a2 english literature - carol ann duffy rapture presentation 'does nature mirror human emotion?
TRANSCRIPT
U N L O V I N G (Stanza 1, line 4) ‘…turn to ice.’ (Stanza 4, line 1) ‘Learn from the river, flowing always somewhere else…’ (Stanza 5, line 2 & 3) ‘Learn from the dumbstruck gardens, summer’s grave, where nothing grows…’
Page 61
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Does nature mirror human emoDon?
AO1: In Duffy’s poem Unloving, she deploys a series of images from the natural world to present the idea, that just as in nature, the relaDonship has changed, or is changing.
AO2: (Stanza 1, line 4) ‘…turn to ice.’ Duffy’s use of the verb ‘turn’ suggests that the lover and the relaDonship have altered just as water changes its physical state when frozen. AddiDonally, her use of the noun ‘ice’ carries connotaDons of a relaDonship that is becoming too cold to sustain life. This contrasts with Duffy’s earlier poem Absence (Page 10) where Duffy writes ‘The sun’s so= bite on my face is your mouth.’ Duffy’s choice of the noun ‘sun’ combined with the adjecDve ‘so=’ suggest that the narrator sees the lover as warm and life sustaining like the sun. This coincides with the idea that just like natural seasons the relaDonship has altered as it has gone from being one that she finds pleasant and warm to one that’s cold and inhospitable.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
AO2: (Stanza 4, line 1) ‘Learn from the river, flowing always somewhere else…’ In nature, rivers are in a state of constant moDon away from their original sources. Duffy uses this image in her own poem to describe the transformaDons that take place in the relaDonship. Her choice of the verb ‘Learn’ suggests that the narrator is telling the lover to move on, just as a river does ‘flowing always somewhere else’ away from its starDng point. In addiDon to this, it may be seen that Duffy is essenDally staDng that their relaDonship isn’t enDrely natural as the lover is having to ‘Learn’ from nature.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
AO2: (Stanza 5, line 2 & 3) ‘Learn from the dumbstruck gardens, summer’s grave, where nothing grows…’ As stated in the previous slide, Duffy uses natural imagery to convey the idea that just as the seasons change, so has the relaDonship. This noDon is parDcularly evident here as when Duffy writes ‘summer’s grave, where nothing grows…’ The parDcular usage of the nouns ‘summer’ and ‘grave’ conjure a vision of a dead, withered garden. Here, Duffy appears to be staDng that just as the garden dies when summer ends, so has the relaDonship. No longer beauDful and bounDful it has become lifeless and beyond reanimaDon.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on
the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar
conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby,1925
AO3: Just as Duffy uses imagery which is typically associated with nature to express the inexorable way that the lovers’ relaDonship changes, so too does Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick use of imagery typically associated with seasonal transiDons anDcipates the ways in which the lives of all the characters will be compelled to change.
My own personal treasures include Pablo Neruda’s Twenty Love
Poems and a Song of Despair, in the 1966 translation by Nathaniel
Tarn – one of the first poetry collections I bought as a student. “I
want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees,” wrote
the 20-year-old Neruda in 1924. The poems today remain as
urgently gorgeous as freshly picked flowers. Another favourite is
E Powys Mathers’ extraordinarily beautiful translation “Black
Marigolds”
“
Carol Ann Duffy on her favourite love poems. Telegraph, February 13th 2010
AO4: When asked to write an arDcle about her favourite poems for the Telegraph back in 2010, Duffy expressed her love for two poems by Pablo Neruda and Billhana Kavi (translated by Edward Powys Mathers). Both poems use aspects of nature to express sensuality, which suggests that Duffy has always found images from nature parDcularly resonant and potent when describing love and life.
“
R O W
(Stanza 1, line 4) ‘The sun banged the gate in the sky and fled.’ (Stanza 2, line 2) ‘The trees wept and threw away their leaves…’
Page 18
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Does nature mirror human emoDon? AO1: Previously, Duffy explored the idea of relaDonships changing as nature does. However, this Dme Duffy is presenDng the theme of just as nature conflicts with itself, so does the relaDonship .
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (Stanza 1, line 4) ‘The sun banged the gate in the sky and fled.’ Duffy’s use of the noun ‘banged’ is a loud and violent. When paired with the nouns ‘sun’ and ‘sky’ Duffy is suggesDng that the lovers argument is so strong that it has split even the most natural of pairings. In addiDon to this, the image of the sun leaving the sky, paints a very dark, forbidding atmosphere, since without light, there can be no life. In doing this, Duffy suggests that there is no longer any light le\ in the lovers’ relaDonship and therefore it is dying.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (Stanza 2, line 2) ‘The trees wept and threw away their leaves…’ InteresDngly, Duffy is taking a very normal image of trees losing their leaves (as they do in autumn) and turning it into a very unnerving image. In doing this, Duffy suggests that the lovers are constantly going through a destrucDve cycle just as nature goes through its cycle of growth and decay. Yet, the most interesDng factor here is that Duffy does not use language that carries a sense of recovery. Instead, Duffy uses the verbs ‘wept’ and ‘threw’. This suggests that narrator is purposely ending the relaDonship as the verb ‘threw’ is very firm and final and it contrasts with the more convenDonal used verb ‘fall’ which generally suggests a natural release .
Darkness and silence ruled everywhere around. Above them rose
the primeval yews and oaks of The Chase, in which were poised
gentle roosting birds in their last nap; and around them the
hopping rabbits and hares.
“ “ Thomas Hardy.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles,1891
AO3: Thomas Hardy is renowned for his ability to set the scene. This passage in parDcular is the point just before Tess’s rape. Hardy’s descripDon of the, ancient sombre surroundings with the inclusion of animals associated with ferDlity, presage Alec’s lascivious intenDons and suggests that some base act is about to occur which is outside what is accepted in civilised society and from which there is no escape. This coincides with Duffy, as she too uses nature to mirror human emoDons as well as, foreshadowing events.
R I V E R Page 4
(Stanza 1, line 3) ‘I part the leaves and they toss me a blessing of rain.’ (Stanza 2, line 1) ‘The river sDrs and turns, consoling and fondling itself’ (Stanza 2, line 3) ‘The heron bows its head’ (Stanza 3, line 1 & 2) ‘My arms ache as though they held up the heavy sky…’ (Stanza 3, line 3) 'My eyes sieve the sky…’ (Stanza 4, line 1 & 2) ‘Dry from travelling from so long’ (Stanza 4 & 5) ‘feel my soul swoop and ease itself into my skin, like a bird threading a river…’
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
AO1: Duffy uses nature to mirror human emoDons by linking the natural surroundings to her feelings of the relaDonship she is having with her lover.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Stanza 1, line 3, “I part the leaves and they toss me a blessing of rain” Duffy uses nature to mirror a love ritual such as marriage or bapDsm in this parDcular stanza. This is parDcularly evident when she writes ‘blessing of rain.’ Duffy’s use of the noun ‘blessing’ here not only personifies nature but it also suggests that nature is accepDng what is happening between the lovers
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Stanza 2, line 1 ‘The river sDrs and turns, consoling and fondling itself’ Duffy uses nature to mirror human emoDon again, using the acts of the river to portray what her and her partner are doing. The personificaDon of the river can also be seen as refreshing the relaDonship, making it new again. ‘Consoling’ suggests that someone had been hurt or upset in some way.
Stanza 2, line 3 ‘The heron bows its head’ This parDcular line could be interpreted in two ways, either as a sign of shame which aptly links with 'consoling' however it may also link with the earlier point suggesDng that nature accepts the lovers.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Stanza 3, line 1 and 2 ‘My arms ache as though they held up the heavy sky,’ Here Duffy is referencing the myth of Atlas in Greek mythology, who was tricked into holding up the sky. This may suggest that the relaDonship was based on lies, or she feels guilty about being in the relaDonship. Stanza 3, line 3 'My eyes sieve the sky,’ metaphor suggests she is lonely and constantly looking for comfort. Also, it creates a quite lonely atmosphere. However this also links with the previous line, as it’s possible that the narrator is viewing the lover as their world therefore by sieving ‘the sky’ she is admiring the beauty of her lover.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Stanza 4, line 1 and 2 ‘Dry from travelling from so long’ Dry is a contrast to the river sedng, which is very sensuous, animated and obviously full of water. This represents the fact she’s being waiDng for a long Dme, and her life has been barren and boring while she’s been waiDng for love. Stanza 4 and 5 ‘feel my soul swoop and ease itself into my skin, like a bird threading a river.’ Simile used to emphasize she knows feels comfortable in her skin, that now she’s found love everything is complete.
“Rapture is that rare thing a poetry book that can (and should) be read from
start to finish ...As the latest Carol Ann Duffy collection it is magnificent; as
an examination of modern love and how it shapes us as human beings, it is
unparalleled.”
Scotsman
'A passionate and beautiful new book length love affair in verse ...Ruthless,
sensuous, tender; utterly modern, utterly classical, it's fantastic to see one
of our best and most popular poets going from strength to strength in subtle
literary originality, while making poems that will sound sweetly to all’
Ruth Padel, Independent
A C T I V I T Y
1) In pairs, fill in the final column of the moDvaDonal grid, using the informaDon learnt from the presentaDon. (5 minutes)
2) In groups of 4 discuss whether you are for or against the Kate Kellaway’s statement, using the AO’s and Pathos, Logos and Ethos to argue your point, ready to be fed back to the class. (5 minutes)
A C T I V I T Y
‘Only the scenery endures: stars, moon, roses, graves […] This is an elemental love – it could belong to any Dme were it not for the occasional contemporary accessories’
-‐ Kate Kellaway, 2005