Little Red Cap revises Little Red Riding Hood in order to explore a rite of passage through puberty, the seductions of heterosexuality and initiation into the male-dominated world of writing. In light of this

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“‘Little Red Cap’ revises ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ in order to explore a rite of passage through puberty, the seductions of heterosexuality and initiation into the male-dominated world of writing.”

  In light of this comment explore whether ‘Little Red Cap’ is a fitting start to The Worlds Wife.

In Carol Ann Duffy’s collection of poems, The Worlds Wife, the first and last poems are vital to the collection. When viewing the book holistically, Little Red Cap’s aim is to introduce the stylistic features of the poems to follow, whilst Demeter aims to conclude the collection. ‘Little Red Cap’ launches straight into issues addressed throughout The Worlds Wife regarding feminism, sexuality, male domination, and the growth from childhood, into adulthood. Although ‘Little Red Cap’ is revised from the classic fairytale Little Red Riding hood, Duffy flips the tale on its head introducing sexuality and seduction.

        The poem begins “At childhoods end” a metaphor used by Duffy to demonstrate the power of childhood, portraying it as a physical place. The landscape itself points towards a more aware, dangerous, sexual world that gradually becomes a metaphor for the stages of life, perhaps suggesting securities of childhood are slowly depreciating “The houses peter out into playing fields”. Through use of enjambement in the third stanza, “a dark tangled thorny place/ lit by the eyes of owls” the pace of the poem is quickened, almost mimicking the quickening heart beat of Red Cap as she begins the physical journey to the loss of her childhood. The decision by Duffy for Red Cap to have “clapped eyes” on the wolf, see’s her viewing him as a form of prey, however the chosen description also carries a sense of foreboding. The thunderous connotations “clap” foreshadows the brewing storm. However the wolf is still alluring, rugged and mature. His “poetry” is sophisticated, and he bears a forbidden sign of maturity: wine. In every way he is different from the gentle safe world of Childhood. Whilst Red Cap feels liberated by this possible vulnerability, the choice of wording allows the reader to see her naivety in her childish view that danger is exciting. As opposed to other poems in the collection, the male character is alluring. In Mrs Faust, for example, she describes her husband as a “cunning callous bastard” Red Caps naivety is highlighted as she is charmed by his sophistication whereas later in the book women aren't fooled.

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        Whilst in the original story Little Red Riding hood is merely a child who innocently stumbles into the wolfs trap, Duffy quickly picks apart the image of innocence as Little Red Cap uses her virginity to seduce the Wolf. Rather than being tricked by the wolf, Red Cap -in her decision to grow up- chooses the wolf as the aid to her new life of maturity. As Red Cap grows Duffy uses many colloquialisms to portray her cunning wit: “Sweet sixteen, never been, my first”. The alliteration of ‘s’ gives an almost sickening feel to the line as the ...

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