Before You Were Mine
Carol Ann Duffy
Before You Were Mine
Carol Ann Duffy
Starter
Write down your earliest memory of your parents.
Before You Were Mine
Carol Ann Duffy
Homework Task
Who is Carol Ann Duffy?
Answer the question in any format and submit for tomorrow’s lesson.
Submission will result in additional Classwork Completion Marks.
Before You Were Mine
Carol Ann Duffy
Learning Objectives
As we study this poem you will learn about:
• The story of the poem
• Memory Poems
• More about the terms,
Memory Poem: Key Feature: Visual & Sensual
Imagery.
• You will also complete some mini tasks, a quiz
and an assignment on the poem.
Common Core Objectives - 1
In these lessons we will continue learning how to:
• Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says.
(Quote!) [CC.11-12.R.L.1]
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze it in detail.
[CC.9-10.R.L.2]
• Provide an objective summary of the text. [CC.9-10.R.L.2]
• Analyze how complex characters interact with others and advance the
plot or develop the theme over the course of a text. [CC.9-10.R.L.3]
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text. [CC.9-10.R.L.4 ]
• Analyze how structure contributes to the overall meaning and
aesthetic impact of the work. [CC.11-12.R.L.5]
• Analyze a text to determine symbolism, irony, metaphor and subtext.
[CC.11-12.R.L.6]
5
Common Core Objectives - 2
In these lessons we will continue learning how to:
• Read closely to determine what the text says and make logical
inferences from it citing specific textual evidence to support
conclusions drawn from the text. [CC.K-12.R.R.1]
• Determine central ideas or themes of a text analyzing and
summarising their development. [CC.K-12.R.R.2]
• Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and
interact over the course of a text. [CC.K-12.R.R.3]
• Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text and analyze
how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. [CC.K-12.R.R.4]
• Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other and
to the whole. [CC.K-12.R.R.5]
• Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style
of a text. [CC.K-12.R.R.6]
6
Common Core Objectives - 3
In Writing the assignment on this poem we will:
• Write a clear and precise narrative which develops real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event
sequences. [CC.9-10.W.3 & CC.9-10.W.4 ]
• Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation, establishing one or multiple points of view, and
introducing a narrator and/or characters to create a smooth
progression of experiences or events. [CC.9-10.W.3.a]
•Use precise words and phrases, details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and
characters. [CC.9-10.W.3.d]
• Provide a conclusion that reflects on what is experienced, observed,
or resolved over the course of the narrative. [CC.9-10.W.3.e]
• Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, to focus on addressing what is most significant for a specific
purpose and audience. [CC.9-10.W.5]
7
Common Core Objectives - 4
In Writing the assignment on this poem we will:
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking. [CC.11-12.L.1 & CC.11-12.L.1.a]
•Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling when writing.
[CC.11-12.L.2, CC.11-12.L.2.a & CC.11-12.L.2.b]
• Apply knowledge of language to vary syntax for effect and to help understand
how language functions in different contexts. [CC.11-12.L.3 & CC.11-12.L.3.a]
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown words and phrases. [CC.11-12.L.4]
• Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. [CC.11-12.L.4.a]
• Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different
meanings or parts of speech. [CC.11-12.L.4.b]
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings. [CC.11-12.L.5]
• Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and
analyze their role in the text. [CC.11-12.L.5.a]
8
Before You Were Mine
Carol Ann Duffy
I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Before You Were Mine
Structure
I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 1
How is the poem
structured or composed?
Before You Were Mine
Structure
I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 1
How is the poem
structured or composed?
The poem is made up of 4
stanzas of 5 lines. Most
lines are between 8-12
syllables long but there
are a few longer lines that
have 16-18 syllables.
There are no rhyming
lines in the poem so it is
written in Free Verse.
However in each stanza
there are several
examples of enjambment
which help the ‘prose like’
feel of the poem.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 1
I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.
Mini Task 2
a) Look at the first five lines. What is
the poet doing?
b) What does the first line mean?
c) Who is ‘Marilyn’?
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 1
I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.
Mini Task 2
a) Look at the first five lines. What is
the poet doing?
Looking at old photographs of her
mother when she was a teenager.
b) What does the first line mean?
It’s 10 years before she will be born.
Her mother would have been about
15 years old.
c) Who is ‘Marilyn’? (Not her mother!)
Marilyn Monroe. Actress, famous for
iconic shot where her dress blows
up around her legs in The 7 Year Itch.
(She had an IQ of 163 so not stupid!)
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 3
a)
b)
c)
d)
Why is she ‘not here yet’?
What are the ‘thousand eyes’?
What is the ‘right walk home’?
What are ‘fizzy movie tomorrows’?
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 3
a) Why is she ‘not here yet’? She hasn’t been
born and at 15 the last thing her mum is
thinking about is having children!
b) What are the ‘thousand eyes’? A mirror-ball –
very popular in 1940’s dance halls.
c) What is the ‘right walk home’? Getting
walked home by a boy she met at the dance....
d) What are ‘fizzy movie tomorrows’?
....who then asks you on a date....to
the movies ....with the promise of
fizzy drinks and perhaps even another
date…..!
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 4
How does she know what her mother’s dancing is like?
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 4: How does she know what her mother’s dancing is like?
She is looking at another photo, this time of her mother dancing
(perhaps wearing the red shoes)
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 5:
What might have prompted the next memory?
(and it would not have been a photograph!)
This is the sort of street her mother
would have lived and grown up in in
Glasgow, Scotland.
Vocabulary
Hiding: spanking, physically chastised
by a parent.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 2
I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows
the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.
Mini Task 5:
What might have prompted the next memory?
(and it would not have been a photograph!)
I think this is a remembered story
she had been told of the time
Carol’s mother came home late
from a date and her mother was
waiting up for her to give Carol’s
mother a good ‘hiding’ (spanking)
for being late.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 3
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Mini Task 6
a) Why is this ‘decade...the best one’?
b) How old are the red shoes?
Vocabulary
Relic: Something that has survived
the passage of time, especially an
object or custom
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 3
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Mini Task 6
a) Why is this ‘decade...the best one’?
Her mother is young, free and single
and has not got family responsibilities
to worry about.
b) How old are the red shoes?
At least 15 years if the ones she plays
with are the same shoes her mother is
wearing in the photograph.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 3
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Mini Task 7
a) What is her mother’s ‘ghost’?
b) What is ‘clear as scent’ an example of?
c) What are the ‘small bites’ in the last line?
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 3
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
Mini Task 7
a) What is her mother’s ‘ghost’?
She is meeting her mother in George Square,
Glasgow, and the old woman coming to meet
her is the ‘ghost’ of the vibrant young woman
in the photographs.
b) What is ‘clear as scent’ an example of?
Sensual Imagery (Smell).
What are the ‘small bites’ in the last line?
Love bites (hickey).....another photo or a detail
now noticed in one she has looked at. (Perhaps
why the ‘hiding’ was worth it?)
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 3
The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics
and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?
This is a complex stanza as it exists in several time frames.
1. Ten years before Carol was born
2. The present where she is meeting her mother
3. The recent past where she looked at the photos, unless she has
the photos with her at George Square.
4. As a young girl playing with her mother’s red shoes.
In Stanza 3, Carol compares the old lady who comes to meet her with her
memories of her mother as a child and the photos of the vibrant girl her
mother was as a teenager.
Mini Task 8: Summarize this slide.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 4
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 9
a) What is the ‘cha cha’?
b) How does her mother manage to ‘stamp stars’?
Vocabulary
Mass: Roman Catholic church service.
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 4
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 7
a) What is the ‘cha cha’?
It’s a fast energetic dance with small steps and
swaying hip movements, performed to a Latin
American rhythm.
b) How does her mother manage to ‘stamp stars’?
As she is dancing down the road her mother
catches the steel tip of her high-heeled shoes on
the edge of an uneven (wrong) pavement. (Same
red shoes perhaps?)
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 4
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 10
a) When does Carol ‘want’ her mother?
b) What ‘mother’ does she want?
c) Where does the ‘glamorous love last?
Before You Were Mine
The Poem in Detail – Stanza 4
Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then
I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.
Mini Task 10
a) When does Carol ‘want’ her mother? As a young girl.
b) What ‘mother’ does she want?
The youthful, vibrant, glamorous girl in the photographs .
c) Where does the ‘glamorous love last?
In the past, fixed forever by photographs.
Before You Were Mine
The Story Of The Poem
Carol Ann Duffy is looking through some old photographs of her mother’s. In the
first one her mother is with two friends and they are laughing as her dress blows up
around her legs. This image reminds the poet of the famous still of Marilyn Monroe
from the movie The Seven Year Itch. Her mother is NOT called Marilyn!
In Stanza 2 Carol begins to think about her mother’s free and happy life in the years
before she was born. She then looks at a photo that shows her mother dancing and
remembers a story she had been told of the time her mother came home late from a
date and got beaten for being late. But her mother must have told Carol the
punishment was worth it.
In Stanza 3, Carol compares the old lady who comes to meet her with the photos of
the vibrant girl her mother was and her childhood memories of her mother.
In stanza 4, Carol remembers a silly moment with her mother she enjoyed as a
child, a moment that now reminds her of the youthful girl in the photographs she has
looked at. This in turn makes her remember that even as a girl she wanted her mother
to be the girl she was as a teenager, not the old woman she has become.
So this is a memory poem where Carol’s mother grows from being a female icon like
Marilyn Monroe to and old woman who is the ‘ghost’ of her former self.
Mini Task 11 – Summarize this slide.
Before You Were Mine
Assignment
What devices and techniques does Carol Ann Duffy use to make this an
effective memory poem?
500-700 words by Thurs 26 Feb.