Objectives
By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to:
 Complete a TSLAP analysis of the poem
Havisham by Carol Ann Duffy.
Who is Havisham?
• Miss Havisham is character from
Charles Dickens “Great Expectations.”
• She was jilted at the altar in the book.
• This poem is an outpouring of her
bitterness and resentment.
• Why do you think Duffy dropped the
‘Miss’?
Havisham
Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then
I haven't wished him dead. Prayed for it
so hard I've dark green pebbles for eyes,
ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.
Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days
in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress
yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;
the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this
to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words.
Some nights better, the lost body over me,
my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear
then down till suddenly bite awake. Love's
hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting
in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding cake.
Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.
Don't think it's only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.
Oxymoron:
suggests
love/hate
Metaphor
Reference to
age, but not
having lived
Havisham
Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then
I haven't wished him dead. Prayed for it
so hard I've dark green pebbles for eyes,
ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.
Her Victorian label, suggesting she will never marry
Expressing
her violent
emotions
Reference to the
wedding dress and to
her own sense of
decay
Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days
in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress
Onomatopoeia yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;
the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this
Bird imagery
Red is a passionate colour
Enjambment links
to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words.
stanzas 2/3 3/4
The reflection Some nights better, the lost body over me,
shows a
my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear
So emotional she emits
devastated
only sound
then down till suddenly bite awake. Love's
state
Sexual fantasy
Oxymoron
hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting
in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding cake.
Violent &
Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon. disturbing
Don't think it's only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.
images
Her language echoes her pain
Alliteration of `b’ and `p’ sound
suggests ANGER
I.E. the wedding
day
Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then
I haven`t wished him dead. Prayed for it
Image suggests
hard and cruel
so hard I`ve dark green pebbles for eyes,
Enjambment: lines run over
ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with
Veins –
a metaphor
Green for jealousy
Indicating her
Bitterness “the
Green-eyed monster –
Green like a monster.
Theme of violence
in poem – (compare with
Stealing/
Education for Leisure/
Hitcher)
Single word
Sentence – denotes i.e. because she has never
Her bitterness
washed since her wedding
day
WORD EMPHASISES HER
GRIEF AND DESPAIR
Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days
Image of a crow
“CAWING”
in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress
WITH AGE
yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;
the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this
BROKEN/DESTROYED
(VIOLENCE?)
AS THOUGH IT IS SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS
DONE THIS. SHE CANT BELIEVE THAT THE
WOMAN IN THE MIRROR WOULD DO THIS.
SPLIT PERSONALITY? DISTURBED?
Enjambment: lines run over
She cannot express her anger and
bitterness in proper words
(compare line 6)
to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words.
Some nights better, the lost body over me,
my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear
Then down till I suddenly bit awake. Love`s
VIOLENCE
Sexual references to
their relationship
oxymoron
Wedding dress/white
For virginity
VIOLENCE
hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting
Alliteration of `b’ and `p’ sound
suggests ANGER
in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding cake.
Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.
Don`t think it`s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.
She would rather have him dead than
have him reject her – shows how bitter
and twisted she is
Sobbing and suggests violence –
a veiled threat
Structure
• The poem consists of four, four line stanzas or quatrains
which are unrhymed. Many of the lines run on, and the
effect is like normal speech.
• The first provides the reader with the theme of revenge:
‘Not a day since then / I haven’t wished him dead’. (lines
1-2)
• Verses two and three develop a description of her life
and state of mind.
• The final verse returns to the ideas of death, violent
hatred and marriage:
‘Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon’ (line
15)
Why the enjambment?
Themes
 what is the poem about?
 who is the speaker? - are they dramatized (a character)
 who is being spoken to or addressed?
 what is being spoken about?
 Theme(s) of the poem - what is it really about?
 Setting/culture - where’s the poem set? Culture it is from/about?
 where does the poem “get to” from start to end?
Structure
 Rhyme - is there a rhyme scheme? Couplets? Internal rhyme?
 Rhythm - how many syllables per line? Is it regular or free verse? Why
TSLAP
Themes, Structure, Language, Attitude, Personal
Response
Always link everything to meaning. Ask yourself how does this
contributes to the meaning? Why has the poet used this technique?
Attitudes
 How would the poem be spoken? (angry, sad,
nostalgic, bitter, humorous etc)
Language
are some different lengths?
 Stanzas - How many? How do they change? Is there a narrative?
 Lines - how many are their in each verse? Do some stand out?
 Enjambment - do the lines “run on” to the next line or stanza?
 End stopping - does each line finish at the end of a sentence?
 Form - does the poem have a shape to it?
Language techniques
 Alliteration - the repeating of initial sounds.
 Assonance - is the term used for the repetition of vowel sounds
within consecutive words as in, 'rags of green weed hung down...'.
 Metaphor - comparing two things by saying one is the other.
 Simile - comparing two things saying one is like or as the other.
 Personification - giving something non-human human qualities.
 Onomatopoeia - words that sound like the thing they describe.
 Repetition - does the poet repeat words or phrases?
 What kinds of words are used?
 Puns - a pun is a play on words - “Shear Class!” if Shearer scores.
 Connotation - associations that words have (as "stallion" connotes a
certain kind of horse with certain sorts of uses)?
 Double meanings - “butts in” - putting bottoms in or interrupting.
 Ambiguity - is the word or phrase deliberately unclear? Could it mean
opposite things or many different things?.
 Word order - are the words in an unusual order – why?
 Adjectives - what are the key describing words?
 Key words and phrases - do any of the words or phrases
stand out? Do they shock? Are the words “violent” or “sad” etc?
 Slang or unusual words and misspellings - Does the
poet use slang or informal language? Are American words used?
 Intertextuality - does the poem reference another text?
 Style - does the poet copy another style? (Newspaper, play etc)
 Characters - if there are characters how do they speak?