How Carol Ann Duffy presents the relationship between men and women
With particular reference to ‘Mrs. Lazarus’ show how Carol Ann Duffy presents relationships between men and women
The World’s Wife originates from the idiom ‘The World and His Wife’ which is commonly used to express a large amount of people, however after understanding the feminist concept of Carol Ann Duffy’s work this idiom can be interpreted in a different light. The phrase may actually present men in a powerful position; it personifies the world and by doing so assumes that this great miracle must be a man, implying that men are the ones in control. ‘And his Wife’ suggests a woman, more specifically a wife, must stand behind her husband and support him - again suggesting male importance. The analysis for this title is the basis behind Duffy’s idea that relationships between men and women are flawed, in the poems Mrs. Lazarus and Mrs. Icarus, with the exception of the successful relationship in Anne Hathaway, Duffy mocks the common idea that men are more able while women are the weaker species and yet women are often the ones who suffer from the fall out of these relations, she does this using devices such as satire. Duffy marginalizes women by writing from a female point of view so that she is able to depict a woman’s voice behind many historical and mythical events, such as the poem Mrs. Lazarus; which is originally written from a male point of view in the Gospel of John.
‘Mrs. Lazarus’ is in the form of a dramatic monologue, is it used to display the persona of Mrs. Lazarus; mourning over the death of her husband. It opens with the minor sentence in the past perfect aspect “I had grieved.” this foreshadows Mrs. Lazarus’ eventual coming to terms with his sudden passing as ‘had’ is the past participle of ‘have’ therefore we know that Mrs. Lazarus is looking back on this painful time in her past. “Howled, shrieked, clawed” are all animalistic adjectives, this suggests that the grief she is going through is so painful that it becomes instinct, Mrs. Lazarus is
The World’s Wife originates from the idiom ‘The World and His Wife’ which is commonly used to express a large amount of people, however after understanding the feminist concept of Carol Ann Duffy’s work this idiom can be interpreted in a different light. The phrase may actually present men in a powerful position; it personifies the world and by doing so assumes that this great miracle must be a man, implying that men are the ones in control. ‘And his Wife’ suggests a woman, more specifically a wife, must stand behind her husband and support him - again suggesting male importance. The analysis for this title is the basis behind Duffy’s idea that relationships between men and women are flawed, in the poems Mrs. Lazarus and Mrs. Icarus, with the exception of the successful relationship in Anne Hathaway, Duffy mocks the common idea that men are more able while women are the weaker species and yet women are often the ones who suffer from the fall out of these relations, she does this using devices such as satire. Duffy marginalizes women by writing from a female point of view so that she is able to depict a woman’s voice behind many historical and mythical events, such as the poem Mrs. Lazarus; which is originally written from a male point of view in the Gospel of John.
‘Mrs. Lazarus’ is in the form of a dramatic monologue, is it used to display the persona of Mrs. Lazarus; mourning over the death of her husband. It opens with the minor sentence in the past perfect aspect “I had grieved.” this foreshadows Mrs. Lazarus’ eventual coming to terms with his sudden passing as ‘had’ is the past participle of ‘have’ therefore we know that Mrs. Lazarus is looking back on this painful time in her past. “Howled, shrieked, clawed” are all animalistic adjectives, this suggests that the grief she is going through is so painful that it becomes instinct, Mrs. Lazarus is