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The use of language is also very important in both poems. Imagery is a technique that is used frequently in 'The Seduction' and in 'Cousin Kate'. In 'Cousin Kate' the maid says

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Introduction

One difference between the boy and the lord is that the lord doesn't really have to try to impress the maid or Kate. He can just use his power and money. The boy in 'The Seduction', however, has to try to impress the girl. The poem tells us he is wearing a leather jacket; this could be to make him look older or more sophisticated. "He told her about football; Sammy Lee and Ian Rush" also suggests that the boy is showing off. He tells her about football because he knows a lot about it and so shares all his knowledge in the hope that he will look intelligent and so he will impress her. The use of language is also very important in both poems. Imagery is a technique that is used frequently in 'The Seduction' and in 'Cousin Kate'. In 'Cousin Kate' the maid says ' even so I sit and howl in dust, you sit in gold and sing'. ...read more.

Middle

Later in the poem it says "and on that day she broke the heels of her high white shoes". This is telling us that she has lost her innocence and is no longer pure. Another example of this is in 'The Seduction' where the girl rips up all her magazines "until they were just bright paper, like confetti strewn on the carpet". The confetti is linked to weddings. The word confetti is used as it is immediately linked to marriage, and again purity. Finally, 'The Seduction' says "with a softly rounded belly". The word belly is used because it is a childish word and I think it reminds us that the girl is still a child. Symbolism is also used in 'Cousin Kate'. The maid says "you sit in gold and sing". Gold is a symbol of wealth and riches, also the singing represents happiness. The maiden says "so I sit and howl in dust" as dust is a symbol of poverty and dirt. ...read more.

Conclusion

This is used to describe the maid's feelings about Kate's relationship. She says that although she really loved the lord, Kate does not. Finally in 'Cousin Kate' the maid says "yet I've a gift you have not got". By this she means that she has a son and as she later goes on to say ("and seem not like to get") this shows us that Kate may be infertile and may never be able to conceive a child. The maid knows how much the lord wants one "to wear his coronet" or gain his inheritance. There are also many comparisons in 'The Seduction' of before and after the girl becomes pregnant. Before she was pregnant she dreamt of holidays and teenage parties. After she is pregnant the girl says: "Where were all the glossy photos of summer? Day trips to Blackpool, jumping all the rides" After she is pregnant she no longer feels that she will be able to go on the holidays that she used to before she was pregnant. ...read more.

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