GCSE (9-1): Literature: Poetry: AQA Love and Relationships: Before You Were Mine: Language

symbolic meaning of the possessive adjective 'mine' in the title 'Before You Were Mine'

The possessive adjective/pronoun 'Mine' in the title suggests that women are not in control of their own lives. It suggests that child-rearing essentially robs women of freedom because of the need to be a stay-at-home-mother - the child takes possession of the mother, rather than the other way around

general characteristics of the poem's language

switches between the hypothetical and imaginative to the present, eg, 'I knew you would dance like that' and 'You reckon it's worth it'

effects of hypothetical language

signifies that the speaker is imagining what her mother was like

effects of present tense

creates a sense of immediacy as if the speaker's memory is being played right in front of our eyes, 'The three of you bend from the waist'

feminine language

'laugh', 'pals', 'shriek at the pavement', 'polka dot dress' and 'Marilyn'

effects of feminine language

paints a picture of feminine friendship and enjoyment

active verbs

"you laugh", "the three of you bend from the waist, holding each other... shriek at the pavement... your polka-dot skirt blows..." -

effect of active verbs

gives the poem a sense of motion and brings the poem to life

tone

the speaker or author's attitude towards the subject

the speaker's tone

celebratory, nostalgic and even regret

nostalgia definition

a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past

effect of the speaker's celebratory, nostalgic and regretful tone

creates sympathy for the predetermindness of women's lives, as well as for the speaker who feels her birth robbed her mother of the 'best years of her life' behind to fulfil her duties of child-rearing

holophrasis

the use of a single word to express a complex idea

effect of holophrasis in 'Marilyn.'

Carol Ann Duffy is implying that, in her eyes, her mother was as glamorous and rebellious as the actress

polysyndetic list

Where there are conjunctions between each item, eg, 'you sparkle and waltz and laugh'

general effects of polysyndetic lists

usually to stress that each item carries equal importance

effects of polysyndetic list in 'you sparkle and waltz and laugh'

emphasises how dynamic, bright and full of life her mother was 'before you were mine'; also illustrates the lightheartedness of the female spirit

alliteration definition

where two or more words in a phrase or line of poetry share the same beginning consonant sound

examples of alliteration in 'Before You Were Mine'

high-heeled red shoes, relics... stamping stars'

effects of alliteration in 'Before You Were Mine'

helps maintain rhythm and pace in the absence of a defined rhyme scheme