Wish Flashcards
(9 cards)
But what if … the sly worms
volta, conditional tense, in media res- insinuates that there are many different opportunities
asyndetic listing, littered caesura- signifies entrapment though restricted movement: mimics the restricting nature of depression
repeated use of ‘her’
separates the two personas (‘her’ and ‘I’)
mimics dissociation?
may suggest this poem is a declaration of women’s (ignored) suffering and duffy wants to bring attention to this
what if her arms reached out to grab the stone
dynamic verbs- a wish to escape her mind, yet this is futile given the ‘clammy soil’: there is no substance in her efforts to escape
I wish.
minor sentence, mocking tone
her desire to escape the constraints of depression are futile, instils depression as a barrier even to her own thoughts/self
Her bare feet walk along the gravel path
even if she can escape the constraints of her depression, recovery will still provoke suffering
reflects how mental illness cause physical ailments
adjective implies a sense of nakedness and vulnerability
Nobody died. Nobody wept. Nobody slept…
triplet, pronouns, minor sentences (first 2)
conveys a defeatist attitude- why bother?
If I can only push open this heavy door
cyclical element- return to the conditional tense (she still wants to escape but efforts are ineffectual
biblical allusion to Jesus’ resurrection and moving the tombstone outside his grave
adjective illustrates her feelings/depression as burdensome
noun evokes hope as it can still be opened
in the sun, dirty, tired
depression will still be present in her life, but she will be ‘in’ the sun
cliche of a light at the end of a tunnel (juxtaposed by final line?)
why do I shout, why do I run.
peculiar punctuation- full stop instead of a question mark, conveys the lack of avidity to life depression brings
questions why people place expectations on people- particularly those with poor mental health since everyone is individual
