Write a close analysis of 40 lines of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy and discuss how far these lines reflect her view on love as presented in “The Worlds Wife”
Write a close analysis of 40 lines of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy and discuss how far these lines reflect her view on love as presented in “The Worlds Wife”
“Thetis” by Carol Ann Duffy explores feminist views of the writer which is demonstrated through the pursuit to find love and the power struggle for female independence. Thetis is one of Duffy's poems in the cluster “The Worlds Wife”, which has not been defined by a prefix of “Mrs” unlike the poems “Mrs Lazarus”, “Mrs Midas” and “Mrs Aesop”. Duffy empowers women by giving them a voice in which she has chosen not to label Thetis with “Mrs”, suggesting female independence. This dramatic monologue, written in free verse shows the metamorphosis of Thetis, a Greek goddess, as she embarks on a journey to escape her mortal suitor, with whom she is destined to have a child.
The eponymous narrator of the poem, Thetis, is used by Duffy to tirade against male domination through the shape shifting action. Thetis shrinks herself “to the size of a bird in the hand of a man”. The enjambment “of a man” emphasise the possession and the control the male suitor has over Thetis alluding to the stereotypical archetype of females portrayed in a patriarchal society. It also foreshadows the involvement and significance of the “male” figure in her quest to freedom. The word choice “shrank” suggests a negative connotation in which she feels inferior to the point where she is held in “the hands of a man”. Furthermore, using the alliteration of “sweet sweet” mimics the echo of a bird “tweet tweet” implying the beginning of a metaphorical journey to escape the male entrapment of an abusive relationship as she “felt the squeeze of his fist”. The repetition also suggests her imposing a sweet nature towards him. The image of “a bird in the hand…The squeeze of his fist” is similar to the “living dove” in one of Duffy's other poems - little red cap – which is “one bite dead”. Duffy uses this imagery of the destruction of an innocent, pure,
“Thetis” by Carol Ann Duffy explores feminist views of the writer which is demonstrated through the pursuit to find love and the power struggle for female independence. Thetis is one of Duffy's poems in the cluster “The Worlds Wife”, which has not been defined by a prefix of “Mrs” unlike the poems “Mrs Lazarus”, “Mrs Midas” and “Mrs Aesop”. Duffy empowers women by giving them a voice in which she has chosen not to label Thetis with “Mrs”, suggesting female independence. This dramatic monologue, written in free verse shows the metamorphosis of Thetis, a Greek goddess, as she embarks on a journey to escape her mortal suitor, with whom she is destined to have a child.
The eponymous narrator of the poem, Thetis, is used by Duffy to tirade against male domination through the shape shifting action. Thetis shrinks herself “to the size of a bird in the hand of a man”. The enjambment “of a man” emphasise the possession and the control the male suitor has over Thetis alluding to the stereotypical archetype of females portrayed in a patriarchal society. It also foreshadows the involvement and significance of the “male” figure in her quest to freedom. The word choice “shrank” suggests a negative connotation in which she feels inferior to the point where she is held in “the hands of a man”. Furthermore, using the alliteration of “sweet sweet” mimics the echo of a bird “tweet tweet” implying the beginning of a metaphorical journey to escape the male entrapment of an abusive relationship as she “felt the squeeze of his fist”. The repetition also suggests her imposing a sweet nature towards him. The image of “a bird in the hand…The squeeze of his fist” is similar to the “living dove” in one of Duffy's other poems - little red cap – which is “one bite dead”. Duffy uses this imagery of the destruction of an innocent, pure,