Carol ann duffy

1. Carol ann duffy Abhitosh, Chaanne, Georgie and Justin

2. Who is carol ann duffy? Carol Ann Duffy was born on December 23, 1955. Aged 58 today. She was born into a Roman Catholic family in a poor area of Glasgow in Scotland. At the age of 6 her and the rest of her family moved to Strafford. Carol Ann is the oldest child in the family and has 4 brothers and 1 sister. Her mother was Scottish and her father was Irish. She attended Saint Austin’s RC Primary School and St Joseph's Convent School and also high school at Strafford’s Girls School. She then graduated in 1974 and went to Liverpool University where she studied a degree in philosophy. At a young age Carol Ann knew that she wanted to be a writer and enjoyed reading as a child. In 1996 she moved to Manchester. Carol Ann Duffy has a daughter called Ella Benson who was born in 1995. Carol Ann Duffy was never married but was in a relationship with Jackie Kay.

3. Carol ann duffy’s career • When Carol Ann Duffy was 15 years old, June Scriven sent the poems that Carol wrote to Outposts which is a publisher of pamphlets, where her poems were read by Bernard Stone who then published some of the poems that she wrote. When Carol Ann was 16 she met a Liverpool poet called Adrian Henri and lived with him until 1982. She applied to the University of Liverpool IN 1974 and began a degree on philosophy. Before she finished and earned honours in her degree in 1977 she had two plays performed at the Liverpool Playhouse and wrote a pamphlet called ‘Fifth Last Song’. • After her university degree was completed she worked as a poetry critic for the newspaper company ‘The Guardian’ from 1988-1989, she was also the editor of the poetry magazine Ambit. In 1996 Carol Ann Duffy was appointed as a lecturer in poetry at the Manchester Metropolitan University where she later became the creative director of the writing school there. • In 1999 after the death of Ted Hughes Carol Ann Duffy was almost appointed Poet Laureate of the UK but lost to Andrew Motion. Duffy at that time said that she wouldn’t have accepted the position because she was happily in a relationship with the Scottish poet Jackie Kay and had a young daughter and didn’t want to be in the public eye at that time. However in the same year Carol Ann was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. • Finally on 1st May 2009, Carol Ann Duffy was appointed as Poet Laureate as Andrew Motion’s 10 year period was over. She featured on the South Bank Show with Melvyn Bragg in December 2009 and on the 7th December she presented the Turner Prize to artist Richard Wright.

4. About her poetry • Carol Ann Duffy’s work discovers both everyday experience and the rich fantasy life of herself and others. She uses scenes from childhood, adolescence and adult life to show moments of love, memories and language. • Carol Ann Duffy uses simple words but in a complicated way. She told the Observer “Like the sand and the oyster, it's a creative irritant. In each poem, I'm trying to reveal a truth, so it can't have a fictional beginning.” • Duffy rose to greater importance in the UK poetry circles when her poem ‘Whoever She Was’ won Poetry Society National Poetry Competition in 1983. In her first collected in 1985 called ‘Standing Female Nude’ she used the voices of outsiders. Her next collection in 2002 called ‘Feminine Gospels’ continues showing the increased interest in style and often surreal in the imagery that is used. Her publication of Rapture in 2005 is a series of poems following the affair of love. In 2007 Carol Ann published a series of children’s poems called ‘The Hat’.

5. Famous poems by Carol ann duffy Talent Valentine Stuffed Words Wide Night Ship Sung The Look If I Was Dead The Scottish Prince How many sailors sail a ship? Safe Sounds Spell Havisham Originally Mrs Midas Anne Hathaway War Photographer

6. Plays by Carol ann Duffy • Carol Ann Duffy had her plays performed at the Liverpool Playhouse and the Almeida Theatre in London. Some of her plays include: Take My Husband (1982) Cavern of Dreams (1984) Little Women, Big Boys (1986) Loss (1986) Casanova (2007)

7. Famous quotes • Carol Ann Duffy had many quotes. Some of her most famous and well known quotes include…. Poetry and prayer are very similar. “I have piles of poetry books in the bathroom, on the stairs, everywhere. The only way to write poetry is to read it.” I am always pleased to be asked to write a poem. I think poetry can help children deal with the other subjects on the curriculum by enabling them to see a subject in a new way. Every day is a gift with a child, no matter what problems you have. I'll be left writing picture books and fairy tales.

8. Why is it important to know the background information about the a poet? • It is important to know the background information about a poet because - • It is easier to relate the writing, to the author. • There is a greater understanding about their life and certain events which could have changed or influenced the way they think. (Not always) • It helps you understand their writing purposes and ideas.

9. Why is it important to know the background information about the a poet? • It is important to know the background information about a poet because - • Sometimes, the tone of the author can also be understood just by knowing the background information. • It helps you understand what they might have been feeling while writing the poem.

10. Why is it important to know the background information about the a poet? • Knowing the poet is necessary if the poem explains a personal event or his/ her view on different events, people, objects or ideas. • However it may not be necessary to know the poet’s background if he/ she is talking about a place or certain event of another person or country.

11. Sources • http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/carol-ann-duffy • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Ann_Duffy#Career • http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/carolannduffy.html • http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poems/best/carol_ann_duffy • http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/carol-ann-duffy • http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/biography-carol-ann-duffy-1233/ • http://www.carolannduffy.co.uk/ • http://anthology.aqa.org.uk/duffy