The Long Queen And The Map Women By Carol Ann Duffy

There is significant evidence throughout both The Long Queen and The Map Women to indicate that suffering is a central element of female experience. Both of these poems are present in the Feminine Gospels written by Carol Ann Duffy. The collection of poetry is seen to be teachings of feminism aiming to provide the reader visions of female identity. One feature of this identity that is examined within these two poems is the theme of mental and physical suffering that women universally endure. Through both poems, Duffy establishes the cause of both the women s suffering and how it s the foundation for both of their lives. In the Map women Duffy uses an extended metaphor that the women s skin was a map of the town, the†¦show more content†¦In the first stanza Duffy uses the technique of asyndetic listing of all the potential suitors that the monarch could have married like the lord, the baronet, the count, instead she has accepted Time for a husband. Duffy personifies Time as she gives it a capital letter resembling a name, it also embodies how the queen left it too late to marry, instead married her people and gave up seeking to find a husband. Another interpretation could be the historical context of the poem which could be an allusion to Queen Elizabeth the 1st This is evident in the name of the poem the long queen as queen Elizabeth is notorious for possessing a Long reign. She was perceived to be the virgin queen and was to have not married because of infe rtility. This suffering is a central aspect of some female lives and could be empathised by Duffy to make it universal. In the map women relationships inevitably fail because of her map signifying her past. when the women do have a relationship the lover s maps flapped in the breeze which could portray that she is hard to read. The structure of the sentence also end stop, suggesting that companionship for the women is difficult due to her past. Duffy also describes the lovers asShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast The Long Queen And The Map Women1250 Words   |  5 Pagesthroughout both The Long Queen and The Map Women to indicate that suffering is a central element of female experience. Both poems are present in the Feminine Gospels written by Carol Ann Duffy. The collection of poetry is seen to be teachings of feminism aiming to provide the reader visions of female identity. One feature of this identity that is examined within these two poems is the theme of mental and physica l suffering that women universally endure. Through both poems, Duffy establishes the