Carol Ann Duffy - Words Wife A/s Notes
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Circe is a character from Homer's Odyssey. She lived on a beautiful island, and lots of men were tempted to land there, but she gave them magical potions which turned them into pigs, who were then served as dinner.
The poem's written from Circe's point of view, seeing all men as pigs, with a strong cannibalistic overtone (the cannibals of the south sea islands referred to human flesh as "long pig" - a specific reference)
A few language points:
- "nereids and nymphs" creates a mystical aura
- "percussion of oinks, and grunts, and squeals" is slightly onomatopaeic
once you know the background though, and apply the usual rules of looking at some of Duffy's more extreme feminist works, the language/structural keys leap out at you
The poem's written from Circe's point of view, seeing all men as pigs, with a strong cannibalistic overtone (the cannibals of the south sea islands referred to human flesh as "long pig" - a specific reference)
A few language points:
- "nereids and nymphs" creates a mystical aura
- "percussion of oinks, and grunts, and squeals" is slightly onomatopaeic
once you know the background though, and apply the usual rules of looking at some of Duffy's more extreme feminist works, the language/structural keys leap out at you
nighters123
The Devils Wife - A poem about the Moors Murders with the protagonist being Myra Hindley.
The deeper meaning behind the poem seems to be that Hindley received greater punishment/publicity due to her being a woman - 'I was the Devil's wife which made me worse'.
Firstly the style used is very truncated, and can be described as staccato so it is a very energetic and stop start style. This is used to show the corruption of Hindley by Ian Brady, as everything seems to be happening very fast for Hindley as if she's possessed 'i know it was me who was there' this shows her acting without thinking and therefore resonates the corruption that has come about from being possessed by the devil.
The language is very blunt, so amplifies how Hindley is drained of morality ' he held my heart in his fist and squeezed it dry', this then leads Hindley to lose all will in life and the 'medusa stare' suggests how she is soulless. The stanza is then ended on 'i didnt care' repeating the bluntness. The poem also suggests the tenuous link between life and death, as in 5. Appeal there is a list of possible deaths that could have occurred if capital punishment wasn't abolished.
Hope it helps, its not the best but has a few points in there
The deeper meaning behind the poem seems to be that Hindley received greater punishment/publicity due to her being a woman - 'I was the Devil's wife which made me worse'.
Firstly the style used is very truncated, and can be described as staccato so it is a very energetic and stop start style. This is used to show the corruption of Hindley by Ian Brady, as everything seems to be happening very fast for Hindley as if she's possessed 'i know it was me who was there' this shows her acting without thinking and therefore resonates the corruption that has come about from being possessed by the devil.
The language is very blunt, so amplifies how Hindley is drained of morality ' he held my heart in his fist and squeezed it dry', this then leads Hindley to lose all will in life and the 'medusa stare' suggests how she is soulless. The stanza is then ended on 'i didnt care' repeating the bluntness. The poem also suggests the tenuous link between life and death, as in 5. Appeal there is a list of possible deaths that could have occurred if capital punishment wasn't abolished.
Hope it helps, its not the best but has a few points in there
that was so helpful, thanks a lot! x
Has anybody got any notes on Mrs Sisyphus??....Any help would be much appreciated
Oh and anything on Penelope and Pope Joan would be helpful too as my class ran out of time to finish the collection so now i'm having to study them myself and i'm finding it a little hard....
I havent many notes on mrs sisyphus, but this is waht ive got.
The Effect of rhyming - 1) Initially the rhyme scheme is the same - to show the monotony of life.
2) Reflects on modern day society - loves his work more than his wife.
Then ive just got for the first line 'thats him pushing the stone up the hill, the jerk'
Shows: disrespect
Sarcasm
Annoyance
colloquialism
Non affectionate humour
Thats all i have on it, i could do with more on that poem as well.
Penelope
Use of enjambement - mimics her sewing, joining together like a thread.
Seems to lose herself in what shes doing
Seems content in lonliness
Thats all ive got for that poem as well
The Effect of rhyming - 1) Initially the rhyme scheme is the same - to show the monotony of life.
2) Reflects on modern day society - loves his work more than his wife.
Then ive just got for the first line 'thats him pushing the stone up the hill, the jerk'
Shows: disrespect
Sarcasm
Annoyance
colloquialism
Non affectionate humour
Thats all i have on it, i could do with more on that poem as well.
Penelope
Use of enjambement - mimics her sewing, joining together like a thread.
Seems to lose herself in what shes doing
Seems content in lonliness
Thats all ive got for that poem as well
Pope Joan is basically one long sentence that can be seen as representing childbirth.
Three line stanzas tie in with the religious message (Trinity)
One line of argument is that men exclude women from the church but God excludes men from the most spiritual act of all (Childbirth)
Just some notes from my book
Three line stanzas tie in with the religious message (Trinity)
One line of argument is that men exclude women from the church but God excludes men from the most spiritual act of all (Childbirth)
Just some notes from my book
Thanks guys! Thats more than what i conjured up lol...anymore that people have got if they could please forward it as i really do need the help...
ChocoChick
Oh and anything on Penelope and Pope Joan would be helpful too as my class ran out of time to finish the collection so now i'm having to study them myself and i'm finding it a little hard....
i've got a few notes although they're not all that....
Penelope is basically waiting for her husband to come home from war, she has many suitors but turns them down, and carries on with her sewing. When he finally returns however it turns out, shockingly that she just carries on with her sewing, suggesting women just think they 'need' men but can live on without them.
in second stanza there's juxtaposition of amuse with industry ( i can't be bothered to right out its effect but im sure you can figure it out)
Alliteration 3rd stanza (all the L words) possibly to show her growing up/old maturing maybe...
describes suitors as 'others' the outsiders, possibly suggesting she's isolated....
there is more but thats all i got time to write up at momement ( gotta go do my prayers!) if i have time ill add!
The Devil's Wife is said to be about Myra Hindley. She was a woman who lured children to forests so her boyfriend could rape and murder them. There' references to how she found the children and refused to admit doing anything until 0 years later when he admitted to it. Hope that helps. 
this thread's really useful thanks!
the_alba
When will A-level students realise how simplistic and mind-numbingly dreadful Carol Ann Duffy is? I know you HAVE to study her, but that's no excuse for not seeing the light. The poems are so basic, they take the reader by the hand in every way possible, so at no point will she risk herself being removed from the GCSE and A-level syllabus. Do you really need a discussion group to work out what she's saying? Go and read some Paul Muldoon, or if it's a woman poet you want, Lavinia Greenlaw or Elizabeth Bishop or Carol Rumens or Alice Oswald.
I'd like to have my say on this point of view. Firstly, I'm sure that Duffy's poems are intentionally 'simple'. In a way, I'd say she could be identified as following on from the ideal that Wordsworth and Colleridge set up together: describing things that happen to people, in the words of the people. Her poems are not about the mystification commonly found in the work of some other modern writers; they are the opposite, in a way. The average person is supposed to be able to understand them.
What's the point of an overly complicated piece of literature, after all? If I read a novel that I don't understand because it's simply too obscure for me, it's quite probable that a lot of people would tell me that I just 'didn't get the point'. However, what I'd say is that the writer has failed to communicate his or her point. A spade has to be a spade before it can be a symbol-- if it doesn't make sense without being interpreted, it just won't fit.
Understanding The World's Wife simply for its narrative content is simple. The real message of the poems lies underneath the surface. I think it's well worth studying for the way in which the stories and messages have been meshed together, and the ways in which one can interpret the content. I don't think we should be encouraged to stay collectively stuck in a past of fanciful, romantic language, or for that matter stagnate in a pool of obscurism. There's no point at all in highlighting a social or political matter in one's work if nobody can spot the message.
I'm not saying this just because it's what I'm being taught. It's not about seeing the light. I wholely respect your point of view and recognise its validity, but speaking in absolutes is a dangerous business. Not everyone likes the same things. It doesn't have to offend you that we enjoy reading poetry that we can discuss without misunderstanding. We're not all literary scholars, after all.
Oh God. I LOVE DUFFY!
I have a resit on her poetry in January. I better get reading.
I have a resit on her poetry in January. I better get reading.
M-cakes
I'd like to have my say on this point of view. Firstly, I'm sure that Duffy's poems are intentionally 'simple'. In a way, I'd say she could be identified as following on from the ideal that Wordsworth and Colleridge set up together: describing things that happen to people, in the words of the people. Her poems are not about the mystification commonly found in the work of some other modern writers; they are the opposite, in a way. The average person is supposed to be able to understand them.
What's the point of an overly complicated piece of literature, after all? If I read a novel that I don't understand because it's simply too obscure for me, it's quite probable that a lot of people would tell me that I just 'didn't get the point'. However, what I'd say is that the writer has failed to communicate his or her point. A spade has to be a spade before it can be a symbol-- if it doesn't make sense without being interpreted, it just won't fit.
Understanding The World's Wife simply for its narrative content is simple. The real message of the poems lies underneath the surface. I think it's well worth studying for the way in which the stories and messages have been meshed together, and the ways in which one can interpret the content. I don't think we should be encouraged to stay collectively stuck in a past of fanciful, romantic language, or for that matter stagnate in a pool of obscurism. There's no point at all in highlighting a social or political matter in one's work if nobody can spot the message.
I'm not saying this just because it's what I'm being taught. It's not about seeing the light. I wholely respect your point of view and recognise its validity, but speaking in absolutes is a dangerous business. Not everyone likes the same things. It doesn't have to offend you that we enjoy reading poetry that we can discuss without misunderstanding. We're not all literary scholars, after all.
What's the point of an overly complicated piece of literature, after all? If I read a novel that I don't understand because it's simply too obscure for me, it's quite probable that a lot of people would tell me that I just 'didn't get the point'. However, what I'd say is that the writer has failed to communicate his or her point. A spade has to be a spade before it can be a symbol-- if it doesn't make sense without being interpreted, it just won't fit.
Understanding The World's Wife simply for its narrative content is simple. The real message of the poems lies underneath the surface. I think it's well worth studying for the way in which the stories and messages have been meshed together, and the ways in which one can interpret the content. I don't think we should be encouraged to stay collectively stuck in a past of fanciful, romantic language, or for that matter stagnate in a pool of obscurism. There's no point at all in highlighting a social or political matter in one's work if nobody can spot the message.
I'm not saying this just because it's what I'm being taught. It's not about seeing the light. I wholely respect your point of view and recognise its validity, but speaking in absolutes is a dangerous business. Not everyone likes the same things. It doesn't have to offend you that we enjoy reading poetry that we can discuss without misunderstanding. We're not all literary scholars, after all.
This is brilliant - I just felt the urge to chip in because you've summed up so exactly the things I love best about Duffy's poetry. Though I would say that her poetry is direct rather than simple - for the reason you explain: that the primary meaning is there for everyone, but there are generally subtle, complex undercurrents to be teased out if one is so inclined.
Besides - in literature, sometimes directness is quite a welcome change (says one who is still gathering the courage to approach Joyce)!
Has anyone got any ideas of the 'deeper meaning' behind Pope Joan? i know that its basically the pope who hid her gender etc and then she had a baby and then she was killed. but like a more analysis of the poem, that certain words can suggest and represent? and the language, structure ??i have no idea 
To 'The Boosh':
You are clearly very inept and unable to contemplate the complexity of Duffy's writing. We have certain words to describe philistinic people such as as yourself, the main one sprining to mind being TIT.
Please keep your under-developed and obsurd views to yourself as we really don't wish to read them.
If she's so dyre, why then has she been made this year's poet loriet? I wonder.
Wonderful to chat with you, please don't bother replying, you aren't likely to be inteligent or dillagent enough to think of any suitable responce.
Yours,
Someone far far cleverer than you.
You are clearly very inept and unable to contemplate the complexity of Duffy's writing. We have certain words to describe philistinic people such as as yourself, the main one sprining to mind being TIT.
Please keep your under-developed and obsurd views to yourself as we really don't wish to read them.
If she's so dyre, why then has she been made this year's poet loriet? I wonder.
Wonderful to chat with you, please don't bother replying, you aren't likely to be inteligent or dillagent enough to think of any suitable responce.
Yours,
Someone far far cleverer than you.
Anyone got any ideas about Delilah?
i've read previous post and they all sound quiete in-depth and i need some pointers on Delilah
i've read previous post and they all sound quiete in-depth and i need some pointers on Delilah
wow these are the first notes ive found on the internet, thanks, very helpfull - can't believe there's such little resources for this exam!
please put up more notes clever people!!
queen herod and mrs faust? or actually any of them would be soo helpful!
or if anyone knows where there are notes / explanations of the poems in the world's wife collection.. there's gotta be some help out here! my teacher is pretty useless so going it alone!
i found the techit resources ok but a bit of a letdown as they seem more for the use of teachers not students.
much apprieciated!!
x
please put up more notes clever people!!
queen herod and mrs faust? or actually any of them would be soo helpful!
or if anyone knows where there are notes / explanations of the poems in the world's wife collection.. there's gotta be some help out here! my teacher is pretty useless so going it alone!
i found the techit resources ok but a bit of a letdown as they seem more for the use of teachers not students.
much apprieciated!!
x
Kay6927
Does anyone have notes on Mrs Darwin? I have to compare Mrs Darwin with Mrs Midas and at the moment i have very very little to compare. They are just so completely different!
Help!
Help!
Erm - I did "The World's Wife" last year, so can't quite remember everything, but here's a few pointers -
Use of humourous rhymes to enforce connections:
"1852/zoo/you" and "He drew the blinds. You know the mind;"
The down-to-earth setting of both poems.
"Mrs Darwin" implies that it was Mrs Darwin who came up with the theory of the origin of species (that humans evolved from apes) - the fact that Darwin is the known publisher of this idea, can be taking as greed on his part - comparable to the greed of Midas.
In both poems, the women have arguably stronger characters.
By the way, "compare" is usually paired with "contrast" - plenty to write!
And just to contribute generally to this thread, I've attached some fairly detailed analysis of quotes I did for the first three poems:
yasmin-alica
wow these are the first notes ive found on the internet, thanks, very helpfull - can't believe there's such little resources for this exam!
please put up more notes clever people!!
queen herod and mrs faust? or actually any of them would be soo helpful!
or if anyone knows where there are notes / explanations of the poems in the world's wife collection.. there's gotta be some help out here! my teacher is pretty useless so going it alone!
i found the techit resources ok but a bit of a letdown as they seem more for the use of teachers not students.
much apprieciated!!
x
please put up more notes clever people!!
queen herod and mrs faust? or actually any of them would be soo helpful!
or if anyone knows where there are notes / explanations of the poems in the world's wife collection.. there's gotta be some help out here! my teacher is pretty useless so going it alone!
i found the techit resources ok but a bit of a letdown as they seem more for the use of teachers not students.
much apprieciated!!
x
Queen Herod notes in above post
Let me know if the format doesn't work, I could easily PM you with another format.
(edited 13 years ago)
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