Harry Hare 10Q
Carol Ann Duffy writes poetry, which reveal disturbing aspects of human behaviour and the human nature. I will be writing about these three poems, ‘Salome’, ‘Before you were mine’, and ‘Stealing’. I will be going into deeper meanings with these poems showing what is revealed and how it is revealed.
Te three poems all have more than one theme. In Salome, the theme is revenge, and it also has a strong sexual element. The main idea in the text of before you were mine is a sexual element, but one between the mother and daughter which is very disturbing. We can see this firstly in the title, “Before you were mine”. The word mine has slight sexual connotations. Also, her name Marilyn is symbolic for the great sex icon Marilyn Monrogue, suggesting she sees her mother as a sex icon. The poem stealing is on the subject of theft but also has a sexual element. In the first stanza, “midnight”, and “moon” have romantic connotations, and so does “mate” which also has sexual connotations. Theft is also a disturbing theme as most of us regard theft as being immoral, meaning she doesn’t care about right or wrong. This theory is also proved when the poet writes, “Part of the thrill was that knowing children would cry in the morning”. She is not amoral, as she knows the difference between right and wrong, “a fierce chill” which suggests a pain in her stomach. This is symbolic for the guilt she is feeling. Overall, the main themes in each of these poems do show disturbing aspects of human nature such as theft and revenge.
