Duffy AS Revision Notes: - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Duffy AS Revision Notes:

Beautiful

Notes from the podcastSlide2

Summary of Beautiful

A poem which traces famous “beautiful” icons through time (Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn

Monroe, Princess Diana)

.

Each woman is described as powerful and autonomous, but

each is

famed for “beauty” more than

anything

.

Each

died in an unpleasant way, the poem suggests somehow that their fame (“beauty is fame”) aided their demise. Slide3

Language in Helen of Troy section

The imagery of “a bird inside a cage” is poignant as it represents all of the female icons described.

They are all trapped

as “

beautiful” females

inside the

“cage”

of fame. Helen of Troy was kidnapped

as a prize for Paris as she was believed to be

“the most beautiful woman in the world”.Slide4

Language in Cleopatra section

In Cleopatra’s

section

there are luxurious descriptions of exotic Egyptian objects:

“

rosted

songbirds, gleaming figs, jasmine scented milk” These all allude to her femininity and

juxtapose

with her

male, Roman

lover Mark Antony. The juxtaposition is surprising when Duffy chooses to place Cleopatra in a drinking

game where

“she matched him glass for glass”. She describes Cleopatra as having “held her drink”

“until

the big man slid beneath the table

wrecked

”.

The amusing

contrast defies the gender expectations showing her strength.Slide5

Language in Marilyn Monroe section

In the description of Marilyn Monroe, she is described as a pawn of the wealthy studios – “She sang to camera one, gushed at the greased up lens, her skin investor’s

gold”.

The juxtaposition of joyous singing and the studio equipment, reminds the reader of how her sexual behaviour was often for the camera, and the word “investor’s” emphasises

how

she was marketed and used as a product rather than respected for her talent.Slide6

Language in Diana section

Finally in the last section which alludes to Princess Diana, with the mention

of

the pose in front of the

Taj

Mahal

. The motif of “Beauty is fame” is repeated but this time it is “beauty is fate”. The change to “fate” alludes to the destined pain and suffering that descends on a women famous for her beauty. The onomatopoeic “gibbering” of the cameras suggests the way the paparazzi drove Princess Diana mad. The course aggressive and offensive phrases in italics: “Act like a fucking princess” and give us a smile, cunt” both bring sharply into focus the tabloid judgements thrown at her and reminds the reader of the role the press played in her demise. The offensive language also suggests males using the sexist language (“Princess” and “cunt”), and reflects the misogyny of society that feeds such tragic stories.Slide7

Structure of the poem

Duffy crowds each section of the poem with numerous caesurae creating lists and making the pace of the poem fairly hectic. For example,

“Then it was coffee, pills, booze,

Frank on the record-player, it was put on the mink,

g

et in the studio car. Somebody big was watching her –

White fur, mouth at the mike, under the lights”. The hectic tone of the poem reflects the hectic lifestyle endured by Monroe and the way men are pulling at her for what they desire.Slide8

Structure and

Form of the poem

The form of the poem, is mock-epic. The poem is split into four fairly even sections – each focussing on a different woman in time. The name of the woman is never mentioned but the reader is able to match the descriptions to the icons of history: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe and Diana

.

The poem mentions “Beauty is fame” in the first section on Helen of Troy, the repeating motif with the twist “Beauty is fate” in the last section on Diana, gives the poem a cyclical feel, and this perhaps carries the tragic and cautionary message of the poem. That our male-dominated society still destroys its most impressive female icons.