The poem is filled with passionate metaphors and uses very provocative language. The curtains stir. But more-so just mulling along without being particularly social. On a more morbid note, Carol Ann Duffy also looks at death and endings. Another provocative piece of language use. Carol Ann Duffy, the first female poet laureate (born 1955) is brought up in a period in which women are attaining a new position in society and are confirming their own liberation. Carol Ann Duffy in the Poetry Store. From Rapture (Picador, 2005), Carol Ann Duffy 2005, used by permission of the author and the publisher. SELECTED POEMS is a collection of poetry chosen by Carol Ann Duffy from her first four acclaimed novels: STANDIN Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1955. Poet, playwright and freelance writer Carol Ann Duffy was born on 23 December 1955 in Glasgow and read philosophy at Liverpool University. Murdo Macleod for the Guardian. The free tracks you can enjoy in the Poetry Archive are a selection of a poet’s work. from the pining, earth-struck moon which gapes at me. The narrator addresses the reader as if they are the object of the narrator’s affection. Carol Ann Duffy is a born leader, with extra-ordinary drive and determination. 1093858. Valentine, Words, Wide Night, In Mrs Tilscher's Class This gives the reader a view of the narrator’s “torn-vision” on love. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/carol-ann-duffy-3703.php Poem name: Caul by Carol Ann Duffy Overview of the meaning: The poet remembers the fact that she was born with a caul over her head and that it was sold to a sailor as a lucky talisman. She was born on Friday December 23rd 1955, in Unknown. I don’t think this is meant to mean physically hiding. Carol Ann Duffy, Writer: National Theatre Live: Everyman. Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester, where she is Professor and Creative Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. LJ, has been a Poem Analysis team member ever since Novemer 2015, providing critical analysis of poems from the past and present. Poem Hunter all poems of by Carol Ann Duffy poems. “The Devils Wife” is actually a poem written by Carol Ann Duffy. in her head, half dead, shuffled. 30 poems of Carol Ann Duffy. They further go on to explain the strong emotions that love makes them feel. Analysis “Head of English” by Carol Ann Duffy depicts a teacher –also the Head of English – struggling with her envious feelings towards a poet who was paid to come perform at their school. They are very complimentary describing their partner as a touchable dream, this is far removed from the previous descriptions. b. The word gaped in the final line may have a significance as it has subtle sexual connotations as the word is often associated with an ill-fitting blouse. She reflects upon the implications of this. The stanza is rounded off by the narrator talking about how their loved one entered their life. Our catalogue store includes many more recordings which you can download to your device. Duffy's poetry has received numerous awards, and she is a member of the Royal Society of Literature. A reading of the poem You by Carol Ann Duffy that I performed at home for #SpotlightPride this year as we weren't able to celebrate Pride properly this year due to … She is a former editor of the poetry magazine Ambit and is a regular reviewer and broadcaster. She hates the packing away of the fairy lights and tinsel even more than I do. The free tracks you can enjoy in the Poetry Archive are a selection of a poet’s work. come. Together with her four younger brothers, she was raised in Staffordshire in the West Midlands of England where her … This time they are described as “sprawling” so up until this point the adjectives to describe this nebulous character’s actions have been sprawled and strolled. https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/carol-ann-duffy Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved. It is separated into three quatrains and a couplet, but the line length is inconsistent and there is no discernible rhyming pattern. From Rapture (Picador, 2005), Carol Ann Duffy 2005, used by permission of the author and the publisher. They personify their thoughts and in doing so create a powerful piece of imagery. The biggest and best secrets behind the greatest poetry revealed. Falling in love After logging in you can close it and return to this page. ‘Valentine’ – Carol Ann Duffy. Discuss and answer the following questions in as much detail as you can. Before You Were Mine exploration – MeanTime by Carol Ann Duffy. From the onset of this stanza, it would appear that the narrator is describing how they tried to avoid falling in love. On December 23, 1955, Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Mary Black and Frank Duffy, both of Irish Catholic descent. The strengths of this sign are being responsible, disciplined, good managers, while weaknesses can be to be the know-it-all, unforgiving, condescending and expecting the worst. Taken from the Wikipedia page on Carol Ann Duffy -- Style section Duffy's work explores both everyday experience and the rich fantasy life of herself and others. Discover the best-kept secrets behind the greatest poetry. How they strolled in. All the content of this paper is just her opinion on Mrs Aesop by Carol Ann Duffy Poem Analysis and should not be seen as the way of presenting the arguments. She was appointed as the first female Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom on 1 May 2009. You sprawled in my gaze, She grew up in Stafford, England, and attended the University of Liverpool, where she obtained an honors degree in philosophy in 1977. She became the first woman to hold the post of Poet Laureate in 2009, succeeding Andrew Motion. is glamorous hell; the crouched, parched heart She is the first woman, the first Scottish-born poet and the first known LGBT poet to hold the position. Horoscope. Carol Ann Duffy is Britain’s poet laureate, a prestigious honor bestowed on her by the queen. Charity No. Essays for Carol Ann Duffy: Poems. As I open the bedroom door. Carol Ann Duffy: Poems essays are academic essays for citation. ‘Anon’ by Carol Ann Duffy begins by focusing on the women who have been forgotten in history, suggesting that perhaps even they would not recognize their own anonymous work. Her new book, Sincerity, is her last collection of poems before she steps down from the laureateship in May 2019.It was written over a period of two years and contains the lyrical poignancy, humour and formal diversity we have come to expect from her. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. A playwright and writer, Carol Ann Duffy is best known as one of Britain’s most popular and critically acclaimed poets. She is a versatile poet who adapts her style to fit the mood of the poem. The speaker presents their lover with a valentine in the form of an onion, then explains the reasoning behind this unusual gift. A sonnet is a poetry form readily associated with love and perhaps this subversion is to represent the tempestuous nature of love itself. This collection consists mainly of love poems which are far from surprising given the title of the collection. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. The poems – together with introductory paragraphs – have a link to the date on which they appear. A Comparison of Before You Were Mine and Pluto; Men, Women, and Representation in Duffy's ‘The Worlds Wife’. This, at least for me, created an image of somebody with a nonchalance and arrogance. They describe the heart as being parched, this portrays the idea that the heart is thirsty, that it is longing for something that it just can’t have. This once again suggests that it is beyond their control and that it is something that is being done unto them rather than an experience they are necessarily enjoying. on the bed, like a gift, like a touchable dream. Caroll Ann Duffy is a playwright as well as a poet. Carol Ann Duffy (23 December 1955 - present) Born in England on 23 December 1955. Her poems often provide commentary on contemporary issues. The image of a tiger, ready to kill is particularly striking. Please support Poem Analysis by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. It acts almost like a prompt to a speaker who is giving a speech it announces what the following stanza will be about effectively. “Valentine” is a free verse dramatic monologue written by Scottish poet, author, and playwright Carol Ann Duffy. It conveys how those… In “Brothers” Duffy refers to “a box” and her brothers will “shoulder it” we can make the assumption that the box is actually a coffin and maybe even her mothers. There you are The poem is written in first person, earlier tense narrative, The poem is a remarkable monologue coming from Myra Hindly’s perspective of life in prison. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! She is a versatile poet who adapts her style to fit the mood of the poem. She became the first woman to hold the post of Poet Laureate in 2009, succeeding Andrew Motion. like a tiger ready to kill; a flame’s fierce licks under the skin. Please log in again. Carol Ann Duffy - "You" - The Volatile Nature of Love In a characteristic adaptation of the sonnet form, Duffy expresses the contrasting emotions of passion and passivity, and the debilitating impact of overwhelming desire. (incidentally, the phenomena of seeing a face in a random object is called Pareidolia.). like tears, soft, salt, on my lips, the sound of its bright syllables History. The poem is highly charged and quite erotic in its tone. This person isn’t being put across as being particularly dynamic which sort of defies why the narrator has fallen so hard for them. Nowadays, he helps Will manage the team and the website. as I open the bedroom door. Answer Lyrics. The login page will open in a new tab. Sign up to find these out. Registered No. She is a well-studied poet whose poems are studied in England at GCSE and A-level. This line definitely suggests that the narrator can’t get the object of their affection out of their head. Overview of the meaning: Reflecting on her mum’s life and what she was like before the persona was born, while looking at a photo of them. We are delighted to feature 'Last Post' in this episode and would like to thank Carol Ann Duffy and Peter Strauss at Rogers, Coleridge & White for allowing us to use it in this way. Her poetry has received many awards, including the Signal Prize for Children's Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T. S. Eliot Prizes, … The photo is happy, carefree … On December 23, 1955, Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Mary Black and Frank Duffy, both of Irish Catholic descent. By Carol Ann Duffy ; On the Feast of the Epiphany, a glum occasion: I take down the Christmas tree while my ten-year-old, Ella, is at school. This is a very dramatic way of describing the euphoric up-and-down feeling that a person gets when they are in love. This is a nice contrast as up until this point the poem has consisted of dramatic images and this line kind of brings the tone back down to earth. Carol Ann Duffy. Subscribe to our mailing list to reveal the best-kept secrets behind poetry, We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. The position of Poet Laureate was formally established in 1668. At the end of the second line, the narrator once again describes the actions of their loved one. Start a free 30-day trial today and get your first audiobook free. Two representations of Duffy are created, one seeking to help and the other locked away, out of reach. 10 Credits Carol Ann Duffy Downloads. Uninvited, the thought of you stayed too late in my head, Thank you. I n 2009, Carol Ann Duffy was appointed the UK’s Poet Laureate. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. They describe these actions concurrently espouse the idea that their life was mundane and boring. The Poetry Archive is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. Carol Ann Duffy is Britain’s poet laureate, a prestigious honor bestowed on her by the queen. “the thought of me doesn’t occur”-possible jealousy“the fizzy movie tomorrows”- showing the life her mother could’ve lived without her “Before you were mine your Ma stands at the close”-Poet’s mother had freedom but was also restrained by her own mother showing a controlling relationship“You reckon it’s worth it”-she lived a care free life before her daughter was born She is a well-studied poet whose poems are studied in England at GCSE and A-level. Together with her four younger brothers, she was raised in Staffordshire in the West Midlands of England where her father worked as a fitter with English Electric. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. they are described as being like a gift which is a change in stance by the narrator who had been describing their feelings like more of a curse. She is a writer and producer, known for National Theatre Live: Everyman (2015), Human Interest (2014) and The Lost Happy Endings (2020). Zodiac Sign: Carol Ann Duffy is a Capricorn.People of this zodiac sign like family, tradition, and dislike almost everything at some point. Join the conversation by. 4336052. The third line refers to the way that the narrator’s love interests name sounds. I hid in my ordinary days, in the long grass of routine, Wish by Carol Ann Duffy deals with Duffy’s own depression, the poet seeking comfort in a dark moment. on the bed, like a gift, like a touchable dream. Lee-James, a.k.a. like a charm, like a spell. Dame Carol Ann Duffy DBE FRSL HonFBA HonFRSE (born 23 December 1955) is a British poet and playwright. The narrator uses powerful words to convey a dark undertone to the poem. The fact that it refers to their thoughts as “uninvited” suggests that they are powerless to control how they feel and wouldn’t want to feel that way. Poem: Before You Were Mine. In this episode of our podcast, you will hear Jackie talk about the poem that has been a friend to her: 'Last Post' by Carol Ann Duffy. It may be that Duffy deliberately chose this form in order to symbolize the chaotic nature of love. A caul is used to suggest that you will never drown. The narrator then describes them as staring back at them from anyone’s face. Carol Ann Duffy, in full Dame Carol Ann Duffy, (born December 23, 1955, Glasgow, Scotland), British poet whose well-known and well-liked poetry engaged such topics as gender and oppression, expressing them in familiar, conversational language that made her work accessible to a variety of readers. These notes will help you to revise, so the more detailed your notes the better! If you were made of stone, your kiss a fossil sealed up in your lips, your eyes a sightless marble to my touch, your grey hands pooling raindrops for the birds, I think the narrator is trying to highlight their introverted nature. There you are. The narrator returns to the bedroom to find their lover on the bed (presumably sprawled!) This once again helps to highlight the level of obsession. You is taken from a poetry collection called “Rapture”. Listen to "Carol Ann Duffy: Selected Poems" by Carol Ann Duffy available from Rakuten Kobo. It goes from describing emotions to describing actions, so the last two lines are like a story. The second line and the narrator opens up with a stunning oxymoron. This gives the final section an immediacy. Insisting on her right to make up her own mind, she demands freedom of thought and action, and does not let anything or anyone stand in her way once she is committed to her goal. The narrator is so consumed by their emotions that they see the face of this person on whoever they are with, their mind is clouded. 1955. http://www.carolannduffy.co.uk. Carol Ann Duffy in the Poetry Store. Carol Ann Duffy is an award-winning Scottish poet who, according to Danette DiMarco in Mosaic, is the poet of “post-post war England: Thatcher’s England.”. Carol Ann Duffy's "Originally" reflects on both the specific sadness of emigration and the universal sadness of growing up. Carol Ann Duffy was born on December 23, 1955 in Glasgow, Scotland. In closing the stanza they claim that the way they are feeling is like a spell. In this third line you can see the words “kill”, “flame” and “fierce” none of these would be readily associated with love, but have a stronger association with lust and desire. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy. They talk about their “camouflage rooms” giving the impression that they have been hiding in their house. She has written for both children and adults, and her poetry has received many awards, including the Signal Prize for Children’s Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T. S. Eliot Prizes, and the Lannan and E. M. Forster Prize in America. This poem appears in a similar form to a sonnet but is not a sonnet. Throughout the poem, Duffy makes use of different literary techniques to express the jealousy that was felt. The opening line is very short and this serves to highlight its importance. The narrator uses interesting language in the first line of this stanza of the poem, which can be read in full here. The free tracks you can enjoy in the Poetry Archive are a selection of a poet’s work. She was the first woman to be awarded the honour in its 400-year history. 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. Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester, where she is Professor and Creative Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. She moved from London to Manchester in 1996 and began to lecture in poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. A playwright and writer, Carol Ann Duffy is best known as one of Britain’s most popular and critically acclaimed poets. In this poem, a small Scottish child, confused and frightened by her family's move to England, slowly loses her sense of cultural identity. The poems – together with introductory paragraphs – have a link to the date on which they appear. Duffy is best known for writing … so I went to bed, dreaming you hard, hard, woke with your name, staring back from anyone’s face, from the shape of a cloud, The curtains stir. What's your thoughts? 'Before You Were Mine' is a poem Carol Ann Duffy wrote about her mum - she has used a photo of her mum from before she was born to explore the life her mother lived before giving birth and her relationship with her mother as a child. From Rapture (Picador, 2005), Carol Ann Duffy 2005, used by permission of the author and the publisher. the poem particulars Myra hindlys reflection on the crimes determined along with ian brady, known as the moors murders. Her poems often provide commentary on contemporary issues. Into my life, larger than life, beautiful, you strolled in. The second line is full of innuendo. in my camouflage rooms. The description is very melodramatic and over the top, this emphasizes the passion they feel. 10 Credits Carol Ann Duffy Downloads. She woke up old at last, alone, bones in a bed, not a tooth. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. Narrated by Carol Ann Duffy. We’re always adding to the Poetry Archive so sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest archive news, events and releases. The narrator goes to “bed” which you could associate with sex and then says that they dreamed of the other person “hard” which may not be an innuendo but the fact that it is used twice for emphasis suggests that it is indeed an innuendo! She is openly gay and sometimes this informs her poetry. The title of the Poem: “You” gives the poem an intimate feel, as if the poem is dedicated to just one person. Write in full sentences, otherwise your notes will not make sense when you look back at them. The final stanza, which is commonly used to “rap up” a traditional sonnet brings the poem up to the current tense. Duffy creates a depiction of a woman trapped in a grave, using this as a metaphor to represent her depression. It is set in Glasgow, making it semiautobiographical as this is where Duffy’s mother was born. It is as if having their lover there in front of them reminds them that they are a blessing. It is highly sexualized and may well be more about lust rather than love. She is a female celebrity. They see the face of the person they are in love with everywhere, from clouds to the surface of the moon! Read other papers done by Harper: Women's Social And Political Union