Shooting Stars
Annotations
Title
Literal meaning = shooting of
Jews who were identified by the
Star of David.
More complex meaning – what is
a shooting star? Transitory burst
of light flying through the sky. It’s
breathtaking, and unique – but it
inevitably fades and dies. All life
is passionate and vibrant – and
important.
Shooting Stars
If you see a shooting
star the belief is that
you get to make a
wish. What is Duffy’s
wish?
by Carol Ann Duffy
6 stanzas represent
the 6 million Jews
who died.
Stanza 1
First person dramatic
monologue. Speaks from
beyond the grave.
Speaker is nameless (in
contrast to list of Jewish
names) – so could be any
one of the 6 million dead.
Present tense – to bring this
horror into our immediate
consciousness.
List of Jewish Biblical
names. No punctuation =
no pause. Deaths are
numerous and relentless.
List goes on and on –
reminds us of mass grave
memorials. No full stop
because many names
have yet to be added.
After I no longer speak they break our fingers
to salvage my wedding ring. Rebecca Rachel Ruth
Aaron Emmanuel David, stars on all our brows
Beneath the gaze of men with guns. Mourn for our daughters,
Connotations = brutal, greedy.
Salvage implies that things are
sold on for profit. Implies the
Germans have taken the
valuable bits and got rid of the
‘rubbish’.
This is a command
(sentence type).
Reminds us that females
suffered too. War poetry
usually remembers the
heroic deeds of male
soldiers.
Stanza 2
This is a simile. Connotations are of something
still, silent and strong. Statues show no emotion,
they are made of stone and endure for years.
They are precious and valuable, worthy of
remembering. This image shows Duffy’s immense
respect for these women; she feels their memory
should live on, like statues do.
A dramatic one word
sentence. Suggests a tree
which would fall upright,
and wouldn’t crumble. A
tree is a force of nature,
a living thing; nature is
being destroyed and
violated.
upright as statues, brave. You would not look at me.
You waited for the bullet. Fell. I say, Remember.
Remember those appalling days which make the world
forever bad. One saw I was alive. Loosened
Repetition emphasises
one of the poems
themes – that we
should remember
these women and
learn from the
mistakes of the past.
Enjambment. Delay
between ‘loosened’ and
‘belt’ creates suspense.
There is surprise and
shock when we realise
the woman is going to be
raped.
Makes us think of
Remembrance Day. The
speaker thinks this event
should be given the
samesignificance as
remembering soldiers
who died in battle.
Stanza 3
Graphic description of rape is omitted,
but the woman’s fear is not. Shows
there are things worse than death and
she is about to experience them.
Soldiers brutalise and dehumanise her.
‘Ragged’ = pain, torn, hurt.
‘Corpses’, notably not
‘bodies’ or ‘people’. They
no longer have names.
Corpse is a cold, medical
term used by doctors. It
renders the dead Jews
nameless, faceless and
anonymous – just
another of the six million
his belt. My bowels opened in a ragged gape of fear.
Between the gap of corpses I could see a child.
The soldiers laughed. Only a matter of days separate
this from acts of torture now. They shot her in the eye.
Shows devilish, evil
enjoyment and
pleasure.
We have not progressed at
all – only a “matter of days”
really separates us from
these terrible acts because
we still permit things like
this to happen.
Shows cruelty and
bloodlust. They have
used this child for target
practice. A grotesque
image. Matter of fact
tone shows how little
emotion the soldier feels.
Irony: “words that express
something different from
and often opposite to their
Peaceful, calm
literal meaning.” Contrast
imagery. These soldiers between ‘perfect’ and ‘die’
seem ordinary, with
to show death can happen
simple pleasures.
in pleasing environments.
Stanza 4
Addresses the reader.
The connotations of this
season are of baby lambs
and things being born.
This contrasts with the
Jewish people who are
facing death – dying too
soon, before their
autumn/winter when
things traditionally die.
How would you prepare to die, on a perfect April evening
with young men gossiping and smoking by the graves?
My bare feet felt the earth and urine trickled
down my legs. I heard the click. Not yet. A trick.
Rhetorical
Word choice of ‘gossiping’ is far
more effective than ‘talking’. Has a
connotation of idle ‘chit chat’, words
spoken merely to pass time.
Highlights contrast between soldiers
actions and the frivolity with which
they dismiss them.
Internal rhyme. Click =
onomatopoeia. Repetition of ‘ck’
sound mimics gunfire. One
word sentences (“Not yet. A
trick.”) show abruptness/finality.
Ultimate humiliation, they are
toying with her.
question
used to
involve the
reader.
Stanza 5
Repetition of “After” shows that the
word simply goes on regardless and
draws our attention to the lack of
guilt felt by the Germans. The word
after suggests the events are in the
past – forgotten about.
Some of the
soldiers are
young, only
children
themselves.
This is deliberately
ironic and implies a
civilised lifestyle,
which we know the
Germans do not lead.
After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn.
After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform.
After the history lesson children run to their toys the world
turns in its sleep the spades shovel soil Sara Ezra…
Alliteration of ‘s’ =
repetitive cycle of
misery.
Ellipsis shows
horror and pain
are neverending. Also
more names are
to be added.
The world keeps
turning. Events
such as this are
now viewed as
‘history’.
Stanza 6
Final plea is
addressed
from woman
to woman.
Another rhetorical
question. Involves
the reader.
We don’t care –
no conscience.
Tells us about the strength
of the speaker. She
forgives the men who kill
her and asks us to do the
same. Perhaps links back
to the idea some of them
are just ‘boys’.
Sister, if seas part us, do you not consider me?
Tell them I sang the ancient psalms at dusk
inside the wire and strong men wept. Turn thee
Psalm (25th).
Asks us to
forgive our
enemies.
unto me with mercy, for I am desolate and lost.
Keeps her faith in the
face of death. Does
not question whether
there is a God.
Heroic final stanza.
Not about fine deeds and
battles. About one
individual’s struggle in the
face of inhumanity and evil.
What’s it all about?
• Not about fine deeds on the battlefield
• The role of ordinary people, particularly
women, is often ignored as we focus on
the heroism of soldiers
• Chronicles the struggle of one individual in
the face of evil and inhumanity
• Shows that love and the belief in God can
overcome evil
Themes
•
•
•
•
War
Bravery
Love is stronger / more powerful than hate
We forget too easily about the horrors of
war
Possible questions
•
•
•
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Heroic character
Evil
Powerful message
Intense emotional impact
A strong character
Your essay question:
• Choose a poem that makes you feel sad.
Briefly describe what the poem is about
and go on to explain the techniques that
the poet uses to make you feel this way.
Dramatic monologue definition
• “A single person, who is patently not the
poet, utters the speech that makes up the
whole of the poem, in a specific situation
at a critical moment […].”
- M. H. Abrams
• So, a fictional character ‘speaks’ the whole
poem to the reader at a dramatic moment.