10 mark questions - the areas of commonality between the poems

Question 1

emotional conflict within an individual

Answer 1

• the complexities of human experience can create emotional conflict in an individual’s life, which can significantly change the individual’s personality/outlook on life
• valentine: speaker is attracted to positive aspects of love like intimacy and tenderness but adopts a more realistic attitude toward love”
• war photographer: the emotional impact of the horrors the photographer has witnessed in his assignments abroad conflicts with the pride he feels in doing a professional job
• originally: the unresolved emotional conflict of maintaining identity: where is home and all the emotional barrage that the question entails
• mrs midas: the unresolved conflicting emotions she feels for her husband: the contempt she feels for his desires which brought about their separation conflicts with the physical intimacy she now misses
• in mrs tilscher’s class: the emotional conflict of wanting to go out into the world and mature and be new and the horror at the realities of the world - finding out where babies come from
• the way my mother speaks: the emotional conflict of wanting to move into the future and find her new identity and the longing she has for her home and her mother

Question 2

attempts to cope with life changing situations

Answer 2

• duffy presents characters who develop various coping strategies either consciously or unconsciously. some are more successful than others in allowing them to accept and move on, whilst others are still struggling
• mrs midas: she attempts to cope by using humour to make light of the horrifying implications of the situation
• war photographer: the inability of the photographer to rid himself of his experiences in warzones despite attems to adopt a professional distance
• originally: the speaker attempts to adapt her language in order to fit in to her new environment but feels a sense of loss as a result of this
• valentine: the speaker attempts to cope with the loss of her illusions about love by rejecting the cliches of love in favour of a more cynical view
• in mrs tilschers class: the speaker attempts to cope with the loss of innocence as she discovers where babies come from by being violent
• the way my mother speaks: the speaker attempts to cope with moving away from home by repeating her mothers words in her head in order to soothe her homesickness

Question 3

concerns about identity

Answer 3

• duffy presents us with characters who have to face situations which prompt them to consider who they are. some are able to adapt their view of themselves whilst others are incapable of doing this, to their cost.
• originally: the speakers sense of alienation from her new surroundings gradually subsides as she starts to become assimilated; the cost of this assimilation however is an uncertainty about her cultural identity
• war photographer: his difficulty in reconciling his public identity as a professional photographer - getting on with the job - and his human response to the horror and suffering he has encountered
• valentine: the speaker is unwilling to be defined by society’s conventional view of romantic love which prompts her attempt to break free of romantic stereotypes and be more truthful, more authentic
• mrs midas: given the consequences of her husband’s wish, she struggles with the loss of certain aspects of her previous identity, - wife, lover, potential mother - due to her prioritising her own self preservation
• in mrs tilschers class - growing up and discovering the reality of the world
• the way my mother speaks - moving away from her childhood into adulthood, searching for the right her, missing her childhood but wanting to grow and see new things

Question 4

contrast to explore central concerns

Answer 4

• duffy uses contrast between characters/ideas/attitudes to explore themes such as identity/change over time/ relationships
• in mrs tilschers class: contrast between the exuberance and enthusiasm of the childs view and the more troubled view of life experienced by the older child encourages the reader to consider the darker aspects of growing up
• war photographer: contrast between his need to be professional and his natural urge toward compassion for human beings in pain raises the question of how we should respond to suffering humanity
• originally: contrast between the speaker’s initial feelings of insecurity in her new home and her eventual assimilation into the new way of life, shown by her way of speaking, indicates human resilience
• valentine: contrast between the sentimentalised view of love expressed through cliches and the truer view of love shown through the speaker’s gift. “i give you an onion” encourages an honest, uncompromising view of human relationships
• mrs midas: contrast between the estrangement between mrs midas and her husband and their former intimacy, shown in her memory of “his warm hands on my skin” suggests the complexities of a relationship in crisis
• the way my mother speaks: contrast between the happiness and sadness of the speaker who cherishes her closeness to her mother while also recognising that she is moving away from her as she matures encourages the reader to appreciate the bitter-sweet nature of the changing relationships

Question 5

from your reading of this poem and at least one other by Duffy, discuss the ways in which she presents at least one other character

Answer 5

MIDAS- funny, full of regret, angry, despondent. we know this because of the narrative voice, use of humour, word choice, enjambement, structure, tone, imagery, irony and contrast
VALENTINE- bitter, realistic, cynical. we know this becuase of narritive - which is speaking directly to someone, the use of extended metaphor, structure, contrast, word choice and use of imperatives
WAR PHOTOGRAPHER- caring, brave, despairing, angry, disgusted at complacency. we know this because of the description, imagery, word choice, tone, connotations and structure.

Question 6

how does duffy use contrast to present love in MRS MIDAS and other poems

Answer 6

MIDAS- then and now, what might have been and can’t be now, love of money/nostalgic love, techniques
VALENTINE- romantic love vs reality, rejecting stereotypical ideas of love. techniques are narrator, structure, short sentences, repetition and word choice
WAR PHOTOGRAPHER- love of humanity/despair at what he has seen/his experience in war zones contrasted with the hate he has for wider humanity at home/ his editor/the readers/ the experience he has in the environment at home (rural england compared to the bombs in the fields)

Answer 7

MIDAS-the home is ordinary, normal, usual, comfortable - complete change