'In Little Red Cap,' Duffy has successfully written about childhood and the loss of innocence. Discuss with detailed references to the poem;

'In Little Red Cap,' Duffy has successfully written about childhood and the loss of innocence. Discuss with detailed references to the poem; I am going to explore more deeply into Carol Anne Duffy's poem, 'little Red Cap.' And discuss the journey from childhood to adulthood, due to 'Little Red Cap's' loss of innocence. 'Little Red Cap' is one of the many poems that have been written by Carol Ann Duffy to portray a feminine side of life. Carol Anne Duffy has managed to do this by enabling each female character to have a voice to speak up against in many cases their husbands or partners. The poem "Little red cap" is based on the fairytale little red riding hood. However, this poem is a lot more mature and advanced in contrast to the original version of the story, which many people know and love. In the first stanza we are immediately introduced to the fact that 'Little Red Cap' is no longer a young child as Carol Anne Duffy uses a metaphor to clearly point out that she is 'At childhood's end,' Which signifies Little Red Cap is at the beginning of her adult life and that she is no longer an innocent child, but she is now a independent young women. However in the second stanza this image is slightly diminished as it states that she is only 'Sweet Sixteen.' this quote warns the reader that she is not as grown up as we were first set out to believe, in fact this makes her seem

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  • Subject: English
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Duffy's message in the 'Worlds Wife,' seems to be that ultimately the 'World's Wife,' wants a divorce. How far do I agree with this assessment of the anthology?

Duffy's message in the 'Worlds Wife,' seems to be that ultimately the 'World 's Wife,' wants a divorce. How far do I agree with this assessment of the anthology? Duffy explores dislocated or dissonant relationships in her anthology 'The World's Wife.' She mostly writes about the relationships between famous or mythical men and their wives. In her dramatic monologues she shows how behind every man is a strong woman. Duffy shows her dissatisfaction with the world of men, through the use of her negative sexual imagery and tone, which she uses in the majority of her poems throughout the anthology. This quote is an example of how Duffy uses sexual imagery to make fun of males, 'Ladies, dear ladies, the average penis - not pretty...,' This is a blunt quote from 'Frau Freud.' It makes fun of the male anatomy, and the quote sounds very much like it comes from Duffy's point of view. This negative attitude to men is also shown in 'Mrs Aesop.' Phrases like 'he could bore for purgatory,' clearly shows Duffy's negative attitude towards men, but the phrase 'slow as marriage,' also gives us an insight into Duffy's opinion of marriage, and as this poem comes very early on in the anthology it gives the reader a taste of what is to come Duffy explores many issues through the anthology, for example, infidelity in 'Medusa,' selfishness in 'Mrs Midas', and wanting a change for something new

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Duffy is entirely hostile towards men in 'The World's wife'. How far do you agree with this view of the way Duffy presents men in this collection?

Faye Fenwick 'Duffy is entirely hostile towards men in 'The World's wife'.' How far do you agree with this view of the way Duffy presents men in this collection? Duffy's presentation of men in 'The World's wife' could be considered to be 'entirely hostile', as it is a factor which is present across many pieces in her collection of work. However, this view point can also be argued against with a critical assessment of both men and women's representation throughout the collection. Of all the poems in the collection, I believe 'Thetis' to be the most supportive of this view, as it comes across as the poem filled with the most criticizes towards men. Throughout Thetis, it is clear that the speaker is changing forms from each stanza to the next; 'I shrank myself..', 'So I shopped for a suitable shape.', 'Next I was roar..'. Through each individual form, there is something that stops them, captures them; 'till I felt the squeeze of his fist.' In my opinion, this reoccurrence throughout the poem is a metaphor for domestic violence. The woman is trying to be free and independent and each time she tries to escape, the man suppresses her. This is clearly supportive of the view's perception of Duffy's hostility to men, in the poems. The language Duffy uses in Thetis also supports the view. Her choice of wording when talking about the male side of the fight for freedom in the poem

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Analysis of the poem "Originally" by Carol Ann Duffy

'Originally' by Carol Ann Duffy Jamie Bell Word count: 1068 The poem Originally by Carol Ann Duffy talks about the issue of culture identity. The poem talks about change, memories, and anxiety which occurs when moving. This is conveyed through the experiences of a young girl in the poem who is reluctant to leave what she knows behind. This is made apparent through the theme of memory and the continual change of setting. The title Originally sets the tone for the poem as there change needs to occur for there to be an 'original'. This choice of diction allows for an expectation for what the journey will be about, while the ambiguity of the poem is written in such a way that personal experiences can be projected upon the protagonist. The aspect of the poem through tone however creates a bias towards negative emotions and experiences due to the despondent tone throughout the first two stanzas. This atmosphere of loss is aided through the use of negative emotive diction such as 'bawling' and 'resigned'. By showing that the protagonist's brothers are crying, Duffy illustrates how hard this is for them as crying is usually only brought on by major or sad events and loss, 'resigned' is used to show how she has accepted her fate, but it doesn't mean she likes it. This association of emotions with the diction allows for empathy to occur towards the protagonist and her unsure

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'Carol Ann Duffy's poetry is mainly concerned with the politics of sex'

'Carol Ann Duffy's poetry is mainly concerned with the politics of sex.' How far do you agree with this statement? 'Delilah' by Carol Ann Duffy has an undeniably sexual element running throughout - an element which is highlighted by its suggestive language and presentation of gender roles between the characters 'Samson' and 'Delilah'. Many of Duffy's poems have a similar element running through them such as in 'Salome', 'Little Red Riding Cap' and 'Pygmalion's Bride' therefore it can be said that her poetry is mainly concerned with the politics of sex. However, Carol Ann Duffy states in an interview in 2005 that 'Delilah' is not about sex but is a love poem exploring the nature of Samson's wish to become 'gentle', 'loving' and 'tender'. This would therefore suggest that the main concern of the poem is more to do with love, power and gender. There are several references to sex throughout the poem, however the most direct reference comes in the fourth stanza where Samson 'fucks' Delilah. This is in stark contrast to his request in the third stanza only three lines above of wanting to learn how to 'care', or 'be gentle or loving or tender''. Despite wanting to become gentle, Samson 'fucks' Delilah rather than 'makes love' to her, implying that his wish was only a half-hearted one i.e. a wish he only makes but not something he would act upon. 'He fuck(s her) again' further

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How Does Carol Ann Duffy Present The Theme Of Being Misplaced In The Dolphins(TM) and Comprehensive(TM)?

How Does Carol Ann Duffy Present The Theme Of Being Misplaced In 'The Dolphins' and 'Comprehensive'? Carol Ann Duffy is a poet who characterizes her written poetry through carefully channelled dramatic monologues. Through her work, many themes and issues are explored, including that of loss, love, adolescence, change and being misplaced. Her propositions in this poetry are not to create a mystique or confusion, but to communicate through the usage of various personas and portray the thoughts and feelings typical to that character. In this essay, I will look at two specific poems: The Dolphins and Comprehensive. They both include elements of misplacement, which is arguably the key theme to both. I will analyze this theme in particular, exploring how Duffy creates the semblance of the character and the techniques that are employed in her poems. In The Dolphins, we are introduced to an enclosed persona of which freedom has been curtailed. The poem is spoken from the point of view of a dolphin, which has been incarcerated in an aquatic centre accompanied by others of its species. The second line claims "We are in our element but we are not free", meaning the conditions in which they reside (obviously being water) are familiar, however, their habitat (the aquarium) does not allow the unrestraint found in an ocean, where they rightfully belong. "There is a man and there are

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How do poets create the illusion of the speaking voice? Write about Carol Ann Duffy's 'Head of English' and one other poem from section one. In your answer show how language is used in both poems to convey attitudes and values.

How do poets create the illusion of the speaking voice? Write about Carol Ann Duffy's 'Head of English' and one other poem from section one. In your answer show how language is used in both poems to convey attitudes and values. 'Head of English' by Carol Ann Duffy explores the idea of stereotypical teachers and how G.B. Shaw's dictum, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches" may apply. Carol Ann Duffy is almost scornful towards her main character as she portrays the teacher as bitter and jealous. The teacher had to settle for the nearest thing to being a poet, which was to teach rather than write. 'Head of English' uses only one voice whereas 'Comprehensive' uses seven different personas; Carol Ann Duffy is famous for being a 'ventriloquist'. 'Comprehensive' by Carol Ann Duffy explores the different attitudes to education in schools and life in general by using different personalities, each one a stereotype. Each voice has an individual view and we can tell this by the structure of the poem and language used. Carol Ann Duffy creates voice through her perspectives and views that she uses in 'Head of English'. The teacher is envious of the poet, one could say almost resentful and she makes the poet feel like an outsider, as if she is not welcome, as she says 'After all, we're paying forty pounds'. This insinuates that she is telling the poet that she is expecting her recital

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