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Rapture Carol Ann Duffy Does nature mirror human emotion?

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R a p t u r e Carol Ann Duffy

Does nature mirror human

emotion?

POEMS OF FOCUS

•  Unloving – pg. 61

•  Row – pg. 18

•  River - pg. 5

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