In the third stanza the photos slowly begin to develop. When he views a “strangers features” it appears the suffering is no longer part of that poor dehumanised person, but a part of our entertainment. Their figures begin to “twist before his eyes”. The word “twist” is ambiguous; it suggests the pain and agony on the face of the dying and distorted man, as he turns into a “half – formed ghost”. This metaphor alludes to the man slipping into death, as his blood seeped into “foreign dust”. It also shows the slow process of the photos developing, as they can be seen faintly at an earlier stage, creating pale, ghostly figures. The blood which ‘stained into foreign dust’ creates a literary echo to Rupert Brooke’s poem, The Soldier. In his sonnet, he expresses jingoistic sentiments. Duffy in contrast reflects on the harsh reality of war. She highlights the hurt and loss incurred and rejects the notion that death is noble.
The war photographer appears to question his actions at this stage. He did what “someone must” after he “sought approval” to take photos from a crying wife. Perhaps now he questions his rights and feels ashamed. He may not want to capture the suffering on camera, but feels obligated as “he has a job to do”.
In the final stanza we are told of the suffering images which are picked “for Sunday’s supplement”. Only “five or six” out of “a hundred agonies in black and white” are chosen by the war photographer’s editor. It’s shocking that the black and white “agonies” mask the total tales of suffering shown in each picture. Yet the reader’s eyeballs only “prick/ with tears between the bath and pre – lunch beers”. This is a sarcastic and critical remark, and shows how selfish we, the readers are. We continue with our “ordinary” and “simple” lives after a slight moment of concern for the insignificant suffering, who should be our responsibility, not our entertainment.
This poem expresses strong points about the society we, the readers live in. It can be seen as a protest, expressed in a controlled, economical way. The poem has an orderly form, alike the “ordered rows” of prints in the darkroom, and has four structured stanzas. The points are very matter of fact; some are taken beyond factual to emotional descriptions. The poem is set in the present tense, and this is a very important technique used, as it invites the reader into a more realistic, powerful situation.
Stealing is also written in the present tense, as a thief appears to be interviewed regarding the most unusual thing he ever stole. The poem which replicates natural speech, really highlights the thief’s issues of pain and loss, as he reflects on what he had done, and the feelings he encountered. He is portrayed as a lonely and troubled character. He wants “a mate”, indicating he is lonely, and likes the idea of a snowman, which is as cold as the slice of ice within his own brain”. This simile exemplifies his attitude as cruel and cold, having lost any warmth he may have once had. He is “alone amongst lumps of snow” and is “so bored”. His self imposed loss of contact with society, has contributed to his loss of compassion. His actions are callous. Any hurt he experiences appears to be self inflicted, where as in Valentine hurt is a result of others actions.
Valentine takes an unexpected look at the passion, romance, pain and loss of love. As soon as we are confronted with this seemingly traditional title, the idea of red roses and satin hearts is conjured up. However, ironically the first line rectifies “not a red rose or a satin heart”. Further references of conventional gifts are “not a cute card or a kissogram”. These phrases are placed separate to the rest of the poem to emphasise the fact, that this is not a soppy traditional love poem. Instead Carol Ann Duffy uses an unconventional gift; an onion to express love, as a symbol of truth, depth and sincerity. The normal gaudy insincerity offered by commercial valentine gifts is rejected. It is a poem relating to the deep serious emotions that the poet feels about love and her lover. The use of free verse greatly reflects the ever changing attitudes of love explained in the poem.
Her tone is direct, and personal, “I give you an onion”. The metaphor “a moon wrapped in brown paper” suggests how love brings happiness and “promises light”. Onions are many layered and this means that surfaces can be peeled away to reveal other layers. This relates to the “careful undressing of love”, as love lies deeper and deeper as a couple learn more of each others true self.
The onion “will blind you with tears” as you cut through it, just “like a lover”, for every intense relationship produces not only smiles, but heartaches too. Love in this section of the poem is shown in a negative way, however it is the bare truth, as love can easily make you cry and therefore metaphorically “make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief”. Carol Ann Duffy reinforces this point in the isolated stanza “I am trying to be truthful”, followed by the repetition “I give you an onion”. The attitude here turns negative and aggressive as we consider the onion’s “fierce kiss [which] will stay on your lips, possessive”. A balanced stance is viewed through the reference of “faithful”, which is a positive attribute to the remark. This refers to the passionate and possessive kiss from a lover and suggests that it will not necessarily last forever. This transient nature of love can cause hurt too.
In the last section of the poem we are confronted with the imperative “take it”. This is very effective, as it is written in the present tense, and therefore serves as a direct address to the reader. The poet seems to imply the inevitable loss of the promises of early love as “its platinum loops shrink to a wedding – ring”. It appears that the poet finds the committed love in marriage “lethal”, and that love will “shrink”, not grow, when confronted with a “wedding – ring”. The poem ends on a thoughtful point. As an onion’s “scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife”, so true love will cling to your heart and never leave you. This could also be a reference to scars that never heal.
In Before You Were Mine the same ‘clinging’ and everlasting love is expressed. However this is the love between a mother and child that will never leave you. As well as this gain of love which occurs when a child enters a woman’s life, there is also a loss of her care free youth. “Mine” is a possessive pronoun and refers to the bond between a mother and child, but the loss of something else. The loss is the absence of her mother's glamorous lifestyle, when she didn’t hold any responsibilities. Carol Ann Duffy appears to feel guilty for ruining this, as illustrated through the rhetorical question “The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?”. She is eager for her mother to embrace her adolescent attitude, when “fizzy movie tomorrows” and “high healed shoes”, both relating to her childhood, were not just memories or ‘relics’, but parts of everyday life.
Mrs Tilscher’s Class is also a poem indicating childhood involvement and memories. The loss is the innocence of youth which inevitably fades as a child grows up. The disturbing names of “Brady and Hindley” appear to suggest the dangers associated with adulthood. We can see the child is growing up through the metaphor “the inky tadpoles changed from commas to exclamation marks”, and how the safe and secure environment is destroyed as “three frogs hopped in the playground, freed by a dunce”. The loss of dependence of a young child is also evident, as at the end of the poem “You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown, as the sky split open into a thunderstorm”. This “thunderstorm” mirrors the turbulent emotions associated with the beginning of puberty. Running “through the gates” shows a new chapter of the children’s lives has begun, as they grow older.
To conclude, it appears that Carol Ann Duffy has extracted specific emotions from her own experiences, and portrayed them in her poems, in truthful and unconventional ways. The honest explanations of love, pain, solitude and childhood, make these poems poignant and justify why she was nominated as Poet Laureate.
Word Count - 1,916
