Energetic, confident character. Looking back on the first three stanzas, and final stanza is full of nostalgia
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Litany
the persona ( probably Duffy) describes how false her mother and friends would be, Their lives were boring, and they stayed indoors, She was a rebellious child
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Nostalgia
Nostalgia came from the Greek word 'Nostos'.In 1688, Swiss soldiers would be away from home and would be diagnosed, Duffy writes a poem about this
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Stafford Afternoons
Duffy moved to Stafford when she was 6. This poem presents danger, lonliness, abuse, time. We also see the dominance of the male, and how time flies by when you're an adult, she seeks comfort in childhood.
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Brothers
Persona explains how she was once close with her Brothers but now they are just a memory. We also see how her mother favoured them, possibly because she was a gay catholic
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Before you were mine
We see Duffy looking back on her mother’s life, there is a sense of belonging in the poem. Her mother is described as a young, fun and energetic person
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Welltread
4 Stanzas, 4 lines, strict, no rhyme. No Mr. in front of his name – shows no respect. The persona is describing her old headmaster, and a little of that era. He is presented as a miserable, aggressive, grey character who lives by the rule book and i
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Confession
Duffy’s Catholic background is clear here. The poem is an account of a child going to the pennant and remembering it in a very negative way. The Priest speaks more often than the child meaning he is having an influence on the young mind. No punctuati
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The Good Teachers
Duffy looks back on her life at school, we see how not all teachers were good. Certain teachers have an impact on your life, certain expectations change you.
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Like earning a living
Based on one of her experiences, she writes about how she taught the youth and how she realises how uneducated they are.
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The Cliche kid
General feeling of persona being with a physiatrist, persona is directly talking to the physiatrist. Ellipsis shows how he could be I the middle of a thought and not ending it.
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Pluto
The persona appears to be old, Pluto was discovered in 1930. The old have a number of parallels to Pluto, small, insignificant to the energy of the youth.
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Beachcomber
We see an old woman looking back on a memory of her at the beach. She does not want to let the memory go. She doesn’t like being old and wants to be young again.
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Caul
A Caul is an inner membrane of the fetus. This poems has a lot of context involved- make sure you know what they mean!
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Away and See
The person is describing what an exciting time she once had, we also see her mother encouraging her to go out and experience things in life.
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Small female skull
The persona is explaining the time that she was drunk, and when she had a hangover. Pick out techniques relating to this.
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Moments of grace
In this poem Duffy uses the senses to bring back memories. We see a number of symbols showing this.
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First Love
This poem is more like a memory of first love rather than an experience. Love, memory, nostalgia and dream are all themes.
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Cafe Royal
This poem is about 2 gay lovers Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Bruce who met at a café and attempted to flee the country to France because they were gay and were accused of sodmy.
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Crush
Memory, love and relationships are all themes in this poem. The title suggests a crush as in love for someone and also how she has been crushed.
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Never go back
Time, memory, nostalgia, death monotony and decay are all themes
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Oslo
The persona is in an uncommon place, alcohol and gambling are major themes in this poem. The persona is alienated.
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The grammar of light
Links to Religion and the absence of love.
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Valentine
Carol writes about her idea of love and how there are a number of layers to love rather than a card or heart.
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Sleeping
A potential lesbian experience, she feels trapped by her husband and her lesbian experience has opened her eyes to new possibilities
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Steam
Duffy sharing a sexual experience with a lover. There are a number of enjambments
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Close
There is a sense of secrecy in this poem, we potentially see a broken marriage where someone has cheated, possibly with a prostitute.
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Adultery
Regular rhyme shows the system of adultery. We can see this from the person doing the surety or the person that it is being done to.
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The suicide
Similar to Havisham this persona is in despair. We see that the persona has been trouble by a relationship and can’t get over it.
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Stuffed
A vulgar, brutal and emotionless description of a potential ****.
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Fraud
1991 Robert Maxwell attempted to escape his past by changing his name, his body was foung in 1991 floating in the ocean. His death triggered the collapse of an empire. Duffy writes about this.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Litany
Back
the persona ( probably Duffy) describes how false her mother and friends would be, Their lives were boring, and they stayed indoors, She was a rebellious child
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