Discuss 'Queen Kong' By Carol Ann Duffy
Essay One Queen Kong 'Discuss a poem of your choice from 'The World's Wife'. Queen Kong, in relation to the monstrous gorilla King Kong is a somewhat peculiar character that thinks of herself as a human being. Although she is an enormous, terrifying animal, she shows love, affection and passion for a male human. Her devoted nature is a complete contrast to her appearance. Her temperament is undeniably opposite to King Kong, who acted aggressively and with hate towards humans. She thinks of herself as quite normal, and falls in love with a male human. The difference in species does not alter her affection; in fact I'm not sure she even notices. She is so wrapped up in devotion and love for this man, nothing else matters to her. The first few stanzas of the poem lead you to believe that Queen Kong is not actually a gorilla, but a real person. 'Staying in 2 quiet hotels in the village, where people were used to strangers and more or less left you alone.' Obviously it would be impossible for a gorilla to comfortably stay in a hotel suite, but the way that Carol Ann Duffy portrays her character is that of a human. The first mention of her beloved is in a dominant way; almost the approach we are led to believe that men take over women, one of ownership and possession, 'My little man'. By using such a small, snappy sentence, Duffy emphasises the upper-hand she has over her man,
Commentary on Dorothy Parker's "Mr. Durant".
IB English Ada Pasholli Commentary on Dorothy Parker's "Mr. Durant" . Summary "Mr. Durant' is a prose about a man, who he had promised his children they could keep a dog but seems to no longer want to do so. He promised so while on their back he is trying to kick the dog out of the house. He does is on their back because he wants to remain the authority figure of the house who does nothing wrong. On the other hand, to his wife he gives stupid reasons like "all the males in the neighborhood will be running after her" and "first thing you know, she'd be having puppies." Mrs. Durant is not very educated and also very ingénues and so blindly trusts and believes whatever her husband tells her. She idolizes him because she does not read and is not very educated and therefore her husband's knowledge might impress her a lot. The family relationships where the father is the dominant figure remain the same through the whole passage. 2. Chronology/time Dorothy Parker has written this passage in such a way, tending to give actions one by one, making so the piece more intriguing and interesting. However, she often goes backwards and forwards when describing Mr. Durant's den and character to give us a deeper understanding or certainty of his character. However, time in either case is
Before You Were Mine
Before You Were Mine * This poem is quite difficult to follow for two reasons. First, it moves very freely between the present and different times in the past, which is frequently referred to in the present tense. Second, because the title suggests romantic love but the poem is about mother and daughter. The poem is written as if spoken by Carol Ann Duffy to her mother, whose name is Marilyn. The poem comes from Mean Time (1993). On first reading, you might think that the "I" in the poem is a lover, but various details in the third and fourth stanzas identify the speaker as the poet. Younger readers (which include most GCSE students) may be puzzled by the way in which, once her child is born, the mother no longer goes out dancing with her friends. In 1950s Glasgow this would not have been remotely possible. Even if she could have afforded it (which is doubtful) a woman with children was expected to stay at home and look after them. Going out would be a rare luxury, no longer a regular occurrence. Motherhood was seen as a serious duty, especially among Roman Catholics. * "I'm ten years away" is confusing (does "away" mean before this or yet to come?) but the second stanza's "I'm not here yet" shows us that the scene at the start of the poem comes before the birth of the poet. Duffy imagines a scene she can only know from her mother's or other people's accounts of it.
Language constructs meaning. Analyse how true this is of Duffy's poems "Foreign" and "Nostalgia".
Q: Language constructs meaning. Analyse how true this is of Duffy’s poems “Foreign” and “Nostalgia”. In both the poems “Foreign” and “Nostalgia” by Carol Ann Duffy, meaning was constructed effectively through the poet’s exquisite language used. In “Foreign”, Duffy portrays the psychological barriers associated with living in a different place, as well as the possible racial discrimination when foreigners attempt to become a part of a different society; likewise, in “Nostalgia”, Duffy presents the psychological suffering of the “early mercenaries” caused by their desperate desire to return to their homeland. The idea of alienation and separation occurring is also displayed through Duffy’s subtle use of diction and structure in both poems. Primarily, the depression and emotional sadness suffered by people is evident in both poems, as Duffy attempts to use language to emphasise its meaning. In “Foreign”, the phrase “writing home” evokes a sense of nostalgia and depression; for the people who have arrived in a new society, Duffy shows their reminiscence of their past world and families, as they have been separated from their original society. The “local dialect” in the immigrants’ “head” is coupled with the memory of their “mother singing to [them]”. Here, Duffy again exemplifies the idea of how much they miss their
An appreciation of "Wasp's Nest" and how Rosenberg uses words to communicate themes in his poem and how the poem is made memorable.
Name: Akosua Mate Grade: 9a Subject: English Literature Project title: "Wasp's Nest" Project focus: An appreciation of "Wasp's Nest" and how Rosenberg uses words to communicate themes in his poem and how the poem is made memorable. The Wasp's Nest Conceptualize a world full of people that isolate and alienate you-a place where you don't count or make a difference. This is one of the major concerns in the Wasp's Nest. Rosenberg appeals to our intellect utilizing technical literary ingredients to spice up and flavour the poem. My project is an analysis of his use of words and phrases to communicate themes in his poem and to see how the poem has been made memorable. To me, the poem on its own is a metaphor portraying life and its elements of uncertainty and others. In line 1'' Two aerial tigers...'', the wasps are being referred to as ''aerial tigers'' because they do all their activities in the air (aerial). They are referred to as ''tigers' for two reasons. The main one being that they are ragingly ferocious and much undomesticated. The second one is describes their physical outward appearance as they are yellow with black stripes just like the tiger. The use of language here is very descriptive and this line being a metaphor aids the picture to be conceived on the mental canvas. Line 1 is memorable because it is quite unique the way one can find such descriptive to
It Has Been Said That Carol Anne Duffy Often Portrays A Negative View Of Love. How Far Do You Agree? Refer To The Collection Rapture And Examine At Least One Poem In Detail:
It Has Been Said That Carol Anne Duffy Often Portrays A Negative View Of Love. How Far Do You Agree? Refer To The Collection 'Rapture' And Examine At Least One Poem In Detail: Carol Anne Duffy is one of the most significant names in contemporary British poetry, and has achieved that rare feat of critical and commercial success. Her work is widely read by critics and academics. Some critics have indicated that Duffy has been too populist in her work. However on the whole, her work is highly acclaimed in literary circles and lay readers. Carol Anne Duffy does portray a very pessimistic representation of love, as argued by reviewers. This negativity echoes throughout her notable collection 'Rapture' and is attenuated by the different stages of the relationship. Duffy clearly exemplifies the theme of love and affection in 'Tea' by illustrating how even a mundane noun, could imply that even something as ordinary as an everyday cup of tea could be used to represent and symbolise the early stages of a relationship. She starts off positively, 'I like pouring your tea' [1]. Already she is asserting her affection for her lover. The syntax of this sentence is extremely effective, at the beginning of the poem, she has shown us that doing anything for her partner, is more of hobby rather than a hindrance. Even in the first line, she is showing that, rather like a wife, she enjoys doing
Before You Were Mine
Subject matter The poet is writing to her mother, having seen a photo of her mother as a teenager: * She describes the photo of her mother standing laughing with two of her friends. * She knows that the thought of having a child one day doesn't occur to her mother when young, when she was wrapped up in a world of dances and teenage dreams. * Now remembering her own childhood, the poet thinks of how she used to play with her mother's red shoes and imagines when her mother might have worn those shoes to meet a boyfriend in George Square. * She remembers how her mother used to teach her dance steps when she was a child - yet even back then, the young poet wished she could have known her mother when still young and carefree (before she became a mother). Language Read the poem carefully again and think about how the language contributes to the mood of the poem. There are many references to her mother as happy and bright - you laugh / the bold girl winking in Portobello/ you sparkle and waltz and laugh Life back then is seen as very glamorous. Her mother is linked to Marilyn(Monroe)and goes to a dance where a glitter ball hangs - the thousand eyes. Her mother dreams of fizzy, movie tomorrows, and she imagines her mother meeting a boyfriend under the tree, with its lights There is a contrast between her mother's life as a teenager and as a mother of the young poet.
A Comparison between 'Originally' and 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class'
A Comparison between 'Originally' and 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class' 'In Mrs Tilscher's class' and 'Originally' are poems about the journey of life and the change from childhood into adulthood. Although 'Originally' is more traumatic there are many similarities between the two poems. They are both about moving on both spiritually and mentally, and explore ideas about identity and emigration. 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class' is a poem about the metaphorical journey throughout a young child's school year. The first verse of the poem has a joyful tone; the narrator of the poem seems happy and full of delight. It is written from a young girl's perspective on the things that take place in the course of the school year. The young girl who is narrating the poem explains to the reader both the things that she liked and disliked. The poem is written in chronological order and the different verses of the poem represent different periods throughout the school year. The first verse of the poem starts with: 'You could travel up the Blue Nile with your finger, tracing the route while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery'. This creates a vivid picture of the children tracing the route of the Nile on a map while Mrs Tilscher described the scenery and surroundings to the children. After learning about the Nile and its surroundings for an hour the children paused for a break to drink a 'skittle of
English Literature Comparing Poems
English Literature Comparing Poems Compare 'Homecoming' and 'Before you were mine' which concentrate on relationships? The poem 'Homecoming' is about the poet (Simon Armitage's) wife's childhood and about their relationship at present. The poem begins with the poet talking about his wife at nursery. The poet shows us that it is about a child by describing a character wearing 'one canary - yellow cotton jacket' as it signifies childhood. The child gets her jacket 'scuffed' and 'blackened' in the cloakroom and her mother makes 'proper fist of it'. In the next paragraph the character 'sneaks' out of the house and plans to run away but end up retracing her 'walk towards the garden gate' and goes home. In the last paragraph it talks about the poet's relationship with his wife. Carol Ann Duffy's 'Before You Were Mine' is about her feeling guilty that she was born as she believes that she ruined her mother's life. The poet describes her mother as being a 'high - heeled red shoes relics'. Both poems 'Homecoming' and 'Before You Were Mine' themes explore relationships. In 'Homecoming' Simon Armitage concentrates on relationships by describing the events of his wife's childhood showing her conflict with her parents at different ages and stages of her life. When Armitage's wife was at nursery she conflicts with her parents after scuffing and blackening her coat and her mother
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
"'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"
