N5 English Duffy Poetry

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War Photographer: beneath his hands, which did not tremble then/though seem to now.
Distances himself from the subject of the photographs in order to do his job. Lets down his guard in the privacy of the darkroom as he allows himself to react to the suffering he witnessed.
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War Photographer: From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where/he earns his living and they do not care.
Departs for a new job and cycle begins again. He feels isolated from people at home, referred to as 'they'. As he looks at the landscape he realises that, despite his efforts, his photographs will make no difference to their attitude.
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Originally: my tongue/shedding its skin like a snake
Simile - process of changing accent/dialect compared with a snake shedding its old skin. Suggests ease of change. Snakes can be symbolic of betrayal so perhaps she is implying she is betraying her roots.
3 of 12
Originally: Where do you come from?/strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
Question and hesitation imply she is unclear about her identity. Even though she's older, she continues to have mixed feelings about her identity.
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Mrs Midas: Do you know about gold?/It feeds no one...slakes no thirst.
She puts across how useless she feels gold really is and therefore how futile her husband's gift is. Even though gold is worth lots of money, it is no use to them in this situation.
5 of 12
Mrs Midas: What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed/but lack of thought for me.
Emphasises her anger at her husband's selfishness as he has deprived them of a physical relationship.
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Anne Hathaway: The bed we loved in was a spinning world/of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seas
Sets the record straight over the reported will. 'Spinning world' - metaphor - their relationship made her dizzy with love. The list of locations could be those from Shakespeare's plays - brings in the idea of fantasy and something created by him.
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Anne Hathaway: I hold him in the casket of my widow's head
Metaphor - her head compared to his coffin - suggests she will maintain all the memories of their special relationship.
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Havisham: [refers to herself as] Spinster.
Abrupt, single-word sentence emphasising isolation. Self-deprecating - she is disgusted at herself for remaining unmarried.
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Havisham: Beloved sweetheart *******
Oxymoron - suggests mixed emotions she feels for her former lover. She hates him for leaving her but is also still obsessed with the idea of being with him.
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Valentine: Not a red rose or a satin heart
The speaker opens with a negative comment on traditional/stereotypical gifts which don't mean much to her compared to something more meangingful (onion)
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Valentine: It will blind you with tears
The extended metaphor of the onion is used this time to refer to the hurt caused by love. Literally, chopping and onion can make your eyes water but it's used here to symbolise the heartbreak caused by relationships ending.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Departs for a new job and cycle begins again. He feels isolated from people at home, referred to as 'they'. As he looks at the landscape he realises that, despite his efforts, his photographs will make no difference to their attitude.

Back

War Photographer: From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where/he earns his living and they do not care.

Card 3

Front

Simile - process of changing accent/dialect compared with a snake shedding its old skin. Suggests ease of change. Snakes can be symbolic of betrayal so perhaps she is implying she is betraying her roots.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Question and hesitation imply she is unclear about her identity. Even though she's older, she continues to have mixed feelings about her identity.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

She puts across how useless she feels gold really is and therefore how futile her husband's gift is. Even though gold is worth lots of money, it is no use to them in this situation.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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