Before you where mine Flashcards
What family was Carol Ann Duffy born into?
A catholic family
Who was Before you were mine written about?
Carol Ann Duffy’s own mother
What is the context to before you were mine
The social role of women in the 50s
Once a woman had a child, they were expected to stay home and become a mother
What is the form of before you were mine
In some ways it follows the form of a dramatic monologue
What evidence in before you were mine shows it to be a dramatic monologue, and what is the only thing that does not follow its conventions
The direct address to a silent speaker, before “you” were mine
However, dramatic monologues have to be fictitious, and we know that the poem was based on a true story
What does the fact that before you were mine is written as a monologue show us
Because it is a restricted narrative, with a silent listener, it gives the idea that the speaker is hiding something, and we can infer that the daughter is very controlling over her mother
Alternatively, the fact that dramatic monologues are fictional, could show that the daughter feels her mothers life is so distant, that it is almost unreal, and compared to the plain, conventional mother she sees before her, it seems inconceivable.
What is the structure of before you where mine
Cyclical structure, starts and ends on a pavement
Tightly controlled structure, 4 verses, each with 5 lines
What does the cyclical structure of “before you were mine” show
It could refer to the cyclical nature of existence, how it is impossible to escape ones fate. This links back to ideas about the fated role of women in the social context of the 50s, how all their dreams and aspirations are dashed, once they become a mother
What does the tightly controlled, 4 verses, each with 5 lines show us
The inevitability of the structure could possibly reflect on the inevitability of women’s roles in the 50s, how they are doomed to become a stay at home mother
Alternatively, it could show the daughters tight controlling nature over her mother
What does the quote, “on the wrong pavement” show
The daughter believes that her mother belongs in a more glamorous setting, and that she wants the carefree, reckless version of her mother
What does the rhetorical question, “whose small bites on your neck sweetheart?” show
The daughter is questioning the mother, which is a role reversal, as the mother would typically question the daughter. Furthermore, the pet name “sweetheart” is a stereotypical name for a mother to call her daughter, not the other way round
This reinforces the sinister idea of the the daughters possessiveness and controlling nature over her mother
What does the phrase, “those high heeled red shoes, relics” show
The word relics, typically describes something historical, like a fossil, which suggests that the speaker feels that her mother’s life is so different to what it was, that these shoes seem as if they are from a different lifetime
However, relics also connote great value, which presents a more positive reflection on her mother’s past life.
What does the onomatopoeia “shriek” show
Suggests playful imagery
Looking back and reflecting on her mother’s past
How does “before you were MINE” link to porphyrias lover
Very possessive language
What was Enaleptic frames mean
A flashback
