Carol Ann Duffy Para 1

Question 1

Overarching idea

Answer 1

Carol Ann Duffy’s monologue-esque poem, “We Remember Your Childhood Well” explores the insidious nature of authoritarian parenting.

Question 2

Main Idea 1

Answer 2

The persona’s disregard for the daughter’s feelings in preference of their own resembles gaslighting predator behaviour, common in authoritarian parenting due to the ignorance of the child’s emotions.

Question 3

Elaboration

Answer 3

The photographic capability of the parents to remember their childhood

-> resembles the Dunning-Kruger effect in which “a person’s lack knowledge in a certain area may overestimate their own competence within it.”

Question 4

Idea 1- Quote

Answer 4

Lack of exclamatory punctuation, a common convention in monologues, and constant enjambment. “bigger than,” remove the emotion from the poem and slow the persona’s words down, giving an impression of apathetic rationality and certainty.

Question 5

Idea 1- Explanation

Answer 5

Thus their certainty ironically insinuates a lack of tactful assiduousness when evaluating their daughter’s feelings, in preference of their delusions of grandeur over their parenting style

Question 6

Idea 2- General

Answer 6

The use of perpetuating violent lexicon “hurt,” “bad” “forced” “fear,” are paradoxical to the apparent happy period of childhood the parents attempt to convey.

Question 7

Idea 3 Quote

Answer 7

“The man on the moors” an allusion to the Moors Murders in the 60s which involved the killing of young children by a middle aged couple, is able to act as a metaphor to the parents own insidious parenting style.

Question 8

Idea 3 Explanation

Answer 8

Furthermore the parents denial of the event as “only a movie you saw” corroborates their gaslighting nature in tandem with the traumatic nature of their parenting. As a result Duffy is able to outline how the traumatic affects of gaslighting behaviour can affect a child due to the disregard of their opinions.

Question 9

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Answer 9

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