Important points to consider when reading
the poem
Rural England vs War
Zone
Comfort and Indifference
v Suffering and Pain
War
Photographer
A reporter’s duty is to
tell the truth
In order to analyse the poem
successfully, we are going to have
recap on some poetic techniques.
Metaphors
Metaphors are very like similes.
When we describe something
using a metaphor we say
something is something else.
Examples of
Metaphors
 “The boy’s eyes were pools of
ink.”
 “Time Flies”
Word Choice
Poets are very particular about the
words that they include in their poems.
If there is a word there, it is there for
a reason. It is these words that help
you to gauge to tone of a poem and to
help you visualise.
Personification
 PERSONIFICATION describes a thing or
object as if it is a person, or as having human
qualities.
 e.g. The wind whistled through the sails.
 The sun treads a path through the woods..
ALLITERATION
 ALLITERATION is where some words in
a phrase, or in a line of poetry begin with
the same sound.
 e.g. Steve seldom smiled on Sundays.
 Silently the spider spun its silken
strands.
Tone/Mood
 The 'tone' of a poem reveals the
attitude of the poet being studied
e.g. anger, love, resignation,
despair, fear, boredom etc.
What next???

You are now going to study the poem in groups and take
notes. When you study the poem you should look for and
underline examples of:
1. Figuarative Language: Metaphors, Personification.
2. Alliteration: How the writer uses sound
3. Characterisation: The way characters are described. Esp
actions and reactions
4. Word Choice: Interesting or important words used by the
poet.
5. Mood being created.
For each example, write down what it makes you think?
Jigsawing
 You will have ten minutes in your
groups to annotate your given stanza on
the copy provided. You must discuss
this in your groups before you do so.
 You will use these notes to teach the
other people in the class.
 By the end of the session you should all
have a fully annotated poem.
Teaching Groups
 Now you are going to take on the role of
teacher. You will be rearranged into “teaching
groups”.
 One person from each “learning group” will form
a new group and you will take turns to take
share your findings.
 By the end of your time you will know about the
poem you have been studying. You should add
your notes to your A4 copy of the poem so that
you will have all of the information that you need
to complete this essay.
 Understand? No? Let’s look at the following
slide and see if it is any clearer.
Learning Groups
Teaching Groups
Summary of the poem…
 The poem details the inner conflict within a war
photographer as he returns home to rural
England after an assignment.
 Throughout the poem the photographer
struggles to contain his feelings as the horrors
he has witnessed resurface in his everyday life.
 The purpose of the poem is to demonstrate the
suffering and devastation, both physically and
emotionally, caused by war.
THEMES
 In her poem Duffy deals with various themes,
however the two which are most prominent are:
•
•
Effects of War
Death
 Duffy uses a wide range of techniques in her
poem in order to demonstrate these themes.
She uses the main character of the
photographer to convey the trauma caused by
witnessing such intense human suffering.
Rhyme scheme
The form of the poem will be important. That is
how it is set out.
For example ‘War Photographer’ has four six line
stanzas with a regular rhyme scheme. In this
way it looks very ordered.
However, within the poem there are a variety of
sentence structures which makes the poem
seem very chaotic.
Character – The
Photographer
 The main character in Duffy’s poem is anonymous; he is an
observer of his surroundings. He is not so much a particular
individual as, like the poet, an observer and recorder of others'
lives.
 He is an outsider ("alone/With spools of suffering") who moves
between two worlds but is comfortable in neither.
 The "ordered rows" of film spools may suggest how the
photographer tries to bring order to what he records, to interpret
or make sense of it. He clearly takes his job very seriously and
feels he has a duty to stand up for those who cannot help
themselves.
What to take from this
poem…
 Duffy obviously feels something in common with her
subject - she uses the photographer’s experience to
voice her own criticism of how comfortable Britons
look at pictures of suffering, but do not know the
reality.
 She sees the photographer (far removed from the
paparazzi of the tabloids) as both priest and journalist.
 The reader's response to the Sunday newspaper is
almost like going to church - for a while we are
reminded of our neighbour's suffering, but by
lunchtime we have forgotten what we learned.
Sentence structure
In the first stanza the last line has four
sentences:
“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.”
This has the effect of making us stop and
think about the places he has been. But
also the short sharp sentences are like
bullets being fired by the poet.
Enjambment
The running over of a sentence from one
line of poetry into the next:
“Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands which did not tremble then
Though seem to now.”
“Home again
to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel,
to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet of running
children in a nightmare heat.”
Enjambment – why?
The poet has used this technique in her poem to
emphasis the chaos in which the war
photographer works.
The poem appears to be set out in ordered
stanzas but inside each verse the sentence
structure is very mixed. This echoes the
photographers life where he tries to be
organised but his job is very unpredictable. He
does not know what will happen next.
War Photographer – Verse 1
1) In his darkroom he is finally alone
Photographer is
an outsider, floats
between both
worlds.
Place of peace and tranquillity. Safe from the dangers of the
other half of his work
2) with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
Alliteration/Metaphor. The harsh S sound reminds us of the harsh world he operates
in. Personification - We know that spools can’t suffer but the images that they hold are
of suffering. Therefore the once the spools are developed they bring the suffering to life.
3) The only light is red and softly glows,
‘Red’ – Room is lit like a church ‘Sanctuary
lamp.’ Also connotations of blood.
“Ordered” – He is
trying to make
sense of things.
The spools are also
compared to
soldiers – dead or
alive - as they are
“set out in ordered
rows.” Image of
mass graves, film
becomes a grave
War Photographer – Verse 1
The poet is comparing the environment of the ‘darkroom’ to the inside of a
church. This suggests it is an important place or a place of quiet where you
would go to reflect
 4) as though this were a church and he
The purpose of this image in ‘War Photographer’ is to emphasis how important his job is. The war
photographer provides an important service to society. The process of developing these images is
compared to a religious ceremony. Simile - How he sees himself and his mission – to show the
truth, to convert people. He stands up for people who can’t stand up for themselves.
 5) a priest preparing to intone a mass.
Idea of a priest saying a mass in a chanting/preaching tone for effect and praise. In the similar way
a priest prepares for a funeral mass, remembering the dead, the photographer prepares his
photographs as a remembrance of those who died in his pictures.
 6) Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is
grass.
Metaphor from the Old
Shows the extent of unrest in the world – trouble is
everywhere. Alliteration - Idea of camera winding
on, images go past as he remembers them.
Testament (Isaiah). Idea that
life is short, even shorter in
the war zones he visits
War Photographer – Verse 2
Sentence structure through the short sentence -Shows he is Professional,
putting his feelings to one side to take a good picture.
7) He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
Metaphor/Alliteration. Actual sound of the work lets us imagine being there. "Solutions"
refers literally to the developing fluid in the trays, but also suggests the idea of solving the
political problems which cause war - "solutions" which he does not have, of course.
8) beneath his hands which did not tremble then
Contrast with calmness taking photos and his panic/emotional (post traumatic
stress?) state (shaking hands) when developing them.
9) though seem to now. Rural England. Home again
The man is now working in a familiar part of the world which is peaceful by comparison to the places
mentioned above. Gives the impression of idyllic setting. The word 'Rural' stands out as it creates the
image of an idealised England that is covered in perfect countryside that is pure and has beautiful views.
It suggests that England is peaceful place in comparison with the panic and chaos of war.
War Photographer – Verse 2
This quotation once again shows the effect of war on the photographer’s mental state. He struggles to
adapt back into “normal” life having witnessed such horrors. The war has made everyday life seem
meaningless and trivial in comparison to the suffering experienced by others.
 10) to ordinary pain which simple weather
can dispel, The use of sentence structure ‘Home Again’ helps to
emphasise the contrast the poet is creating between mundane
life back in leafy England and the shocking reality of a war
zone.
 11) to fields which don't explode beneath
the feet
Onomatopoeia - is only used once in ‘War Photographer’ with ‘explode’. This because the
poem is set in the quiet and solitude of the ‘darkroom’.
 12) of running children in a nightmare heat.
Again, emphasises safety and peaceful life at home, shocking image, contrast with the
violence abroad. Deliberately shocking image - Emotive - The innocent always suffer
mentions children’s feet not soldiers feet, more effective, again emphasises the
danger of the places he has visited, even the young and innocent are unsafe.
War Photographer – Verse 3
What "is happening" in the third stanza is that an image
is gradually appearing as a photo develops.
 13) Something is happening. A stranger's features
Sentence Structure - A short direct sentence Why “something” ? Does he
understand what it is ? Creates tension, anticipation.
 14) faintly start to twist before his eyes,
"Ghost" is ambiguous (it has a double meaning). It suggests the faint emerging image, but
also that the man in the photo is dead (which is why the picture was taken).
 15) a half formed ghost. He remembers the cries
The incident haunts him. The
photographer recalls the reaction of the
wife on seeing her husband die.
Duffy’s use of imagery here is particularly shocking and
clearly highlights the consequences of war. The memories
the photographer is reliving have clearly traumatised him as
he details the atrocities he witnessed. This shows the
effects of war on both the living (the photographer) and the
dead (the dead man).
War Photographer – Verse 3
He remembers the death of a man and the picture he had taken with the unspoken permission
of the man’s wife (either there is no time or he does not speak the language or both) . Morally
questionable? But necessary as the photographer/wife want people to know.
 16) of this man's wife, how he sought approval
 17) without words to do what someone must
The word ‘Stained’ suggests the blood will leave a mark on the ground when it dries. It will
also leave an eternal mark on the memory of the photographer, who will never forget the
traumatic image of the dead man; it will be ingrained in his mind.
 18) and how the blood stained into foreign dust.
Emphasises the troubles are happening elsewhere. ‘Foreign’ that we will forget the world’s
troubles because they are not ours! Imagery - Blood is cheap in these places. It is often
spilled.
War Photographer – Verse 4
The word choice of “agonies” clearly demonstrates the effects of
war on peoples’ lives. This word shows the suffering and pain
caused by violence.
 19) A hundred agonies in black-and-white
Once again Duffy’s words have double meaning when she uses “black and white”. On one level they could
refer to the black and white photographs the photographer has just developed. However, they could also refer
to black and white as a symbol for good and evil. Also, Duffy seems to be suggesting the importance of telling
the truth in “black and white”.
 20) from which his editor will pick out five or six
 21) for Sunday's supplement. The reader's eyeballs
prick
A newspaper supplement gives additional news that is not used in the main headlines or newspaper itself. It
suggests that the pictures are of secondary importance (only ‘five or six’ are picked out), not significant enough
to make the main headline and not interesting enough to the reader who doesn’t really care enough to
remember their important message.
War Photographer – Verse 4
Very cynical tone is conveyed from these lines. Duffy is suggesting that although the
images may evoke some sympathy from the reader’s this sympathy is short lived.
 22) with tears between the bath and pre-lunch
beers.
Duffy is critical of our indifference, she is suggesting the selfishness and self absorption of
society as these people’s suffering is not as important as their “pre-lunch beers”.
 23) From the aeroplane he stares impassively at
where
The photographer and Duffy’s feelings towards society are clearly demonstrated in these final lines.
There is a sense of pointlessness as the photographer leaves on another assignment knowing full
well that those who will see his images “do not care”.
 24) he earns his living and they do not care.
There is a feeling of sympathy/admiration for the photographer as he continues to share the suffering of
the helpless despite the lack of compassion and indifference (to distant to have an effect) of society.
Discussion Point…
 Describe a memorable journey you have
taken that has had a significant impact on
changing you as a person?
 Describe where you went, who you went
with, why did you go etc.
 Also, describe how that journey had a
lasting impact on you as person and has led
you to change in some way?
Important points to consider when reading
the poem She describes both the literal
Duffy considers and explores the sense of
isolation and confusion felt when as a
child her parents moved from the Gorbals
in Glasgow to England
details of the journey and the
move as well as the deeper,
metaphorical journey that she
and her family experienced as a
result of this decision.
Originally
Perhaps the most significant line of the poem
comes at the start of stanza two when she asserts
that “All childhood is an emigration”, revealing
clearly the universal truth that the process of
growing up is always synonymous with change.
Form and Structure
 Like much of Duffy’s work, the poem has a regular
structure.
 The three stanzas of eight lines help to divide the
poem into a straightforward chronology:
 Stanza 1 recalls the journey from Glasgow towards
her new home;
 Stanza 2 explores her initial sense of not fitting in to
this new landscape while in the third she considers the
larger question about how our sense of identity is
formed, shaped and affected by such transitions.
Form and Structure
Continued
 However, underneath this apparently ordered
structure, the poet’s anxiety and uncertainty is
revealed through the lack of a regular rhythm or rhyme
scheme which reinforces the lack of order in her own
life at this time.
 The fact that the poem is mainly composed by of a
series of fragmented memories, occasionally using
deliberately childish words or phrases is reminiscent of
the way most of us recall our own childhoods and
adds to the authenticity of the poem.
Themes
 In this poem, Duffy reveals the importance of early
childhood memories and experiences in shaping
identity and also considers the impact of significant
domestic changes during the formative years.
 It is clear that even though Duffy was only six when
she moved to England, her sense of Scottishness has
stayed with her.
 However, this affinity has resulted in a sense of
confusion about her own identity and where she
belongs and the poem is her own attempt to define
more precisely where her true origins lie.
Themes Continued
 Although asserting that all childhoods involve
change and transition, she feels a distinct pull
towards this country that she left so young and
there is a definite feeling of loss running
through the poem.
 In recalling how easily her brothers were able to
adapt she emphasises her own sense of
separateness.
Verse 1
Duffy emphasises that this decision impacted on her entire family unit through the first person plural in the
opening line:
 1) We came from our own country in a red room
Assonance of “our own” highlights sense of ownership /
reinforces her definite sense of belonging to a particular place.
Alliteration / metaphor The colour red has connotations of passion or anger, perhaps reflecting her
own feelings about being forced to leave the city of her birth and early childhood. Womb image?
 2) which fell through the fields, our mother singing
The word choice and alliteration of “fell” and “fields” and personification emphasises her feelings
of impotence, the speed of change and lack of control in the making of this important decision.
 3) our father's name to the turn of the wheels.
Ambiguous ‐ is she praying or is the children's father missing? Or is he there in the car with them?
First few lines create an upbeat atmosphere / mood which is contrasted later on when the children's reactions
are described.
 4) My brothers cried, one of them bawling Home,
Brothers emotions seem to reflect her own: they “cried”/“bawling Home”.
Verse 1
The repetition and capitalisation of the word “home” reinforces the misery and
overwhelming sense of loss and separation that she associates with this time.
Again sense of speed / things happening out‐with control conveyed by personification
 5) Home, as the miles rushed back to the city,
Duffy uses personification to emphasise her own desire to return to Glasgow,
to reverse this trip and reinhabit
 6) the street, the house, the vacant rooms
enjambment
/
italics
used for
emphasis
Structure - use of a list to convey how much has been left behind
 7) where we didn't live any more. I stared
Again, the first person plural of “we” emphasises that even though this poem is written from her own perspective,
she very clearly considers the impact of the move not just as an individual but for the rest of the family.
 8) at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.
In contrast to her younger siblings, whose protestations are loud and vocal, Duffy is silent as she “stared/ at the
eyes of a blind toy”. The word choice of “blind” again exposes her uncertainty and anxiety as they head towards
something unknown and unfamiliar.
Verse 2
Metaphor - The most memorable words in the poem. Duffy considers the wider, experience of childhood itself
which, by definition is equated with changes (a journey) and transitions that are often beyond our control.
 9) All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow,
Structure – The first lines of the stanza; the elongated, drawn out phrasing of the first 3 lines emphasises
the “slow” stages of childhood - relates to idea of slow change
 10) leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue
Structure – Contrast - Short abrupt sentences relate to this type of change provides a contrast with the earlier
lines.
 11) where no one you know stays. Others are sudden.
Having the “wrong” accent conveys how communication and acceptance is much more complex
than merely speaking the same language.
 12) Your accent wrong. Corners, which seem familiar,
The word choice of “seem” and “unimagined” (next slide) exposes her inability to negotiate her
way successfully through this new, strange and unfamiliar landscape. .
Verse 2
Word choice – ‘Unimagined’ - Sense of confusion / uncertainty / not knowing and fitting in is conveyed.
 13) leading to unimagined, pebble dashed estates,
Word choice - This line underpins her sense of confusion as
big boys
Aggressive impression of the strange boys
she is confronted by behaviour and language that is alien to
her.
 14) eating worms and shouting words you don't
understand.
The initial optimism of her mother in the first stanza has been replaced with an “anxiety” that “stirred like a loose
tooth.”
 15) My parents' anxiety stirred like a loose tooth
in my head.
This is an interesting simile since while it emphasises that her parents too are struggling with aspects of the
move, their fears are not enough to provoke a strong reaction – a loose tooth can easily fall out of its own accord
 16) I want our own country, I said.
The italicisation here reminds us again of the autobiographical nature of the poem and is a reference back to the
first line of stanza one. Acts like a childish lament, perhaps one that was constantly repeated during this upsetting
transition and reminds us, like the words “big boys” used earlier, how young Duffy was when this event occurred.
Verse 3
The final stanza opens with the conjunctive “But” to indicate a change in the writer’s line of thought as she
meditates on the inevitability of change and adaptation.
 17) But then you forget, or don't recall, or change,
She uses the 2nd person “you forget, or don’t recall” to directly expose the often fragile nature of childhood
memory. The speaker in this stanza is older and more reflective as she considers her own gradual transition.
Structure - emphasises change being difficult to pinpoint / define
 18) and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only
Refers back to the boys eating worms in the second stanza and implies that this act is evidence that he has fully
assimilated to his new home, the simple alliteration indicating that this was a straightforward process for him.
 19) a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue
Use of old Scottish dialect - Reveals that she still feels attached to her Scottish roots unwilling to fully
relinquish the last traces of her Scottish dialect. While her brothers have successfully adapted, she still feels out
of place and like a splinter, memories of her former life continue to trouble her.
 20) shedding its skin like a snake, my voice
Simile - to convey idea of change again leaving the old behind and adapting to suit the new.
Verse 4
Definite implication that despite these outward signs that she had adapted she continues to feel out of place.
 21) in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I
deliberate inversion of the “I only” again emphasises her feelings of
only think The
isolation and separateness from the other members of her family at this time
 22) I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space
Structure - Lists all the things she thinks she may have lost ‐ but poses it as a question again highlighting
uncertainty, not near a resolution. Rhetorical questions = hesitation – mimes Duffy’s crisis of identity
 23) and the right place? Now, Where do you come
from? Here she challenges both herself and us to consider our own notions of self and identity.
Structure-Final abrupt sentence- Reveals that the poet is no closer to defining her identity. When asked the final
question she still has to qualify and clarify this simple query with the response “Originally?” This momentary
hesitation reveals that even though older, the speaker continues to have mixed feeling about her true origins.
 24) strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
Two very different questions ‐ is where you come from the same as your original home?
Discussion Point…
 Describe something in your life that you
have strong, mixed or contradictory
feelings about.
 Describe why this person/place/issue etc.
makes you feel this way.
 What impact does this have on you as a
person?
Important points to consider when reading
the poem
Miss Havisham is a character from the novel Great
Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Miss Havisham was left at the
altar some years before we first
meet her, and has never
changed out of her wedding
dress.
Havisham
She is a rather pathetic figure but also hates men
as a result of having been left: throughout Great
Expectations she spends her time trying to take her
revenge on all men.
Duffy’s intentions…
 The poem seeks to make us understand Havisham.
 The first person narrative enables the reader to
empathise (rather than sympathise) with her feelings.
 The anger expressed in the poem gives a sense of her
reclaiming her ability to change things, as opposed to
just being a victim.
 The possibility of being only a victim is suggested by
the wailing question of who did this to her.
Form and Structure
 The poem is written in four stanzas which are
unrhymed.
 Many of the lines run on, and the effect is like
normal speech.
 The poem is written in free verse, in that it has no
regular pattern of metre or rhyme. It is, however,
arranged in four stanzas of equal length (has egs of
internal rhyme), which suggests some control in its
speaker, undermining the madness the character is
known for, which is one of the points of the poem.
Form and Structure
 A dramatic monologue, Havisham is written in
the first person, with the poet assuming the
voice of a character (a persona).
 This form enables us to understand her
thoughts because she is speaking them
directly. There is no sense of an audience, so
she appears to be speaking to herself.
Havisham – Verse 1
Oxymoron – Suggests love and hate. Ambivalent, contradictory, and conflicting ideas and
feelings. It is pretty clear that Miss Havisham has these kinds of feelings about this man
1) Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then
The Wedding
Alliteration ‘B’ emphasises anger. The very first sentence in the poem is just three nouns in a row, without a
verb. There are a number of other short and powerful fragments in the poem, which are deliberately used for
effect. They create a sense of anger.
2) I haven’t wished him dead. Prayed for it
Enjambement – Run
on lines
Not only wished for her fiancé's death; she's prayed for it. And she's prayed for it
hard. Poem has taken on a distinctly sinister tone.
Assonance -"hard" and "dark." A repetition of similar vowel sounds. Used often in this poem.
3) so hard I’ve dark green pebbles for eyes,
Metaphor - Green as the colour of jealousy and greed, and sometimes even the colour of sickness. And
pebbles are hard and small. Her fiancé's betrayal has left her jealous and hardened.
4) ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.
Metaphor - "ropes" on the back of her hands again show how Havisham has aged (Veins) and hardened over the
years. There is violence in this metaphor too, as they are ropes Havisham "could strangle with".
Havisham – Verse 2
Single word sentence – Negative word for an unmarried older woman - Denotes Her bitterness- what society
sums her up as. Monologue – get a glimpse into Miss Havisham's deepest thoughts (Stream of consciousness)
5) Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days
She has never washed since her wedding day. She sees her life as decay and memories. She ‘remembers’,
suggests she has been stewing for decades, recalling every bit of unhappiness that she has had to endure
because of her fiancé's actions.
6) in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress
Metaphor - of a parrot “CAWING” makes her sound like an animal. Might she be reliving the moment when she of
her fiancé's betrayal/bemoaning her current state of affairs? No one listening; she's just shouting at the wall.
Age
Internal Rhyme - repeated sounds of "Spinster. I stink and remember,"/"aw" sounds of caw and wall
combined with her short sentences claustrophobic? Trapped in Havisham's terrifing mind/ repeated thoughts
7) yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;
Personification, As if dress waiting to be put back away / she lterally trembles when looking at the clothes of her past.
Mirror. She sees herself first as a "her," as if she doesn't recognize herself and what she's become. Mirror is
"slewed," or turned/broken and warped, like a funhouse mirror. She could also be drunk
8) the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did
Full-length, giving Havisham a clear view of her entire body - old, yellowing, and wasting away. “Myself."
this
Havisham faces facts – she's the one in the mirror.
identity crisis. She no longer knows who is to blame. Split personality? she's staring at herself. And because these
words follow "myself," and there's no question mark after them, we might take it to mean she's blaming herself?
Havisham – Verse 3
Enjambment – Gives the poem new, unexpected layer. Suddenly seems that she believes she's not
at fault. Someone has done something to her/doesn't seem to take blame for the shape of her life.
9) to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words.
Colour of deep red to purple-brown suggests old
blood which represents old wounds
(compare line 6) Suggests she no longer can access
language to express her feelings – where pain is so deep
there is no language available to describe it
10) Some nights better, the lost body over me,
Conversational/Change to Lighthearted tone – Suggests Dreaming
of man and intimacy with him are when some nights are better
‘Its’ She depersonalizes him; in this moment, he's just a ‘body’
or object to her. Continues to imagine intimacy between them
Husband she never had Lost to her /
also creates sexual imagery of body in
her dreams
11) my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear
This violence ‘bite’ is picked up towards the end of the poem. The ‘suddenness’ ends the fantasy and wakes
her – and us as the reader to the viciousness of the attack (or dreamed attack) Implied revenge?
12) then down till I suddenly bite awake. Love’s
Enjambment - Finally, we get a lingering word on the last line of the stanza:
"Love's." Again, builds expectation.
Havisham – Verse 4
Oxymoron - ‘Love’s hate’ - She doesn’t trust love
as it let her down. Also shows her confusion – she's
trapped between hating and loving him.
Triple meaning – ‘white’ suggests innocence, ‘white veil’
represents the wedding, ‘veil’ represents in feminist terms
that she is concealing something (Hate?)
13) hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting
Metaphor - Suggests celebrations that did not take place. Used to express her
embarrassment (the veil concealed this) and the end of her innocence/dreams.
‘Red’ suggests anger,
Alliteration of `b’ and plosive
sound suggest violence.
14) in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding-cake.
Onomatopoeia - Short sentence for
effect – also represents the shock
she experienced.
Violent imagery ‘Stabbed’ shows literally her anger at the time and
metaphorically shows her opinion on marriage.
15) Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon.
Use of dark repulsive image. Reference to death/corpse links to idea that the ‘honeymoon’ would provide the long
painful death she wants for him. Combines both love and revenge(a final triumph?). Rather have him dead than
have him reject her(bitter/twisted) making the reader less understanding of Havisham.
16) Don’t think it’s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.
Use of plosive ‘b’ in a stuttering style, suggests the is breaking/crying/collapsing. She conveys that her
life/mind/body has broken as a result – not just her heart. Pathos (emotional appeal) to reader – pity. May also refer
to length of time her heart has been broken and the possibility of a stabbing, violent action towards the bridegroom
Discussion Point…
 Describe something in your life that you
have strong, mixed or contradictory
feelings about.
 Describe why this person/place/issue etc.
makes you feel this way.
 What impact does this have on you as a
person?
Important points to consider when reading
the poem
Based on Shakespeare’s first wife.
A dramatic
monologue spoken in the
voice of a
specific
persona, real
or imagined
Sonnet (14 Lines – mirrors style
used by Shakespeare)
16th century
Anne
Hathaway
He gives her the gift of his second favourite bed
Anne reacting to becoming a
widow on Shakespeare’s
death.
Overview
 This poem, like Mrs Midas, comes from the “The World’s
Wife”, Duffy’s first themed collection of poems.
 In this set of poems, Duffy considers both real and
fictional characters, stories, histories and myths which
concentrated on men, and gives voice to the women
associated with them.
 Although “Havisham” was printed a year earlier, it would
make a good comparison with this poem since both take
the perspective of a woman living without her lover:
Havisham having been jilted at the altar, while Hathaway
has been widowed.
Context (Background)
 Anne Hathaway was the wife of Shakespeare. She was seven years his
senior and already pregnant when the 18 year old, William Shakespeare,
married her.
 The poem begins with an epigraph taken directly from Shakespeare’s
will, in which despite being a man of some considerable property at this
time he leaves her only his “second best bed”.
 While some critics have viewed this as an insult, Duffy presents a new
perspective and uses the bed as a metaphor for the intense passion
and romance shared by the couple.
 The “second best bed” was in fact the couple’s marital bed, the best
being reserved for guests. Duffy imagines then that this legacy was
the playwright’s last romantic gesture.
Form and Structure
 Fittingly, Duffy employs the sonnet form so adored
by Shakespeare.
 This 14 line structure is often associated with love
poetry, deemed highly appropriate given the
subject matter of the poem.
 Shakespearian sonnets contain three quatrains and
a couplet.
 The quatrains usually present the key ideas
explored by the poet with the resolution or volta
(an Italian term which literally translates as “the
turn”) arriving in the couplet
Form and Structure
 In the poem, Duffy quite literally employs a “softer rhyme” with
a much more relaxed, less restrictive rhyme scheme combined
with overtly sensual, erotic language and imagery.
 She uses a regular meter but her deliberate choices of
assonance and alliteration are designed to imitate the random
touching made during lovemaking, so that it is almost as though
the words themselves are grazing each other.
 Duffy makes frequent use of enjambment in the poem to show
how freely and without obstruction the love flowed between the
couple as well as to place emphasis on important words or
phrases.
 The entire poem is a metaphor comparing the couple’s love making
to the process of artistic and poetic creativity.
Themes
 This poem deals with the themes of passionate,
sensual erotic love as well as death and
remembrance.
 In the poem, Duffy really concentrates on conveying
that this was a marriage based on an all
encompassing deeply physical relationship. She uses
the actual legacy of the bed left by Shakespeare to his
wife to meditate on this specific aspect of their
relationship.
 In doing so, she presents a couple completely in tune
with each other both sexually and emotionally.
Themes - continued
 Fittingly, in a poem about the world’s greatest
ever poet and wordsmith, she uses language
itself as an extended metaphor to convey the
intensity of their passion.
 As well as emphasising the profound physical
connection of the lovers, Duffy also considers
that the most fitting way to honour our dead
loved ones is by preserving the most enduring,
vivid aspects of their character in our memories,
thus allowing them to continue to survive.
Epigraph
 ‘Item I gyve unto my wife my second best
bed ...’
(from Shakespeare’s will)
 The poem begins with this actual extract from the
will of Shakespeare.
 Although many critics consider this legacy an insult
to Hathaway, given that the playwright was fairly
wealthy when he died, Duffy uses it as the catalyst
for the poem and imbues the bed with a much more
magical and sensual meaning.
1st Quatrain - Lines 1 - 4
Imagery - Suggests their love made her dizzy, was all encompassing and exciting. Interestingly, despite bearing
him three children, the persona focuses only on their relationship as lovers, not parents.
1) The bed we loved in was a spinning world
Imagery - Reader is transported to a magical landscape filled with metaphor, romance and intrigue where
Shakespeare’s writing and his love for Anne are intertwined. Mirrors Shakespeare’s own writing (Macbeth, etc.)
Link between these iconic works of literature and the poetry –echoes the excitement that took place in this bed
2) of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seas
In their lovemaking, they found
something precious and valuable “pearls” - Intimate, sensual tone
Enjambment - Throughout the poem to show
how freely and without obstruction the love
flowed between the couple
3) where he would dive for pearls. My lover’s words
This intimate, sensual tone is continued in the metaphor below. Hathaway was seduced firstly by her
lover’s language and poetry, which literally seems to fall from the heavens as though a gift from the Gods
before transforming into the physical touch of a kiss.Sibilance also evident rep of ‘s’ sound= fireworks
4) were shooting stars which fell to earth as kisses
His words are stars up in the sky that everyone can see and admire, but his poetry is also
something intimate that only Anne can experience and fully comprehend. For her, his works are
something physical that she can touch, an experience of Shakespeare that nobody else can have.
2nd Quatrain - Lines 5 - 8
Language/poerty metaphor is extended. Uses poetic terms to describe intimacy between both - her body is a
“softer rhyme” to his harder, more masculine body, Their bodies rhyme with each other. Interestingly, Anne
characterises her body as "softer" than her husband's, embracing a kind of stereotypical femininity.
5) on these lips; my body now a softer rhyme
6) to his, now echo, assonance; his touch
Imagery - The erotic touch of his hand on her body is described as “a verb dancing in the centre of a noun.”
This deliberate comparison elevates their lovemaking to something poetic and in doing so literary or
linguistic terms become loaded with sensuality. Poetry and intimacy are interwoven
7) a verb dancing in the centre of a noun.
Anne imagines she is a product of her husband’s imagination, written into existence through their passionate
exchanges like a character from his plays. Suggests that it is only when she considers herself through his eyes
and imagination that she feels most fully alive
8) Some nights, I dreamed he’d written me, the bed
Symbol - The reference again to the bed at the end of line 8 creates a link to the opening line of the poem and
reinforces the symbolic significance of the bed as a representation of their love.
3rd Quatrain - Lines 9 - 12
Imagery - She is his ultimate muse, not just inspiring him to produce great works but actually becoming them. The
writing/intimacy metaphor is extended (the bed is a page, and Anne is the writing on it).
9) a page beneath his writer’s hands. Romance
Word Choice - Persona implies the inspiration for his characters and plots came from their lovemaking (itself
enacting a drama). The word “romance” is deliberately placed at the end of line 9 to emphasise that this is what
she most associates with their relationship. Life is better than art
10) and drama played by touch, by scent, by taste.
Sensory Imagery is employed “touch”, “scent”,” taste” to reinforce just how vividly she can still recall their
lovemaking as though through immersing herself in these memories she can experience this passion once more.
11) In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed on,
Contrast - compares the poetry and sensuality of their lovemaking with those who slept in the “other bed” . Uses
withering, disparaging comment .The implication is clear: poetry symbolises the most skilful and creative use of
language while prose (novels etc.)by comparison is unexceptional. Their intimacy is magical compared to others.
12) dribbling their prose. My living laughing love –
Alliteration and Assonance – Used to emphasise again how clearly the speaker can recall their passion.
Suggests that her lover continues in some ways to exist and survive in her memory. The dash creates a pause to
The Couplet Lines 13 - 14
Rhyme - The final couplet ends with the masculine full rhyme (unlike the rest of poem) of
“head” and “bed” to provide a defined conclusion to the poem. Just as the last two lines of a
Shakesperian sonnet would end, gives a sense of unity.
13) I hold him in the casket of my widow’s head
Metaphor of holding her lover in the protective “casket” of her imagination reiterates the
idea presented in the previous line suggesting that our memory of a deceased loved one in
a way allows their continued existence. She treasures her memories of him
Rhyming
Couplet
14) as he held me upon that next best bed.
Duffy seems to suggest that keeping vivid memories of loved ones is much more fitting than the urn or coffin,
which although may contain the physical remnants of a body, it can never capture the energy or vitality of their
character. In doing so and by allowing her to replay her memories of their passion, she is really honouring his
true legacy and repaying him for the way that he held her in “that next best bed.”
Important points to consider when reading
the poem
Based on myth of King Midas.
A dramatic
monologue spoken in the
voice of a
specific
persona, real
or imagined
Themes include loneliness,
greed and suffering the
consequences of our actions.
Mrs Midas
Uses sometimes comic tone
Explores the consequences of our actions.
Overview
 Mrs Midas is a poem written from the viewpoint of the
wife of the mythological King Midas, from Ovid’s
Metamorphoses.
 King Midas was granted a wish by the god Dionysus
whereby everything he touched would turn to gold.
 With comical undertones, a wide range of emotions is
expressed through the persona of Mrs Midas as she
speaks out against her husband’s foolish actions and
gradually separates herself from him.
 She leaves him to waste away in isolation while she laments
the loss of their physical relationship and the chance to
have a baby together to fulfil their dreams.
Form and Structure
 This poem is written in the form of a dramatic
monologue from a female perspective, similar to all
of the poems from The World’s Wife collection in
which well-known characters from myths or history
are presented from the perspective of their
forgotten or disregarded and wives.
 Duffy focuses on an aspect of this well-known
character and presents an imaginary response
from the wife’s viewpoint, providing fresh, thoughtprovoking and comical insight into their lives.
Structure
 Mrs Midas is made up of eleven stanzas of irregular line length ranging from
six lines to ten in order to reflect how unpredictable and chaotic life has
become for this couple in that at any second with a simple touch, Mrs
Midas could also soon be turned to gold.

 Stanzas 1 to 6 deal with the discovery of King Midas’ granted wish and the
realisation and then sheer panic of how he has been given such a
tremendous power, whilst a comic tone is maintained throughout, as Mrs
Midas even catalogues everyday items being turned to gold.
 The remainder of the poem reveals the harsh heartfelt implications of Midas’
gift, highlighting the damage it has done to the couple’s relationship
and their future together.
 The final line in the poem sums up Mrs Midas’ regret at the loss of physical
contact with her isolated husband.
Themes
 Greed is certainly a recurring theme as this what motivated
Midas to make his wish in the first place and the damaging
effects are portrayed throughout with both husband and wife, in
the end, being left alone to suffer the effects of wishing to
possess a substance which ultimately ‘feeds no one.’
 Consequences of our actions: This is a prevalent theme as
both Midas and his wife pay the price of not really taking the
time to deliberate and think through what would follow if they
chose one action over another.
 Loneliness and Solitude are all that is left for both characters
by the end of the poem as a result of one selfish act. A life of
solitude is chosen as soon as Midas is ‘granted’ his foolish and
selfish wish.
Stanza 1 - Lines 1 - 6
Duffy presents Mrs Midas in a typical domestic scene.
It was late September. I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun
to unwind, while the vegetables cooked. The kitchen
filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath
gently blanching the windows. So I opened one,
then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow.
Personified
kitchen; ‘filled
with the smell of
itself’, during the
peak of the
golden autumnal
month of
September. The
kitchen’s ‘steamy
breath’ which is
‘gently blanching’
is in contrast to
the life sapping
events which are
taking place in the
garden – e.g ‘twig’
turned to gold in
next stanza
He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig.
The references to touching are noticeable but are presented subtly in this stanza. She has poured a glass of
wine but noticed the steam on “the other’s glass” which she wipes “like a brow”, thus also conveying the loving
relationship enjoyed by the couple. Likewise the “steamy breath” from the stove is “gently blanching the
windows”.
Stanza 2 - Lines 7 - 12
The second stanza describes what she sees through the window.
Imagery–Is particularly effective and has a bearing on what follows: At this stage the reader does not know what is
about to happen, but the concept of a life-force being drained and replaced by something evil is well expressed here.
Now the garden was long and the visibility poor, the way
the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky,
but that twig in his hand was gold. And then he plucked
a pear from a branch. – we grew Fondante d’Automne –
and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On.
I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?
This simile effectively
conveys both the
shape of the pear and
also the brightness
emanating from it.
The full stops add a
comedic effect,
highlighting Mrs
Midas’ shock, disbelief
and sudden dawning
of awareness in her
own mind as to what
she has just
witnessed.
This whimsical, light and humorous imagery is continued and contrasts with the seriousness of what
has just happened and her incredulity is evident when she questions whether he is just ‘putting fairy
lights in the tree?’ The narrator seeks to find a rational explanation for what she is seeing.
Stanza 3 - Lines 13 - 18
Stanza 3 relays Midas’ return journey through the house as he turns the doorknobs and blinds into gleaming gold
He came into the house. The doorknobs gleamed.
He drew the blinds. You know the mind; I thought of
Wife thinks back to a school history
lesson and the meeting place
between the Kings of England and
France in 1520 in France. This was
embellished with gold to disguise
the surrounding deprivation of the
nation.
the Field of the Cloth of Gold and of Miss Macready.
He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne.
Simile - Midas becomes
king-like when he sits in
his chair. Allusion to
Shakespeare's ‘Anthony
and Cleopatra ‘
The look on his face was strange, wild, vain. I said,
What in the name of God is going on? He started to laugh.
Theme - Mrs Midas goes on
to describe the expression of
her husband as he realises
that he has been given a
tremendous power,
motivated by greed.
Short, abrupt sentence and end-stop -As the exasperated wife, Mrs Midas makes a typical expression of
confusion. Her perplexed reaction causes her husband to laugh. Response is inappropriate,.
Stanza 4 - Lines 19 - 24
In Stanza 4, Mrs Midas attempts to instil a sense of normality by her matter of fact tone in serving up dinner.
I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob.
Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich.
This comedic effect is
maintained as negative
effects of such a “gift”
shown as Midas can no
longer enjoy the simple
pleasures of food. His
ambition will cause him to
starve.
He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.
He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand,
a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy, then watched
Mrs Midas pours
the 'bone-dry' wine
'with a shaking
hand' reflecting her
mounting fear.
as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank.
Alliteration - The moment of realisation is captured in the transformation of the glass.The harsh consonance of
the 'g' sound, reflects the impact of the transformation. A poisoned Chalice? Midas will soon realise that his
miraculous gift will carry a hidden price.
Stanza 5 - Lines 25 - 30
The sinking in of reality is further echoed in the first lines of Stanza 5 as both come to terms with his new power,
It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees.
After we’d both calmed down, I finished the wine
on my own, hearing him out. I made him sit
on the other side of the room and keep his hands to himself.
I locked the cat in the cellar. I moved the phone.
The toilet I didn’t mind. I couldn’t believe my ears:
Mrs Midas finishes off
the wine and forces
her husband to sit
alone. Even after
becoming aware of
the consequences,
this humorous line
reveals that while
Midas still seeks to
enjoy a physical
relationship with his
wife, his new “gift”
means that he will be
deprived this
pleasure.
Humour - The stanza ends with Mrs Midas relaying the precautions she took to
protect the cat by locking it in the cellar and then moving the phone, but allowing
the toilet (Allusion to ‘The Throne’) to be changed into gold.
Stanza 6 - Lines 31 - 36
Sentence Structure - Duffy then inserts a deliberate pause to imitate the speaker’s incredulity upon hearing how
her husband has been “granted” a wish.
Pun - which is repeated to convey her opinion, that in general, people do and can make wishes but if they are
going to be given, then of course her ‘fool’ of a husband had to be the one to have his wish come true.
how he’d had a wish. Look, we all have wishes; granted.
But who has wishes granted? Him. Do you know about gold?
It feeds no one; aurum, soft, untarnishable; slakes
Structure - rhetorical
question monosyllabic
minor sentence which
answers her question
'Him' conveys his
disgust with her
husband
no thirst. He tried to light a cigarette; I gazed, entranced,
as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. At least,
I said, you’ll be able to give up smoking for good.
Structure - However, it is
Midas' wish for gold that is
outrageous; she asks
another rhetorical question
and answers it. .
Tone - She is truly aggrieved by this and goes on to justify the futility of such a wish since
gold ‘feeds no one’. In doing so she exposes the inherent lack of real value of gold.
Humour - is injected to contrast with this harsh fact as Mrs Midas considers with sardonic practicality how the
situation will mean that at least Midas will be able to stop smoking.
Stanza 7 - Lines 37 - 42
Structure - Single statement: The remainder of the poem continues to highlight
the damage Midas’ gift has done to their once loving relationship. Then it
transpires, on separate floors, indicating the widening gulf between them.
Separate beds. in fact, I put a chair against my door,
near petrified. He was below, turning the spare room
Humour/Imagery - Although
there is still humour in the use
of internal rhyme: ‘tomb/
Tutankhamun', the imagery
now carries connotations of
death and symbolises that
their relationship and dreams
are effectively dead.
into the tomb of Tutankhamun. You see, we were passionate then,
in those halcyon days; unwrapping each other, rapidly,
Metaphor - However, she
now rightly fears Midas’
‘honeyed embrace’ since it
would be deadly to her.
like presents, fast food. But now I feared his honeyed embrace,
the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art.
Contrast Imagery – Of physical
suffering they must now endure,
compared to the fulfilling relationship
‘Halcyon days’ – (perfect times)they
enjoyed before he was granted his
wish.
Stanza 8 - Lines 43 - 48
Metaphor - Expression usually has positive connations and is associated with
kindness.This metaphor is ironically inverted as the literal meaning is implied,
inferring that it would be impossible to survive as a living being with such a heart.
And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live
Perhaps the most poignant
image in this poem is her
sadness of being deprived
the opportunity to have a real
baby
with a heart of gold? That night, I dreamt I bore
his child, its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue
A superficial, initially attractive description of the baby she dreamt about is given
like a precious latch, its amber eyes
holding their pupils like flies. My dream milk
Imagery – But this descends into a
disturbing image as these flame
coloured eyes are deemed to be
‘holding their pupils like flies.’ A
symbol of lifelessness.
burned in my breasts. I woke to the streaming sun.
Imagery - The speaker's longing for a child is
encapsulated here and it is perhaps this image of
thwarted maternal love that reveals the true cost of
Midas' greed.
Waking to the ‘streaming sun’, again, poignantly
reminds us that each day she will awake to a world
in which gold dominates every waking moment.
Stanza 9 - Lines 49 - 54
In Stanza 9, the consequences of the myth and the effect on their lives continues to destroy their relationship as
Mrs Midas bluntly informs us: ‘So he had to move out.’
So he had to move out. We’d a caravan
in the wilds, in a glade of its own. I drove him up
under the cover of dark. He sat in the back.
Mrs Midas' embarrassment at her
husband's behaviour is conveyed in
the way drives him to live in their
isolated caravan. She drives him
away 'under cover of dark' which
reveals her sense of shame
And then I came home, the woman who married the fool
who wished for gold. At first, I visited, odd times,
parking the car a good way off, then walking.
The fact she parks the car
'a good way off‘
emphasises her continued
fear of her husband’s gift
Third person narrative She returns alone as: ‘the
woman who married the
fool’, clearly blaming her
husband for stupidly
wishing for gold while
reflecting on the derision
and mockery of
gossipmongers.
Stanza 10 - Lines 55 - 60
Solitary image – Stanza 10 describes his distanced, detached separate lifestyle as she describes the rural single
golden items and other evidence of his folly she discovers on her walk from the parked car to her husband. These
images are the legacy he leaves behind him rather than the perfect child she longed for.
You knew you were getting close. Golden trout
on the grass. One day, a hare hung from a larch,
a beautiful lemon mistake. And then his footprints,
Unable to slake his appetite or his thirst, Midas is driven 'delirious' She describes him in a sorrowful state as ‘thin.’
glistening next to the river’s path. He was thin,
delirious; hearing, he said, the music of Pan
from the woods. Listen. That was the last straw.
This proves to be the breaking point for Mrs Midas.
His delirium leads him to believe he
can hear the ‘music of Pan.’ This
associates him with another Greek
God, this time the isolated figure of
Pan who was the God of shepherds
and flocks (also sung for Midas in
Greek myths). We note the irony that a
gift so equated with wealth and
prosperity should result in such
emotional poverty.
Stanza 11 - Lines 61 - 65
The final Stanza stresses Mrs Midas’ anger and reflection at her husband’s ‘pure selfishness’ in making his wish
which has not only affected him but also deprived both of any physical relationship but also of his wife’s chance to
have her dream baby.
What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed
but lack of thought for me. Pure selfishness. I sold
the contents of the house and came down here.
However, even after all her
anger has been unleashed, the
stanza resonates with a sense
of loss and grief. She is still left
alone with nothing but a wistful,
regretful sense of loss for the
man she married.
I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon,
and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead. I miss most,
She still loves her husband
although they can never be
together. She thinks about
him frequently and, as is
typical with people who are
forced apart for whatever
reason, things she sees can
suddenly remind her of him
and what she has lost
even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch.
In a poignant line, she remembers fondly their once full, physical relationship and mourns its passing:. The
repetition - of the words “hands” emphasises too that his touch, once a potent symbol of their intimacy is now lost
forever. The final line is one that could be spoken by millions of women who have lost their life partner (the last
word of the poem being the most significant). Of course, the situation described in the poem is “fantastic” in the
true sense of that word, but the sentiment is real enough. Relationships are often ruined through idiocy or greed.