilicas rise' Medieval wars: 'the bloody crusades' IRA and British army clashing: 'Bannockburn' World War 1: 'Passchendaele' World War 2: 'Babi Yar' The war of Vietnam: 'Vietnam'. Hitler's suicide: 'the dictator strutting and stuttering film blew out his brains' Going to concentration camps: 'children waved/their little hands from the trains' - by placing the woman personification of History within these events, it gives agency to the idea that these women all lived once, they deserve to be remembered as a part of history - The Long Queen, Sub and Work

Context of The Diet

- Duffy replies to rampant dieting across society, painting the picture of someone who has become obsessed with the concept - the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar faculty, with the modern age only leading to further profit for corporations that base themselves within this area - eating disorders are thankfully becoming more discussed within society, with Duffy using 'The Diet' to create a platform that explores the impacts of these disorders, presenting the chaos it can bring to an individual's life

Structure of The Diet

- Duffy splits 'The Diet' into 8 stanzas of 7 lines each. There is no rhyme scheme within the poem, although there are several cases of internal rhyme. These are used to speed up the rhythm of the poem, pushing the woman ever-onward in her diet journey - regularity of the poem, with a consistent line length per stanzas throughout, reflects the strict nature of the woman's diet, never managing to stray from the intense requirements of the starvation diet - final line of each stanza is shorter than the rest, always containing an end stop that bluntly ends each stanza. In doing this, the poem has a sense of jolted rhythm, moving forward only to be yanked back and stalled. The structure could, therefore, reflect the diet process, the woman moving from starvation to binging in a constant cycle

Poetic Techniques of Loud

- Duffy uses asyndeton throughout the poem to add to the chaos of Loud. By connecting many examples or ideas with asyndeton, it seems that the horrific events are endless - in the final stanza, this technique is an important aspect of how Duffy presents the sequential development of women's voices: 'loud, loud, louder' - caesura provides a slight moment of pause within the meter. This reflects the perception of women's silence, the pauses representing this lack of speech. Yet, as the poem continues and the woman becomes more vocal, these caesurae become less common. This could represent the gaining of volume, 'louder' as the poem progresses

Poetic Techniques in the Map-Woman

- Duffy uses caesura within Map-Woman to control the speed of reading, some parts slowed by the employed of caesura. These slight metrical pauses allow Duffy to emphasize certain moments e.g 'waiting to start' is encased in a caesura, leads to a slower reading, reflecting the character waiting through her youth until she is old enough to leave - asyndeton: used to display the lengths to which the Map-Woman goes to hide her body. Asyndeton makes these three objects 'stockings', 'gloves', and 'scarf' seem more impactful, equally-weighted across the sentence

Summary of Gambler

- Gambler' by Carol Ann Duffy begins by creating a character at the horse races. Yet, instead of following the odds of certain horses, she instead focuses on the poetic names of the horses - Duffy goes through several different named horses, breaking down their name into syllables and individual sounds - by the end of the poem, Duffy then connects the horse race with writing, the woman pictured sitting at home and enacting the same strategy when writing poetry. For Duffy, words and ideas are a form of gambling, some things working while others fall flat

Context in Beautiful

- Helen is a character from Greek Mythology, known as the daughter of Zeus and Leda. She is commonly referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world, hence her inclusion in the poem. She became a figure much loved in art and history, with much of literature touching on her story - Cleopatra was last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. She ruled from 51-30BC. Cleo, similarly to Helen of Troy, is a figure much favored by art and literature. In 30BC, her naval fleet (including her husband, Mark Anthony) was defeated. This lead to Antony's suicide. Once Cleopatra learned of this, she killed herself by snake bite poisoning - Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model, and singer. She was emblematic of America's changing attitudes to sexuality, becoming a sex symbol of the 1950s and 60s. She was viciously controlled by Hollywood, eventually dying at the age of 32 to a sleeping pill overdose - Lady Diana was known as the "People's Princess", is a much-loved figure in the U.K. In 1981 she engaged Prince Charles and married later that year. After the couple's separation in 1992, the media sought details of their marital difficulties. Diana was viciously hunted by the media, eventually dying in a car crash while fleeing the paparazzi in 1997. Her funeral was televised and brought in 32.10 million viewers in the U.K

Context in Gambler

- Hyperion: 'Hyperion's tips' references a late 90s gambling agency that would release notices that suggested horse pick winners. In the modern age, 'Hyperion's Tips' refers to financial advising. Yet, the figure of 'Hyperion' was originally known from Greek mythology - one of the twelve Greek titans, he was known as the first to observe and understand the movements of the sun and moon - in rejecting these tips, Duffy places the female voice as more important than a Greek Titian, furthering the importance of women within society

Context in Tall

- final stanza in the poem makes reference to 'the burning towers' - Duffy is discussing the events of 9/11 in America. The attacks of September 11th 2001 saw passenger airliners crashed into the World Trade Center - attack resulted in 2,977 fatalities and over 25,000 injuries

Structure of the Map-Woman

- Map Woman split into 13 stanzas, each measuring a regular 10 lines - incredibly stable form of the poem could reflect the content of a map, both relying on structure and logic - moments of rhyme, some of which are internal, which propel the meter of the poem onward, leading to moments of climax within the narrative. Rhyme is also used to connect key ideas, the final two lines relying on a couplet of 'bone' and 'home' to display the inescapable nature of identity - length of poem could be to reflect the expanse of information contained in a map. Duffy uses the symbol of a map to represent someone's whole identity. Therefore, the extensive amount of information given can reflect the intricacy of an individual life

Context of the Long Queen

- Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, she was the monarch that headed the Elizabethan age, in which England become a major European power in both political and artistic spheres - she was a popular queen, having a cordial relationship with Parliament and her subjects looking up to her rules - first epic English poem: 'The Faerie Queene' by Edmund Spenser revolves around Elizabeth I immortalized in the figure of 'Gloriana' - references in The Long Queen about refusing to marry, something Queen Elizabeth, also known as The Virgin Queen, avoided in her lifetime

Summary of The Cord

- The Cord by Carol Ann Duffy begins by focusing on the moment in which they 'cut the cord', severing the physical link between the poet and her daughter. As the child grows, she remains curious about this 'cord', wondering if it was a real thing or just something Duffy made up - she listens to the story of it being buried in the forest, eventually venturing out into the 'Great Forest'. This could represent the child moving out into the real world. Although things seem scary in the real world, 'shadows/blurred into one huge darkness', Duffy's daughter can always rely on the guiding light of her mother

Themes of The Woman Who Shopped + FG poems with similar themes

- Women's Voices and Stereotypes of Women - Duffy discusses a woman within the poem but does not actually give her a voice, instead depicting her life in actions. This relates to the frenetic energy of always wanting more and more, Duffy representing the perceived stereotype of a shopaholic - Duffy represents a part of women that she has not previously explored within the feminine gospels, here using a negative stereotype of women to discuss the wider world - woman's addiction can be seen as due to capitalism, the constant need for wealth and showing off wealth - The Map-Woman and The Diet

Poetic Techniques of The Diet

- aclthough the diet is realistic, the impacts are exaggerated, with the woman turning into a tiny 'thimble' sized woman who floats away. While this transformation mirrors the loss of weight, it is extended to show the psychological damage that intense dieting is doing to the woman - Duffy uses this metaphor to expose the dangers of trying to live up to the expectation placed upon women and the unrealistic examples of body-types seen around the world - linking of the semantics of the body with plosive sounds. Especially in stanza six, Duffy connects parts of the body, 'fingernail' and 'mouth' with harsh plosive words, 'kipped' and 'dossed'. The connection of body semantics with harsh words is emblematic of the woman's view of her own body, the blunt plosives reflecting the negative opinion the woman has over her body, represented through the semantics used

Poetic Techniques in North-West

- asyndeton, the colocation of many connected images through a list format, creates a sense of infinity. Duffy passes from image to image, 'spot, the flowers of litter, a grave', resting upon each for only a moment - in doing this, the constant use of asyndeton suggests a never-ending list of lost things. Duffy gives herself no time to mourn these things, her mind racing through each image. The poet's use of asyndeton is overwhelming, memories of the past racing to the surface - frequent use of caesura within the poem, Duffy instilling metrical pauses. The poet uses this technique to stunt the poem, making the reader pause on certain images. These images, such as 'out of reach', therefore become emphasized, Duffy allowing their melancholy to stop the poem

Poetic Techniques in the Long Queen

- asyndeton: used to create an extended image, almost like an endless list, seen mainly within the first and second stanzas - first stanza: asyndeton creates the idea that Queen Elizabeth had a huge list of suitors, all of which she rejected - second stanza: asyndeton used to encompass all types of women - uses contrasting long and short sentences in order to add further emphasis e.g first stanza: following the asyndetic list of the first stanza, 'Long Live the Queen' contrasting in length and being grammatically isolated by a caesura and endstop - emphasises the long reign of Elizabeth I

Context of White Writing + FG poems with similar themes

- at the time of publishing, gay marriage was still illegal (same-sex marriage made legal in the UK in 2014) - Duffy having a lesbian relationship meant that marriage was a closed-door for her, the writer rejecting the idea of marriage due to this exclusion. Indeed, instead of marrying and outwardly projecting love to the world, Duffy states that she would rather be happy in her couple, knowing they loved each other - Duffy demonstrates how a relationship functions best when those inside that partnership are the ones that know the ins and outs of their life, not everything has to be shared - Duffy writes from within this context, being excluded from marriage and therefore finding happiness in other ideas - A Dreaming Week, The Light Gatherer and The Cord

Summary of Wish

- begins by describing a woman covered in earth, trapped underground. Duffy is willing this woman to escape, to draw herself up from the ground, and escape her hollow tomb - this is only a 'wish', the poet knows that she cannot use an escape. She images the corpse-like woman on the other side of a 'heavy door', wishing that she could help the woman escape - this ghostly figure represents Duffy, the poet personifying her depressing into the entrapped character. Although Duffy wants to free herself from depression, it is not that easy, the poet never achieving liberation

Summary of Anon

- begins by focusing on the women who have been forgotten in history, suggesting that perhaps even they would not recognize their own anonymous work. Duffy is suggesting that women's writing goes back so incredibly far that it would be difficult for even the writer to remember their craft - sense of cohesion amongst women that Duffy creates within the poem, representing all women in her story. Duffy uses allusions within her poem to connect with great works of literature, Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' and 'Hamlet' both being referenced. The voicelessness of death has stolen women's voices, but Duffy tries to give some agency back to these forgotten women within this poem - there is an element of uncertainty within the poem, Duffy acknowledging that the problem of not valuing women writers is still something that has not been completely changed

Poetic Techniques in Sub + FG poems with similar themes

- caesura, a break or disruption within a line through punctuation, is used frequently within the poem. In doing this, Duffy emphasizes the words that come before and after the pause, adding moments of metrical disruption to pause the rhythm of the lines - one example of this, 'tampon -' uses a caesura to emphasize the presence of the 'tampon', the symbol of menstruation, bringing in the feminine element within the masculine atmosphere of the football field - constantly referencing the semantics of menstruation. Beginning with 'tampon' and extending throughout the rest of the poem, Duffy makes no attempt to hide the natural processes of the female body. In these male-dominated environments - voice of the poem is gendered female, Duffy rewriting history to reverse the exclusion of women. In using the semantics of menstruation, Duffy centralizes the poem on the fact of being female - an inescapable truth of Sub - The Long Queen, History and Work

Poetic Techniques in A Dreaming Week

- caesura: after 'tonight' or 'tomorrow', the comma caesura creates a slight metrical break. This break could be interpreted as a moment of disappointment from Duffy's lover - on the other hand, the caesura could be understood as placing emphasis on temporality, Duffy covering essentially every possible time period in her poem. This emphasis builds as the poem progresses, Duffy suggesting that love has faded completely from their relationship - semantics of support: Duffy is tracing the end of a relationship, she paints writing as something that comforts her. Due to this, the semantics of comfort, 'crook of midnight's arm', are abundant in the poem. Not having her lover to turn to, Duffy instead uses poetry as a way of ensuring that she is okay

Poetic Techniques of Work

- combining many different tasks through asyndeton, Duffy creates the sense that the woman of the poem has a never-ending list of tasks to complete - internal rhyme allows Duffy to speed up the meter of the poem, connecting moments like 'corn' and 'born' to propel the poem forward. By increasing the meter of the poem, Duffy suggests a sense of mania, the poet symbolizing the woman's hectic work life

Structure of The Virgin's Memo

- constructed an alphabetized list of things that Jesus/God should change. Yet, reading this from the modern age, we know none of these things have stopped existing, therefore she was ignored - Duffy uses this fictional account to showcase the voicelessness of women, their opinions being ignored throughout history. Duffy uses the A—>Z structure and one stanza to emphasize how easily Mary has made it for Jesus

Themes of Death and the Moon + FG poems with similar themes

- death and the past: Duffy references the semantics of death and silence, 'ghosts of my wordless breath' to convey her longing. She knows she can never get back Henri, but grapples with this concept - North-West and The Light Gatherer

Summary of Work

- each stanza represents a different moment in human life or aspect of society: The domestic Agriculture and farming Medieval and the renaissance Industrializing society Urbanization Transportation 21st century Exploitation of nature Worked to death, the end of women - women are used for their nurturing role, expected to provide comfort and sustenance to all those which they look after. This never alters, women working 'twenty-four seven' until they die

Summary of Death and the Moon

- elegy written for Adrian Henri - Duffy uses images of stillness, 'frozen pond', to convey how strange the world becomes without Henri. Having known Henri for many years, a world in which he is not in is something unfathomable to the poet. Duffy works through her emotions within this poem, exploring the initial confusion that death incites - poet then moves on to remembering the funeral, before finally returning to the strange 'black night' - a representation of the world without the familiar presence of Henri

Poetry Techniques in Tall

- enjambment throughout the poem to increase the metrical speed of Tall. Enjambment also reflects the process of growing, the lines flowing from one to another uninterrupted - repetition: Duffy constantly refers to 'Tall' or 'Taller'. This creates the sense that the woman is growing, as well as focusing the reader's attention on this quality - woman loses her identity as the poem progresses, eventually only being known as 'Taller'. The repetition of this traces this transformation, the growth causing the woman to lose her sense of identity

Summary of North-West

- explores nostalgia, with the poet looking back over Liverpool where she grew up - city has now changed, the streets no longer resembling what she remembered from her childhood. All those days spent there, 'ruined loves, unborn children, ghosts' all become palpable for the poet. The city of Liverpool comes to embody the past - Duffy feels a deep sense of connection to her city. Yet, she is constantly drifting away, both physically on the ferry and emotionally over the course of her life

Summary of White Writing

- explores the events of a relationship, focusing on the actual actions, rather than written accounts. For example, Duffy begins by focusing on marriage and how she didn't need to write any 'vows', because their shared life experience speaks for itself - extended throughout the whole poem, Duffy offering something they have not written, such as 'prayers', and instead demonstrating how they have experienced, instead of documented, together - focus on transient images, Duffy furthering the idea that their relationship will live on only in the couple's mind, their life, and shared experiences also dying with the couple's end. Duffy argues that it is more important to live in the moment and create happy memories

Themes of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High + FG poems with similar themes

- female voice and power: a deep sense of community, grounded within the title school 'Stafford Girls'. The girls use their laughter to lift each other up, laughter spreading across the school. Eventually, this laughter allows the teachers to liberate themselves from their own lives - education: Duffy paints a picture of a largely ineffective education system. The girls are forced to learn names and facts through rote memorization, indicated by italics. Duffy shows how ridiculous this is, the girls learning more about life from embracing their laughter, than the school itself - Duffy also uses these moments of italics to demonstrate how women have been left out of history. When naming the Poet Laureates, they focus on male writer after male writer - Loud, Tall, History, The Virgin's Memo and Anon

Themes of Beautiful + FG poems with similar themes

- feminine history - female body - History, The Long Queen, Sub and The Woman Who Shopped

Themes of Loud + FG with similar themes

- horrors of modern world - female voice: Duffy subverts the notion that women must be quiet and orderly. The central character becomes 'loud', going against this sexist construct. Duffy's poem emphasizes the power of the female voice and shows compassion for an unstable world - Tall, Anon and The Virgin's Memo

Context of Loud

- idea that a woman is 'bossy' if she speaks out has been a sexist idea for much of the modern era - Duffy presents a woman who rejects the stereotype of silence, using her voice to advocate for change

Themes in the Map-Woman + FG poems with similar themes

- identity - the female body - time and place - The Diet and The Woman Who Shopped

Poetic Techniques of The Woman Who Shopped

- internal rhyme: examples of this, such as 'she loved her own smell, sweat, and Chanel', speed up the rhythm of the poem. By connecting words, Duffy makes inherent links in sound, the familiar sounds flowing quickly off the tongue when read - Duffy aims to speed up the meter of the poem, reflecting the chaotic and frenetic buying habits of the woman through the past rhythm of the poem - asyndeton: creates the idea of a never-ending shopping spree. Indeed, the woman moves from item to item, buying, and discarding, chaos of fast-paced shopping

Themes of The Diet + FG poems with similar themes

- major theme of the poem is dieting or fasting - theme of physical beauty in the poem. The poet specifically talks about the illusion of physical beauty. In the modern world, people being in good shape is synonymous with being beautiful and glamorous - theme of gender-bias in the poem. How a woman should look like, is a mere perception having no connection with reality. Society creates this fading-definition of beauty from time to time and women get mad about keeping themselves in the shape created by others - The Map-Woman and The Woman Who Shopped

Structure of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

- mock-epic form: uses the same long narrative form structure but discusses something slightly more normal. Here, Duffy's poem is literally about a school. However, it can also be interpreted as a commentary on women's voices and the community which leads to second-wave feminism - 47 stanzas, each 13 lines, a total of 611 lines. The poem spans over 20 pages of the 'Feminine Gospels', occupying around 1/3 of the anthology. The poem provides a link between the more personal second half of the anthology and the more subjective first half - some lines are written in italics. These symbolize the teacher's speech, often discussing what the students are learning. These moments are designed to be incredibly boring, listing off things to memorize. Duffy is commenting on the school system, going against the rote memorization tactic which was often used to teach - the teachers, as they become more accepting and freer, stop talking in italics, symbolizing their personal liberation

Summary of Sub

- moves through different scenarios in which Duffy becomes a 'sub' for a man within history. She begins by exploring sports matches before progressing to partaking in The Beatles, the moon landing and more - there is always an underlying reference to the feminine body - either directly referencing 'my breasts' or discussing fertility through periods and birth. Duffy suggests that a woman who achieves has to do so while also balancing the female body - by speaking on these typically masculine aspects of history, Duffy reveals how women have been excluded from these moments, male dominance and the expectation thrust upon females leading to their removal from the public sphere

Summary of Beautiful

- moves through the lives of four women and shows how they were exploited: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana - despite the status they held and the time period they lived through, these women were all equally prosecuted and exploited - poem moves chronologically through their lives, exploring their rise to fame and subsequent downfall. Each one is brutal, ending in a death caused by the exploitation of a patriarchal world. Although some of these women gained power within their lives, they could never truly flourish in a society that placed masculine identities as more influential

Structure of Work

- nine equal quatrain stanzas, each stanza measuring four lines - each stanza contains information about how many people women are providing for - structure stays the same, but the content of each demands more and more space, reflecting the huge expectations placed on women to provide for those relying on them

Structure of The Light Gatherer

- nine stanzas, each with 3 lines - although there is no regular rhyme scheme, Duffy does use internal rhyme, linking specific elements of the poem as she progresses. This cohesion of internal rhyme furthers the joyful presentation of the daughter, the rhyme bringing a light-hearted flow to the poem

Themes in North-West + FG poems with similar themes

- nostaglia and the past: Duffy centers her poem around looking over the city where she grew up, reminiscing across the cold waters. There is constant imagery of change and movement, Duffy becoming emotionally distanced from her past - Duffy mourns the loss of her past, using the city of Liverpool as a symbol of her childhood. There is even a sense of possibility, with the 'unborn children' that could have been haunting the city. It seems that Duffy doesn't even know 'what we lost', there is too much to count - The Map-Woman and Death and the Moon

Context of Work + FG poems with similar themes

- notion that women must provide care and support to others is the central argument of Duffy's poem, using the stereotype as a basis which then been extrapolated. Duffy begins with this stereotype before linking to the common phrase 'Mother Nature', suggesting that even the all-powerful force, too, has been subjugated into a working role due to her femininity - Duffy uses modern stereotypes of women as mothers and caregivers, combines this then with the overarching presence of Mother Nature, and then finally exposes the consumeristic nature of humanity which has driven people to this point - the seemingly never-ending progress, further signalled by the progressive structure, relates to the current economic climate of globalization, the world becoming more exploitative as more and more people occupy the earth - History, Sub and The Long Queen

Form and Structure of the Long Queen

- split into 7 stanzas, each measuring 6 lines - consistency of structure throughout the poem could reflect the stability of Queen Elizabeth's reign - placed as the first poem within Duffy's 'Feminine Gospels' collection, this poem comes to represent a gold standard of remembering women's experience, both on an individual and collective level - it is prioritized due to being first, the impactful first line, 'The Long Queen couldn't die' symbolizing the extend of women's influence and power, extending onwards throughout time

Summary of The Diet

- outlines what the woman is going to cut out, removing essentially everything from her diet. Naturally, Duffy suggests that the diet worked 'like a dream' at the beginning, not eating anything leading to the woman rapidly dropping weight. Yet, the woman takes the diet further, never eating at all until she was whittled down to nothing - becomes smaller and smaller, eventually being blown away by the wind. Her life has become consumed by the desire to lose more and more weight, losing everything that is dear to her in the process. Eventually, the woman has swallowed herself, sent into someone's stomach due to her tiny size - at this point in the poem, Duffy uses the metaphor of being eaten to reflect the woman binging on food again, eating as much as she can, and losing herself in the process of this torturous switching between binging and fasting. The last line depicts weight as a prison, the woman trapped behind the figure that has come to define her life

Poetic Techniques in History

- personification: central unnamed woman within the poem comes to represent all of those forgotten women of the past, events of history personified into the mystery character. In doing this, Duffy connects the female experience, emphasizing the importance of women's perspectives while also demonstrating how they have been continually abused and undervalued throughout history - final figure, 'smelling of pee' portrays a woman forgotten, women's perspectives often deemed not important enough to remember or take care of - caesura disrupts the natural flow of a line, creating tiny pauses that derail the movement of the meter. In doing this, Duffy emphasizes keywords with these pauses coming before or after important phrases

Summary of the Map-Woman

- poem describes how a map spans across the woman's whole body - woman begins to try and escape the map, traveling around the world, and experiencing new cultures - identity she formed as a child has followed her forever, represented by the constant presence of the map. Although there are moments of positivity within the poem, the overall tone is gloomy and depressing - Eventually, the woman manages to shed her skin. Yet, even then, deep in her bones the 'old streets' remain. The conclusion of the poem is depressing, Duffy discusses how identity cannot ever really be changed. The inescapability of the past is tragic to the Map-Woman, yearning for a change that never comes

Context for The Light Gatherer + FG poems with similar themes

- poem is written for Ella, Duffy's only child - although in a lesbian relationship at the time, the father of Duffy's daughter is Peter Benson, an author of novels, plays, and short stories. The anthology was published in 2002, 7 years after the birth of Duffy's daughter - The Cord, Sub and A Dreaming Week

Themes in The Long Queen + FG poems with similar themes

- positions of women in society - feminine power - female voices - feminine history - Beautiful, Sub and History

Poetic Techniques of The Light Gatherer

- semantic field of light: light, frequently representing joy or happiness within the literature, is used within this poem to connect this sense of joy with Duffy's daughter. The fact she gathers light represents the happiness she brings to the world, metaphorically lighting up Duffy's life - enjambment: free-flowing style of the poem reflects Duffy's sense of joy at seeing her daughter grow up, happy to have her in her life

Poetic Techniques of Death and the Moon

- semantics of distance: death poses as a great divider, separating Duffy and Henri. Yet, Duffy does not fully understand this distance, grappling with the concept through her engagement with the lexis of distance. Words such as 'nearer', 'where', 'edge', 'stood', 'huge' all define qualities of size and location, Duffy using these to articulate her loss - consonance: key images, such as 'Cold as cash', Duffy uses this technique to solidify the brutality of the image. The unfriendliness of 'cold' is furthered by the harsh consonance of 'c', cutting through the line. Duffy uses moments such as these to create an unsettling and disrupted tone

Context for Map-Woman

- some of Duffy's references discuss Liverpool, the city in which she was born. Similarly, some road names are taken from Stafford, the city in which Duffy lived for many years - use of 'A Room of One's Own'. This is making reference to E.M. Forster's novel of the same name, in which the female identity is similarly explored. This novel is concerned with identity and place

Structure of North-West

- sonnet form - sonnets often holding thoughts of love or its loss. In this poem, the extremity of emotion is melancholy, with Duffy reflecting on her lost past. The structure aids further agency to the writing, drawing upon a historic form to ruminate about the loss of her past

Structure of Wish + FG poems with similar themes

- sonnet form, the poem measuring 14 lines in total. Typically, the sonnet form is used to discuss love or death, Duffy indeed tapping into the imagery of death to relate to this tradition - the poet decides not to follow a traditional rhyme scheme of the sonnet. In doing this, Duffy is using structure to represent her rejection of traditionally, using aspects of the sonnet form but making it directly her own. This could be understood as a further representation of how Duffy is discussing her own mental health - normally a Volta in a sonnet arrives on the 8th line, but Duffy instead only contains a tiny element of change, the triple repeated 'Nobody' serving to suggest that there is a possibility of salvation. But having this moment of hope encased in an otherwise depressing poem, Duffy furthers the sense of entrapment - The Map-Woman, Sub and Loud

Structure of Anon + FG poems with similar themes

- spans over four unequal stanzas, each stanza measuring between 6 and 9 lines. The variance in structure could reflect how women have been undervalued within society in many aspects of their lives, not just relating to literature and writing - in using different line lengths, Duffy could be tapping into that variance, displaying it using the changing structure of her poem. There is no continual rhyme scheme within the poem, although there are moments of rhyme - flashes of rhyme could represent the few female writers that were allowed to exist within a canon that has always been engineered to remember white men, Duffy rebelling against this exclusion - History, Sub, The Virgin's Memo and The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

Structure of The Woman Who Shopped

- split into 14 stanzas - first 7 explore the woman's realistic shopping habits, while the second set of 7 act as an extended metaphor - significance of 7 could be pointing to the days of the week. Indeed, by having 7 stanzas, Duffy is suggesting that the woman's addiction is 24/7, each day being represented by a stanza

Structure of Beautiful

- split into four sections: each of these sections varies in stanza style and length. In total, the poem contains 25 stanzas, spanning several pages Section 1: - first section is varied in structure. Some paragraphs are short, while some are long. Duffy could be using the freeform structure of the section to reflect the mythically of Helen of Troy - as a character born from myth, Duffy represents this fantasy depiction through the energetic and changing structure - the final stanza measures only two lines, perhaps reflecting her subjection at the hands of a patriarchal society. The shortened stanza representing her eventual demise and minimization in history Section 2: - second section, depicting Cleopatra, is built from lengthy stanzas. Each of these long-form stanzas reflects major parts of the ruler's life - the length of this section could be emblematic of her long reign, Duffy remembering the success of Cleopatra - even when discussing Cleopatra's death, it is contained within two words, only a slight mar on the incredible reign she had. Duffy emulates her success through the extended stanzas, containing an element of Cleopatra's longevity through this style Section 3: - third section explores Marilyn Monroe. The first two stanzas contain 9 lines, while the second two contain 10. This section is carefully regulated, but not so much as the fourth. - the fact the stanzas get longer as this section progresses could reflect how controlling the media were of Marilyn. As she advanced in her career, the media began to show more of her, represented through the lengthening structure - even in these stanzas, there is an element of regularity. Monroe's life was heavily controlled by the media, them wanting her to be depicted a certain way. Duffy uses structure to reflect these ideas, emulating her life through the structure Section 4: - fourth section discusses Princess Diana. This is the most structurally confined section of the text, being written in quatrains - these carefully planned stanzas could reflect the pressure on Diana to conform to the stereotypes of a princess. Her life was measured and directly compared to other royals, the pressure on her immeasurable - Duffy emulates this pressure by confining the structure to a particular style - representing Diana's entrapment through the form and structure of this section

Summary of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

- the first laugh, coming from Carolann Clare's note passed to Emily Jane, spreads across the school. One by one the students all begin to laugh, infectiously spreading across the school - laughter represents freedom of expression, contrasting against the rote memorization the girls are forced to learn. There are several teachers mentioned in the poem. Of these, each eventually follows their dream, inspired by the girls' free laughter - the staff leaves their positions at the school, the headmistress having to close the school for further notice. Out of the teachers, the main characters are Miss Batt, Miss Dunn, Miss Nadiambaba, Miss Fife and Mrs. Mackay. Miss Batt and Miss Fife have a lesbian relationship together, finally being together by the end of The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High. Miss Nadiambaba becomes a poet, while Mrs. Mackay climbs Everest - the ending of the poem concludes the female rebellion, dreams being achieved. Yet, there is a note of sadness towards the end of the poem, some teachers reaching their desires too late in life

Summary of The Long Queen

- thought to be a poem about Queen Elizabeth I, the Queen who brought an end to the Tudor rule and is often remembered for never marrying - Duffy begins by focusing on the principle of marrying 'Time' instead of an actual husband, Elizabeth focusing on ruling successfully instead of marriage and romance - moves through the type of people that Queen Elizabeth rules over, focusing on the blinding quality of being a woman, everyone encompassed within her reign - Duffy explores how the Queen's 'laws': supporting all women, dispelling the fear and shame around periods, ensuring that emotions are shown, and safe childbirth - final stanza suggests that Queen Elizabeth would have given up everything to extend the voice of women

Sub Title Analysis

- title is polysemous - on one hand, it plays into the narrative of sport, 'Sub' is a contraction of 'substitution', a term for switching one player out for another - yet, the use of 'Sub' could also be a reference to the fact that women are left on the sidelines of history

The Virgin's Memo Title Analysis

- two key things are conveyed through the title, the first being the speaker and the second being the sense of importance this fictional note contains - Duffy instantly alerts the reader to the fact that it will be the 'Virgin' Mary writing this note, using biblical allegory to craft her poem. Yet, by using 'memo', Duffy attaches a sense of lacking importance to the poem, demands or suggestions being disempowered through the irrelevance of a 'memo' - demonstrates how women's voices are not taken seriously by men

Summary of A Dreaming Week

- uses a deeply melancholic tone to discuss poetry and relationships - Duffy creates the idea that 'Dreaming' is a form of escaping from the dark of the present. She finds this also with literature, able to engage with 'a bird that's never flown' - Duffy moves across one week in her life, exploring the relationship deteriorating as she does so. The final stanza focuses on 'the last evening', their relationship finally coming to an end

Poetic Techniques of The Virgin's Memo + FG poems with similar themes

- uses asyndeton to further her fictional recommendation. By structuring the poem as an asyndetic list, Duffy suggests that there are a huge number of things that Mary recommends Jesus to change. This shows how corrupt and ridiculous the 'God Made' world is - this listing also furthers the idea that Jesus/God listened to none of Mary's recommendations, even the one thing she did think was good, 'Unicorns', obviously didn't make it into the final draft of the world - Another technique that Duffy uses modality. With the word 'maybe', Duffy is using modal verbs (such as ' can/could, may/might, will/would, shall/should and must') in order to express hesitance. The female passivity is insinuated through this slightly doubting vocabulary, Mary recommending, but not demanding changes - Loud, Anon and Tall

Poetic Techniques in Gambler

- uses enjambment across many of the lines in the poem. In doing this, Duffy quickens the pace of Gambler. This faster face increases the intensity of the poem - poem only begins to slow down in the final stanza, in which Duffy uses many caesurae - internal rhyme: by linking words such as 'stinker' and 'blinker' Duffy accelerates the pace of the poem. This also propels the poem onward, placing emphasis on the meter of the poem

Summary of History

- uses personification to compound all of the events in history into one woman. This woman, representing all women, has seen every major event in the past, Duffy reminding the reader that women have always been present, even if history does not remember them - from the moment Jesus was removed from the cross, up until the wartime evacuations within the world wars, women were there, watching and partaking in history. Duffy aims to remind the reader of the female experience, often lost within a history that focuses on the lives of me - personified 'everywoman' is left alone in a rotting house, representing the mistreatment of women throughout history

Context for The Cord

- uses the image of an umbilical cord to center the poem, providing both the literal object of the poem, as well as the basis for metaphor. The initial reference discusses an umbilical cord, the connection between mother and fetus that allows for passing of blood and nutrients between the two - natural object of the poem, that which Ella (Duffy's daughter) searches for. Yet, the image of a 'cord' also suggests a mental connection, with Duffy further using this to insinuate her strong relationship with her daughter. Although the physical connection between them is severed, their mental connection will always be present

Summary of The Virgin's Memo

- uses the structure of the ABCs, with Mary writing a memo for Jesus of all the things that he should change within the world - Duffy begins with 'abscesses', moving right down through the alphabet until she gets to 'W', at which point the text becomes 'illegible' for the last few letters - Duffy presents a detailed list of ideas, all of which are completely ignored by Jesus. In doing this, Duffy suggests that males don't care about female opinions and that the female voice is lost within history. Even an important figure, the Virgin Mary, doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things

Themes in Tall + FG poems with similar themes

- women's power: it takes a woman to gain the supernatural gift of height to be valued within society. Duffy clearly stating that women are underrepresented and appreciated in society. Even then, once the Tall woman gains her size, she is also eventually overlooked. It seems that no matter what women do, or what they achieve, they are always seen as lesser - success: poet suggests that on the road to success, there also has to be compromised. The Tall woman does not have it easy, being placed under incredible pressure within the poem. Duffy states that when empowering oneself, there must also be elements of sacrifice, the Tall women giving up her own identity to embody the 'Taller' trait - Loud, Anon, The Virgin's Memo and The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High

Themes of A Dreaming Week + FG poems with similar themes

- writing and poetry: Duffy uses writing as a form of escapism, allowing herself to drift off into a state of 'dreaming'. She is most happy when practicing her craft - love: Duffy follows a relationship through its final week. There is a lack of sexual chemistry between Duffy and her lover. The first line of each stanza could be interpreted as rejecting sexual advances, sleeping alone instead. The final stanza focuses on the 'last evening', the relationship coming to an end - The Light Gatherer, The Cord and White Writing

North-West Analysis

Lines 1-3: - begins as if Duffy were in mid-sentence, 'However'. This could reflect the fact that Duffy is in the middle of her life, returning to Liverpool on a whim. This is no longer her home, but rather somewhere that she returns to in order to remind herself of the past. Indeed, the first verb of the poem is 'we return', instantly focusing North West on the idea of coming back to something - Duffy conjugates all the verbs in the poem in the 'we' form. Perhaps Duffy is stating that this is not simply something she faces alone, everyone is prone to nostalgia. On the other hand, Duffy could be suggesting that her memories are encompassed by the people she lived them with Lines 4-9: - Duffy places 'The city drifts out of reach.' between an end stop and a caesura. This means that on either side of the phrase Duffy has incited a slight metrical pause. In doing this, the phrase becomes incredibly prominent, Duffy examining the impact of loss through this line - 'silvery bird': Duffy, now being a grown woman, is free to do what she wants. Yet this freedom, here presented as a metaphor for the 'ferry' as a 'silvery bird', is what takes her away from her past life. Duffy mourns all she has lost, but 'silvery' suggests that there is a happy quality of life she has achieved by leaving - use of 'X' draws upon the semantics of treasure, Duffy suggesting the value of her childhood. Yet, this strange period is located 'on a wave', something that is constantly moving and changing location. This could be emblematic of Duffy's lost childhood - final image on each line of the asyndetic list focuses on the semantics of death, 'ghost', and 'grave' both emphasizing the death of her childhood Lines 10-14: - Duffy is not sure what she cannot remember because there are now no physical markers from that time in her life. The city has changed, 'rented rooms' and 'tourist booms' clogging the once glorious place of childhood. The rhyme between these phrases 'rooms' and 'booms' creates a superficiality that is out of place in the melancholic poem. Duffy is pointing to the 'tourist' industry and how they have ruined the city - Duffy's use of 'yeah yeah yeah' is a direct reference to the Beetles song 'She Loves' - final image of the poem is melancholic, 'tearful air' being a hypallage. Indeed, 'tearful' is referencing Duffy, not the air. Duffy stares over her city and begins to cry, remembering all she has lost

Wish Analysis

Lines 1-6: - Duffy begins the poem by using the conditional tense, 'But what if' insinuating that everything that will follow is only a potential outcome. She wishes for the buried woman to 'grab the stone' and release herself from the grave. In using the conditional tense, Duffy suggests that this escape is ultimately unobtainable - Duffy uses asyndeton across the opening lines to suggest that, for the buried woman, the possibility of escape is too difficult, requiring many steps. Indeed, Duffy presents 'shifted, stirred, kicked off' to the compound moment after the movement that would be required for escape - it does not seem easy to escape this 'clammy soil', Duffy presenting the horrible feeling of being depressed by the metaphorical entombment in the earth - Duffy also uses the opening lines of the poem to characterize the buried woman. She begins to get warmer, 'grew warmer', the movement from cold to warm perhaps representing the release from depression - at the end of the asyndetic list, 'I wish.', signaling the moment where Duffy acknowledges the impossibility of escaping from depression. Duffy encases this phrase with a caesura, 'up?' And an end stop, 'wish.', to ensure that it is emphasized - the fact that 'I wish' is a completely monosyllabic sentence creates a further element of being defeated, Duffy realizing that she cannot get rid of depression that easily. When this is contrasted with the asyndetic list that came just before, 'I wish' turns into a grizzly sentence of defeat Lines 7-14: - vulnerability of the depressed woman is expressed through her bare feet', contrasting with the sharpness of the 'gravel path'. Duffy suggests that even if she were to escape depression, the world is negative and difficult to navigate - slight glimpse of hope within the poem, Duffy using repetition to compound a sense of possibility. The triple repetition of 'Nobody' is an active rejection of the defeatist perspective Duffy has been engendering - Duffy writes that 'Nobody slept who couldn't be woken//by the light', with 'light' representing positivity and release from depression. The status of 'sleep' within the poem could refer to the dejected and exhausted depiction of the depressed Duffy, with the arrival of 'light' representing overcoming depression - although present, the escape from depression is still only a longed-for state, Duffy not actually being able to overcome her state. She returns to the conditional tense, 'If I can only push', signaling the innate disbelief of her situation - the other side of this 'door' is the depressed woman, waiting to be released into happiness. Although 'dirty' and 'tired', she is still alive, able to fight and battle against her depression - final line reveals that there is a sense of uncertainty when it comes to mental health. Duffy suggests that if she were able to free herself from depression, her mind would instantly wonder 'why' she was 'shout[ing]' and 'run[ning]', instantly unsure the reason for fighting so hard. This could be referencing the idea that no one really understands a person's depression apart from the person who is experiencing it - while not in that moment or state anymore, depression seems strange, something that Duffy doesn't totally understand. She wishes to free herself but knows that depression is no simple affliction to get over

The Virgin's Memo Analysis

Lines 1-8: - Duffy begins with the modal verb 'maybe', instantly signaling that Mary's recommendations come from a place of being polite - Duffy is tapping into the idea that women are taught to be polite and passive, rebelling against this in her anthology - poem begins with the assonance of 'a', both starting the ABC structure of the poem and also giving a sense of cohesion to the opening. Indeed, the use of assonance links these three ideas together, furthering the idea that Mary has planned out her recommendations with careful detail, even alphabetizing everything - ABC form could also be linked to the young age of Jesus, Mary writing this ABC in a way of alerting the young baby to the structure of their language - Duffy mainly characterizes Mary as focusing on horrors of the world, wishing to eradicate 'cancer/or diarrhea/or tinnitus', different forms of physical afflictions. It seems that Duffy presents Mary as wanting a better world for everyone, free of disease and suffering Lines 9-11: - Duffy represents the loss of the female voice within history throughout these lines. The use of 'illegible' connects with the idea that women were not taught to read and write, meaning that the memo Mary's has constructed is imperfect due to Men deciding that women didn't need an education - Duffy points to the barbarism of this, furthering this idea by similarly introducing 'untranslatable', another moment of the obfuscation of the female voice. Indeed, it seems that whoever documented this memo didn't take the time to properly read through the female written note, instead skimming and leaving things 'illegible' and 'untranslatable' - signaling that people do not value the female voice Lines 12-19: - 'rattlesnakes,//shite': connection of the expletive with the image of a 'snake' bears connotations of the Garden of Eden and original sin. It seems that Duffy is satirizing the bible, pointing out how inherently sexist the story which places the whole of sin on women's back is Lines 20-26: - Duffy presents the first image of something that Mary enjoys, 'the unicorn's lovely', with this furthering the idea that Jesus doesn't care for female opinions, the only thing that Mary states she enjoys within the world is something that doesn't exist - the final three lines of the poem, Duffy repeats earlier techniques to symbolize how the disregard of the female voice is something that extends onwards throughout time. The poem finishes with an ellipsis, emblematic of how this endemic of ignoring female opinions has continued long into the future - the poem has 26 lines, one for each letter of the alphabet

Beautiful Analysis - Section 4 (Princess Diana)

Stanza 1+2: - "Dead, she's elegant bone (...) they'd wear, coloured their hair" - Duffy begins this section with a premonition by the end, 'dead'. The caesura following this word adds emphasis, creating an unsettling moment of pause. Diana, apart from her fantastic activism and philanthropy, is also known for how badly she was treated by the press. Her death came in a car crash while fleeing from the press - reference to 'bone' could also be Duffy discussing the suspicion that she was bulimic. Diana was constantly in the public eye but suffered much of her life from this eating disorder. The descriptions Duffy uses, 'ankles crossed, knees calmed, hands clasped' present the constraints that the media placed upon her. Diana was forced to be prim and proper - referencing 'coloured their hair', Duffy signals that Diana was trying to present a certain image to the media. Forced to act a certain way, she cultivated the look to match it. Duffy questions why women are forced to look a certain way, returning to the key theme of Beautiful Stanza 3+4+5: - "The whole town came, (...) The cameras gibbered away" - these stanzas reveal how invasive the media was in pursuit of Diana. Although loved by many, 'The whole town came', she was still constantly followed by the media. The repetition of 'stare', combined with polysyndeton represents the invasive media - the use of 'Beauty is fate' calls back to 'Beauty is fame' earlier in the poem. Duffy presents how the physical qualities of a woman have to lead to determining how their lives played out, 'fame' and 'fate' repenting the outcomes of Helen of Troy and Diana. Right throughout history, Duffy suggests that women have been exploited for their beauty - the iconic photo of her 'posed alone/in front of the Taj Mahal' was during rumors of the impending separation. Even 'pale', sometimes seen as a symbol of sickness, is glorified on Diana, 'beautifully' attached to this quality. Furthermore, the constant presence of the media is evident in Duffy's use of 'gibbered', an unquenchable wave of clicking Stanza 6+7: - "Act like a ****ing princess - (...) History's stinking breath in her face." - use of italics within the sixth stanza reflects the voice of the media. Moreover, their use of expletives, '****ing' and '****' demonstrate their ruthlessness, not respecting Diana. They use her only for pictures, hating her while they make their livings from her. They treat her poorly, the commanding 'Act like a ****ing princess' demonstrating the notion that she was forced to embody a certain type of person. The caesura of 'smile, ****' places emphasis on the expletive, defining the rage behind the media that pursued her - the shock of Diana, her 'blue eyes widened', displays a sense of vulnerability. Subsequently, she cannot 'take it all in', the constant abuse of the media. Although loved, 'acres of flowers', the presence of men was stronger. Duffy ends the poem by focusing on 'History's stinking breath in her face', personifying history. Moreover, a disgusting image displays how women are exploited, the repulsive world capitalizing on their images. The final words, 'her face' centralize the poem on the female experience

Beautiful Analysis - Section 2 (Cleopatra)

Stanza 1+2: - Duffy begins this stanza by focusing on the longevity of Cleopatra's reign, 'She never aged'. Once again Duffy begins a section by focusing on the female pronoun, 'she'. Yet, the focus on 'aged' could link into the notion that women's beauty fades as they age. Duffy could be retaliating against this idea, demonstrating how Cleopatra 'never' changed during her life - sentences within much of this part are written to make Cleopatra the passive receptor of events. For example, 'him kneel to pick her up', displays that she is being 'pick[ed] up', an action being executed upon her. By framing the syntax of sentences like this, Duffy presents Cleopatra as passive in her own life. She is forced into roles and positions by the men that surround her. Duffy uses this to suggest the oppression of women, Cleopatra subjugated even in success - Cleopatra is able to leverage her beauty to get what she wants, Duffy presenting the woman's power. The fact she reduces 'Caesar' to 'gibbering' displays the control she has. We know this is a sexual power by the location, 'in bed'. Duffy suggests that Cleopatra gains power by accepting her beauty and using it to manipulate and control men - further suggested by 'she rolled', Cleopatra being the active participant in lines. Cleopatra 'reached and pulled him down', controlling Caesar with her intelligence and beauty Stanza 3: - oxymoronic 'Tough beauty' displays Cleopatra's character perfectly. She is at once beautiful and impactful. She uses her beauty to gain leverage, being able to outsmart the men in her way. Anything that Caesar does, Cleopatra does the same or better, 'matched him glass for glass'. Duffy dismantles the notion that women cannot perform equally to men - use of asyndeton, 'floated, gargled doubles over tables, downed' displays Cleopatra's success. In every task, she attempts she is able to come out on top. The masculine atmosphere is natural to her, penetrating their obnoxious setting and proving that she is as capable as them. She outdrinks 'the big man', showing her power while he 'slid beneath the table, wrecked.' The final word demonstrates Cleopatra's power, able to 'wreck' men through her commitment to being extraordinary Stanza 4: - repetition of verbs conjugated against her 'she' demonstrates her efficiency in many tasks. Duffy repeats 'She watched', 'She hacked', 'She let' to show Cleopatra's power. Again and again 'she' begins the sentence, Duffy presenting the extraordinary capabilities of Cleopatra. Cleopatra even transcends gender, 'made him f*** her as a lad', becoming more and more powerful - end of this section points to Cleopatra's downfall, yet is much more subtle than the other sections. This is perhaps relating to how successful Cleopatra was in her life, her demise only a tiny part of her story - the historic romance of 'armies changing sides, of cities lost forever in the sea' creates a tone of reverence. Cleopatra is fantastically powerful, her demise coming from a self-inflicted 'snake' bite. This section ends with a powerful demonstration of Cleopatra's success. The clever grammatical division, using caesura, or everything in this section coming before 'of snakes' represents her final moment. Death to a snake bite is her final act, 'snakes' bluntly finishing her section

Beautiful Analysis - Section 3 (Marilyn Monroe)

Stanza 1+2: - Duffy focuses greatly on the sexualization of Marilyn, present from the first line. The use of asyndeton, 'close-up, back-lit, adored' compound the sense of invasion. The 'camera' follows her, capturing her from every angle. Even when 'sleepy', her 'startled gaze' is instantly captured. Duffy presents the chaos of this setting, the constant use of caesura fracturing the flow of the poem. This is emblematic of the chaos of Monroe's life, constantly followed by the cameras due to her beauty - repetition of 'filmed her' furthers this idea, a camera constantly on the beautiful woman. The fact the whole 'US whooped' demonstrates the lengths to which Monroe was stalked, everyone knowing the intimate details of her life as she lived it - alongside the innate eroticism of Duffy's language here, she also presents a note of violence. Monroe is a commodity to be employed, 'investors' gold', Duffy suggesting how people capitalize on her beauty. Indeed, 'her eyes' are 'pressed by a banker's thumb', the violent imagery being covered in false 'sapphires' and 'platinum' to cover up the horrors of her mistreatment. Monroe is manipulated and controlled by those around her, made into a money-making machine instead of treated like a human - Duffy employs a form of epiphora at the end of the second stanza, 'The whole word swooned' echoing 'The US whooped'. Now, her commodification has spread to the whole world, becoming an international sex symbol. She is abused and exploited for the whole world to see Stanza 3: - "Dumb beauty. She slept in an eye-mask, naked, (...) The audience drooled." - although nothing of the sort, the media enjoyed the idea that she was stupid, expanding this until it was the common perception of Marilyn Monroe. This directly contrasts with 'Tough beauty', Duffy drawing a connection between the two women. Cleopatra had agency over her own image and was presented differently to the further exploited Marilyn - Duffy presents the woman exploited from the moment she wakes right till she sleeps. Everything in between is connected with hellish asyndeton, propelling the poem onwards, 'coffee, pills, booze'. The reference to addictive substances foreshadows Monroe's death, overdosing on sleeping pills - reference to 'light' is normally a positive association. Yet, for Monroe, even the most positive things are subverted. Duffy uses 'under the lights' to display how exposed Monroe was. Especially surrounding the rumored affair with President Kennedy, the world blamed her instead of the wildly powerful man who manipulated her Stanza 4: - "The filed on, deep, dumped what they couldn't use (...) of her pubic hair." - the consonance across 'deep, dumped' creates a sense of oppression, the language flowing in hypnotic circles. Furthermore, the plosive 'p' within both these words cuts through the narrative, representing the brutality Monroe experienced on a daily basis - even after her suicide, the media continued to use her image. Duffy writes that 'she couldn't die when she died', money being made of her death and long into the future. They abused and exploited Monroe in life and death, no one caring about her death. Furthermore, even the 'smoking cop' that ruled over her death is nonchalant, 'smoking' suggesting how at ease he is - the fact the examiners see her 'pubic hair' demonstrates how even her body is abused after death. She is exposed to the world, men never letting her rest. After this death, the 'dark roots' represent the real Marilyn, only exposed to the world after her demise

The Diet Analysis

Stanza 1: - "The diet worked like a dream. No sugar, (...) eight stone, by the end of the month, she was skin and bone" - use of asyndeton following this diet exposes the ridiculous nature of the fasting, the woman cutting out essentially everything, 'sugar, salt, dairy, fat, protein, starch' covering every single food group - the use of asyndeton within this list allows for the list to flow quickly, Duffy moving through food groups as if they were insignificant, reflecting the woman's attitude towards food - internal rhyme furthers the speed of the meter, emblematic of the quick weight loss the woman is going through. Linking 'dinner, thinner' through this internal rhyme signals that the skipping of meals is linked to the shrinking size of the woman - the woman takes this too far, fasting until she is 'skin and bone' by the end of the stanza. The first stanza takes away all weight that is humanly possible, with the rest of the poem sinking into unrealistic exaggeration Stanza 2: - "She starved on, stayed in, stared in (...) all cheekbones, had guns for hips. Not a stitch in the wardrobe fitted" - woman morphs into a lesser human, a mere 'skeleton' of the past. She turns into just bones, 'cheekbones, had guns for hips', Duffy showing the process of wasting away - use of sibilance across 'starved on, stayed in, stared in' creates a cutting sound that begins the second stanza. This harsh use of sibilance is emblematic of the brutal impact the diet is having on the woman's body, the sound cutting through the poem as the diet cuts through the woman's weight Stanza 3: - "What passed her lips? Air, (...) She sat at her open window and the wind blew her away" - Duffy personifies 'Anorexia', presenting the woman as her 'true daughter', the use of 'true' insinuating the faithful obedience to the eating disorder. The capitalization and personification of 'Anorexia' suggest a parental influence, Duffy presenting the idea that the woman pains her eating disorder as a governing force - use of caesura following this phrase, 'girl, a shadow, dwindling' create a sense of melancholy, the woman unable to stop, shown through the connection of phrase Stanza 4: - "Seed small, she was out and about, (...) head splitting, mouth dry, hungry and cold, and made for the light" - Duffy depicts the physical and mental condition of the woman who has been dieting for a long period. The persona looks like a "seed" after a few days of dieting. She becomes so frustrated that she can't even get to her senses - to move on from the suffering, she breaks the shackles of restrictions first and moves freely in the streets drinking and singing - the next day, she wakes alone having no one to love her as she is. Her mouth is dry, hunger, and cold ravaging her skinny body, and at last, she sees "light", metaphorically the light of freedom amidst the darkness of dieting Stanza 5: - "She found she could fly on the wind, (...) Minute, she could suit herself from here on in, go where she pleased" - focuses on the metaphorical loss of control, the woman being 'blown' by the wind and taken away from her home. This is emblematic of the woman's losing her battle with her eating disorder, it taking over her life and turning her into a passive object that can be controlled - semantics of freedom within 'fly', 'floated' and 'breeze' seems to suggest a positive change. Yet, they are actually just reaffirming the presence of the wind, constantly acting on the woman - representing how she has become a passive participant in her life, controlled by her eating disorder Stanza 6: - "She stayed near people, (...) in mud under fingernails, dossed in a fold of fat on a waist" - uses a simile to describe the woman's state. She is like a "germ", badly longing for human companionship. That's why she "stayed near people" - the lady wasn't mentally stable. She wallowed in mud water and dossed there. Here, the poet ironically refers to the "fold of fat" that still gave her warmth, a sensation of life Stanza 7: - "But when she squatted the tip of a tongue, (...) then it was carrots, peas, courgettes, potatoes, gravy and meat" - beginning of stanza seven of 'The Diet' seems to indicate a Volta, 'but' perhaps demonstrating the moment in which she regains control. Yet, Duffy actually presents the woman falling deeper into her eating disorder - Duffy presents the woman being metaphorically eaten by someone, the very act of feeding now having overtaken her life. The constant semantics of food within these stanzas, 'carrots, peas, courgettes, potatoes' demonstrate that she has moved to the other side of the spectrum, now binging food Stanza 8: - "Then it was sweet. Then it was stilton, (...) chomped and chewed and gorged; inside the Fat Woman now, trying to get out" - Duffy presents the woman as trapped inside 'the Fat Woman now', this idea of being encapsulated in a body that does not represent who you are reflecting the idea of body dysmorphia - Duffy depicts eating disorders as a cage, with women unable to escape from the brutality of constant fasting or binging - the final line of 'The Diet', 'trying to get out' uses the gerund, present progressive tense. This 'trying' suggests that the woman is still ongoing, trying day after day to escape the horrific cycle of binging and fasting that she has fallen into - the metaphor of being consumed represents the total obsession, Duffy presenting the mental and physical destruction that an eating disorder can have on a person

The Long Queen Analysis

Stanza 1: - 'The Long Queen couldn't die': refers to the lasting legacy the Long Queen has had and how she is still vividly remembered now, - 'Time for a husband', the capitalization of 'Time' revealing personification, Duffy stating that Elizabeth decides to focus on extending her reign and power instead of marrying - monosyllabic final sentence of this stanza, 'Long live the Queen' further emphasizes the importance of her role in this story. The syntax of this final line places 'Queen' as the last word of the stanza - suggests reign extending over 'Time' as she expands her royal powers Stanza 2: - focus on women: uses an asyndetic list to display the extent of reach, suggests that Queen Elizabeth is a symbol of power and hope for all womenkind, her rule providing support and visibility to all women, equally - use of consonance in /w/ across 'witches, widows, wives' creates an extended 'w' sound. This extended sound could reflect the unity of women Stanza 3: - influence is felt across society as she 'ruled and reigned.' There is a sense of mythically to this style of ruling, with Queen Elizabeth being idolized through Duffy's mythic semantics, 'some said' playing into the narrative of a legendary figure - sense that Queen Elizabeth governs for all women, the communal 'all hail' suggesting that everyone supports this historic figure Stanza 4+5: - Duffy introduces the first 'law' of Elizabeth's, 'Childhood'. Duffy states that Queen Elizabeth created a society in which 'a girl' would feel safe wherever she was, 'no girl growing' without being protected. The consonance of /g/ across 'girl growing' reflects the sense of aging, with the extended sound being emblematic of growing and changing - second and third 'laws' that Queen Elizabeth comes to represent are 'Blood' and 'Tears', dispelling the shame and fear of periods and allowing all women to own their emotions. 'Tears' are not something to be feared or ignored, but rather used as 'salt pearls' to adorn the 'Long Queen's fingers', the Queen engendering an image of women supporting women - fertility and periods are presented as beautiful, linked to 'the moon' and portrayed as natural, rather than a 'cause for complaint'. Queen Elizabeth reverses the demonization of women, championing the idea that periods are natural and a healthy part of being a woman Stanza 6+7: - final law that Elizabeth comes to represent is 'Childbirth', safety, and support to all those the 'lie on the birthing beds'. Duffy presents the pain of childbirth, 'screamed scarlet' using the symbolism of deep red to reflect pain, and also the symbol of blood - 'Flowers' are often used as a stereotypical symbol of fertility and the delicate nature of women. Yet, by connecting with 'sore', placing this adjective before 'flowers', Duffy removes this archetypical notion of how women should portray themselves - speaks to the female experience, childbirth is incredibly painful, the delicate 'flower' symbol of women isn't realistic, Duffy transforming the image into something more real through the use of this oxymoron - final line of the poem, 'Long Queen. All her possessions for a moment of time' illustrates the power of Elizabeth I and her devotion to women. Duffy isolates 'Long Queen' between two caesuras, demonstrating that the Queen can stand powerfully on her own, she needs no help from others - Duffy suggests that she would give up everything, all her 'possessions' for 'a moment of time', putting her rule, a symbol of woman power, before her own happiness

Sub Analysis

Stanza 1: - begins with the personal pronoun 'I', instantly focusing the poem on Duffy's own experiences, placing the feminine perspective at the forefront of the narrative - even within her excellent performance in the football match, she was only permitted on within 'extra time', signaling how even as she reconquers history for women, she is only permitted lesser roles - syntax of the opening line also places 'my breasts' at a focal point, the meter of the line falling upon the word 'breasts'. This, too, places the feminine experience in plain sight - after the match, a tone of melancholy sets into the poem, Duffy not celebrating 'with the lads', instead of washing in the 'solitary shower'. The sibilance across these words carry the melancholy of the stanza - Duffy references the female body, blood from her period mixing with 'soap suds' and transforming the color to 'pink'. The feminine connotation of 'pink' being built from the mixture of water and blood Stanzas 2+3: - Duffy similarly exists within great moments of history, playing rugby and filling in for Ringo in The Beatles. Yet, within these images, it is only the 'final grasps' of the match and as the 'drummer', the musician typically at the back of the stage - always present, but never featured - Duffy references the semantics of fertility, carrying the rugby ball like a 'precious egg'. While having to achieve greatness, she has to also balance the needs and demands of her body, an added disadvantage that men do not have - while the first stanza's bleeding was hidden from the 'lads', the 'broken teeth' of the rugby boys is on plain view, the disparity between how male and female injury is treated revealing a bias in society. Men are allowed to look damaged and broken, while women must conceal and bleed behind closed doors Stanza 4: - fourth stanza focuses on Duffy filling in for Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon - again never quite being the most important character in the story. She buries 'Emily Dickinson's' poetry on the moon, establishing the constant presence of a female writer upon a symbol of man's achievement - Duffy suggests that when she looks up at the moon, she is comforted, knowing that 'things that I like' are there. The use of caesura before this statement serves to pause the meter of the poem, adding emphasis to the statement of comfort. The disruption of meter also slows the rhythm of the poem at this point, Duffy taking her time in explaining the things she likes Stanza 5: - fifth stanza returns to sports, with Duffy standing in for the English cricketer Ian Botham, 'Beefy'. Again, Duffy places the female body clearly within her narrative, 'boxes over my chest' signaling the protection of her 'chest' - Duffy combines the idea of male achievement, 'whacked a century', with the feminine process of pregnancy, 'felt the first kick', drawing together ideas of masculinity and femininity. In doing this, Duffy dispels the notion that women who are pregnant cannot achieve in the same way that men can Stanzas 6+7: - sixth stanza of the poem explores 'Motherhood', with this confining Duffy till her daughter 'started school'. This exposes the notion of parental duties often falling upon the mother, with Duffy hanging up her sporting careers in order to care for her child - although putting her energy towards bringing up her child, Duffy also suggests that she is capable of doing both. She takes on tasks when needed, only pulling back once she 'signed up to write'. Writing and the process of storytelling takes over Duffy's life - final stanza focuses on Duffy looking back over her life, the use of a caesura 'looking back -'signaling that she takes a moment to think before going further. She thinks of all of the fantastic things she has done in her life, the cases of substation providing story after story to tell her 'grandchildren'. When included in history, everyone becomes more important - final line of the poem is polysemous, 'I think to myself this:' ending the poem with a colon. The colon could symbolize how Duffy doesn't think anything at all, the notion that women are excluded from history being represented through the lack of poetry. The blank space following the colon can come to represent this obfuscation of women's voices, Duffy representing how they are hidden within history and excluded from events - the colon could also represent how everything that Duffy does in her life that follows this moment in her response to the female exclusion from history. She, herself, becomes a beacon of female history, becoming the first poet laureate of the U.K. and creating a poetic legacy that outstretches many that have come before her

The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High Analysis part 1

Stanza 1: - each of the girls referenced in The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High, such as Carolann Clare, has four syllables. Duffy could be using this to comment on the education system of England, how they are more interested in pumping out identical students - Duffy presents the list of 'rivers of England' in a long asyndetic list. The use of asyndeton, at first, creates a seemingly never-ending list that must be memorized. This is then followed by an ellipsis, 'Wharfe...', signaling that the list continues on and on. The slight metrical pause caused by the caesura between each river name further slows down the poem. Duffy is presenting the task of memorization as arduous and boring. This is a technique that repeats throughout the early poem - the original 'note' that made Emily Jane laugh came from 'King James Bible' could be a form of rebellion. This destruction of the bible, especially considering it is a 'King James Bible', could symbolize the rejection of patriarchal control - consonance across 'laughed out loud' creates a flowing motion. This perhaps echoes later in the poem where Duffy employs the semantics of water to describe the laughter. It is also interesting that Duffy places these words syntactically last in the stanza, placing emphasis upon them. This simultaneously demonstrates the importance of 'laughed' and also directs metrical attention to 'loud'. The focus on 'loud' could bear a connection with the poem Loud Stanza 2: - Duffy links 'day' and 'play' through rhyme. In doing this, the speed of these lines begins to increase, Duffy speeding through The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High. The constant between the jubilant and flowing meter against the girls 'kept indoors at break' could represent the suppression of the feminist movement. Although physically constrained, 'kept indoors', they will eventually be able to break free - freedom is represented through the semantics of water... expansive list of water semantics demonstrates the freedom of laughter Stanzas 3+4: - teacher's comments are presented in italics throughout the third and fourth stanzas. This is to create an Us and Them construct, the girls unified in normal text while the teachers are singled out. Upholding the repressive regime of the patriarchy, the teachers try and control the students, shouting 'Girls!' - sense of community grows alongside the laughter. The original note is 'kicked' 'across to Jennifer Kay' who then 'toed it to Marjorie May', which in turn 'heeled it backwards/ to Jessica Kate'. The use of enjambment across these lines is emblematic of the freedom that the girls are gaining - Duffy uses this enjambment to allow the poem to flow freely unconstrained by obtrusive forms of punctuation. This structural device reflects the girls' own gaining of freedom - asyndeton: Duffy employs the technique to reflect the girls trying to hold in their laughter. The meter stops and starts, 'crimson, shaking, silent', reflecting the girls' desperately laughing and stopping themselves. All of a sudden, 'explode', placed syntactically at the end of a line and followed by enjambement, is the moment they begin to laugh completely Stanzas 5+6+7: - Geraldine Ruth is described as 'yodelled/a laugh with the full, open, blooming rose': adjectives, 'full' and 'open' compound to present a moment of total freedom. The reference to 'rose' could link to femininity, Duffy presenting women's liberation - Duffy uses italics and writes 'Nought, calm; one, light air', referring to the Beaufort scale. But, 'Stephanine Fay started to laugh', laughter permeating different classrooms and helping the girls to overcome their boring situation Stanzas 8+9+10: - Duffy refers to the 'Poet Laureates' of England. Each of these, 'John Dryden, Thomas Shadwell, Nahum Tate' are all male characters. This links to Duffy's portrayal of history, how women were excluded from the canon and lost to anonymity - all of the girls 'go home, reprimand-free'. After they have left, the atmosphere of the school feels gloomy, 'words rubbed away to dance as dust'. The consonance of /d/ across this phrase creates a tone of melancholy, the lifeless school contrasting against the energetic laughter. Mrs. Mackay looks up to 'the moon' identifying with the feminine symbol, increasing the solemnity of this silent moment

A Dreaming Week Analysis

Stanza 1: - first line of the poem uses enjambment to flow quickly on to the next. In doing this, Duffy creates a dreamlike flow early in the poem, using this technique to influence the reception of the poem. The carefree flowing from line to line allows for words to blur together, emulating a dreamy state - location of 'a bed in the attic' could be interpreted as bearing reference to the trope of the Mad Woman in the Attic. This trope, seen across texts like Yellow Wallpaper and Jane Eyre, pushes women into small and unseen places - Duffy could be using this reference to discuss the treatment of women within society, a theme prominent in her work - semantics of methods of transport permeates the poem, 'boat', and 'ark' being prominent in the first stanza. Duffy is focusing on escapism, using these words to reference a type of journey. By referencing the 'ark', Duffy could be drawing upon the biblical story - could symbolize the beginning of a new relationship or chapter in Duffy's life. She leaves behind her old relationship, withdrawing into the safety of the 'ark' - nature is a comforting force within the poem, both here in the first stanza and onwards throughout the rest. The reference to the 'big old trees' gives a sense of familiarity Stanzas 2+3: - internal rhyme across 'dust, must' surges the poem onwards. Similar to the enjambment within the first stanza, this structural technique helps to build the tone of the poem. The ringing repetition of assonance across 'dust, must' creates a cohesion, floating the poem forward - Duffy presents literature as a form of freedom. The association of 'book' and 'a bird' is metaphorical for the freedom that literature gives to someone. Duffy uses this as escapism, suggesting that an unread book is simply 'a bird that's never flown'. The use of 'flown' stems from the semantics of flying, Duffy suggesting that literature can transport you out of your situations - similar melancholic tone permeates within images of 'the moon' and 'sleeping'. The drowsy state Duffy experiences could be interpreted as simply tired due to the lateness. Yet, Duffy could also be referencing a melancholic numbing, the approaching end of her relationship upsetting the poet - feminine 'moon' is all-seeing, the use of 'monocle' giving the feminine symbol vision to watch the scene. This is again a comforting image, Duffy connecting with the symbol to provide support. The drowsy consonance of 'm' across 'monocle' and 'moon' further this idea, the words flowing comfortable into one another - sibilance on the following line, 'sleeping S' conjuring a drowsy aural quality Stanzas 4+5: - Duffy's use of rhyme across 'face' and 'space' furthers the dreamlike tone created earlier in the poem. The reference to the 'stars' that are 'printing the news of their old light' again provides comfort - nature is presented as a constant force of comfort. The stars, light years away, still provide a beautiful quality of light to bathe the scene, comforting the poet - 'midnight' is personified by Duffy, using nature as a form of comfort. Duffy, now rejecting her love, turns to the night for support. Duffy personifies night in 'crook of midnight's arm', resting metaphorically within the arms of the night Stanzas 6+7: - anaphoric 'I'm dreaming' chimes again through these stanzas, Duffy always focusing on this state of slight absence. The rhyme across 'gone', 'song' and 'long' creates an extended /o/ sound. This further elaborates on the dreamlike melancholy of the tone - Duffy uses 'whale' as a homophone, perhaps signaling to wail. The end of her relationship is near, Duffy using this homophone to indicate her own distress - addition of 'last' in the first line of the final stanza indicates that the relationship has come to an end. This strange week of 'Dreaming' has abruptly cut off, the relationship falling apart - fading of color, 'colours fading to black' indicate the loss of passion in their relationship. Duffy simultaneously presents the death of their relationship alongside the action of falling asleep - Duffy finishes the poem by focusing on the 'glamorous dark'. This is perhaps discussing the romanticization of sadness within the modern-day. Although sad, Duffy finds comfort in this state, being alone with her thoughts for the first time

Anon Analysis

Stanza 1: - in first two lines of the poem, Duffy repeats the female pronoun 'she' three times. This triple repetition of the female article demonstrates the constant presence of females, Duffy representing their presence within history through this technique - employment of the conditional tense within the first line, 'If' demonstrates that this poem will be fictional, Duffy creating a scenario. This allows Duffy to remember the lost female voices of the past, while also representing how they are not properly remembered in modern society - often only classified as 'lost' or 'anon' - three professions that Duffy selects in this first paragraph relate to positions of education within society. In fact, in early England, a 'nun' was the only profession that was taught to write, Duffy making a connection with the lost literary history which was partly carried by these nuns - consonance of 'n' across the professions creates a sense of cohesion within the poem, emblematic of the female presence and community that Duffy champions in her collection Stanza 2: - arrival of rhyme schedule across the first four lines of the first stanza, in an AABB form, could signal how there have been elements of female writing passed down over time - the cohesion that the slight rhyme scheme provides echoes the connection of women across generations, Duffy using structure to emphasize her ideas Stanza 3: - 'skull/on a shelf' is polysemous within the third stanza. On one hand, it acts as a mechanism to show the voiceless nature of women, with the empty skull having no tongue to speak with. This is then furthered by the attempt to 'clear its throat', never actually delivering what it had to say = the female voice has been destroyed - the 'skull' could also be understood as a reference to 'Hamlet', the iconic symbol being prominent in Shakespeare's play (within the fourth stanza, Duffy could be connecting with iconic feats of literature to suggest that female work is just as important) - the fact it is simply 'her skull', without a specific name attached to it, could suggest that this image is acting as a representation of all women. The use of the female pronoun 'her' suggests the remnants are female, yet the lack of specificity allows the image to come to represent all women Stanza 4: - Duffy creates a slight change within the fourth stanza, focusing instead on her own opinions. Of course, as a wildly successful female writer herself, Duffy 'knows best' about the female voice. Indeed, she represents a woman that has used her voice to discuss issues, both modern and based within history. Due to this, Duffy makes a connection from herself, and she 'passed on her pen', representing all of the female writers who came before her - culmination of these historically lost voices culminates in modern women, like Duffy, which use their voice to the maximum - something once taken from them. The use of the semantics of sport in 'baton' bears a connection Sub - Duffy quotes Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' within this final stanza, 'hey nonny'. This quote is uttered by Balthasar towards the female characters of the play, asking them to not worry about men - Duffy is then imploring female voices to focus on themselves, stop comparing to male voices, and begin to build a new, stronger, female canon - Much Ado contains one of the strongest female characters in all of Shakespeare's works, Beatrice - perhaps signaling she is one of the women who has passed along her 'baton' - final word of the poem returns to 'Anon', Duffy perhaps signaling that the fight for equality is not yet over. The lost voices will never be recovered, and there are still countries all over the world in which equal rights have not been granted

Beautiful Analysis - Section 1 (Helen of Troy)

Stanza 1: - poem begins by focusing on the personal pronoun, 'she'. Women are at the center of this poem and Duffy makes this evidently clear from the offset. Helen is said to be born 'from an egg', Duffy also focusing on the physicality of this figure in the opening line. It is interesting to note that even in fiction, women are exploited and prosecuted - Duffy notes Helen to have an unobtainable beauty, 'daughter of the gods' and 'divinely fair'. The reference to beauty continues in 'pearl', Duffy using this to suggest the value which beauty holds in society. Duffy then uses asyndeton, connecting many adjectives to describe how beautiful Helen was - 'starlike sorrows of immortal eyes' is oddly wounded. Duffy could use this to suggest a melancholic pang to the character. Perhaps Helen, in her godly position, understood the great burden that beauty had placed upon her - first stanza ends with 'loved', emphasized by a caesura and end stop. This emphasis is a clear foreshadowing of what is to come, each of the four women suffering from male love and attention Stanza 2+3: - Duffy places 'heart' at the end of the first line of the second stanza. Similarly to 'loved', this places metrical emphasis on the world. Duffy points to how emotions come from seeing this beautiful woman, 'every man' flocking to her - great deal of male lust in these stanzas, everyone wanting to be with her. The use of caesura around 'line, sighed,' signals the desperation of the men that follow her - although Helen has a great deal of power, it is all based on her beauty, the overwhelming 'every man' following her being an incredibly daunting image - upon deciding on a man to be with, Helen 'fled'. Again, Duffy using caesura to emphasize this word. The use of 'fled' plays into the semantics of hunter and prey, Helen being reduced to a fleeing animal. The reaction to this escape inspires 'War', the grave impact of her beauty leading to total chaos. Helen is followed and prosecuted only for her beauty Stanza 4: - Duffy makes reference to 'Dr Faustus', 'A thousand ships' echoing the description of 'A face that launched a thousand ships'. This confirms to the reader that Duffy is focusing on Helen of Troy, who features in Christopher Marlowe's play - Duffy focuses on the physical strength of Helen's pursuers. They have described as 'heaving an ore', 'tattooed', and 'muscle'. The masculinity present within these descriptions furthers the gender dynamic of the poem. Duffy is exploring how women are prosecuted by men - one could argue there is a slight reference to Desdemona from Othello, 'a handkerchief she'd dropped once'. This reference bears relevance as Desdemona is murdered by Othello due to his male rage, unable to believe his loyal wife - asyndeton is once again used across the end of the fourth stanza, Duffy linking together names for Helen. The large number of names people call Helen could further link to her name, her notorious beauty calling the attention of every man Stanza 5+6: - triple reception of 'loved' signals the happiness that Helen experiences. Now away from her perusers, she is able to experience the happiness of love. Yet, the men still follow her, wanting to contain her beauty form themselves - the short, stunted 'Beauty is fame' is followed by a caesura. Duffy emphasizes the brutality of this line. Helen did not ask for beauty, yet she is made into an icon that must be pursued due to the male gaze - perusers kill her husband, 'sliced a last grin in his throat', male rage and jealousy destroying Helen's life Stanza 7+8+9: - final three stanzas explore the mystery of Helen, the perusers unsure of where she escaped. The use of 'dusk', 'moon', and 'smuggled' play into the semantics of secrecy, Helen slipping away from her followers' grasps - in this act, the male gaze focuses on how 'her dress/clung to her form'. Duffy suggests that at all times the male gaze sexualizes women - Duffy introduces a character who helps Helen, her female 'maid'. This woman 'loved her most', loving her for herself instead of her beauty. Indeed, she would not 'describe/one aspect of her face', protecting Helen of Troy. Instead of furthering the iconic legend of Helen, she remains faithful, the only friendly character of this section is a female. This could be a mechanism through which Duffy suggests that women always support women, especially in retaliation to the male gaze - final image of this section focuses on 'little bird inside a cage', representing the trap that beauty is. Helen's whole life was marred by the prosecution from men, trapped due to her physical features. The final image of a 'cage' symbolizes this oppression, Helen's life destroyed due to her beauty

The Cord Analysis

Stanza 1: - poem begins with the act of severing the 'cord' between Duffy and Ella. Duffy uses 'they', the unfamiliar doctors being presented as separated from the cohesive family unit - the fact that it is 'they' who 'cut the cord' indicates external forces separating mother and daughter, this being extrapolated into Ella wanting to leave home later in the poem - brutality of this first image is furthered through the consonance of /c/ across 'cut the cord', the harsh sound penetrating the verse to rally the depiction of the severing of their physical connection - personification to the 'Great Forest', the first element of mythical language being employed here. In doing this, Duffy presents the idea that she chose to bury the cord somewhere important, furthering the suggestion that she cares deeply for Ella, wanting even the first point of connection to be honored Stanzas 2+3: - further employ the semantics of mythically. Duffy suggests Ella's young age by using these semantics, images of 'princess' and 'holden spinning wheel' playing into the narrative of fairytales - triple repetition of a question, 'wheel?', 'silver?', 'real?' further the elusive nature of the cord - the object that represents their connection taking on mythical proportions - image of it 'hidden/in the roots of an ancient oak' creates the sense that Duffy is narrating a fairy tale to Ella, creating a story that she can actively take part in and enjoy - Ella's changing perception of the 'cord' demonstrates her own aging. At first, it doesn't seem real at all. Yet, by this third stanza, she assumes that it 'was made of rope', deciding on the material value of the cord. After deciding that it is real, Ella then begins to plan to go and find it Stanza 4: - use of the verb 'stared' suggests the length at which Ella begins to obsess over the 'cord'. She is sure it is real, looking out over the forest and dreaming of finding it - image of the 'rooks...like black unreadable books' could show that she is still young, not totally understanding how the world works. This immaturity is what drives her to explore further Stanza 5: - uses enjambment within stanza five to reflect Ella's 'hunt for her cord' - ownership of 'her cord' suggests that Ella has taken the symbol upon herself, seeking the original thing that connected her to her mother - simplicity of how she is traveling, 'on foot to the forest' is depicted through the method of movement she uses, 'on foot', and also the use of fricative sounds across this phrase. The fricative /f/ creates a sense of movement - use of a caesura upon the final line of stanza five ensures that 'She went deeper.' is emphasized, Duffy wanting the moment she leaves home to bare syntactical importance within the poem Stanza 6: - image of Ella 'following a bird' could suggest that she has become wiser about the ways of nature, and therefore the world, now being able to read the birds, something that was previously 'unreadable'. A 'bird' is also a symbol of freedom, Ella finally moving out into the world and experiencing everything for the first time - Duffy represents the outside world as dark and unfriendly, 'one huge darkness' symbolizing all of the evil in the world - Ella knows that her mother will always be there for her, represented through the 'stars' that 'were her mother's eyes'. Stars were traditionally used by travelers to guide their paths, with Ella using the connection she has with her mother to ensure that she remains on track - combination of natural and human within the final two lines of the poem, 'screech of an owl' and 'baby's cry' demonstrate how motherhood and growing up are a part of every species - Duffy presents the bond she has with her daughter, letting her experience the world freely, but always being there if she were to need any help

The Light Gatherer Analysis

Stanza 1: - poem opens by focusing on the childhood of Duffy's daughter, the 'small' girl having tiny 'palms' that only 'held a candlesworth'. The fact that the light is 'under your skin' suggests that the daughter is producing this light herself, Duffy using this as a metaphor for bringing happiness to the world - caesura within the first line in the form of a comma places emphasis on 'small', Duffy focusing on her daughter's growth, both in size and amount of light gathered, throughout the poem - use of personal pronoun within the first line if the first stanza, present within 'you' and 'your' instantly suggest that Duffy will be addressing her daughter directly Stanzas 2+3: - Duffy uses internal rhyme within this stanza, linking 'grew' and 'you' through this technique. In doing this, the poet establishes a connection between these ideas, Duffy showing how as her daughter grows, she begins to gather more 'light' - Duffy uses multi-sensory descriptions of the light to further the intricacy of the image, 'warm pearls' of light being comforting images. Light finds its way through the daughter's emotions - daughter is presented as happy, this happiness in turn inspiring joy in Duffy Stanzas 4+5: - Duffy's daughter exudes light from every part of her body, even her 'feet glowed'. The quantity of the semantics of light within the poem further the idea of happiness - in the fifth stanza of the poem, Duffy presents her daughter reaching a new milestone of life: speech. 'When language came, it glittered like a river' depicting light encompassing even the words she uses. The luxurious and beautiful image of 'silver, clever with fish' depicting the harmonious sound of the daughter's words Stanzas 6+7: - while sleeping, the daughter captures the 'whole moon', the depiction of 'whole' suggesting the extreme capabilities of the daughter to gather the representation of joy. The 'moon' is an image that provides comfort to Duffy in other poems, such as within Sub - daughter's importance is paramount within the poem, Duffy returning every image to the daughter's presence. Indeed, the short sentence structure of the first line of stanza six serves to emphasizes the title, 'Light Gatherer' - 'fell from a star' depicts an almost angelic quality, 'star' playing into the semantics of light while also bearing religious connotations - protection suggested by 'into my lap' insinuates that Duffy will protect her child. The use of 'soft lamp' furthers this idea, all the light within the poem being delicate and 'soft', rather than abrasive Stanzas 8+9: - Duffy presents her daughter 'shin[ing] like a showgirl', the purity of snow reflecting the metaphorical light into a more intense image. This is coupled with the brilliant yellow of a 'buttercup', Duffy also playing into the childhood game of putting a buttercup under your chin - Duffy uses polysyndeton within the final lines of the poem to present the endless possibilities the daughter has. She flows from 'turquoise and diamond and gold', the valuable items being placed as representing the future of Duffy's daughter - by starting and finishing the poem with an idea of time, 'small' and 'years', Duffy presents the growth of the child, moving from a baby into a young girl over the course of the poem

Death and the Moon Analysis

Stanza 1: - poet instantly focuses Death and the Moon on an image of 'The moon', posing as a melancholy symbol of night and the notion of death - following this, Duffy connects with the semantics of distance, 'nearer', expressing her lack of understanding about 'where death took you'. For Duffy, the abstract notion of death can only be expressed through the semantics of the physical, the poet relying on images of distance to conceptualize her loss - 'Frozen pond' with 'fish' inside could symbolize how Duffy's world has seemed to stop - use of the conditional tense, 'I could touch the edge of the moon', signals Duffy's own self-doubt. She knows that she can never reach 'the moon', meaning she could never reach further. This means she will never reach that strange location 'where death took you' Stanza 2: - Duffy extends the stillness of the first stanza into the opening of the second. The stagnant poet, 'stooped at the lip of your open grave' is watching the coffin in the funeral ceremony. The first instance of movement occurs when Duffy throws 'a fistful of earth' on the grave - burying her friend - oxymoronic 'hard rain' and 'tough confetti' compound a sense of disbelief. The use of oxymoron presents conflicting emotions, Duffy unable to understand the death of her friend - contrast between the sound of the 'wood' as earth bounced upon it, compared to the silence of the body is moving. Duffy focuses on the semantics of the body, 'your eyes, your tongue, your soundless ears' all silent - Duffy presents contrasting reactions to the death, Marcangeli's 'unbearable cry' and Duffy's own 'living sleep'. Both experience deep grief at Henri's passing, but articulate it in different ways Stanza 3: - following the final words on the second and third lines of this stanza, 'Unreachable', 'Unseeable', Duffy uses enjambment. The long white space that expands beyond these enjambed words presents a sense of distance - by placing them syntactically last on these lines they are emphasized, brutal aural repetition further conveying the tragedy - images of 'the moon' resurface, its 'light' casting a 'tender' comfort on the scene. The moon is frequently a melancholic image, but here Duffy turns that into comfort, the watching presence a constant in everyone's life. This perhaps poses contrast with human transience, the moon surviving forever while humanity will not - final image of Death and the Moon uses a mixture of enjambement and caesura to further the ideas. The decision of 'black night' creates a sense of emptiness, stretching outwards due to the use of enjambment. This is then combined with caesura following 'huge, mute,' to further the sense of separation - metrical pauses which follow each of these words are depressing, each silence echoing the stillness of the first two stanzas. Even after all of this emptiness, 'you are further forever than that', the impossible enormity of death overwhelming the poet

Work Analysis

Stanza 1: - woman's life is presented through the semantics of a 'dream', Duffy using this to represent the tranquil life a person can lead when they are not supporting others. This could be painting a difference between men and women, women traditionally having to take on the responsibilities of caring for children while men are free to live their lives as normal - syntactical placement of 'feed one, she' places the action of nurturing before that of the self, 'feed' before 'she'. In doing this, Duffy suggests that women are always ready to put caring for others before themselves - first tasks come quickly in this first stanza, Duffy using asyndeton to connect the three: 'washing, ironing, sewing', task after task being completed by the woman. Yet, there is still room in this paragraph for other activities, the woman seen as eating, 'a soup-filled spoon' and relaxing. This state of blissful rest is something that is lost in the more hectic later stanzas Stanzas 2+3: - use of sibilance across 'sewed seeds' further speeds up the meter of the poem, the smooth sound similarly propelling Work forward and on to the next task - asyndeton is used again in both of these stanzas, 'watered, threshed, scythed... harder, second job in the alehouse, food in the larder, food on the table', to present the never-ending task list that the woman completes. Duffy, although only focusing on one woman, is actually taking snapshots of women throughout time and around the world - harsh internal rhyme between 'harder' and 'larder' suggests that in order to produce 'food on the table', the women must continuously work longer and harder hours. There is an ever-increasing demand, shown by the expanding number, 'feed four... feeding ten', that must be fulfilled by the tireless woman Stanzas 4+5: - stanzas focus on the process of industrialization and urbanization, both using their respective semantics within words such as 'oil, metal, noise, machines' and 'high-rise flats. Cities grew'. Time is passing, but the demand on women is not letting up. Asyndeton is again used to display this idea - between these stanzas, the number of people she is caring for moves from 'Fifty' to 'a thousand more', women providing for ever-increasing numbers - use of a caesura between 'To feed more, more' creates a slight metrical break. This can be understood as a momentary pause, the woman drawing in a breath before carrying on with her task list - repetition of 'more' further this suggestion, the break being only momentary before yet 'more' is added to the equation Stanzas 6+7+8: - poem reaches the 21st century, Duffy presenting growing transport links and iconic technological features of the modern age. Humankind still supporting more and more people, they turn to Mother Nature, harvesting 'fish, felled trees' in order to provide. The woman of the poem is now 'mother to millions', simultaneously representing Mother Nature and every woman - humanity begins to destroy the world, Duffy commenting on the raging capitalism which drives people to ruin the environment for material gain. The cow industry 'grazed beef', deforestation in 'felled trees', and overfishing in 'hoovered fish' compound a sense of total destruction. The extreme speed of 'hoovered' suggests the demise of humanity, using technology to pillage the seas Stanza 9: - even in the woman's death, Duffy presents the idea that she continues to work. Now 'in a grave' she still 'worked, to the bone', asyndeton presenting even this as a task that must be completed - final line of the poem, 'twenty-four seven' is emblematic of the total devotion of women's lives to supporting others, women put in roles of service throughout their whole lives - Duffy demonstrates how women are treated in society, using the experience of every woman to represent the historical mistreatment and overworked nature of women

Tall Analysis

Stanzas 1+2+3+4: - poem begins with 'Then,' suggesting that everything that happened before in this woman's life has been forgotten. For her, this was the day her life changed. By only focusing on during and after the growth, Duffy reveals how the woman is now only identified by her size - second stanza sees the first day of her new life, 'Day one' of growing. At first, she is only slightly taller than the rest, '8 foot taller than any man'. The fact that Duffy defines this with 'men' shows that a conversation around gender will perpetuate this poem - Duffy uses caesuras surrounding the event of catcalling. Indeed, 'Downtown. Somebody whooped. She', the meter of the poem disrupted by this event. Duffy states that women's lives are interrupted by male outbursts like these, shaming those who participate in catcalling - the woman of the poem 'started at his scared face'. She emasculates him, Duffy infantilising him as 'a boy', showing the weakness of those who catcall Stanzas 5+6+7+8: - symbolism of the stoplight 'on red', destroyed by the woman could reflect her dismantling stereotypes of women. As she grows, she gains power, destroying 'red', a symbol of stopping, in order to gain further agency in society. Perhaps this destruction of a stoplight could reflect the woman gaining social mobility, moving through society unobstructed - with height, she is seen as powerful in society. Due to this, Duffy presents her entering traditionally masculine atmospheres. The reference to 'stiff drink' and 'passed out or fainted' are typically dead-beat masculine traits - Duffy suggests that women are only allowed in these masculine atmospheres when they themselves are intimidating. Considering that size is the only thing that is changed about the woman, this shows the ridiculous nature of how gender inequality has stemmed from biological factors such as these - internal rhyme across 'chin' and 'gin' propels the poem forward. Duffy uses this to quicken the meter of the poem, the woman growing alongside the accelerated pace Stanzas 9+10+11+12+13: - Duffy's character reaches 'Day Two' of her growth. She is seen as idolized, or perhaps even deified, by normal-sized people. The fact that the 'men' who visit her are 'on stilts' represents how men try and paint themselves as just as good, or better than women in every respect. Although this woman has been gifted with extreme height, men still try and diminish her achievement by seeming taller - the woman 'cured no one', followed by a harsh caesura. Duffy emphasizes this moment, pointing out how ridiculous it is to single someone out in society because they are different - Duffy presents the woman using 'The moon' as an 'old mirror'. The use of 'mirror' and 'moon' could be referencing how the moon is often used as a feminine symbol she is pushed away from her female identity into just being 'Taller' Stanzas 14+15+16+17: - following the caesura on the first line on the fourteenth stanza, 'trembled. Taller', Duffy uses this as a moment of naming. Instead of the woman's identity, she is simply 'Taller', reduced to a trait - Duffy suggests that humanity has a tendency to elevate people to something they are not. This woman is no different for her size, but yet she has been deified temporarily - when people bore of her size, she becomes a 'weather' woman. The questioning, 'What could she see up there?' undermines her gift in society. The incredible woman is reduced to a menial role in society - Duffy uses 'howled', reducing the character to animalism. The dehumanization stems from her distancing from society, never allowed to fit in. Now far away, she degenerates completely, falling away from who she once was - she is still empathetic, trying to help society. Upon the events of 9/11, she rushes to help, using her power in the only way she can. She tries to catch 'their souls' as 'they fell'. This final stanza could represent the empathy that women hold. This woman tries to help humanity, even after they scorn her. When women are granted power, they use it for good, saving others from 'the burning towers'

Gambler Analysis

Stanzas 1+2: - Duffy begins Gambler by focusing on personal pronouns. The use of 'she' is polysemous. On one hand, it instantly focuses the poem on the female experience. Yet, the anonymity of 'she' also suggests that this poem could be applicable to any woman - Duffy's use of caesura after 'words', places emphasis on this word. In doing so, Duffy stresses the importance of language - language is presented as a form of freedom. Duffy suggests that words 'make on the air', the connotation of 'air' creating a sense of free-flowing - language is able to morph and transform on a whim, 'leaving her lips list a whist//or kiss.' The use of enjambment across these lines furthers the freedom of language, the poem flowing quickly from line to line Stanzas 3+4: - Duffy uses internal rhyme across 'picks' and 'ticks' in order to propel Gambler onwards. The poet expresses that 'two syllable' names are important, going against the '10-1' bet. The woman disregards the gambling strategy in order to bet on the horses with pleasing names - double repetition of 'Indiannectar' reflects Duffy's 'she' weighting the words out loud. The syllable balance of 'Indian nectar' is more pleasing than the 7-2 odds on the horse. Duffy presents her 'she' character disregarding the bet and instead of going with her own intuition - repetition across 'over and over' reflects the repeated action of 'singing it' Stanzas 5+6: - Duffy then moves away from the scene of horse racing, moving into metaphor. The woman of the poem 'sits with her stump of a pen'. The fact it is a 'stump' could be emblematic of the voices of women being underrepresented within the literature - instead of 'bets', the woman sits 'writing the poems of bets', focusing on her craft. To her, the act of writing and creating poetry is more important than a monetary gain. From this perspective, 'how can she lose?', producing poetry that reflects her own opinions and experience. The use of a question mark can demonstrate how creativity is incredibly important - final two lines of the poem explore the names of other horses at the races. While acting as names of horses, these could also be moments of poetry. The final consonance across 'Birth of the Blues' closing Gambler on a moment of poetic harmony. Duffy emphasizes the beauty of poetry, 'she' completing her poem with balanced aural semantics

Loud Analysis

Stanzas 1+2: - Duffy uses the opening line to emphasize the key verb of the poem, 'shout'. Indeed, the syntax places this word in the key place of the first line. Duffy then places an endstop after the word, furthering the emphasis placed on 'shout'. This moment of breaking silence is incredibly important, being the catalyst for the following events of Loud - use of syntax is repeated on the final line of the first stanza. Duffy places emphasis on 'loud', furthering the vocal impact of the first stanza - harsh consonance plosive of 'p' in 'ripped' mirrors the brutality of the explosive voice. Her voice springs from her body, 'ripped out of her throat', Duffy compounding the extremity of the moment - voice is represented by light, 'a flash of light in the dark', signaling the positive impact that women's voices are bringing - Duffy uses many caesuras. Considering she is discussing how 'Before, she'd been easily led', this can represent the stereotype of a silent or quiet woman. Duffy uses the metrical pauses that caesura initiates to reflect this stereotype - fourth line slows into the fifth undisrupted, the use of enjambment reflecting her breaking out of the disrupted meter. This engenders the idea of gaining her voice, words beginning to flow easier Stanzas 3+4+5: - Duffy uses exaggeration to reveal the length that the woman's voice has grown. The hyperbole of 'she could call abroad without using the phone' demonstrates the power of the female voice - Duffy symbolizes the freedom that ganging a voice can give through the 'huge bird'. A 'bird' is often a symbol of flight and freedom, this therefore symbolizing women breaking from the constraints of society - Duffy furthers the combination of women and nature imagery, 'uttering lightning'. Nature is often a symbol of power within the literature, Duffy attaching this power to the female voice - use of hyphens within the fifth stanza, 'words were -... - gibberish, crap' is a moment in which the news breaks through the female narrative. The strong reply to this, 'gibberish, crap' reflects the woman's fury at the news Stanzas 6+7+8: - using hyperbole, Duffy personifies the female voice. It has incredible power, 'stomped through the city' and 'shaking the bells' as she goes. Women's voices have become all-powerful, combing with nature to overwhelming the world - female voice gains the power of the 'sea', able to rebel against the 'moon' and send it 'away'. The rejection of the moon's pull on the sea could be emblematic of the female voice breaking out of the constraints of the patriarchy, speaking out against suppression - Duffy uses harsh consonance again in the eighth stanza, 'prayers of the priest'. At this point in the poem, the voice has become so loud that it is encompassing a whole world of rage. The plosive 'p' across this phrase cuts through the narrative, reflecting this rage through the sound of the words - asyndeton closes the poem, event after event overwhelming the woman. Although she gets 'loud, loud, louder', representing the gaining of power within the female voice, the poem ends on 'the News' - even after all the female voice has done, the horrors of the world are still too great. Duffy ends the poem on a chilling image, revealing how the 'News' can overwhelm everything that has come before - the poem is cyclic, the epigraph, and the final line both referencing the horrors of the news. This could suggest that there is always a worse event going on in the world - Duffy's poem ends on a gloomy tone, the female voice still not rising above the drowning noise of how terrible our world has become

The Woman Who Shopped Analysis

Stanzas 1+2: - begins by propelling the rhythm of the poem forward. Duffy uses a rhyme scheme, mixed with moments of internal rhyme, to speed up the meter. She rhymes 'buy' with 'eye', 'brim' with 'him', pushing the poem ever onward. In doing this, Duffy centers The Woman Who Shopped on instantly rapid imagery, the poet moving through items at a great pace - the verbs that Duffy uses within these early stanzas come from a place of activity. She writes 'haggled', 'danced' and 'taped', furthering the frenetic moment Stanzas 3+4+5: - Duffy uses asyndeton throughout these lines, listing item after item that the character has bought. The poet moves through 'wedding, a wedding dress, groom, married him,' even monumental moments like 'marriage' just being an excuse to spend - Duffy uses asyndeton to further the chaos of the woman's life, not giving her time to pause and take in everything she is doing - woman even begins to use her husband's money, 'shuffling his plastic with hers'. This relates to credit cards, the wife using both hers and his in order to continue her buying spree. The confusion implied in 'shuffling' perhaps suggests that the woman has done this without letting him know Stanzas 6+7: - Duffy expands the scale of the woman's shopping habit. From the early 'silver shilling', she has now progressed 'all over Europe'. Duffy is perhaps suggesting that internet shopping has only further enabled this stereotype - the woman is buying for the sake of it, not simply because she needs things. Duffy demonstrates this through the pluralization of 'pools, caravans, saunas', all things that she could not use at the same time. The woman is buying for the euphoric moment of hitting 'buy', not to use the items themselves - woman tries to 'flee', but only ends up running into 'happy shoppers' wherever she ran. Perhaps Duffy is further relating to the accessibility of shopping, pointing out the dangers of this form of addiction. The woman ends up on the streets, 'curled up' for support against 'the doorway' of the shop. Shopping and places of purchase have quite literally become her refuge Stanzas 8+9+10: - after the break, the woman wakes up and finds herself 'stone'. The double repetition of 'stone' simultaneously links to the metaphor of becoming a shop, while also displaying a deep emotional sadness - Duffy uses the euphemism of 'her stockings were moving stairs, her shoes were lifts, going up, going down' to suggest she has become a prostitute. With no line of support left, the only way the woman can feed her addiction is to sell her own body Stanzas 11+12: - Duffy fuses the semantics of the body with the lexis of the shop. She writes 'lungs glittered with chandeliers', furthering the metaphor of the woman becoming a shop - Duffy has created a metaphorical representation that is half woman-half shop, hence the fusion of semantics. Everything she has become is a representation of her lavish tastes Stanzas 13+14: - takes the metaphor to the extreme, the world becoming overrun with the growing shot - Duffy presents the end of the world through the lens of capitalism, the 'sky was unwrapping' like a present. Even the most untouchable forms of nature, 'sky' and 'light' became products that were bought and sold -final image is of the total destruction of nature, 'birds shrieked and voided'. Duffy presents a future in which everything is sold, the woman expanding onwards until everything is consumed by consumerism

History Analysis

Stanzas 1+2: - first word of the poem chimes 'She', instantly establishing the central theme of the poem: the female perspective - the disoriented woman waking up 'alone' - this status of being 'alone' reflects how women's perspective is often forgotten within history - Duffy rallies against the patriarchal notion that women must be pristine and beautiful, creating a depiction of a woman who goes against these ideas. Her mouth is 'tooth[less]', looking 'half-dead' as she 'limped downstairs' - going against the patriarchal archetype of women, Duffy has creates a woman who does not have to look perfect and beautiful, portraying someone who doesn't care that they smell 'of pee' - 'smelling of pee' is finished by an end stop. The blunt nature of this description intends to shock the reader, Duffy displaying the natural state of this woman through a manner that goes against the stereotypes of women - simultaneously dismantles the stereotype, while also suggesting that the woman is not cared for by society, Duffy demonstrating how women are left unattended as they grow old Stanzas 3+4+5+6: - 'She was History', the short sentence contrasting the following lengthy descriptions of moments in history. Duffy's use of a short sentence creates a blunt line, furthered by the use of an end stop - poetic techniques culminate in a bold depiction of the woman, the grandeur of 'History' being attributed to the equally impressive 'She' - both being capitalized in this short sentence - the verbs that Duffy uses, 'been', 'seen', 'watched', 'witnessed', 'observed', are all passive instead of active. This could suggest that women are silent observers in history - links to the historic conception of a woman's place, Duffy focusing on the idea that women's perspectives were deemed less important, therefore taking on a passive, rather than active, role in history - plosive 'b' across 'blew out his brains' to further the horror of this imagery, horrific imagery within 'burnt at the stake', and enjambment to reflect the movement of the children way on the trains while they 'waved/their little hands' Stanza 7: - final stanza returns to the present, the woman withdrawing from memories of the past to explore the 'empty house'. Her home has been vandalized, 'Bricks through the windows...fresh graffiti sprayed', demonstrating how people don't care/ have no respect for this woman - final image, 'shit wrapped in a newspaper posted/onto the floor' cements the terrible treatment of women. The gentle verbs 'wrapped' and 'posted' seem soft and nonchalant, furthering the disgusting image of the 'shit...onto the floor', Duffy once again disquieting her audience - this woman, representing all of the women throughout history, is neglected and abused by society, her incredible wisdom and knowledge being undermined by a society that does not care about the female perspective

White Writing Analysis

Stanzas 1+2: - the poem begins, as each first line of each stanza, with a declaration of what their (Duffy + Kay's) relationship is not. The first example of these is 'No vows written to wed you', with Duffy not being able to marry due to the anti-LGBT marriage laws within the UK at the time - Duffy is excluded from marriage, she suggests that the experience of 'my lips on yours' has been just as magical. Duffy follows this structure throughout most of the poem, offering something that the relationship lacked and then showing how the experiences they have lived together made up for not having that thing - anaphoric line 'I write them white' chimes six times within the poem, one in each stanza. The quality of 'white' is polysemous within the poem. On one hand, it suggests a level of purity and joy, 'white' often being associated with light and happiness. - yet, 'white', in regards to 'writing' is something that would not show up on paper, something hidden and under the surface. This, of course, is describing the nature of a lesbian relationship in a time in which lesbian relationships were not totally accepted within society - description of 'soft hours' spent together furthers the beauty of the time they have had. Duffy's use of 'soft' suggests a certain delicacy, caring greatly for her lover - description of Duffy's lover is exited into the second stanza, her 'soul' being described as 'a flame'. Duffy's 'flame' bears connotations of passion and excitement, the poet stating that these are qualities she associates with her lover. One could argue there is a constant presence of the semantics of light, 'flame' and the following word, 'bright', both compounding a sense of beautiful light Stanzas 3+4: - Duffy's use of 'palm against palm' could be understood as a reference to Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Juliet, during the shared sonnet which many argue is one of the most romantic moments in English literature, states "palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." - Duffy, in connecting with an iconic story of heterosexual love, demonstrates how her lesbian relationship is no different - within the fourth stanza that Duffy begins to frequently use transient images. Although 'flame' could be argued as temporary, the description of 'words on the wind' demonstrates the momentary nature of their relationship. Not documented in any legal case, Duffy suggests that these moments they spend will only be kept in memory - Duffy then extends this idea, focusing on words 'traced' in 'sand', another image which will be removed from existence. Duffy states that they are living for the moment Stanzas 5+6: - Duffy continually places 'you' and 'I' near each other, one ending the first line of each stanza and the other beginning the second. In doing this, Duffy implies the close relationship that the lovers have - Duffy focuses again on the idea of things not lasting forever, implying transience through her use of 'foam on a wave', both 'foam' and 'wave' being transitory images. The final stanza reflects a similar idea, Duffy focusing on the 'moonlight' and 'gold sun' to show the fading of the day - syntax of the final stanza is altered to place 'I write them white' as the final words of the poem. In doing this, Duffy finishes by focusing on the very core image of secrecy - in a politically homophobic society that did not want to hear about Duffy's relationship, she did exactly that, hiding the details away and instead focusing on brief snapshots of joy

The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High Analysis part 2

Stanzas 11+12: - focus on Miss Dunn: arrives home, 'her small terraced house' being oddly tragic. Yet, she loves her home, Duffy using erotic language to depict her life. She writes, 'kisses of light', the connection with light-bearing connotations of positivity and happiness. Yet, the blunt final lines of stanza eleven leave the scene melancholic and uncertain. The life of Miss Dunn is lonely, signaled by 'lived alone.', combined with a preceding caesura and harsh end stop - budding relationship between Miss Batt and Miss Fife is also explored: balance of 'Music and maths' reflects the teachers, both complimenting each other in unexpected ways. There is a comforting atmosphere evoked between the two, 'Miss Batt's small piano' filling the scene with joyous music. Although unexplored, there is a certain affection between then, suggested by 'woman's silently virtuous love' - use of caesura, running through 'twice a week, after school, for them both, seemed enough', slows the meter of this line. Duffy reflects the intimate mood through this device, the slow meter reflecting their comfortable evenings Stanza 13: - the love of Mrs. Mackay is depressingly sterile. Her marriage is described as 'twenty-five grinding, childless years'. The use of the laborious word 'grinding' indicates their distaste, pushing through their relationship due to obligation, not love. The focus on 'childless', beginning the fourth line, relates to the stereotypical obligation placed upon women - adjective of 'invisible' when discussing the other 'half' of each of Mrs. Mackay and Miss Nadimbaba's relationship is tragic. Against the warmth of the previous paragraphs, the empty and distanced relationship these women go through is seemingly very lonely. Although physically together, each other 'half' is 'invisible', not showing the love or affection needed within a relationship Stanza 14: - Duffy suggests that women are brought up to nurture, transforming into teachers that carry the legacy of the past. The 'safe vessels' which will continue the passing on of knowledge seems like an important role. Yet, the attached 'sensible' seems boring and tasteless. Duffy could be suggesting that this form of learning numbs both teacher and student equally - sterile asyndetic list, 'numerals, Greek alphabets, French verbs' is contrasted against the enjambment of Miss Dunn's dream. She dreams of 'freezing white terrain/where slowly moving elephants were made of ice'. The spectral beauty of the scene directly rallies against the sterility of learning, Duffy commenting on the fantastic nature of the imagination Stanzas 15+16+17: - begins second day: the girls together, 'the First and Second and Third and Fourth', combined through polysyndeton, begin to laugh. The girls, despite their ages, are united together, their 'distance thunder' of laughter 'opening' up. The use of nature presents the booming power of female unity, - use of sibilance to describe 'Señora Devizes', 'sartorial, strict, slim, severe, teacher of Spanish' furthers the qualities it names. The constant /s/ carried across these words create a whisper-like quality, reflecting the quiet anger of the teacher. For all her shouting, 'Callaos! Callaos! Callaos! Quédense!', she cannot control the 'young lungs flowering'. The use of floral imagery relates to classical femininity - 'A silly joy sparked and fizzled' - the use of onomatopoeia furthers the aural quality of these words, laughter echoing out of the poem. The childlike 'silly' refers to the childhood joy of this moment, Duffy immortalizing the laughter in her epic poem. The poem is about the frenetic energy of growing up Stanzas 18+19+20: - head girl, Josephine June, is stripped of her 'Head Girl's badge'. The monotonous oppression of the school emphasized through the blunt use of assonance, 'Assembly's abysmal affair', is deeply depressing. Although it is a group issue of laughing, only one girl, in particular, is punished. Duffy could be commenting on the prejudiced nature of society, always finding one person to blame - the young girls reject this, their screams of 'All for one!' echoing across the stanza. The use of italics for this phrase represents how they have taken over the power structure of the school

The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High Analysis part 3

Stanzas 21+22: - Duffy represents the gaining of freedom through the literal escape from the school. The girls 'jumped' out the window, 'bouncing around in the snow.' The simile of 'like girls on the moon' is polysemous. On one hand, 'moon' connects with classic feminine imagery, demonstrating that they have reclaimed power - 'Moon' also suggests a remoteness, they have escaped society and fled to the safety of the 'moon'. Being away from society, they have finally been able to escape. Their grappling with freedom inspires Miss Dunn, 'flung open her window and breathed in the passionate cold'. Dunn is empowered by the girls, their actions causing a 'wild thought seeded' in her head - after the teachers are asyndetically listing in italics, 'Eadred, Eadwig, Edgar', Duffy presents the freedom of nature. They watch the 'snowball' being formed. Instead of paying attention to rote memorization, the 'class roared', seizing freedom - the passionate triple repetition, 'kissing her, kissing her, kissing her.' of Miss Batt and Fife represents a moment of climax. They get over their inhibitions, their lesbian kiss symbolizing total liberation. Miss Dunn makes the design to scale 'Everest's slopes' with 'the Captain of Sports' Stanzas 23+24+25: - Doctor Bream tries to rally in the children, stopping their laughter. She begins a religious 'vow', 'All earthly things above' in italics signaling Duffy's distaste. The rote memorization has permeated even religion. Although staff 'joined in', they cannot stop the girls, 'hysterical' and laughing. Rebuffing the 'giggling sea', 'Clarice Maud Bream' pulls up 'Nigella Dawn' 'from her seat and made to stand on the chair on the stage'. The singling out of one girl forces the others to realize their mistake - capitalization of 'SILENCE!' reflects the stern attitude of the headteacher. The frequent caesura similarly emulates the stunted laughter, 'news. The bell rang. Nobody/moved. Nobly made a sound'. Duffy presents a moment of silence in the poem, the girls 'stared in shame at their shoes' - while trying to stop, Miss Batt 'flung her head back and laughed, laughed', bearing the silence. The double repetition of 'laughed', combined with the energetic verb 'flung' compounds the release of this moment - presents change in poem Stanzas 26-31: - these stanzas feature the teachers deciding to change their lives - Although still 'silent', Mrs. Mackay now has the power in their relationship with Mr. Mackay. Duffy presents this by structuring the lines to have Mrs. Mackay as the active participant. Duffy writes 'She eyed him', 'She spied him', 'She clenched', the constant syntactical placement of 'she' before 'him' suggesting her regaining of power - she wakes in the night, moving against the oppressive consonance of 'her spouse' that 'whistled and whined'. Mrs. Mackay aligns herself with the feminine symbol of 'the moon', leaving her husband. The repetition of 'walked' demonstrates her journey, leaving him behind for good. Mrs. Mackay is free - Miss Batt and Miss Fife long for each other, 'kisses that tastes of jotters, of wine', wanting to be together. They were 'dizzy with lust', waiting for the bell so they can escape home together - the laughter in Miss Nadimbaba's classroom is described as 'An epidemic', infecting all 'teaches and girls', unified in their 'giggling'. The asyndetic list to describe their laughter, 'giggling, sniggering, gurgling, snickering', demonstrates their gaining of freedom. Whereas asyndeton was before used to display the rote memorization, it is now claimed by verbs of laughter Stanza 32: - Miss Dunn approaches 'Diana Kim' after school, knowing that she 'would scale', 'would pitch', 'would know; Duffy suggests that Miss Dunn wants to have an adventure with Diana Kim, asking her to accompany her to 'climb to the Mother of Each', mount Everest - repetition of 'higher' echoes idea of realising what the teachers want in life, Dunn being able to escape into the clouds. Here, 'into the sun' represents total female liberation, able to do anything - even climb the highest mountain in the world Stanza 33+34+35: - polysyndeton connects the achievements of the school ('Silver medals and trophies and cups'), lessening their impact. This could symbolize those material achievements are nothing compared to personal ones - Duffy uses hyperbole to demonstrate the incredible impacts of the laughter, 'bursts of hysteria' and 'exposed again' describing the laughter. From the Head's perspective, the laughter is something to fight against, Duffy using the semantics of war - 'Cackles, like gunfire, crackled' and a 'cheer boomed through the Gym'

The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High Analysis part 4

Stanzas 36+37+38: - Duffy writes that 'Doctor Bream' calls a staff meeting, the staff 'filed in at 4.15'. All the teachers, presented in an asyndetic list, are present. The head talks in italics, 'I think we all agree', asking the teachers to report on the situation of the laughter - instead of rejecting the girls' laughter, Miss Mackay begins to sing. After her outburst, echoing the freedom of laughter, the teachers begin to resign. Miss Batt and Miss Fife begin this resignation. Miss Dunn then continues, going to 'have a crack at Everest'. Then 'one by one/the staff resigned', using the frenetic energy of rebellion started by laughter to quit their jobs and follow their dreams - Doctor Beam is furious, 'white with shock', asking in italics 'what... about the girls?'. In response to this, the teachers begin to laugh, engaging with their moment of freedom, 'laughter', 'winked', 'giggled girlishly', all enjoying the liberation Stanzas 39+40+41: - these stanzas explore the first moments of the staffs' liberation, each enjoying a moment of joy - Mrs. Mackay 'climbed on,/higher and higher', calling the mountain. She arrives at a 'village' as 'morning broke'. Duffy employs 'morning' as a symbol of a new beginning - Miss Batt and Miss Fife have a similar new beginning, the 'small room' they share bathed in 'new light'. The use of light is promising, Duffy symbolizing the happy future they have started together. Miss Batt moves down Miss Fife's body, caressing her 'down to the triangle'. The happy union of the women is mirrored by the beauty of the 'brightest stars', the galaxy looking on their sexual unification Stanzas 42+43: - Doctor Bream decides to 'close' the school at 'the end of term', knowing it cannot continue like this. The huge list of 'resignation notes fro the staff' causes her to 'put her head in her hands and wept'. Miss Nadimbaba and Señora Devizes try and rally the Head, inspiring her with a short speech in English and Spanish. It is important to note that Duffy writes Señora Devizes' speech in the informal 'tu' conjugation 'tengas', showing she cares for the head as a friend - girls react with joviality, 'cries of Olé', and 'A round of applause' following her speech. Doctor Bream angrily 'banged through he double doors, crunched down the gravel drive' and was gone in 'her car'. The aggressive 'banged' and 'crunched' signal the head's frustration Stanzas 44+45+46: - the 'empty school' is barren and tragic without the laughter of the school girls. It 'cracked and sighed' in silence, Duffy contrasting to the earlier energy of the scene. Duffy employs the semantics of death, 'small coffins', 'tombstones of learning', 'grass on a grave' to represent the death of this previous system of education - Mrs. Mackay has fled into nature, escaping her horrible marriage. Duffy depicts her as reflecting Lear, stumbling about the wilderness as if mad. She escaped her husband but wasted so much of her life with him that it seems that she will never truly receive. The head looks to the 'north/ to the clear night's sky', looking for a sign of what 'could have become of Mrs. Mackay - Miss Batt and Miss Fife 'had moved' together 'to a city', finally experiencing true freedom. They 'drank in a dark bar where women danced, cheek to cheek', being able to express their love publicly. In her new happy life, Miss Fife dreams of the oppressive school. She pictures it as a 'huge ship/floating away'. Miss Batt's lips, 'a warm mouth' wakes her, causing the 'school sank in her mind'. The semantics of water return, symbolizing how the school was lost to the battle of laughter Stanza 47: - Miss Nadimbaba has achieved her dream of writing, 'put[ting] down her pen and read[ing] through her poem.' Duffy acknowledges her talent, the 'talented ache' conveying her success. After an edit, 'altered/ a verb', the poem comes to life, 'jumped on the page' - Dr Bream is stuck in the hospital, looking 'through the bars at the blended hulk of the school'. The use of 'blackened' shows the degeneration of the school, no longer a place of rote learning, but instead crumbling away. Her allegiance to an oppressive regime left her lonely and unachieved - Mrs. Mackay reaches the coast, she was 'out of land' from her wandering. She reclaims her female identity, writing her 'maiden name with a stick in the sand'. This moment represents accepting her own identity, leaving her husband behind completely. Yet, it could also represent the transience of female identity in history. In line with many other women in Duffy's collection, this woman's name is forgotten - We, as readers, are not told her 'maiden name', with the transient image of the sea flowing in to wipe it out. The eternal power of the sea contrasts against this subtle rebellion, a beautiful moment within the poem. Her final act, 'danced away' is both joyous and melancholic. Although she is committing suicide, she does so to regain her own identity - finally being free of her patriarchal oppressors - the connection to 'teacher' and 'a girl in her arms' closes the poem. This image of unity, referring to Miss Dunn but representing all women, ends the poem with a sense of cohesion. The girls and teachers have battled against their society, beating back the patriarchy

The Map-Woman Analysis

Title: - 'Map' and 'Woman' are connected by a hyphen. In doing this, Duffy symbolizes the innate connection of place and identity. The woman can never escape her 'map' because it is a part of her - each word being capitalised could also suggest that both are equally important to the story Stanza 1: - poem begins with 'A woman's', lacking specificity. This could allow for Duffy to represent 'All Women' within the poem, this being a metaphor to represent the female experience, could also reflect her struggle to find an identity she is comfortable in - asyndeton allows Duffy to place item over item on her skin, hiding her identity under clothes and other superficial items - internal rhyme between 'tattoo' and 'map grew' displays the permanence of her 'map' identity - end of the first stanza seems uncertain, 'to end or go back or begin' displaying a mind vacillating. Duffy's protagonist cannot decide on which direction to take. This can be understood as a representation for life, the infinite possibilities stretching out before her - equal syntax, each preceded by 'or' furthers the emphasis on the possibility. The character's whole life stretches before her in this phrase - ominously beginning the rest of the poem Stanza 2: - 'Over her breast was the heart of the town': Duffy connects 'town' and 'breast', linking place and body. This is emblematic of the content of the poem as a whole, place etched on the woman's skin. Yet, this also suggests how important a home town is to someone, represents how she keeps her hometown deep inside her, the memories of that place-shaping her into the person she is. Using 'breast' also centers the poem on a uniquely female perspective Stanza 3: - Duffy uses asyndeton across the second and third stanzas, detailing those who lived in her town before her. People who occupy a town are perhaps just as important as the town itself - Duffy uses polysyndeton across 'marry and how and where and when' to show the sequential nature of life. One thing leads to the next, time marching on to an unstoppable beat. Duffy explores this idea, looking from 'marry' to 'die' in the space of a line - someone's adult life summarised in this small amount of poetry - use of caesura, 'nearby, waiting for time to start,' creates slight metrical pauses. This pauses can be understood as a representation of 'waiting', Duffy's character wishing to be able to leave this town - Duffy uses an image of being trapped to illustrate this childhood waiting, 'tiny face trapped in the window's bottle-thick glass'. The insignificance of 'tiny' and 'fly' could display a moment of self-conscious doubt. Yet, this could also be understood as demonstrating the vast nature of the world Stanza 4: - Duffy explores a failed relationship in this stanza. The fact that her partner is only 'a fingernail pressed on her flesh' demonstrates how she is only temporary - use of 'empty cup' could be a symbol for unhappiness, Duffy making use of the phrase 'cup half-empty' and changing it to reflect the sadness of this breakup scene. Duffy also employs pathetic fallacy at this moment, 'in the rain' setting a gloomy scene for the end of her relationship - Duffy uses images of places she has lived in 'Greengate Street' and others in the stanza belonging to Stafford. Stafford is a city in which Duffy has lived for many years, perhaps suggesting that the Map-Woman is Duffy herself. The reference to 'Beatles' also alludes to Duffy's childhood, growing up in Liverpool Stanza 5: - sibilance across 'sponged, soaped, scrubbed' demonstrates the effort in which the woman tries to get rid of her map. The repeated sound is unnerving, subverted from normally soft 's' by the inclusion of the plosive 'p' and 'b'. The blend of soft and hard sounds is perhaps emblematic of the fusion of map and body, natural and unnatural - rest of this stanza focuses on the monotony of her game city, Duffy using images of industry. Indeed, 'railway station', 'trains' 'operation' all contain ideas of bleak scenery. Even the trains themselves are personified as 'sigh[ing] on the platforms'. Duffy presents a grey scene of her home town, the only thing exciting her is 'pining' for escape Stanza 6: - use of 'vanished' bears connotations of disappearing. This gives Duffy a moment of positive warmth, 'tasting future time' as she moves towards a new phase in her life. Yet, underneath these promising images, the train is 'bleaching steam'. The unpleasant image revealing the hollowness of her excitement - use of caesura following 'home-' places emphasis on the location. Following this 'there its as on her thigh-' is also followed by caesura. The map on 'her thigh' is structurally encased in punctuation, emblematic of the map within Duffy's body. Home is inescapable, it will always be inside 'on her thigh', calling her back Stanza 7: - slight tonal shift. Duffy writes that 'She didn't live there now. She lived', implementing a caesura. The stilted sentence breaks the flow of the line, bolding being emphasized. The abrupt image of the moment now revealing that she has left is shocking. This moment of pause represents the change of location - frenetic listing of the semantics of traveling, constructed with an asyndetic list. Indeed, 'abroad, en route, up north, on a plane or train' all compound the sense that she has finally escaped - although gone, the map remains. She intends to cover this up, hiding her true identity 'under her stockings'. The triple repetition of 'under', linked with an item of clothing, shows the length she goes to hide her true identity. Duffy's Map-Woman does not want to be connected with her past. Yet, her past is 'pressing into the bone', the depth of memory cutting right to her core - Duffy suggests that no matter how far she runs, the memories will always be there. The use of cyclic language, 'looped' and 'repeatedly' demonstrate this. Although she may leave, her life is 'repeatedly' coming back to rest on memory Stanza 8: - past is depicted as tragic and oppressive. The lexis Duffy employs, 'crying', 'snarl', and 'shrieks' create a nightmarish scene of memory. She cannot escape these memories, the sound based verbs calling out after her. Even the 'motorway' she uses to escape 'groaned', everything reminding her of her hometown - reference to 'roaring river of metal' which was 'flowing away' demonstrates the unstoppable progression of time. The motorway, here a metaphor for life itself, continues on forever. She is left behind as the cars and buses race past, 'roaring' in her ear. - the multilingual finish to this stanza demonstrates how this is a global issue. There is nowhere she could run to which would change who she is, the monosyllabic 'ciao' finishing the stanza in bitter disappointment Stanza 9: - 'stared in the mirror' connects with the theme of the female body. Hyper aware of how she comes across, the Map-Woman scrutinizes her own body. The image of 'both arms raised over her head' seems almost like surrender. It seems that she is beginning to give up on her dreams of change, giving in to her inescapable identity - 'fuzz of woodland... under each arm' represents armpit hair. This image could be interpreted polysemously within the text: some argue that it means she has stopped caring about her body, it could also be that because in other parts of the world, it is not traditional for women to shave, and Duffy's Map-Woman is embracing this custom, it could also be a reaction to the 21st Century Feminist Movement - 'was certain': the use of endstop following this phrase further compounds the assurance of these words, 'certain' having metrical emphasis. Her body, represented through the semantics of the map, 'cul-de-sac, stile, back road, high road' is familiar to her - she knows it well Stanza 10: - she indulges in lavish practices, covering herself with 'perfume and mousse'. She rides in 'a limousine', as if money would change who she is. Despite this, 'The map perspired under her clothes'. The violence of 'seethed' demonstrates the harsh reality of identity - one cannot change simply by having more money - 'foreign tongue': she is unable to change who she is at the core. The blunt end stop following 'The map translated everything back to herself' demonstrates this reality. She tries everything, but to no avail Stanza 11+12: - she decides to face her past head-on. The Map-Woman 'went back', drinking for 'a night and a day' until she reached 'the town'. The scenery is presented as 'stale' and 'crumbled', showing the large amount of time that has passed since her visit - when entering her city, she 'got lost', suddenly not knowing her own mapped town. The city, with age, has changed into something she doesn't even recognize. Now, the place she feared returning to for so long no longer exists. Indeed, 'what was familiar/was only a facade', the woman unable to understand this change. The enjambement across these stanzas can be understood as emblematic of change, one flowing unstopping into the next - erotic and sexual language throughout the twelfth stanza. Duffy uses 'stripped', 'stockings', and 'lifted a honeymoon thong from her groin' to present the shedding of the map. This moment of change is climactic, Duffy using sexual language to reveal how happy this change makes the woman - although it seems gone, 'new skin', there are still hints that remain. The use of 'barely' suggests that there is something still visible, not quite getting rid of what she once had. The 'small cross where her parents' skulls' is deeply unsettling. Perhaps Duffy is suggesting a part of the reason the Map-Woman was so unhappy with being known by her city was due to abusive parents, or a depressing childhood. The 'skulls' seem malevolent, both 'grinned' and 'dark' being unsettling images Stanza 13: - uses a rhetorical question to signal how the woman is still unsure of her own identity, 'was she looking for?'. The semantics of death 'ghost', 'dead in', and 'suicided letter' could represent how her identity has been partly destroyed by this change - Duffy writes, 'sun glitter'. While 'glittered' may be understood as a moment of happiness and hope, it could also be a reference to Shakespeare's Measure for Measure: "All that glitters is not gold". Duffy states that this happiness is only a false promise - 'Deep in the bone/old streets': Although the upper layer of identity has been removed, the Map-Woman will change her own history. She can come to terms with things, such as her parents' deaths, but will never be able to change having lived in this location. The 'old streets' will be a part of her 'bone' forever, deep inside her body. The imagery of 'tunnelled and burrowed' furthers the seething nature of the city, the memories still locked inside her. She will never truly be able to forget the past and reform herself - final rhyme across 'bone' and 'home' solidifies the inescapable identity. The neatness of the final rhyme chimes back to the beginning of the poem, 'tattoo', 'map grew' representing the internal identity. The Map-Woman is never able to be free of her past, it living deep within her psyche