Duffy: Romantic Relationship Between The Persona And The Blues

As we progress further into the poems, the different ways Duffy presents gender dominance becomes obvious. In LRC, Duffy develops the budding romantic relationship between the persona and the wolf, deviating from the original tale because the persona is a willing, complicit participant in her own seduction: Sweet sixteen, never been, babe, waif and bought me a drink

My first. You might ask. Here’s why. Poetry
The Wolf, I knew, would lead me deep into the woods

Sixteen is the legal age of consent, highlighting the fact that although the narrator may appear to be very sexual she is still a child, an innocence which is then blemished by the wolf offering her a drink. This is a metaphor for men as it is an old seduction tactic highlighting

He is an educated wolf, which masks his misogyny. ‘How nice, breakfast in bed, he said’. We notice a sense of domestication, suggesting that the wolf is already trying to mould her to fit the stereotypical female domestic role thus smothering her poetic voice. The reason she left to join the wolf was to grow more independent and learn more about poetry so she could stand on her own right however the wolf seems to have stripped her of that, leaving her completely reliant on him. We see similar domination in ‘Girl Talking’ as Duffy develops the idea that she tries to hold onto the normalcy of her old life through the use of everyday routines. However this only highlights the corruption in society as it becomes painstakingly obvious the power men hold over women. ‘Every day, shed carried water from the well into the mosque’ this gives the impression of constantly being watched over, the place of prayer luring her into a false sense of security. ‘Each day’ suggests that she had an obvious routine so the ‘miller’ knew where she would be at any given time. The mosque gave a false sense of security as it is the place where no one should have been able to harm her. She then goes on to state; ‘Men washed and prayed to God’ This makes reference to the role of men and women suggesting that women were made to serve the men and treat them like gods while the men basked in the glory of god. The religious reference suggests that men could do anything wrong and as long as they prayed to god and asked for forgiveness, that they would be purified of their sins. This in turn suggests that the rape was not a big deal and that they will be forgiven as men are more important. ‘Queen Herod’ is the complete contrast of this as Duffy develops the idea of her daughter being too god for men, suggesting that men cannot bring any happiness. She begins to present Female