Carol Ann Duffy Flashcards
What happens in Salome
Chat (read through)
It is a modern reinterpretation of the biblical story of Salome, who is infamous for demanding the beheading of John the Baptist. The poem presents Salome as a hedonistic, reckless woman waking up after a night of heavy drinking and debauchery. She is disoriented and indifferent to the man beside her, struggling to remember his name. She resolves to change her ways, swearing off alcohol, smoking, and casual sex. However, the final lines reveal a shocking twist—she has actually woken up next to a severed head, suggesting that she is responsible for the violent act, much like the historical and biblical Salome.
What happens in Mrs. Midas
Chat (read through)
Mrs. Midas by Carol Ann Duffy is a poem that retells the myth of King Midas, focusing on the perspective of his wife. The poem explores the consequences of Midas’s wish to turn everything he touches into gold. At first, Mrs. Midas is intrigued by her husband’s newfound ability, but soon she realizes the devastating impact it has on their lives. As Midas turns objects, food, and even people into gold, their relationship deteriorates. The speaker reflects on the loss of intimacy and warmth, both literally and metaphorically. She watches as Midas becomes consumed by his greed, and in the end, he is left alone, surrounded by gold but unable to touch anything or anyone. The poem explores themes of materialism, isolation, and the destructive nature of unchecked desires, with a poignant commentary on love and the personal costs of greed.
What happens in Stealing
Chat (read through)
Stealing by Carol Ann Duffy, is a dramatic monologue from the perspective of a troubled and alienated individual who engages in theft, not out of necessity, but out of boredom, rebellion, and a desire for control. The speaker recalls stealing a snowman, an unusual and seemingly pointless act, yet one that symbolizes their emotional coldness and detachment. They describe the thrill of taking things they don’t need—joyriding, breaking into houses, and stealing random objects—suggesting a deeper sense of emptiness and frustration with life. The destruction of the snowman reflects their own inner turmoil and self-destructive tendencies. The final line highlights their isolation and inability to connect with others, reinforcing themes of loneliness, alienation, and existential despair.
What happens in Education for Leisure
Chat (read through)
This poem, Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy, is a chilling dramatic monologue from the perspective of a disturbed and violent individual who feels ignored, unappreciated, and alienated from society. The speaker, filled with a god-like sense of power, begins by killing small creatures—a fly, a goldfish—escalating their actions as they search for a way to assert control and make an impact. Their delusions of grandeur are contrasted with the mundane reality of their life, such as signing on for unemployment benefits, which only deepens their frustration. As the poem progresses, the speaker’s violence intensifies, culminating in a final ominous moment where they step outside with a knife and touch someone’s arm, suggesting an impending act of real harm.
Text type overall
Collections / anthologies of poems
Mrs. Midas and Salome were written to be a part of World’s wife, Stealing is a part of the Selling Manhattan collection
And eductaion for leisure was a part of her first collection of poems called Standing Female Nude
Format for Stealing
Starts in media res
dramatic monologue
Five cinquains or quintains, that is, five line stanzas with no regularity to the lines. The character doesn’t develop his story logically. He goes off on a tangent in the third stanza before returning to the snowman in the fourth.
Enjambment (The continuation of a sentence from one verse line to the next without a punctuated pause i.e. comma / period)
No rhyming pattern
Format for Mrs. Midas
11 stanzas 6 lines each
No rhyming pattern other than internal rhyming
An example being
(chat)
“It was then that I knew.
I had to do something. I was terrified.”
In these lines, “knew” and “do” form an internal rhyme within the sentence. They are in close proximity within the same line, contributing to the rhythm of the poem.
Format for Salome
From genius:
The poem comprises five stanzas, the first and last are quatrains, that is four lines each, and the remaining three have nine lines. They are free verse with irregular length lines to reflect the meaning. The structure reinforces the circularity of Salome’s actions, repeating her behaviour. Despite her intentions she fails to ‘clean up her act’.
Format for Education for leisure
From genius:
Five four lined stanzas with no regular rhyme scheme. She uses enjambment
(The continuation of a sentence from one verse line to the next without a punctuated pause i.e. comma / period)
freely and the verses, if read aloud, sounds close to everyday speech. Sentences are short and choppy.
What character names are there (all poems)?
Mrs Midas
Mrs. Midas
Mr. Midas
Unnamed hypothetical baby child
Salome
Salome
The guy (unkown name)
Education for leisure
Unnamed Main character
Unnamed radio guy
Stealing
Unnamed main character
Purpose of Stealing
I think overall what it’s trying to say is that the system needs to change, we need to be able to help and understand people like this.
Lit charts:
It’s possible that “Stealing” is meant to evoke the specific world in which the poem was composed: Carol Ann Duffy wrote in the poem in the 1980s, when there were record levels of unemployment and crime in the UK and many people felt marginalized and ignored by their government. With this in mind, “Stealing” can be read as exploring the lack of purpose and opportunity—and the resulting rise in crime—many experienced in the UK when the poem was written.
Purpose of Mrs. Midas
Lit charts
Duffy’s poem revamps the famous myth of King Midas, with a major shift: the focus of the story is not the king himself, but rather his wife. The poem thus elevates a perspective that was left out of the original story, revealing how a greedy man’s wish sent the life of the woman closest to him into turmoil. While the poem isn’t necessarily about women’s experiences at large, its very existence—and, indeed, The World’s Wife as a whole, the collection in which this poem was published—critiques the erasure of women’s experiences. The poem implies the steep cost of such erasure, as the speaker’s life is also irrevocably changed when her husband makes a wish that fails to consider her altogether.
Purpose of Salome
Chat:
The purpose of the poem is to explore the idea of female agency and the manipulation of power, particularly within the context of sexuality. Salome is portrayed as a woman who gains power through her actions and her ability to manipulate the men around her. Yet, in Duffy’s retelling, the act of obtaining what she desires—John the Baptist’s head—leaves her feeling empty and unsatisfied. This speaks to a broader commentary on the fleeting nature of power and the consequences of using one’s sexuality or influence to gain control.
Duffy’s Salome challenges traditional views of women in biblical narratives, showing that even though Salome gains what she asks for, she ultimately faces the emptiness of achieving something without emotional or spiritual fulfillment. The poem highlights the complexities of power, desire, and the dark side of achieving one’s wishes.
Purpose of Education for Leisure
I think overall its saying something needs to change, we need to fix this system.
Chat:
The purpose of the poem is to critique the societal systems that fail to engage or uplift those who feel marginalized or neglected, particularly young people. The poem’s title, “Education for Leisure,” is a play on the idea that formal education is supposed to prepare individuals for productive, meaningful lives, but the speaker seems to have gained no such preparation, instead using their “education” to fill the void of a monotonous existence. This highlights a critique of both the failure of education and the wider social and cultural systems to provide meaningful opportunities for the individual.
Context for Stealing
Chat
Carol Ann Duffy wrote in the poem in the 1980s, when there were record levels of unemployment and crime in the UK and many people felt marginalized and ignored by their government.
Context for Mrs. Midas
Chat
+Mrs. Midas by Carol Ann Duffy is a contemporary poem that draws upon the Greek myth of King Midas, who was granted the wish that everything he touched would turn to gold. The poem is part of Duffy’s 1999 collection The World’s Wife, in which she reimagines well-known stories and myths from the perspective of the women involved.
The poem is set in a modern context, with Duffy’s distinctive blend of humor, pathos, and dark irony. Through Mrs. Midas’s voice, Duffy critiques materialism and explores themes such as greed, isolation, and the ways in which love and intimacy can be destroyed by obsession with wealth.
Context for Salome
Chat
The poem “Salome” by Carol Ann Duffy retells the biblical story of Salome, the stepdaughter of King Herod, who is most famously known for requesting the beheading of John the Baptist after her seductive dance. Duffy’s version, however, presents Salome in a contemporary, more complex light, highlighting themes of power, desire, and disillusionment.
In Duffy’s version, Salome is given a contemporary voice, and the poem imagines her not as a passive or one-dimensional character, but as a modern woman grappling with the consequences of her actions and desires. Duffy’s Salome is portrayed as someone who engages in casual relationships, feels disillusioned, and is both emotionally and morally detached. The poem explores the idea of power, both sexual and personal, and how Salome uses it in ways that mirror her biblical counterpart’s manipulation of her situation.
Context for Education for Leisure
Chat (read over)
Education for Leisure was written in the 1980s, a period of significant social and economic change in Britain. The poem reflects the consequences of rising unemployment, cuts to public services, and a sense of alienation among working-class youth, particularly under Margaret Thatcher’s government. During this time, many young people faced limited opportunities for employment and education, leading to frustration, boredom, and, in some cases, violence or delinquency.
The speaker in the poem embodies this sense of being overlooked and powerless, responding by asserting control through small acts of destruction. Their grandiose self-image and escalating aggression reflect the wider social tensions of the time, including concerns about youth violence, crime, and the failure of the education system to engage and support young people effectively.
Overall, the historical and social context of the 1980s—economic hardship, rising crime rates, and youth alienation—shaped Education for Leisure, making it a powerful critique of how societal neglect and lack of opportunity can lead to dangerous consequences.
Audience for Stealing
British people, using britsh slang
Intellectuals, but also young adults and teenagers who may feel similarily
Those who may be able to change ‘the system’
Audience for Mrs. Midas
Not necessarily just British ppl
Those who enjoy mythological retellings, exploring gender roles, feminists, and enjoy themes of greed and ambition
Audience for Salome
This is originally a biblical story, so those who know that
Also feminists, women, and those interested in like woman being allowed to wanna have sex (sexual liberation) also those who enjoy dark humour
Audience for Education for Leisure
British people
Young and unemployed people
The general public
Those interested in crime
Those who may be able to change ‘the system’
Tone of Stealing
Hopeless, desperate*, bored, careless,
Hopeless can be seen in the line
“You don’t understand a word I’m saying, do you?”
You may not agree with this one
desperate can be seen in the line
“It took some time. Reassembled in the yard,
he didn’t look the same. I took a run
and booted him. Again. Again. “
bored can be seen in the line
“Boredom. Mostly I’m so bored I could eat myself.” (woah)
careless can be seen in the line
“I’m a mucky ghost, leave a mess, maybe pinch a camera.”
Tone of Mrs. Midas
solumn yet intellectual and sarcastic / dark ‘humour’
She is sad because he loves him, but proves her education through allusion.
‘Humour’ can be seen through instances like
“Look, we all have wishes; granted.
But who has wishes granted? Him. “
