The Love poem Flashcards
(25 cards)
Published?
2005
Literary / historical context
- “I use simple words but in a complicated way” ~ Duffy.
- From Glasgow
- Part of underground poetry in 1970’s, challenged traditional poetic/ societal norms.
Form of poem.
- Modern sonnet.
- Draws on quotes from classic love poems ie. intertextuality.
- Collage poem with enjambement, joining bits together!.
Structure of poem
- Stacato: sharply dettached/ separated lines.
- Hyphens: shows clear contrast between her views and idealised view of love/ symbol of realistic idea of love coming to a halt.
- Jagged appearance: like dialogue between classic vs modern view of love.
Give alternate arguments for: Duffy’s views around love are very different to that of classic love poets.
- No quotation marks, classic lines blend into Duffy’s work.
- Rhymes her lines with classic lines, in concession with poets
- Celebrating their works, appreciating their view?
Significance of word “till” in poem.
- “Till”: anaphora.
- Usually followed by main clause.
- Doesn’t reach main clause/ conclusion = love is unresolved ie. can be viewed in different ways, some believe in it whereas others don’t!
Give example of Duffy rhyming her lines with classical lines
- “land”/ “hand”
- “fair”/ “prayer.”
What could Duffy be critiquing?
- Idealised notion of love presented in love poetry.
- Showing that this love is only restricted to the page, never reality.
- Cynical/ parody of love, post-modern realism.
- MEN’S view of love in poetry.
Significance of “love exhausts itself.”
- Love being spent, used up.
- Duffy critiquing poets portrayal of love as universal, easily accessible emotion but it’s rare. Has been wasted on love poetry!
What creates a slow rhythm in ths first stanza?
- Repetition of “I” sounds.
- “Lie”/ “eyes”/ “white.”
Significance of the “white sheet” presented.
- Critic “love is entity on deathbed”: white sheet at mourgue.
- Idealistic love: pure/ innocent.
- Marital bed
- Blank page, she can’t express what love is - critiquing the idea that classic poets have.
- Part of death motif with: “like epitaph” (memorial)
How is constrast made between classical view of abundant love and Duffy’s view?
- Browning: “let me count the ways.” Lyrical abundance.
- “shrink to a phrase”: metaphor, reduction, undermining Browning’s view.
Signifiance of love’s “whisper.”
- Whisper, sinister connotations.
- Onomatopeia.
- Love enchanting people into believing it’s real!
Significance of “love’s lips pursed to quotation marks.”
- Personification “lips”: mocking the idea that love can come to life in a passionate, exuberant way.
- ” Quotations marks”: part of language motif throughout.
- Love is same thing over and over again, Duffy had enough of love being portrayed in same idealistic way in all poems.
Why does Duffy use language imagery throughout? Give examples.
- “Syllables”/ “phrase”/ “quotation marks.”
- Showing how idealised notion of love is restricted to the page!
- Love poetry = ingenuine, only empty words - constructed idea.
What could Duffy’s view be on writing love poetry?
- Critic: the act of writing about love doesn’t capture it but kills it.
- Makes it commonplace ie. (word being thrown around!)
Other than rhyming between the intertextual lines and Duffy’s lines perhaps showing Duffy’s appreciation of the classic work’s romantic rhythm, what else could this show?
- The confinement of love in love poetry ie. concept of idealised love is confined within poetry and not out of it!
Use of plosives? Significance?
- “black as ink on page.”
- Contrasts smooth “I” sound previosuly in poem (“eye”/”lie”), juxtaposition between classic/ modern views on love.
Significance of love being “in the writer’s hand- not there, except in a poem.”
- Idea that love cannot be written down, too complex.
- Idealisitic love can only be contained within/ recited as a poem from memory.
Significance of “love is all in the mind.”
- Only exists in imagination, contrasts idealisitic idea that love is in the “heart.”
Significance of “my-new found land” line from classical poem.
- Dome.
- In his work, this line compares touching his mistress’ body as conquest to explore countries.
- Idea of disovery/ adventure that comes from love.
Significance of love being “like a prayer.”
- Simile.
- Idealistic love, conveyed in poetry, being repetitive like a learnt set prayer.
- More hopeful tone? Existence of love depending on whether we believe in it or not.
Significance of love being “near and far.”
- Repeition of phrase.
- Allows us to mediate on love’s intangiable existence, so, therefore, it could exist somewhere out there!
Significance of Shelley’s intertextual link contrasted to the rest.
- “desire of moth for star.”
- Shelley’s view isn’t challenged, like others, rather quietly enriches her point.
