Carol Ann Duffy

Carol Ann Duffy

Carol Ann Duffy is considered to be one of the most significant contemporary British writers. She is recognized for her straightforward, unrelenting approach to gender issues, and masterful use of the dramatic monologue. She’s the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position. She is known for her poems that address gender, violence, and feminism. Read more about Carol Ann Duffy.

Some of Duffy’s most famous poems include Death of a Teacher, Last Post, Wintering, Mean Time, and War Photographer.

A Child’s Sleep

‘A Child’s Sleep’ by Carol Ann Duffy describes the ideal, peaceful sleep of a child, who is watched over by her mother as she dreams.

Bees

‘Bees’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a thoughtful poem that explores writing. The poet uses bee imagery to describe the process of creation. 

Betrothal

‘Betrothal’ appears in Carol Ann Duffy’s T.S. Eliot Prize-winning collection of poetry Rapture (2005). It offers readers a speaker’s desperate attempts to submit herself through the institution of marriage.

Betrothal by Carol Ann Duffy Visual Representation

Circe

‘Circe’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a poem about Circe’s reassertion of control over her life and how she now considers men. 

Death of a Teacher

‘Death of a Teacher’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a moving poem. In it, the poet discusses a personal loss she suffered and how it affected her.

Delilah

‘Delilah’ by Carol Ann Duffy focuses on the story of Delilah. It illuminates her individuality and how she felt about Samson. 

Demeter

‘Demeter’ by Carol Ann Duffy is about a mother’s love for her daughter and how it transcends time. It focuses on the mythological story of Demeter and Persephone. 

Deportation

‘Deportation’ appears in Carol Ann Duffy’s Somerset Maugham Award winner book of poetry “Selling Manhattan” (1987). This piece speaks on themes of exile, linguistic supremacy, and cultural dominance.

Deportation by Carol Ann Duffy Visual Representation

Epiphany

‘Epiphany’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a short poem that describes the drastic and emotional ways in which one person’s life has changed due to a relationship. 

Foreign

‘Foreign’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a poem which casts the reader as an alienated foreigner in the city they’ve live in for twenty years. 

Havisham

Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Havisham’ is a response to Charles Dickens’s portrayal of the character Miss Havisham in his famous novel Great Expectations. This poem refers to the character as “Havisham” rather than “Miss Havisham.”

Havisham by Carol Ann Duffy Visual Representation

Head of English

‘Head of English’ by Carol Ann Duffy is made up of a jealous monologue from the perspective of the head of an English program.

If I Was Dead

‘If I Was Dead’ describes the many deaths that love is able to return one to life from. From drowning to cremation, the speaker rises like Lazarus.

Discover and learn about the greatest poetry, straight to your inbox

Start Your Perfect Poetry Journey

✕

The Best-Kept Secrets of Poetry

Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox