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Carol Ann Duffy • Carol Ann Duffy (born December 23, 1955) is a Britishpoet born in Glasgow, Scotland. She grew up in Staffordshire and graduated in philosophy from Liverpool University in 1977, before moving to London. She now lives in Manchester with her daughter Ella (born 1995). She used to live with her partner, the poet Jackie Kay, but they split up in late 2004.
Carol Ann Duffy • Carol Ann Duffy (born December 23, 1955) is a Britishpoet born in Glasgow, Scotland. She grew up in Staffordshire and graduated in philosophy from Liverpool University in 1977, before moving to London. She now lives in Manchester with her daughter Ella (born 1995). She used to live with her partner, the poet Jackie Kay, but they split up in late 2004.
Carol Ann Duffy • Works • In her first collection Standing Female Nude (1985) she often uses the voices of outsiders while Selling Manhattan (1987) contains more personal verse. Her later collections are The Other Country (1990), Mean Time (1993) and The World's Wife (1999). • The World's Wife saw her retelling famous stories and fables - Midas, King Kong, Elvis, Anne Hathaway, Salome - as wry and exuberant 'feminist' documents from the point of view of real or imagined women. Although The World's Wife is presented in this way, it is said to be her most autobiographical collection of poems.
Carol Ann Duffy • Her next collection Feminine Gospels (2002) continues this vein, showing an increased interest in long narrative poems, accessible in style and often surreal in their imagery. • Her most recent publication Rapture (2005) is a series of intimate poems charting the course of a love affair. • She is perhaps one of the few poets in the UK to combine academic integrity with accessibility and popularity. Many UK teenagers read her work, as they learn her poetry as part of their English Literature exams. • Her children's collections include Meeting Midnight (1999) and The Oldest Girl in the World (2000).
Carol Ann Duffy • Awards • Eric Gregory Award 1984 • Scottish Arts Council Book Award (for Standing Female Nude and The Other Country, and again for Mean Time) • Somerset Maugham Award 1988 (for Selling Manhattan) • Dylan Thomas Award 1989 • Cholmondeley Award 1992 • Whitbread Awards 1993 (for Mean Time) • Forward Prize (for Mean Time) • T S Eliot Prize 2006 (for Rapture) • Forward Prize for Rapture
Carol Ann Duffy • Poet Laureate controversy • Carol Ann Duffy was almost appointed the British Poet Laureate in 1999 (after the death of previous Laureate Ted Hughes), but lost out on the position to Andrew Motion. According to the Sunday Times[1]Downing Street sources stated unofficially that Prime Minister Tony Blair was 'worried about having a homosexual poet laureate because of how it might play in middle England'. Duffy later claimed that she would not have accepted the laureateship anyway, saying in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that 'I will not write a poem for Edward and Sophie. No self-respecting poet should have to.' She says she regards Andrew Motion as a friend and that the idea of a contest between her and him for the post was entirely invented by the newspapers.
Salome • Look at the following pictures. • What do you think they are about?
Salome What did you think?
Salome • Read the following information about Salome?
Salome • Salome • The real story behind this poem is found in the New Testament books of Matthew (Chapter 14.6-11) and Mark (6.22-28), and took place about AD 30. The historical Salome was a daughter of Herodias and Philip (he was one of the ruling family in Palestine). She danced before the ruler, Herod Antipas (Philip's half-brother and her uncle), who promised to grant any request she might make. John the Baptist had condemned Herodias because of her affair (as would now call it) with Herod, who had put him in prison. Prompted by her mother, Salome asked for the head of John and at once he was executed. The name of Salome is not used in the gospels but is known from the Jewish historian Josephus. Oscar Wilde wrote a play about Salome, in which she is presented as in love with John the Baptist; the play ends with her being executed on Herod's orders.
Salome • Either Carol Ann Duffy does not know the history well, or she deliberately takes liberties. The head on the pillow is no part of the real story of Salome, but appears to have been stolen from the feature film, The Godfather, where a character wakes to find on the pillow beside him, the head of his prize racehorse. (In the film, this is a threat, and it works - the horse owner does what he had hitherto refused to do.)
Salome Now Read the Poem!
Salome I'd done it before (and doubtless I'll do it again, sooner or later) woke up with a head on the pillow beside me -whose? - what did it matter? Good- looking, of course, dark hair, rather matted; the reddish beard several shades lighter; with very deep lines around the eyes, from pain, I'd guess, maybe laughter; and a beautiful crimson mouth that obviously knew how to flatter... which I kissed... Colder than pewter. Strange. What was his name? Peter?
Salome Simon? Andrew? John? J knew I'd feel better for tea, dry toast, no butter, so rang for the maid. And, indeed, her innocent clatter of cups and plates, her clearing of clutter, her regional patter, were just what needed - hungover and wrecked as J was from a night on the batter.
Salome Never again! I needed to clean up my act, get fitter, cut out the booze and the fags and the sex. Yes. And as for the latter, it was time to turf out the blighter, the beater or biter, who'd come like a lamb to the slaughter to Salome's bed.
Salome In tile mirror, I saw my eyes glitter. I flung back the sticky red sheets, and there, like I said -and ain't life a bitch - was his head on a platter.
Salome • Now that you have read the poem. Answer the following questions. The poem is written as a persona-this means in the voice of a character. • How do we know we are listening to the voice of Salome? Find an example. • What type of person is Salome? Find evidence to support your ideas. • Find examples of modern colloquial language. What is the effect of this? • The poem uses onomatopoeia-highlight an example.
Salome • Salome: • Is there anything about Salome that makes her a good role model for women? • What kind of world makes women become like Salome and behave as she does? • How far is this really a very modern kind of story? • How does Salome's outlook compare with Miss Havisham's? • Does the poet, in your view, agree with Salome's view that life is “a bitch”? Does Salome think this, or is she making an ironic statement of sympathy for her latest victim? • Few women really kill their lovers. But perhaps some think of doing so at times. How far, in your view, does this poem give an honest account of a common fantasy?
Salome Using your knowledge and what you have learnt during this lesson of the persona of Salome create a character profile of her in your English book
Salome Appearance Actions Personality Who she was
