Carol ann duffy poems medusa. [POEM] "Medusa" by Carol Ann Duffy : Poetry 2022-11-07

Carol ann duffy poems medusa Rating: 6,3/10 439 reviews

Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Medusa" is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the myth of Medusa, the Gorgon of Greek mythology who was famously depicted with snakes for hair and the ability to turn those who looked upon her to stone. In Duffy's retelling of the story, she presents Medusa as a victim of abuse and victim blaming, drawing connections between the myth and the modern experiences of women.

The poem begins with a description of Medusa's appearance, with her "snake-hair, petrifying stare." This description plays into the traditional portrayal of Medusa as a monstrous and terrifying figure. However, as the poem progresses, we learn that Medusa's appearance was not a choice but rather the result of a punishment inflicted upon her by the gods. The poem tells us that Medusa was "once a beautiful woman" who was "violated" by Poseidon, the god of the sea.

This revelation challenges the traditional portrayal of Medusa as a monster and instead presents her as a victim of sexual assault. The fact that she was punished by the gods for being a victim of assault highlights the theme of victim blaming and the idea that women are often held responsible for the actions of their abusers.

The poem also touches on the theme of the power of language and how it can be used to justify and perpetuate abuse. The speaker in the poem states that Medusa's "hair was blamed for her fate" and that "her name became a curse." This suggests that the myth of Medusa was used to justify the punishment inflicted upon her and to reinforce the belief that women who are victims of assault are somehow to blame for their own suffering.

Overall, Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Medusa" offers a powerful and thought-provoking retelling of the myth of Medusa that challenges traditional portrayals of the Gorgon and highlights the themes of victim blaming and the power of language. Through its exploration of these themes, the poem encourages readers to consider the ways in which myths and stories can be used to justify and perpetuate harm, and to think critically about the ways in which we perceive and treat victims of abuse.

A Poem A Day:: Day 95: Medusa

carol ann duffy poems medusa

Another way to parse out the themes of the poem is to pay attention to the verbs that are used. Why do we read poetry? Financing made easy with Prof. The poem as a whole is very figurative, mirroring the incredibly powerful feelings that the poet is trying to portray. Far from revelling in her power to destroy at a glance, Medusa looks around at what she's wrought. Therefore the woman here is declaring her superiority by daring the man to face her and die. Reading and comparing the Odyssey, Sakuntala, and Good Country People can see the changing role of women in literature. So, anyone going through it having a hard time whether it is jealous without foundation or jealousy lit by real events.

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In the poem "Medusa" by Carol Ann Duffy, how is the complexity of the character presented? Discuss how significant this aspect of characterization is...

carol ann duffy poems medusa

And here you come with a shield for a heart and a sword for a tongue and your girls, your girls. This poem evokes empathy for the obviously insecure being she is. The Thousand And One Nights Vs Medea Analysis Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. See if you can find any parallels or contradictory meanings! Doubt is the predominant theme. Language As noted above, the poem itself doesn't have a rhyming scheme but is packed full of rhyme.

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Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy Flashcards

carol ann duffy poems medusa

First, the poem itself is in first person and is, importantly, told from Medusa's own perspective. We can do that while waiting for a bus. Fire spewed from the mouth of a mountain. Finally, throughout the poem, we read as Medusa describes her feelings and their physical manifestations to her beloved. Medusa is probably the most famous and feared woman in Greek mythology, and thus a perfect representation of female domination. Therefore the pace is frequently interrupted and this portrays the feeling of ruination and decomposition which links to the idea of Medusa turning the animals into rocks and therefore interrupting the flow of life. The structure of the poem links to the theme of the poem by the use of punctuation, sentence structure and rhetorical questions.

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(DOC) Archetype in " Medusa " A critical look at Carol Ann Duffy's poem

carol ann duffy poems medusa

We're compelled to pity this creature, yet we're still a bit afraid of her. She realizes that before her suspicion and jealousy reared their ugly heads that she was beautiful. There was a stint as a poetry critic for The Guardian and as the editor of Ambit, a poetry quarterly. The end rhyme produces a sense of finality connected with the death of her victims. And here you come with a shield for a heart and a sword for a tongue and your girls, your girls. I stared in the mirror.

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Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy

carol ann duffy poems medusa

They talked poetry incessantly. I glanced at a buzzing bee, a dull grey pebble fell to the ground. He made her feel beautiful, and then like a mystical monster. In that version, her hair became a snaky mess only after a sexual transgression in Athena's temple. It does give a sympathetic treatment to that state of being -- no one really wants to be jealous and to feel it gives one a sense of no control, which is also a terrible feeling. They call forth the searing heat a just-fired bullet creates. The poem is divided into seven stanzas of roughly equal length.

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GCSE Poem analysis: Carol Ann Duffy’s

carol ann duffy poems medusa

She does not care though--she simply becomes hard-hearted. Although she has been wronged and is suffering deeply, there is an element of threat throughout the poem, culminating in the final line "Look at me now", which can be read both as a cry of despair and as a threat - if you did look at a Gorgon, you would die. Finally she turns her attention to the man who broke her heart. . I glanced at a singing bird, a handful of dusty gravel spattered down. The mythological version of the story does not explain why Medusa is the way she is, but here we are given a reason: She is in love with a man whose heart is presumably guarded, who does harm with the words that he says "a sword for a tongue" , and who is promiscuous and noncommittal. Not for sharing your own amateur poetry.

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Medusa Poem Summary and Analysis

carol ann duffy poems medusa

The first stanza contains five lines, the next five have six apiece. It helps us figure out how we feel. The poem points to the destructive potential of jealousy and rage, and to the way that men use women, only to discard them when they're no longer young and beautiful. Women's experiences, feelings, and thoughts become the new focus. Although both poems are about marriages, love leads to happiness in Singh Song! She learns to use this newfound ability and becomes stronger, thus being able to dominate the man that caused her to feel such jealousy and unhappiness. I was lonely, sad and devastated luckily I was directed to a Very powerful spell caster Dr Emu who helped me cast a Spell of reconciliation on Our Relationship and he brought back my lover and now she loves me far more than ever.


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Poem Analysis: Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy Free Essay Example 934 words

carol ann duffy poems medusa

She is aware of the change in herself: by the end of the poem the rhetorical questions "Wasn't I beautiful? This is more than interesting. Because it's soothing, uplifting and thought-provoking. This brings in the theme of feminism, and how this woman is overpowering the man in this poem. We wonder if Medusa is jealous of the other girls or of the attention her man lavishes on them. Women, therefore, possess the disposition of both Archetypal criticism is used in the continuous employment of the extended metaphor of medusa. Medusa doubts herself for the jealousy she feels.

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