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Examine the view that Duffy presents women as dangerous and destructive in the collection
feminine gospels - carol ann duffy
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Examine the view that Duffy presents women as dangerous and destructive in the collection.Work
- Against statement
- Caregiving/nurturing aspects
- Devotion to children
- Exploration of women providing for others in society
- Role of mother expanding to unimaginable proportions
- Woman worked until death
The Long Queen
- Celebration of femininity
- Strong independent woman
- Elizabeth I
‘The Long Queen couldn’t die’. In Carol Ann Duffy’s collection women are presented as dangerous
and destructive, but also nurturing and caring through the celebration of femininity and equality. In
‘The Long Queen’, Women are presented as dangerous and destructive through the sense of
Elizabeth I being the Queen that ‘couldn’t die’, as well as ignoring the expectation of taking on a
husband. The lack of a husband during 1500s, would be extremely controversial and considered
destructive towards societal expectations. In contrast, Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Work’, could be a
celebration of the nurturing and caregiving aspects of the devotion of a mother, through the
unimaginable proportions of a woman’s role.
In ‘The Long Queen’, Carol Ann Duffy presents women as dangerous and destructive through the
sheer sense of rejection towards the patriarchy during Elizabeth I’s rule. Duffy presents ‘The Long
Queen’ as being a strong woman that isn’t scared to break the patriarchy through her refusal to
marry any man, ‘then taken Time for a husband’.
Furthermore, Carol Ann Duffy presents Elizabeth I as dangerous to society as she produces hope for
women, creating a danger for men in society. This is reinforced through Duffy’s use of an asyndeton
list which shows how she is ‘queen of’, ‘women, girls, spinsters and hags, matrons, wet nurses,
witches, widows, wives, mothers of all these’. The use of an asyndeton list for different varieties of
women, reinforces this sense of danger to the patriarchy as Elizabeth I has recreated the basic
constructs of societal expectations and holds women higher in status than men. The lack of men
being mentioned within the poem shows how Duffy wishes to exaggerate the focus on women
within the poem, in order to celebrate femininity and feminine strength.
The free verse rhythm further reinforces this idea of female strength, as Duffy’s use of free verse
allows the effect of no restrictions on women to be created, presenting a further danger towards
the patriarchal society. The cyclical structure allows the celebration of femininity and female
strength to be further exaggerated and portray a greater danger to those that wish to diminish
women. The use of the cyclical structure represents the life cycle of the queen as well as the
menstruation cycle of women.
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