Choose a poem in which the poet clearly adopts the persona of another person.
Show in detail how the poet exploits this approach to create an effective poem.
A poem in which the writer exploits a persona is ‘The Devil’s Wife’ by Carol Ann Duffy.
The poem is a dramatic monologue of the notorious serial killer, Myra Hindley who,
along with her partner Ian Brady, abused and killed several children in the 1960s.
Through this persona Duffy create an effective poem that portrays the horror
surrounding these crimes.
Duffy establishes the persona in the opening section entitled ‘Dirt’, where, through a
first person narrative account, she describes how Hindley and Brady first got together:
‘I’d stare him out, chewing my gum, indolent, dumb
I’d lie on my bed at home on fire for him.’
Already we are presented with two anti- social figures; the social outcasts are drawn to
each other in a relationship based on sex and danger. However, what is most noteworthy at this point is Duffy’s use of rhythm, a child- like skipping rhythm contrasted
with the prosaic one of the final line, which creates a sinister tone when considered that
couple’s crimes were always against children. The horror of their crimes is further
suggested by Duffy in the final stanza of this section when she writes:
‘ I felt like this; Tongue of stone. Two black slates
For eyes. Thumped wound of a mouth. Nobody’s man.
Here she is describing the search for children to abduct and Hindley’s lack of feeling
towards her victims, instead suggesting that she herself was a victim of violence and
perhaps goes some way to explain why she acted with such violence herself. This flurry
of metaphors, however, only serve the purpose of implying that the crimes they
committed were of such heinous proportions that they are beyond words of Standard
English thus leaving the reader with a shocking understanding of evil and how can
operate in the human form. Having established the persona, she is able to effectively
develop this in subsequent sections to create an effective poem.
Reading further into the poem Duffy uses the persona to raise more questions as to the
lengths that people will go to cover up their involvement in evil deeds. It was well
documented that Hindley failed to acknowledge her involvement for many years and
Duffy expresses when she writes:
‘I know I carried the spade. I know I was covered in mud
But I cannot remember how or where or precisely when’
The repetition of ‘I know’ emphasizes to the reader exactly what Hindley did not
remember; she recalls the generic information but will not tell where the bodies of her
young victims were. Duffy is able to suggest through this that Hindley, like many other
criminals, wishes to protect herself and even after the act cannot recognize the
magnitude of their actions. The poet also makes good use of the extended metaphor
established in the first section where she describes Brady as ‘The Devil’ who possessed
Hindley:
‘The Devil was evil, mad, but I was the Devil’s wife
Which made me worse…’
Throughout the trial Hindley was always presented in a far harsher way than Brady, here
Duffy successfully explores how Hindley felt she was targeted because of her gender as
the British public had not been confronted with such a female serial killer before. The
narrator herself tries to explain that her crimes were down the Devil ‘entering her’ and
taking control of her and once possessed she was powerless to act, however, the reader
remains unconvinced as to the validity of the argument.
Within the dramatic monologue Duffy exploits the form of a sonnet to explore Hindley’s
religious awakening. Through this technique Hindley is presented to the reader as a
dislocated and disturbed woman who continually distances herself from her crimes. She
chants:
‘I said No not me I didn’t I couldn’t I wouldn’t.
Can’t remember no idea not in the room.’
This lack of punctuation highlights her deteriorating state of mind and it is only though
the structure of the sonnet that Duffy is able to maintain control of such ramblings. This,
in turn, is effective at conveying the suggestion that perhaps there was a reason behind
her madness; self preservation.
As the poem begins to draw to a close Duffy uses the persona in the section entitled
‘Night’ to show what would have haunted Hindley whilst imprisoned. She was
demonized by fellow prisoners, the public and the media of which she was very aware
of:
‘these are the words that crawl out of the wall:
Suffer. Monster. Burn in Hell.
These are not only thoughts that came from the public, but also her own mind as her
mental state began to deteriorate further. All have evil connotations that we would
attach to the persona Duffy has presented us with making understand not only the
character but the context in which she exists. It is in the final sections that Duffy
presents the questions which Hindley must have asked herself:
‘But what did I do to us all, to myself
When I was the Devil’s wife?
Hindley recognizes that her choice to be with Brady had horrific consequences, not only
for her victims but also for herself. Whilst Hindley remains focused on her own suffering
in the previous line:
‘If life means life means life means life’
The reader’s attention is turned back to her crimes, reminding us of the evil that existed
in her and the suffering that she inflicted. Although the poem makes for a disturbing
read for the reader, we are effectively presented with a persona that represents the
darker side of human existence.
In conclusion, throughout the poem Duffy successfully exploits the persona of Myra
Hindley to provide a harrowing narrative account of her involvement and subsequent
crimes with Ian Brady. Though the use of poetic techniques we are presented with an
insight into the true extent of a human’s capacity for evil.