AS Duffy Revision Notes“The Woman who shopped”
Carol Ann Duffy
Summary
Another surreal story, this time of a shopaholic. As her addiction to shopping builds to a crescendo, with suggestions of her homelessness, she appears to turn into a shop
This seems to be an indictment of western consumerism and our addiction to shopping.
The ridiculously absurd ending seems to suggest that our society’s rampant consumerism is just that: ridiculously absurd.
“silver shilling”
“silver shilling”
alliteration
Internal rhyme
“silver shilling” “credit card”
Contrast – shows how society’s consumerism has got worse
“silver shilling” “credit card”
Contrast – shows how society’s consumerism has got worse
“walked with a suitor… ditched him ”
“wanted a wedding… married him ”
“walked with a suitor… ditched him ”
“wanted a wedding… married him ”
Dismissive references to her relationships
“walked with a suitor… ditched him ”
“wanted a wedding… married him ”
shows her inability to form relationships as she has replaced human needs with her addiction to buying useless objects.
Dismissive references to her relationships
“walked with a suitor… ditched him ”
“wanted a wedding… married him ”
shows her inability to form relationships as she has replaced human needs with her addiction to buying useless objects.
Dismissive references to her relationships
“Light blazed from her now”.
“Light blazed from her now”.
When the woman transforms into a shop at the bathetic climax of the poem, the reader is left confused and shocked by the transformation. Yet the woman seems happy and at ease.This perhaps reflects the message that compulsive buying does not bring happiness, and in fact the only logical outcome that would come from such excessive purchasing is a ridiculous one!
“crowds would queue at her cunt”
“crowds would queue at her cunt”
The hugely offensive language used to describe her shop’s doors“crowds would queue at her cunt” is particularly shocking. It is ambiguous as to what this phrase mean. IT suggests the poetic voice’s revulsion at the consumerism peddled by department stores, and almost equates consumerism to prostitution.
“crowds would queue at her cunt”
The hugely offensive language used to describe her shop’s doors“crowds would queue at her cunt” is particularly shocking. It is ambiguous as to what this phrase means. It suggests the poetic voice’s revulsion at the consumerism peddled by department stores, and almost equates consumerism to prostitution.
THE FORM
The poem is structured in 4 line stanzas, with a fairly strict 12 syllable rhythmic structure. The almost balladic form emphasises the feeling of an adventurous story or tale, and the rhythm maintains a feeling of pace which builds to the climax at the end of the first sentence – at the end of the seventh stanza. At this point the surreal imagery begins, and the bathos is ridiculous. The ridiculous transformation emphasises the ridiculous nature of society’s rife modern-day consumerism.
THE STRUCTURE
The first half of the poem is all one sentence. The fact the title: “The woman who shopped” runs straight into the first line “went out with a silver shilling” immediately begins the poem with a fast pace. The seven stanza sentence is crammed with caesurae emphasising the lists of the material objects that she bought: “cutlery, crockery, dish washers, bed linen, TV sets” while the frequent enjambement adds to feeling of frenetic purchasing that, like the lines of poetry, seem to have no end.
